Nature as a Means of Female Empowerment in Two Southeast Asian Horror Films

Abstract

The close relationship between nature and women is an aged-old phenomenon. Nature itself is often associated with feminine traits owing to its motherly and nurturing nature. There have been a substantial amount of academic studies conducted for the purpose of examining the intricate relationship between nature and women. Eco-feminism for instance, investigates how the exploitation of nature is akin to the exploitation of women by capitalism and patriarchy. Meanwhile, there is also ecological feminism that discusses how women have been placed in unfair positions through male- biased division of labour and environmental roles. Although some scholars have attempted to explore how nature serves to empower women, the role of nature as a means of empowerment for female ghosts remains relatively scarce. This study aims to examine how nature can play its role to empower women even as ghosts in two Southeast Asian horror films namely Inhuman Kiss (2019) and Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018). This study explores the relationship between the female ghosts and nature in relation to the abject and the lens of eco-feminism. It aims to demonstrate how the bond between nature and women perpetuates beyond the corporeal world.