'Pride & Prejudice & Zombies' Brings Gory Feminism

Sexist stereotypes might have you believe that Jane Austen adaptations are beloved exclusively by women, while gross-out horror flicks are favored by men. Obviously, this is total bull (as any Shaun Of The Dead- loving lady and Emma-adoring man knows), but no movie tells these notions to shove it quite like the upcoming adaptation of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies . The new flick, which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith, tells the story of Austen's original novel Pride And Prejudice (Austen is credited as co-author) with the inclusion of a major plot point: the zombie apocalypse. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies just released a new trailer, and it's necessary viewing for the feminist with a passion for gore. In this version, Austen's beloved heroine Elizabeth Bennett does even more than defy the expectations of her gender with words; here, she's also defying expectations by being a badass zombie fighter who isn't afraid to get a whole lot of undead blood on her hands.

The trailer, which is set to a particularly gritty and awesome cover version of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made For Walking," shows Elizabeth and the other Bennett sisters taking charge when the world gets overrun by zombies, despite society telling the girls that they would be more suited for the kitchen than for battle. Clearly, these naysayers have never seen the Bennett sisters kick some serious zombie ass:

There's something particularly refreshing about a film that allows women not only to fight, but to get gross doing it. Gory, gross-out horror flicks often feature men as the heroes and women as the victims, but here, Austen's female characters are just as comfortable slicing and dicing zombies as Ash was dismembering the demonically possessed in the original Evil Dead. Even the squeamish can appreciate a film that reminds the world that women can also take up axes to take down zombies when push comes to shove.

The new film hits theaters on Feb. 5, and may I recommend it as the perfect choice for a girls' night Valentine's Day? This movie screams girl power, even if it's also downright gross. Check out the new trailer below:

Images: Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube (3)