The Deeper Meaning of Contracted, Explained

Great horror movies, no matter what kind they are, have something deeper to say. They may say it with knives and chopped-up teenagers, but the meaning is right under the surface. Halloween taught audiences about the unwavering and unstoppable power of evil; Alien theories suggest the film is an allegory for sexual assault, and Drag Me to Hell examined eating disorders through a different lens than audiences were used to.

Contracted is somewhat similar to all three as the film endeavors to put a very real human issue—dealing with the aftermath of sexual violence—beneath the thin veneer of a zombie body horror film. It’s all there when you look closely.

Contracted Is Body Horror With Dark Subject Matter

Contracted centers around a young woman named Samantha. She is depressed over her recent breakup with her girlfriend. When she decides to attend a party, she is given drugs and alcohol and then hit on by a man named BJ. However, despite her protests that not only does she not want to be around him but that she is a lesbian, BJ waits until she blacks out and then rapes her.

Due to her blackout, Samantha does not recall being sexually assaulted but still feels ill due to the after-effects of the drugs and alcohol. Her mother, overprotective and misguided, is extremely worried about her daughter, much to Samantha’s dismay. When Samantha’s friend Alice (the girl whose party she attended) asks her if she has heard from BJ, Samantha is unsure what her friend is talking about. It turns out that nobody at the party knew who BJ was.

At this point, Samantha begins exhibiting physical signs of illness to the point that she decides to visit the doctor, who seems dubious about her claims that she has not had sex with a man, as she appears to have developed what he believes to be a telltale rash between her legs. Although Samantha does not believe his opinion, she finds that she is developing other symptoms, such as peeing blood and vomiting. In one of the film’s most upsetting moments, we see maggots fall from her genitals (although Samantha does not seem to realize it).

As Contracted continues, we watch Samantha’s body degrade. She develops sores, her fingernails fall off, her eyes become milky, and her pale skin develops unhealthy, spidery veins. She also becomes more irritable and violent towards those around her, even as her doctor advises her that she may have a bigger problem than he initially thought. However, it is too late as Samantha becomes increasingly ill, physically violent, and unhinged.

Contracted takes even darker turns until Samantha completely loses her mind, and we find out that she has, in fact, become a zombie. The film ends with the feeling that it may be the start of something larger and that BJ, the man who raped Samantha, may simply have been patient zero.

Contracted Is Filled With Underlying Meaning

Contracted minces no words when it comes to sexual violence. Samantha makes it very clear that she does not want to be sexually involved with a man. It is also clear that she does not remember the rape and is in complete denial when confronted about even the possibility of having had heterosexual intercourse at any point. In fact, the more it becomes clear that something has happened, the more Samantha truly begins falling apart.

Related

How Body Horror Movies Elucidate the Trans Experience and Gender Dysphoria

Body horror movies are instigating incredibly important conversations about the struggles of transgender experiences and gender dysphoria.

Contracted gives us many of the triggers for people suffering from the after-effects of physical and sexual violence. Samantha’s denial, the shaming by people she thought were her friends, skeptical medical professionals, and even an attempt at intercourse that seems meant as a misguided attempt to recapture her own sexual power. Not everyone experiences these specific things, but for Samantha, it all comes together to show the “creature” she feels she has become post-assault.

In one scene, she attempts to have sex with a character named Riley. While it appears that she is taking back control, she literally bleeds and is full of maggots, which disgusts Riley to the point of vomiting. This scene, in all its graphic and disturbing horror, attempts to show how Samantha feels as if she is rotting from the inside and the reaction of a trusted sexual partner who cannot get over the fact that she has been made “unclean.”

Contracted can be seen as a heavy-handed look at what a post-sexual assault victim feels and goes through. However, in making its case through the medium of horror, it can force its ideas down viewers’ throats without pulling a single punch.

Other Films Have Tried What Contracted Achieved

Several horror films follow similar symbolic storylines, including Thanatomorphose (2012), the aforementioned Drag Me to Hell (2009), which currently has a sequel in the works, and Raw (2016). The first revolves around a woman caught in a violent relationship and shows the degrading of her mental state through intense body horror. Drag Me to Hell is less graphic but is meant to show a person’s battle with their extreme eating disorder. Raw is a visceral look at a person living with a family history of violence and how a single moment can impact them in some of the worst ways, leading them down even darker paths.

These themes are often tackled in mainstream drama. However, drama must walk a fine line regarding what it shows, how deeply it must work in its symbolism, and how it addresses the visceral nature of personal experience. Horror seems to be able to avoid these pitfalls by putting effects front and center so that the audience is not misguided. The symbolism is allowed to sit directly under the surface. Contracted is one of the purest forms of revulsion-as-metaphor as you can get. Contracted is streaming now on Tubi.