Revealing the Horror of Capitalism Through Monstrous Narratives in Jordan Peele’s Us (2019)

DOI

10.2991/assehr.k.211110.003How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Capitalism; Class Issues; Gender; Ideology; Monstrous Narratives

Abstract

Contemporary horror films often incorporate monstrous and chaotic narratives that reflect wider cultural and political conditions. This article examines how elements of monstrosity in the film Us (2019) resonates with working-class anxieties persisting under a capitalistic society. The theory of Marxism with feminist approach is used to uncover the relations between capitalism and the oppression of women conveyed by the film. Considering horror films often present complex female characters to tell their stories of resistance against the dominant rule, this research also looks at how the capitalist patriarchy locates marginalized women and their struggles. The method used is a textual analysis by looking into narrative and cinematographic elements of the film Us (2019) to investigate how the film presents the influences of capitalism through monstrous narratives. The findings of this research show that the visualization of monstrous acts and images are used to dramatize the effects of capitalism that are most violent among the lower, working-class.

Copyright

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

Open Access

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Amira Jati Sari
AU  - Shuri Mariasih Gietty Tambunan
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/11/21
TI  - Revealing the Horror of Capitalism Through Monstrous Narratives in Jordan Peele’s Us (2019)
BT  - Proceedings of the International University Symposium on Humanities and Arts 2020 (INUSHARTS 2020)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 14
EP  - 24
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211110.003
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.211110.003
ID  - Sari2021
ER  -