10 incredible women of horror to kickstart your October
“An audience needs something stronger than a pretty little love story. So, why shouldn’t I write of monsters?” – Elsa Lanchester in “The Bride of Frankenstein”
Women have always been at the heart of horror. Whether we are the Final Girl or the mother giving birth to the Antichrist itself, horror is obsessed with women and many women return the favor. Oftentimes, viewers are obsessed with analyzing the women featured on screen in horror films. While these examinations are important in addressing the representation of women in media, some analysts fail to look at an equally, if not more, important statistic: women behind the scenes.
According to a study conducted for the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, out of the top 1,200 films of the past decade, only 4% of them were directed by women. The same study found that only 5.4% of the 102 horror films within that list were directed by women.
Contrary to what people like Jason Blum think, there is not an absence of talent among female directors; there is an absence of inclusion. There are plenty of talented, terrifying female horror directors that can helm any scary movie. Here are 10 you should brush up on this October to kick off your horrifying holiday season:
Ana Lily Amirpour
She’s Directed: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch, episodes of The Twilight Zone and Castle Rock
“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the fact that the plot is absolutely brilliant; it’s a film about a female, skateboarding vampire who hunts men who don’t respect women. The film was lauded by critics and beloved by horror fans all over the world. It’s a giant, feminist f*ck you to all the girls who are scared to walk home alone at night.
“The Bad Batch” is “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night”’s gory, American counterpart. It follows a girl trying to survive in an apocalyptic, cannibalistic world. And Jason Momoa shows up! I think Amirpour’s films are incredibly original and always apt. She has also contributed to two exceptional horror shows. “The Twilight Zone” is a reboot of the hit 1959 show that ran for five years and is hosted/narrated by Jordan Peele, a proven master of horror. “Castle Rock” is a love story to Stephen King, a show that combines his storylines and worlds and creates a new narrative in the creepy town of Castle Rock, Maine.
Karyn Kusama
She’s Directed: Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation, XX
I don’t care what people say; I love “Jennifer’s Body.” I think it’s fun and campy and contains some iconic dialogue. “I thought you only killed boys? I go both ways.” Incredible. The film was much more eroticized than the director or the writer (Diablo Cody) wanted, but they still captured its dark, satirical theme. Kusama’s controversial masterpiece aside, “The Invitation” is a critically acclaimed thriller that follows a man and his girlfriend as they attend a very uncomfortable dinner hosted by his ex-wife. I’ve never actually seen this film but my screenwriting professor really likes it and I trust her judgment.
“XX” is a completely female-directed horror anthology, meaning it’s a collection of short films/storylines interwoven into one big movie. (Think of the diverse seasons of “American Horror Story,” which feature recurring actors portraying different characters in various settings.) Kusama directed the “Her Only Living Son” segment, which depicted a single mother and her amounting fear as her son is nearing his eighteenth birthday.
Jennifer Kent
She’s Directed: The Babadook, The Nightingale
When Jennifer Kent released her groundbreaking film, “The Babadook,” I doubt she ever expected her antagonist would become an LGBTQ+ icon. Her film, which was praised by critics and audiences alike, spotlights a struggling mother who lost her husband and tolerates her overbearing young son. The Babadook is the spooky, nightmarish creature that begins to torment the two…and of course, is also a queer staple.
Kent’s lesser-known film, “The Nightingale,” is placed in her homeland of Australia. To be more specific, it’s set in 19th century Tasmania and follows a young woman’s harrowing journey of revenge after her family is ripped away from her and she is left with nothing. It may not seem like “traditional” horror, but what happens to the protagonist is undoubtedly horrifying and it feels like a creative period piece on the “revenge film” often seen within the horror genre.
Roxanne Benjamin
She’s Directed: Body at Brighton Rock, XX, Southbound, two episodes of Creepshow
If I am a sucker for anything (and I’m a sucker for a lot of things), it’s anthologies. As previously mentioned, anthologies are composed of smaller parts that make a larger whole. Benjamin has contributed to several famous anthology horror films. First, like Karyn Kusama, Benjamin helped bring “XX” to life. She wrote and directed “Don’t Fall,” a segment that follows a curious group of young adults who stumble upon an ancient and malicious cave painting. I also, personally, think it’s the scariest of the shorts. Benjamin also co-wrote one of the other segments in the film, “The Birthday Party.”
I’m going to be blatantly honest and confess that “Southbound” is one of my favorite movies in the entire world so I’m biased when I say the segment she wrote and directed is fantastic. It’s actually my favorite one. It’s called “Siren” and it’s about a rock band who gets stranded on the way to a performance and they are taken in by an unsettling family. Finally, Benjamin co-produced a film called “V/H/S.” The film is constructed by combining a bunch of freaky videotapes found in a seemingly abandoned house and it’s so great.
“Body at Brighton Rock” is about a park ranger who happens upon a potential crime scene but she has no way to relay that to others so she must guard the scene until help arrives. “Creepshow” is a revamping of the classic horror comics/films written by Stephen King. The TV series, created and streamed exclusively on the horror streaming platform Shudder, is yet another anthology so it only makes sense that Benjamin has lent her hand in it.
