Defector ·For the curious
Diabolical Motherhood
by Emily C. Hughes
Published 2026-06-25 13:58:59+00:00
Why is a woman asking for an abortion the scariest scene in a movie about the Antichrist?
0:00 / 23:28 · Narrator Sulafat
Context
In this essay from 25 June 2026, the writer maps the slow collapse of American reproductive rights through an unexpected lens: the horror franchise The Omen. By comparing the 1976 original with its 2024 prequel, the piece tracks how cinema shifted from punishing female characters for wanting bodily autonomy to giving them the space to fight back. The framework holds up well past the daily news cycle, capturing exactly how political dread eventually shapes the monsters on the movie screen.