The horror genre can sometimes be complicated. We all know the slasher movie trope where you have sex and then you die. Sometimes the spunky good girl virgin lives to fight and kill the bad guy, and if we’re lucky we’ll see some boobies. This is an obvious oversimplification, but we’ve seen it on screen many times. And it gets old. That’s why I’m always happy to see a horror movie that plays with these tropes, and Jennifer’s Body (2009) is definitely one that tries to do that.
If you aren’t familiar with our Unicorn Scale, head over here for some details, or check out our Media entry on the movie here. Also, be warned, there will be SPOILERS from here on out. You can also browse our Bi Media Entry for this movie if you’re looking for a quick summary!
Jennifer’s Body stars Megan Fox as the titular antagonist. After a bad night with a mediocre (and Satan-worshiping) band (led by Adam Brody), she becomes a bloodthirsty succubus. Jennifer’s best friend Anita (Amanda Seyfried) is faced with the decision of whether to protect or kill her.
What I Liked:
Anita and Jennifer’s friendship is admittedly toxic and slightly insane even before Jennifer became a succubus. In large part, the movie is about Anita breaking free of Jennifer’s thrall. However, I really appreciated that the main focus was actually the friendship between these two young women.
Anita has a boyfriend, and Jennifer’s a succubus, but the story is fundamentally about a female friendship. Yeah, that’s pretty awesome. And it’s a horror(ish) movie, a genre that doesn’t normally prioritize female friendships.
So why is this a Unicorn Scale? From the beginning, Jennifer and Anita’s friendship seems a little bit extra. Yes, Anita has her sweet boyfriend, Chip, whom she clearly loves, and Jennifer is shown as quite the teen vamp, but their closeness takes priority over any of those romantic relationships.
Jennifer is almost dangerously possessive of her friend, and Anita will defend Jennifer no matter what.
But the movie doesn’t just settle for implying that their friendship has the element of a crush. Yes, they are shown holding hands in a manner that seems more than friendly at a concert, and other students tease them about their closeness, but Jennifer’s Body makes their crush explicit.
At one point, Jennifer shows up in Anita’s bedroom and says, “We always share your bed when we have slumber parties.” She then begins to stroke Anita’s hair, leans in, and kisses her. Anita kisses back, and the two end up making out on the bed, and both of them seem pretty into it.
It becomes clear when Jennifer attempts to devour Chip that she only cares about Anita’s attention. In a reverse Sleeping Beauty, Anita climbs through the thorns in her hideous formal gown to save her helpless boyfriend.
Anita finally breaks free of Jennifer’s hold on her and realizes that her best friend has been using her throughout their entire friendship. She also learns that she needs to take some of Jennifer’s power, that in fact, she can’t spend her life being passive and nice.
What I Didn’t Like:
A case could be made for the whole hypersexual bi woman stereotype. Jennifer’s literally hungry for everyone’s love and consumes them with her out-of-control sexuality. She uses men’s and women’s attractions to feed both her ego and eventually her supernatural hunger. But I feel like she’s well balanced by Anita being the only person who can recognize the pattern of mutilated bodies for what it is. Anita rejects Jennifer’s toxic sexuality while still remaining sexual. I respect the nuance in that.
The Rating:
In all honesty, this movie is far from perfect, but how can I not enjoy the campy dark comedy of it? In terms of bi representation, I love that Anita shared stereotypes with Jennifer but also turned out to be a smart, resourceful, bi woman with a real character arc. I was pleasantly surprised when I rewatched Jennifer’s Body, and I’ll give it four shiny unicorns.
