Blood in horror films is always very prominent, referred to by film critics as "gore porn" when there is an excessive use of blood within murder scenes but why is it a fear? Blood has strong connotations to the 'monstrous feminine' as they relate to periods and the mood swings that females encounter which have over the years been made into a joke and a shaming method by the other sex. It is also a fear though, fear of talking about nature. They are a taboo subject within society as they have classically been something girls kept to themselves so it only serves that they reflected in horror as a fear and that fear being blood.
This fear is reflected in Carrie as she gains telekinesis alongside her first period, it was something that is a running theme (the fear of sexuality) throughout the movie so i wanted to research more into where the fear and the taboo of sexuality came from.
R A D I O 4 P O D C A S T : A BLEEDING SHAME 
I listened to the podcast and then heard about how Walt Disney created a animated short about girls periods but completely side stepped the notion of having sex. This film aired in the 1940s in schools to educate, but in some ways did not address how sex relates to a women' s cycle. This echoes the tone of the time, they did not talk about sex and everything to do with it was shamed. It does address about mood swings but also paints that as something you can "pick yourself up from".
BRANDING FEAR
I learnt that period pads came from rebranding bandages from WW1.
In 1926 Kotex pads were branded as a savior from fear, "women spend about a sixth of their life in embarrassment and terror". Branding it towards fear, the fear of people knowing and judging you for now reaching that point in puberty. it was also mentioned in the advert that pads were for "better walks of life" ladies, so it was advertised as a luxury product.
ADVERTS AVOIDANCE
One of the reasons that blood is seen as such a horror thing is that it is only ever shown within horror films and talked about then. It only has negative connotations in society. Some adverts for menstruation products in 2016 advertised boosting confidence and trying to combat the shame in countries. However TV ad's don't actually address what they are actually for. During the interview in the podcast they ask a leading marketter for a brand about why there is blue ink shown on the pads instead of red and why noone talks about what the product is actually for.
Head Of Marketing: tv advertising is still viewed by people together, things you dont want your brothers and fathers hearing
Interviewer: why not tell men them? Why not highlight that its blood?
H.O.M: It's something we feel our customers don't want blared out, it gives them the chance to visit our website and find out more. We don't highlight the blood, you have to have approval to air since the 1980s (to show pads). We couldn't talk about the products, we are only just being allowed to show them, but even that is restricted. We cant show them on certain channel, or at a certain time.
I: So they're not actually banned from showing red ink or using the menstrual period?
H.O.M: No but our adverts can't be seen as causing offence morally or socially and I don't think we're at that place yet.
I: But you do think that its a possibility? to ditch the blue ink, to diffuse the taboo.
H.O.M: I wouldn't rule it out, our audience is very progressive, it could happen.
FEAR THE UNKNOWN. I found some examples of the adverts they talked about in the interview. This really is media avoidance of blood and nature. It probably is the fear of the unknown that powers the blood lust in horror because we have so little conversations about it in society.
If we taught children younger would this allow less fear of blood? Less fear of women? The current advertising is pandering to old fashioned views in my opinion, maybe blood could be de sensationalised if given the chance?
Some recent adverts are relating pads to sexuality and I suppose that could be seen as progressive but I think blood would need to be shown more in the media in order for it to diffuse blood fear within horror films.
Looking into this definitely defined why Blood is so potent in horror films, because it's so so avoided by society today.
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