This thesis is focused on the intersection between horror, gender and politics in American haunted house films. Taking a “spherological” approach, the author argues that horror is evidence of a spherical breakdown, or a violation of existential space. Applying this approach to Hollywood haunted house films, the author demonstrates how those movies have, in the years since 2005, responded to a masculinity crisis discourse: by figuring haunting as a horrific disruption of paternal authority by violent masculine entities and powerful female ones, film-makers situate the movies in that discourse. By positing “security moms” (Grewal: 2006) and “paternal sovereigns” (Gunn: 2008) as responses to the crisis, the films construct a domestic space where women are militant mothers and men are sovereigns. Because the family is an important metaphor for the American nation (Lakoff: 2002), this construction can be seen as part of a paternalistic national politics. Cette thèse se concentre sur l’intersection de l’horreur, le genre et la politique dans des filmes américains de maison hantée. En prenant une approche “sphérologique,” l’auteur constate que l’éclatement d’une sphère existentielle s’accompagne du sentiment d’horreur. Concernant les films de maison hantée, l’auteur démontre comment ces objets-là se sont adressés, depuis 2005, au discours de la crise de masculinité: en figurant l’hantise comme la subversion de l’autorité du père par des menaces masculins et féminins, les réalisateurs mettent les films dans la trajectoire du discours de la crise. À fin de répondre à la crise, les films construisent l’espace doméstique de façon que les femmes soient des mères militantes (les “security moms”) (Grewal: 2006) et les pères soient souverains (les “souverains paternels”) (Gunn: 2008). Finalement, car la famille reste une métaphore importante de la nation Américaine (Lakoff: 2002), cette construction peut être vue comme partie de la paternalisme nationale.

This thesis is focused on the intersection between horror, gender and politics in American haunted house films. Taking a “spherological” approach, the author argues that horror is evidence of a spherical breakdown, or a violation of existential space. Applying this approach to Hollywood haunted house films, the author demonstrates how those movies have, in the years since 2005, responded to a masculinity crisis discourse: by figuring haunting as a horrific disruption of paternal authority by violent masculine entities and powerful female ones, film-makers situate the movies in that discourse. By positing “security moms” (Grewal: 2006) and “paternal sovereigns” (Gunn: 2008) as responses to the crisis, the films construct a domestic space where women are militant mothers and men are sovereigns. Because the family is an important metaphor for the American nation (Lakoff: 2002), this construction can be seen as part of a paternalistic national politics. Cette thèse se concentre sur l’intersection de l’horreur, le genre et la politique dans des filmes américains de maison hantée. En prenant une approche “sphérologique,” l’auteur constate que l’éclatement d’une sphère existentielle s’accompagne du sentiment d’horreur. Concernant les films de maison hantée, l’auteur démontre comment ces objets-là se sont adressés, depuis 2005, au discours de la crise de masculinité: en figurant l’hantise comme la subversion de l’autorité du père par des menaces masculins et féminins, les réalisateurs mettent les films dans la trajectoire du discours de la crise. À fin de répondre à la crise, les films construisent l’espace doméstique de façon que les femmes soient des mères militantes (les “security moms”) (Grewal: 2006) et les pères soient souverains (les “souverains paternels”) (Gunn: 2008). Finalement, car la famille reste une métaphore importante de la nation Américaine (Lakoff: 2002), cette construction peut être vue comme partie de la paternalisme nationale.

The research conducted in this thesis will focus on incels’ violence, the media coverage of it, and incels’ debatable connection to extremism. Using a comparative case study on incel violence enables an examination of how media presents the coverage, identifying similarities, differences, and patterns from a transnational perspective by analyzing news articles from two selected newspapers in the US and two newspapers from Sweden over a specific period. A systematic content analysis is conducted to identify and analyze key themes in the media coverage related to incel violence. The analysis includes examining how the coverage was presented, what language tone was used, the focus on the coverage, and the characteristics of perpetrators and victims presented by the newspapers. The findings reveal that there are consistent similarities but also differences in the media coverage of incel violence across the four newspapers analyzed. Four out of five identified themes in the coverage were consistent among the newspapers, indicating a shared approach in the portrayal of incel violence. However, there may also be some contextual and cultural differences influencing the coverage, which require further exploration. This study contributes to a better understanding of the media representation of incel violence and highlights the consistent themes observed in the selected newspapers. The findings suggest that there is a shared narrative and coverage of incel violence, transcending national boundaries.

Ebenso alt wie das Reden über Männlichkeit dürfte das Phänomen der medial ausgerufenen Krise der Männlichkeit sein, einer zutiefst nostalgischen Litanei, die von diversen Mitspielern produziert und regelmäßig wiederbelebt wird. Sie trägt verschiedene Gesichter in den Medien und reicht vom Entfesselungsaufruf, wie ihn Männerzeitschriften kultivieren, wenn sie ihre Verweichlichungshysterie mit Bildern bärtiger Großstädter am Holzkohlegrill oder am Steuer eines Geländewagens zu besänftigen suchen, bis hin zur rechten Polemik eines Akif Pirinçci, der in seinem Skandalbuch Deutschland von Sinnen (2014) dem „zur Memme transformierten deutschen Mann“ nachtrauert, der sich unter der vermeintlichen Knute von Feminismus, Political-Correctness-Zeitgeist und dem Diktat „abnormale[r] Sexualität“ selbst abhandengekommen sein soll. Derlei kontroverse Einlassungen stehen durchaus symptomatisch (wenn auch besonders zugespitzt) für die andauernden publizistischen Erfolge von Titeln wie Männerbeben (2007), Was vom Manne übrigblieb (2008), So wird der Mann ein Mann! (2010), Das entehrte Geschlecht (2012) und Der ungezähmte Mann (2018) – Manifeste, die regelmäßig auf den Bestsellerlisten auftauchen und immer dann den ,Krisenmann‘ heraufbeschwören, wenn Debatten über Gewalt im großstädtischen Raum oder männliche ,Bildungsversager‘ geführt werden.

For this project I analyze the film Bronson, focusing on its connection to the contemporary masculinity crisis discourse or the belief that traditional notions of masculinity are in peril due to changing gender norms and women's social progress. I argue Bronson privileges a narrow, violent conception of masculinity through its presentation of violence and domination over other men. I use Ernest Bormann's Symbolic Convergence Theory to analyze how the film makes sense of the real life events it is based on in a way that appeals to the contemporary masculinity crisis discourse. I argue that Bronson is a notable representation of masculinity because it recounts the life of an infamous criminal in a fashion that frames his actions as a resistance to effeminate men. The film's treatment of masculinity is problematic because it advances a restrictive notion of masculinity that involves violent, destructive behavior.