To The Devil a Daughter To the Devil a Daughter

In this latest episode host Kat Ellinger explores the concept of monstrous motherhood and feminine rage in chthonic form for two incredibly complex subversive films.

Previously banned in the UK under the heading of video nasty, Andrzej Żuławski's Possession tackles the subject of gothic hysteria and mad love in his usual beautifully excessive melodramatic mode. When Anna (Isabelle Adjani) tries to leave her husband Mark (Sam Neill) for not one, but two lovers, their marriage becomes an ugly battle ground. Meanwhile David Cronenberg's The Brood looks at internalised rage and trauma birthed into murderous children by a bizarre form of alternative therapy (starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Egger, and Art Hindle).

In this episode host Kat Ellinger explores the intersections between Polish director Walerian Borowczyk and British feminist author Angela Carter; especially their shared interest in shapeshifting, fairy tale, eroticism, and female empowerment through embracing the animal within. The main focus of the episode is a discussion of Borowczyk’s 1975 film The Beast and Neil Jordan’s filmic adaptation of Carter’s The Company of Wolves (1984) — the latter co-scripted by the author herself.

In this first episode host Kat Ellinger starts her exploration of the chthonic feminine in film, literature and culture, with an in-depth look into Russ Meyer's iconic films Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! and Vixen.