British actress and comedienne Alice Lowe had her directorial debut in 2016 with her comedy/slasher film, Prevenge. Prevenge is a one-of-a-kind feat in the film world, especially within the horror genre, that deserves more attention and praise from horror fans and film lovers everywhere. The way that the premise of the story unfolds lends itself to a unique subversion of the horror genre. It is really many genres at once: horror, comedy, and drama are all tied together with elements of fantasy and mystery.
The film was written by Lowe in two weeks, filmed in 11 days, and only had a budget of £80,000, which would be about $96,000 in America. Considering most A24 horrors have a budget of about $10 million, films with such a low budget typically end up having more of a “camp” feel to them. Remarkably, despite the budget, Prevenge succeeds in pursuing an intense tone throughout the film, which is brought out by high quality shots, realistic horror effects, and pleasing cinematography. Prevenge follows the life of Ruth, a woman who has recently become a widow while pregnant. The most impressive and admirable part of the film… Ruth is played by Lowe who was 7-8 months pregnant in real life at the time of filming. Lowe not only starred in the film but gave an outstanding performance that has viewers crying from laughter, and crying from pain, back-to-back.
Lowe sets up the horror of the film by taking some of the most well-known and supposedly mundane aspects of pregnancy, and showing how for some, they could be the most disillusioning part of pregnancy. The primary example that drives the film is Ruth heavily latching onto the notion that mothers are supposed to speak to their children while they are carrying them. Throughout the film, until her baby’s birth, Ruth has an extensive and intemperate inner dialogue with her baby that audiences can hear via a comedic British baby voiceover. This baby isn’t just speaking back to Ruth, though. Ruth’s baby dominates her consciousness, making her plan and execute a vindictive agenda in the hopes of avenging the father. This entails a murderous rampage of all those who were involved in the death of her husband, which occurred during a rock-climbing accident.
Although the actions in the film shouldn’t inspire audiences to follow in Ruth’s footsteps, Lowe gives us a depiction of a pregnant woman that hasn’t been seen before. Stereotypically, pregnant women are shown as weak, inferior, incapable, and even dumb. Especially being as far along in the pregnancy as Lowe is in the film. Lowe plays a pregnant woman that is highly autonomous; unafraid to actively put herself in the face of danger. Despite frequent wincing from the all the blood and guts in the film, Ruth makes for a badass and original killer character.
Pregnancy and motherhood are not uncommon themes in horror films. They are though, often utilized in similar and repeated fashions. Many outcomes typically include the baby being born demonic. For example, in Rosemary’s Baby, the baby itself ended up being the anticipated horror, coming out as a demon baby. This result where the child was the horror all along, is one that is often seen in horror films. Not to mention, these stories are majorly portrayed through the male gaze. Lowe creating this film and starring in it, as a real pregnant actress, provides an earnest and unfeigned perspective that male-directed works lack. The male gaze that usually frames these stories often dilute and distort the woman and her pregnant experience, so it can be consumed as a more whimsical experience for the audience — especially in the horror genre. Some moments of the film are indeed whimsical, but they are reflections of the outside world that demonstrate how bizarre society’s treatment of pregnant women, and their expectations of them, can be. This is the other central way in which the horrors of this film, and what Ruth is experiencing are brought out. The reality is that when a woman gets pregnant, multiple other people get involved in the pregnancy process. All those people end up giving their input about how the pregnancy should go, too. Whether it’s required health information from a doctor or midwife, or voluntary from pretty much anybody else around.
Through Ruth’s character one can see the range of just how scary, invasive, and more times than not, demeaning, all the outside input can be. A different societal outlook on Ruth is emphasized through each one of the victims she goes after. One of the best examples is the CEO Ruth murders. The CEO is a woman herself, but vilifies Ruth for getting pregnant and refuses to hire her because of her pregnancy. A misogynistic DJ feels her wrath because he's slimy, and wants to get in her pants so bad, he doesn't even notice that she's pregnant until he tries to coerce her into having sex. A rock-climbing instructor refuses to work with Ruth because her pregnancy poses a liability for him if she were to get hurt while climbing. One of her victims shows genuine concern for her, but because everybody else up until that point has made her feel useless and burdensome, her baby convinces her that the man’s kindness is fake. When it comes to the midwife, she feels like she is almost “womansplaining” (if you will) the pregnant experience to her. The midwife tells her that her baby will help her find clarity in life and help her make better decisions. Ruth has a “You don’t know the half of it” response, stating that she does feel like the baby is making decisions for her. No midwife could ever expect that the truth behind this statement involves Ruth’s baby directing her to make various fatal decisions. The audience can then see how this treatment from others coincides with the deep anger Ruth is already experiencing from her husband’s death.
Prevenge solidifies its uniqueness when Ruth gives birth to a perfectly normal, healthy, un-demonic human baby, played by her real daughter that she was pregnant with during the film shoot! Ruth is finally able to come to terms with all the psychological horrors she has been experiencing up until that point. Ruth recognizes the true causes of her actions stemmed from the bereavement and heartache she was experiencing from losing her husband and having to face the reality that she was left to raise her child alone.
From its production to its story, Prevenge is a special and unprecedented film that distinguishes itself from other films that use the same themes. It is one that serves as an inspiring win for women-directed horror films! The horror is not being pregnant, like we see with so many depictions of pregnancy in horror. The horror is dealing with the intense societal pressures that come with being pregnant (as well as a few graphic murders). With the prominent contribution Lowe has made with Prevenge, let’s hope one of these days she is granted a larger budget, so we can see just what else she can create and accomplish!