Transphobic Garbage *Spoilers

Lighten up, Francis.

I must Agree partially with you on that, I mean the "monster" who wrecks avoc is a trans-gendered male to woman, and also implying that Gay couples could be "dangerous" to the minds of the kids.

But the villian here, his/her condition was not his/her option, it was made against his/her will, which it ultimately fueled the killing spree.
But to me, that doesn't change the fact that it portrays homosexuality as bad and "traumatizing".

I highly doubt the director was actually transphobic, I can see how it could be interpreted that way though. Peter was abused and forced into taking on the role of Angela it wasn't her choice, it was the years of abuse and people not accepting him for who he was that made him go mad, she didn't want to be a girl, she didn't want to be Angela, she wasn't trans and that if anything tells me the polar opposite of what you're saying, people should be accepted for who they are, at least that's how I interpret it. But yeah, obviously people were much less sensitive towards the topic back then than they are now and they probably didn't think it through, the ending can totally seem like transphobic horsesh.t and just come off as wrong.

"Ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

You have to remember this movie was made in 1983. I don't even think the word "transgendered" even existed. The trans community is far more visible these days. It was not understood then the way it is today.

Also, the character Angela is not technically transgendered. "Angela" is a male and her Aunt coerced to identify as a female, doctoring her physical exams, telling her there already was a boy in the family and she would have to be a girl. Up until the end of the movie, you are led to believe was the female sibling who's brother died, when really she was the brother. This character is not even developed enough for us to even know what gender they identify with.

This movie was made before the days of political correctness run amok in films, hence all the pedophile jokes and other stuff in here that would be deemed "not PC" today. Hell, I've watched PG movies from the 70s and 80s that get away with stuff they'd never get away with saying in R-rated movies of today.

You're right, it's not something to be celebrated but what it is is part of the "horror" genre. In saying that it is against the transgendered is akin to saying these films are against women, against men, against blacks (they always die first in these things) against teens having sex, against Santa Clause (my goodness people threw a FIT when Santa turned out to be a slasher killer!), etc., etc.

The American slasher/horror films of the 70s and 80s were "politically incorrect" and if you asked me, began the politically correct movement. Many people seeing it didn't even KNOW what a transgender was at that time, or that they were part of the world(I'm included) and it generated interest for people to find out more (As well as never go to camp again!). Not everyone took away from that that transgendered/transsexual people were raving maniacs, but there is nothing you can do to stop the uneducated, even when trying to reeducate.

Someone or some group got offended by what was in these films -- i.e. -- stop making fun of handicapped kids, stop with the gratuitous sex onscreen between two young unmarried persons, stop showing Santa and the Easter Bunny as children holiday serial killers (two very fictitious concepts to begin with!), no more hockey player masks because my kids think The Chicago Blackhawks are out to kill them, my kid wont fall asleep, the Catholic Church wants to come to my home without my permission and Exorcise my kid, I can't send my kid to Europe to stay at cheap Hostels any more, stop naming streets-I live on Elm or Maple street and now no one comes to my house!!, etc., etc. Come on!!!!

There is depravity and horror in almost everything, and Hollywood took the opportunity to develop it; and yes it tapped into the chill, the fear, the scare and it is at expense of some community. (goodness, I can't see a deer today without crying about Bambi's mom!).

Sure some films were extremely gratuitous and some made particular groups and communities look bad, but the main thing is -- ya don't have to go see it. If no one goes or ever pay attention --or most importantly BRING attention to it -- the film wont get spotlighted. Don't mistake it for dying because in this day and time, films NEVER die. Audiences find their ways to it.

And Filmmakers are savvy - if it weren't for the dreaded "Sleepaway Camp", you wouldn't have had "The Crying Game" and other films showing the opposites of this-- the equality, love and brilliance of transgenders -- and everybody else.

Just remember this for watching films too: "For every force, there is a counter force. For every negative there is a positive. For every action there is a reaction. For every cause there is an effect". Entertainment runs on these concepts; and will exploit anybody and anything if it can predict generating a profit. And if it doesn't think so and some other way it did make a profit, entertainment will always capitalize on it.

without a Prime Directive how can you boldly go where no man has gone before?

Angela didn't CHOOSE to live as a transgender female, the crazy bitch that took her in said "you're no longer a boy, now you're a girl"
That's enough to screw up anyone.
I don't think of this as a transgender person, it's a person who saw his father and sister killed, then was forced t be someone he wasn't. It's messed up if you think about it.

Ed Gein inspired Psycho and Silence of the Lambs and he dressed up like a woman.