SPN Art: And Everything Nice
Title: And Everything Nice
Fandom: Supernatural
Media: Photoshop, ArtRage
Notes: Creepy Little Girls.
Click through to embiggen (2095 x 522 px, 297k).
I've talked more than once about how thrilled I'm not with the "creepy little girls" theme, so here's your cue to scroll if this is a repeat for you, or if you find critical discussion of the show tiresome.
Creepy little kids, and little girls in particular, are a pretty common trope in the horror genre. There's even a game. Kids who are not just female but feminized, with ruffles and bows and dresses and long hair. (Because girls are naturally cherubic. Or something. And the frillier they are, the more striking the juxtaposition between innocence and menace. Or something.)
Supernatural is full of references to horror movies and folklore and pop culture, and I think that's adorable. It's so proud of its history, aww! And because the show is so strongly influenced by earlier horror, this is an idea that it has inherited. But in my opinion, this is one way that the show suffers from distilling its influences like it does. It's not just making homage, it's gorging itself. All the repetitions have turned the theme into something more disturbing than the sum of its parts. It's become Creepy Little Gender Portrayals. Like Miss Hannigan says, "Look at what I'm dripping with: little girls!"
As I see it, there have been eight SPN characters who fit the mold. Seven if you count Lilith only once; nine if you include Katie from The Kids Are Alright; ten if you include Playthings' Rose as well as her sister.
From left to right:
1.15, Missy Bender
1.19, Melanie Merchant
2.11, Maggie Thompson
2.21, Acheri Demon
3.05, Callie Garrison
3.12, Lilith
3.15, Crossroads Demon
3.16, Lilith
Creepy Little Also-Rans
These characters are all creepy little kids -- or at least they are portrayed as such in these particular scenes -- but they don't ping me the same way. Either because they're more victims than villains, they're boys, or they're not gendered so strongly feminine. YMMV.
1.01, Welch children
1.03, Peter Sweeney
2.02, Evan
2.11, Rose Thompson
3.02, Changelings
A question for the audience! What is the collective noun for a group of Creepy Little Girls? I submit for your consideration: a Frock, a Hopscotch, a Squeal.
Fandom: Supernatural
Media: Photoshop, ArtRage
Notes: Creepy Little Girls.
Click through to embiggen (2095 x 522 px, 297k).
I've talked more than once about how thrilled I'm not with the "creepy little girls" theme, so here's your cue to scroll if this is a repeat for you, or if you find critical discussion of the show tiresome.
Creepy little kids, and little girls in particular, are a pretty common trope in the horror genre. There's even a game. Kids who are not just female but feminized, with ruffles and bows and dresses and long hair. (Because girls are naturally cherubic. Or something. And the frillier they are, the more striking the juxtaposition between innocence and menace. Or something.)
Supernatural is full of references to horror movies and folklore and pop culture, and I think that's adorable. It's so proud of its history, aww! And because the show is so strongly influenced by earlier horror, this is an idea that it has inherited. But in my opinion, this is one way that the show suffers from distilling its influences like it does. It's not just making homage, it's gorging itself. All the repetitions have turned the theme into something more disturbing than the sum of its parts. It's become Creepy Little Gender Portrayals. Like Miss Hannigan says, "Look at what I'm dripping with: little girls!"
As I see it, there have been eight SPN characters who fit the mold. Seven if you count Lilith only once; nine if you include Katie from The Kids Are Alright; ten if you include Playthings' Rose as well as her sister.
From left to right:
1.15, Missy Bender
1.19, Melanie Merchant
2.11, Maggie Thompson
2.21, Acheri Demon
3.05, Callie Garrison
3.12, Lilith
3.15, Crossroads Demon
3.16, Lilith
Creepy Little Also-Rans
These characters are all creepy little kids -- or at least they are portrayed as such in these particular scenes -- but they don't ping me the same way. Either because they're more victims than villains, they're boys, or they're not gendered so strongly feminine. YMMV.
1.01, Welch children
1.03, Peter Sweeney
2.02, Evan
2.11, Rose Thompson
3.02, Changelings
A question for the audience! What is the collective noun for a group of Creepy Little Girls? I submit for your consideration: a Frock, a Hopscotch, a Squeal.