It has come to my attention that several people consider Richard Laymon to have been misogynistic in his writings. Well, I’m here to set the record straight from my point of view (Note that I am in no way an offical spokesperson for the late writer just a long-time, concerned fan).

It is true that many of Laymon’s heroines find themseleves in less than ideal circumstances. It’s true, also, that most of the antagonistic males in his stories could definitely fall under the misogynistic umbrella. However, it is the circumstances these antagonists set up for these heroines that make for the best stories: their experiences toughen them, make them stronger and better prepared for the final battle.

As an example I point to the previously reviewed In the Dark. (Editor’s note: We will be re-posting this article soon as part of our site re-vamp and a link will be provided. Thank you!) Our heroine, through the course of the games that M.O.G. puts her through, becomes stronger and better able to handle herself as the games progress and become increasingly dangerous. It is my firm belief that had she been sent to one of the later games earlier she would have either backed out then or, worse, become a prisoner herself.

Next we look at Blood Games, where a group of five women find themselves in the heart of redneck country investigating the site of a major massacre. It’s through both the events at Totem Pole Lodge and through flashbacks that we find out how strong and capable these women are.

The fact of the matter is this: a strong story needs both a strong protagonist AND antagonist. Laymon’s protagonist just seem to be, more often than not, women. If we look to the history of horror movies there’s a long tradition of women being tested and overcoming their adversaries. Nancy Thompson from Nightmare on Elm Street, Laurie from Halloween, Sarah Connor from The Terminator (a fine example of how experience can change a person) and the list goes on. Oftentimes, the heroine will be alone as she fights the villain, her closest male lead having already been dispatched or incapacitated.

Well, that’s the end of my rant. My point and summary is this: Laymon put his women through hell not to torture them, but to make it all the more rewarding when the time comes for the final showdown. The worse they have it, the more you sympathize and the better you feel when the enemy gets his comeuppance.

Thanks for taking the time to read my effort to get this issue off my chest. I’d love to hear your opinions, too, because this site’s for all of us!

So until I wrestle with my next disturbing issue, this is Red Hawk signing off!

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Tags: books, essay, fiction, horror, novels, philosophy, richard laymon

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Horror Celebrities, Horror Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.