The Power and Tragedy of Vengeful Female Ghosts in Contemporary Indian Cinema

Abstract

As evidenced in several global horror films, women have been represented as kidnappees for the hero to save, possessed by evil, mothers of monsters, vengeful spirits, and witches, operating through their abjection (Creed 1993). The figure of a vengeful female spirit is a recurring entity in Indian horror cinema. These monstrous women lie at the intersection of abject revulsion and adoration as representatives of social justice for women. Through a comparative analysis of 7 contemporary Indian films featuring vengeful female ghosts within the framework of abjection, this thesis examines the transgressive nature of these spirits, the processes they have to go through to gain agency, the kind of revenge by women is made permissible or encouraged through these films, and the commentary they make on the ideas of social justice in India.