Dorothy Lopez

Art History

I am a writer and researcher earning a Bachelor of Arts emphasis in Art History with a minor in Business. My academic background has encouraged a deep interest in the intersection of visual culture, cinema, and social commentary. Specializing in horror film analysis, art historical writing, and creative research, I explore how art and media reflect contemporary cultural anxieties. My work often examines themes of bodily autonomy, gender, and narrative architecture in cinema. In addition to my academic pursuits, I am a freelance writer and analog photographer, with a focus on darkroom processes and macabre imagery. Professionally, I aim to contribute thoughtful writing to film and cultural publications, while building connections with media companies, film organizations, and creative institutions. My goal is to bridge research and creative work into a dynamic career as a cultural writer and visual storyteller.

Thesis Title:
Womb of Horror: Women's Bodily Autonomy in Contemporary Cinema

Abstract:
The horror genre has long served to express cultural anxieties around the female body, reproduction, and bodily autonomy. Lucy Fischer examines these anxieties through iconic films like Rosemary's Baby (1968), while Sonia Lupher suggests the evolution of women's horror cinema in the twenty-first century as a genre increasingly shaped by female perspectives and contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Despite this scholarly foundation, there remains a gap in literature regarding the sudden surge of pregnancy-focused horror films released in 2024; a phenomenon that speaks to current cultural concerns. Recent films such as Apartment 7a, Cuckoo, Immaculate, and The First Omen echo a collectively artistic response to increasing debates over women's reproductive rights and bodily autonomy - particularly in a post reversal of Roe v. Wade landscape - and yet have not been analyzed collectively in academic writing. My thesis fills this gap by positioning these films as part of a developing cycle of reproductive horror that surpasses individual narratives, acting instead as a cultural conversation around forced impregnation, autonomy, and the systemic controlling of women's bodies. Drawing on scholars like Fischer and Lupher, I argue that these films engage pregnancy as both literal horror and a cultural metaphor, expressing societal fears of lost bodily autonomy control due to legal restrictions. Ultimately, I argue that this cinematic trend not only reflects contemporary anxieties but also challenges audiences to confront the vulnerability of bodily autonomy in contemporary society.