A list of the top 5 highest grossing U.S. horror film franchises has been released. Let me first state that I do think there are particular flaws in how the series were ranked (for instance, not accounting for the inflation of ticket prices in recent years, or for the ability of one franchise with more sequels to generate greater revenue than another franchise that knew to call it quits at Part 27). Therefore, I wouldn’t turn to this as an accurate measurement of the genre’s profits.
However, one thing did stick out to me. The supposed #1 horror film franchise, Friday the 13th, is also the only one to originally feature a killer who was a woman (Mrs. Voorhees, immortalized on screen by actress Betsy Palmer). I cannot say that I’m honestly convinced there’s a connection between Mrs. Voorhees’s gender and the success of Friday the 13th, but nevertheless, the coincidence is quite fascinating. Mrs. Voorhees, the original helicopter parent, truly was a cut above the rest. It's too bad she didn't last long enough to keep her son, Jason, from taking over the family business.
For those readers who are unaware, Forbes recently released its list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. Some of the choices on that list seemed fairly obvious (e.g. Michelle Obama [#1], Oprah Winfrey [#3], and Hilary Clinton [#5]), while others were pleasant surprises (specifically, the inclusion of Ellen DeGeneres [#10] and Chelsea Handler [#33] brought a big smile to my face). Perhaps the one name that shocked me the most, though, was that of eccentric recording artist Lady Gaga. Filling the #7 spot, her status was ranked superior to Beyonce Knowles (a far more established veteran singer who narrowly trailed at #9) and even Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (#11)!
I will not attempt to justify the supposed “powers” of Lady Gaga or her placement on this list (yes, some of her music is great, but I’m not buying the half-hearted political messages behind her work/stage persona, like her absurd meat dress at the 2010 Video Music Awards and its alleged commentary on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and the dangers of human objectification). However, I will say that this is a surefire sign that more and more serious intellectual discourse needs to start tackling the topic of “pop culture, “ and it needs to be seen as a legitimate area of study. The fact that there were as many entertainers as there were politicians in the top 10 alone might be an indication of where many Americans’ interests, sociopolitical or otherwise, are truly falling.
I know this is a little off the topic of gender and pop culture (don’t worry, I’ll have plenty more to rant about soon), but one of my original poems has been published in the October edition of the Foliate Oak Literary Journal. Exciting, right? Do take a gander at my work when you have a free moment.