Mary Lambert
She’s Directed: Pet Sematary, Pet Sematary II, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge
In 2019, “Pet Sematary” hit theaters but it wasn’t the first time the Stephen King novel has been adapted into a movie. It was originally a film directed by Lambert in 1989. The film had the same basic premise as the 2019 version but Lambert’s movie followed the book a little more closely and starred Stephen King himself as a minister who conducts a funeral. “Pet Sematary” revolves around an eerie cemetery found in the back of a family’s new house and it seems to have the supernatural power to bring the dead back to life. Lambert also directed the not-as-well-received sequel, “Pet Sematary Two,” which was also written by King. The sequel didn’t feature a King cameo; perhaps that’s why it bombed.
However, what I think is Lambert’s crown jewel is the Disney Channel original film “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge.” It was always my favorite in the series and, even as a Disney Channel original, I think it still stands a pretty strong film. The second installment of the “Halloweentown” series follows Marnie and her siblings approximately two years after they defeated the evil sorcerer Kalabar and now must face his revenge-seeking son, Kal. That Halloween dance transformation scene still haunts me, to this day.
Issa López
She’s Directed: Tigers Are Not Afraid (Vuelven)
López actually did not start her prosperous career in the world of horror. Before she released her exhilarating film “Tigers Are Not Afraid,” López was an esteemed writer who received several literary awards, a thriving television writer (earning some of the highest viewer ratings in Mexico’s history) and eventually wrote and directed several successful films. The films that earned her notoriety were actually romantic comedies, which some would argue is the exact opposite of horror.
But horror was always at the center of López’s heart. “Tigers Are Not Afraid” follows a young girl after she loses her mother and joins up with a group of homeless children and the fantastical circumstances that help her survive. Even though it was López’s first foray into the horror genre, the film was praised by critics, fans and some of the biggest names in horror, including Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro.
Anna Biller
She’s Directed: The Love Witch, A Visit from the Incubus
If you love early cinema aesthetics and killer women, you should definitely check out Biller’s work. Biller is dedicated to feminist filmmaking and says she wants her films to center around the “female gaze.” The “female gaze” is a contradiction to the “male gaze” in films, which depicts the world, specifically women and their bodies, through a male, heterosexual lens. Biller’s films are all female, all the time.
Her most successful film, “The Love Witch,” is about a young witch who uses her powers to desperately seek the man she’s supposed to be with but, of course, the magic backfires. The visuals are so beautiful; they’re gothic, they’re Victorian and the cinematography legitimately makes it look like it was made in 1960 rather than 2016. “A Visit from the Incubus” is a short film by Biller that is also wonderfully Victorian but rather than gothic, it’s a Western about a young woman being tortured by an incubus, which is basically a perverted demon. The short stars Biller herself and the visuals are equally as stunning.
Coralie Fargeat
She’s Directed: Revenge
Fargeat recently hit her big break with “Revenge” but she’s been making films for quite a while. She attended a prestigious film school in France and she’s been directing since about 2003. “Revenge” was released in 2017 in Fargeat’s home country of France and received critical acclaim before it reached the States in 2018. It is another revenge film, much like Kent’s “The Nightingale,” but Fargeat’s film utilizes a modern setting.
Her film focuses on a burgeoning actress who is having an affair with a wealthy married man. Their romantic getaway is going well until one of his friends assaults her and everything goes to hell; but she isn’t going down without a fight and she intends to get her revenge. The film was praised for subverting the “rape and revenge” trope we so often see and turning a “helpless victim” into a powerful protagonist with a strong character arc.
Julia Ducournau
She’s Directed: Raw
“Raw” made me physically uncomfortable and not a lot of movies can do that. Ducournau is similar to Fargeat in several ways; she is also a French filmmaker who made films for some years prior to gaining some major traction. “Raw” really shook the horror community and moviegoers across the world. It even made people physically sick when it was screened at the Toronto Film Festival. Why was it so disturbing and disgusting? Cannibalism.
The film depicts a young woman beginning veterinary school and having to go through the hazing rituals that come along with it. One of the hazing requirements unleashes a craving the young woman didn’t know she had…and one she can’t seem to satiate. It’s extremely disturbing but it received overwhelmingly positive reviews and Ducournau was celebrated for creating a feminist, cannibalistic masterpiece.
Leigh Janiak
She’s Directed: Honeymoon, two episodes of Scream: The TV Series, upcoming Fear Street trilogy
Fans of “Game of Thrones” likely remember the foul-mouthed, gritty Ygritte, Jon Snow’s love interest and Kit Harington’s real-life wife. Rose Leslie, who played Ygritte, also stars in Janiak’s most popular film, “Honeymoon.” “Honeymoon” is about a recently married couple, whose romantic honeymoon is suddenly thrown into chaos when the husband finds the wife stumbling around the forest, disoriented and frighteningly different. Janiak also directed two episodes of MTV’s short-lived “Scream” television series, a sort-of spinoff of Wes Craven’s “Scream” franchise.
Most excitingly, though, Janiak directed a trilogy of film adaptations of R.L. Stine’s “Fear Street” trilogy. R.L. Stine wrote the extremely successful “Goosebumps” series and then wrote dozens of pre-teen books in the same vein called “Fear Street.” Janiak has reportedly wrapped all three of the films and they are expected to be released in the summer of 2021! Unfortunately, we’ll have to monitor how this damn pandemic goes to see if we actually get our “summer of fear” next summer.