by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

Speak of the Devil and she will appear. 

Barbara Creed’s book The monstrous-feminine opened a door to a whole world full of damaged, terrifying, evil women who strike fear into our hearts. These women are my heroes. Perhaps the 2022 short film The Runner is a strange one to focus on for this particular column, but I was so entranced by the music and the title character who is so interesting in her simplicity. The Runner landed on Shudder last month. It is about 45 minutes long, and is essentially an elongated music video. The band Boy Harsher is the driving creative force behind The Runner, and the music for the film comes from their album of the same name. The darkwave soundtrack goes together perfectly with the dark journey we watch unfold. 

The film follows The Runner. She is wild and covered in blood and she keeps running forward. We do not know specifics of what she is running from. When we first meet her it seems possible she could be the victim of some monster that she is trying to escape but as the tale unfolds we learn very quickly that she is the monster. Her wild and dangerous presence is seemingly intoxicating to those she interacts with who are able to fall under her spell. Once she has them there is no running from her. 

Why does she kill? As portrayed in the film, it is simply her nature. Does one need any other reason? We see moments where the runner is trying desperately to fight the killing urge. She talks to a mysterious man on the phone who seems to know who and what she is, and tries to get her to come back. Out in the world it is too easy and too tempting for her to find those who could be her next meal. The craving is more powerful than her sexual urges from what we witness in the film. We watch a scene where she arrives at a dive bar and no one is able to look away from her. There is something about her monstrous presence that is enticing to those who experience it. She picks up a woman she meets at the bar, and while it seems like it might just be a typical hook up it is clear she is more interested in a meal than a lay. 

As far as how others perceive her it seems that most of those who interact with her fall under the spell of the runner. There is a boy who immediately runs away from her knowing that there is something ultimately deadly about this woman. He is the only one. The others we see are just as interested in this mysterious woman as the audience is. Like a vampire that puts a trance on their victims, the runner does not have to do much work in order to feed her appetite. There is the mysterious voice on the phone. This person seems to be the only one who knows the true nature of the runner and the monster she is. Maybe he is someone who truly cares for her? Maybe he is someone who has kept her locked up and we are watching her get her freedom for the first time. Even as terrifying as her nature is, even to her, freedom is something all living beings crave. 

Vocalist Jae Matthews talks about The Runner in part of the film she explains that she is “reckless, out of control and pure evil.” She then goes on to say that “There’s a human side to her too, and I hate to say it, but I can kind of relate.” I think this line is what ultimately convinced me to write about this film. As a woman, I often find characters like this are very relatable. I recently contributed some thoughts to a piece written by Amber T from Horn Blood Fire Podcast. The piece is on Anna from Possession and in it I mention that there is something inherently monstrous about being a woman. Birth and menstruation are both inherently violent not to mention the many ways violence against women is perpetrated in our society. Sometimes I hate the monstrous side of me, other times I hate the human side of me. However characters like this always remind me that those are both parts of me. 

Boy Harsher is an incredible band and The Runner is one of my favorite releases this year. Seeing the monstrous feminine portrayed in all her raw simplicity is beautiful and refreshing to see. Without being bogged down with a major plot we can simply appreciate this character; both for the monstrous side of herself as well as the urge to feel shame for it.