In revenge movies: when men take revenge, they lose their humanity. When women take revenge, they regain it.

A lot of the time, male revenge films are about things done to other people, often female (the wife/daughter raped or murdered, the house destroyed, and so forth). Female revenge films are about things done to the self. In other words, women have their humanity taken from them.

This feeds into my favorite concept about horror, where women must be either victim or monster. Many male viewers express terror at the idea of the women being the monster (see: The Witch). Women see the choice as both horrible and liberating.

"But, Lauren, the witches EAT BABIES!" Yeah, it's a horrible choice. But that's the choice of patriarchy - either die sinless, or live in sin. And amazingly enough, despite what patriarchy WANTS us to choose, we want to live.

The choice that patriarchy would have Thomasin make is to return to her village, where, after the deaths of her entire family, she would tried, condemned, and killed for witchcraft. She would die without sin, but she would suffer horribly.

The choice she's offered, by Black Philip, is to give herself over to Satan and become the monster that EVERYONE (her family, her village, her society) has already told her she was. She gains freedom and power and, more than that, life.

These are not good choices. They are not positive choices. But only one of them allows her to survive, to even have some power and freedom when her society would grant her none.

The whole point is that patriarchy creates her and will be plagued by her.

Part of the fear of witches was fear of women having power. So it's pretty fucking indicative to me when so many male viewers (including ones I have spoken to) think Thomasin's choice is wrong and bad.

Going back to an earlier point about Carrie: this is what women often take away from these stories. This is why we find certain revenge narratives cathartic, even when the women are constructed as bad or punishable by a male camera/script.

The choice we're offered is silent suffering and a beautiful, sinless death, or taking all the vicious motherfuckers with us. Amazing that women might actually choose the latter.

So...this got some attention? Cool! I suggest you also listen to the podcast of which I am co-host, @citizendamepod, since me and @KarenMPeterson talk about this kind of thing a lot: https://citizendame.podbean.com/