The Anti-Heroine Media Feminist Horror Watchlist
The horror genre has long served as an outlet to challenge the status quo (and we love it!). Considered “low” art, filmmakers are able get away with a lot more boundary pushing—exploring social issues, and transgressing cultural norms. This is especially true when it comes to films in the genre that center women.
We won’t get into the whole “final girl” of it all (although I highly recommend Carol Clover’s book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, in which she coined the term), but despite what popular media might like us to believe, women have always served as a core audience and creative force in the horror genre. There’s tons of good writing on why (like this interview with writer Jude Doyle), but there’s something to be said for the comforts of a world in which the evil shit we deal with can be outrun, decapitated, or at the very least—actually acknowledged as evil.
Not every film on this list has aged perfectly (and not all are strictly horror, in the traditional sense), but they all interrogate issues relevant to women’s agency in a creative—and often bloody—fashion. Art is an essential form of communication. These movies use the genre to communicate big ideas and emotions, while offering catharsis for the intersections of oppression that we each face in our everyday lives.
This Halloween season, break away from the classic slashers and add these feminist horror gems to your spooky movie marathon.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Sounds like the title of a very different movie, but alas, Ana Lily Amirpour isn’t here to indulge in victim-narratives—she’s here to upend them. The titular “Girl” (played by Sheila Vand) is the predator, not the prey. And she’s also just super fucking cool. A vampire who rolls around on her skateboard in a neo-Western monster movie? Sold.
American Psycho
Co-written and directed by the incredible Mary Harron—what on the outside looks like a film about a handsome (albeit psychopathic) serial killer, is actually a study of the deeply connected relationship between capitalism and toxic masculinity. And don’t worry, (SPOILER) Jared Leto is axed in the first 30 minutes.
Atlantics
Atlantics, the beautiful debut film by Mati Diop, is not a horror movie in the traditional sense—but it is a ghost story. Though betrothed to the wealthy Omar (Babacar Sylla), Ada (Mame Bineta Sane) is really in love with Souleiman (Traore), a construction worker who has not been paid in months. When Souleiman joins a group of other young men to leave the country by boat to search for work in Spain, unexplainable events start occurring for the women left behind.
The Babadook
Written and directed by the fantastic Jennifer Kent, The Babadook follows Amelia (played by Essie Davis aka Miss Fisher! #IYKYK) struggling as a single mother after the death of her husband. That would be tough enough if it weren’t for the titular monster, from a remarkably scary children’s book, manifesting in her house and stalking her child. Of course we are very much here for the Babadook’s reinvention as an LGBTQI+ icon, so there’s also that.
The Craft
Witchy classic The Craft will always be on our annual halloween watchlist. The story follows Sarah (Robin Tunney), who falls in with a coven of outcasts at her new highschool. Of course, anyone who knows anything knows that the true star (and dare we say, anti-heroine?) of the film is Nancy Downs, played with fervor by Fairuza Balk. Why be a Sarah when you can be a Nancy?
The Descent
A horror film with a women-led cast in which no one is stalked or murdered in a sexualized fashion? The Descent still manages to be plenty scary, following a group of women on a cave expedition that goes terribly wrong (major claustrophobia warning!). And, yes, there are bloodthirsty monsters and numerous kills, but the crux of the story is about the complex relationships between our main cast of characters. Let’s call this a win!
The Invisible Man (2020)
Otherwise known as Gaslighting: The Movie. In this update from the 1933 classic, we follow Cecilia (played by the always great Elisabeth Moss) as she escapes her abusive (and super rich) husband. The catch? He’s a tech guy who has been working on a suit that makes him invisible. This allows him to continue to terrorize Cecilia, and, of course, no one believes her. This might sound like not that fun to watch, but we promise (SPOILER) there is a satisfying ending!
Ginger Snaps
Puberty and the monstrousness of girls often coincide in the horror genre (and yeah, that does say something about our society but we wont get into that now!). In this case after getting her first period, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) is bitten by a werewolf and starts to transform—on a lunar cycle of course. Her sister Brigitte (Emily Perkins) must deal with the fallout. (Again, what else does it say that young women have more agency as monsters than as themselves? We’re going to need to unpack that.)
Jennifer’s Body
After pretending to be a virgin to impress the lead singer of a sad emo band, Jennifer (Megan Fox) is unsuccessfully sacrificed to bring Low Shoulder the fame they’ve always craved. But, Jennifer doesn’t die. She comes back as a boy-eating demon. And her best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) is the only one who seems to care. Don’t be fooled by the botched marketing campaign—which chose to sexualize Megan Fox in an attempt to appeal to teen boys—Jennifer’s Body, written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama, has become a subversive feminist cult classic.
The Love Witch
The Love Witch, written, edited, directed, produced, and scored by Anna Biller, is not “scary” in the traditional sense. Elaine (an electric Samantha Robinson), a young witch, travels the country making men fall in love with her and then disposing of them when they become too needy. The life-and-death devotion to romance is the true source of horror—and not only is this film beautiful to look at, it’s also funny as hell.
Relic
Written and directed by Natalie Erika James, Relic follows Kay and her daughter Sam (Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote, respectively), as they travel back to their family home after the matriarch, Edna (Robyn Nevin) goes missing. When she reappears, disoriented and unsure of where she’s been, they all must deal with the physical and psychological manifestations of Edna’s dementia which has taken hold of the house.
Saint Maud
Newly devout hospice care nurse, the titular Maud (played indelibly by Morfydd Clark), becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient’s soul—whether the patient in question likes it or not. Written and directed by Rose Glass, Saint Maud is not only darkly funny, it’s psychological—and some really creative body—horror at its best.
Suspiria (2018)
The 2018 Suspiria remake directed by Luca Guadagnino takes place at an exclusive dance school in Cold War Berlin, which just so happens to be inhabited by a coven of witches in the midst of a deadly power struggle. We follow American newcomer Suzy Bannon (Dakota Johnson) as she forms an uneasy relationship with the company’s lead choreographer Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton). A lot of bloodiness ensues, but none of it is at the hands of men. Also, the production design, costumes and modern dance numbers are all spectacular.
Tigers Are Not Afraid
Blending multiple genres, Issa López’s darkly whimsical film follows a young girl, Estrella (Paola Lara), in a city devastated by the Mexican Drug War. When her mother goes missing, Estrella joins a group of other orphans fending for themselves on the streets. Haunted by the ghosts of the ongoing violence, Estrella and the other children seek justice for their lost loved ones. Due warning: while the magical elements give the film a fairy-tale-like quality, it is still a very tough watch.
Under the Shadow
Unable to return to medical school after the cultural revolution in Iran, Shideh (played with simmering ferocity by Narges Rashidi) has been forced to take on a more domestic role with her daughter, Dorsa. When her husband is called away to work as a doctor during the Iran-Iraq War—things get weird. As missiles start landing all around her, the more frightening force might already be present within her home.
Us
Jordan Peele’s Get Out follow-up gives us an iconic anti-heroine performance from Lupita Nyong’o as Addie/Red, in a truly chilling anti-capitalist critique. Addie and her family head out to the family lake house when they’re rudely interrupted by their vengeful and bloodthirsty doppelgangers. You’ll never look at a bunny the same way.
The Wind
You’re alone, in the middle of nowhere, and you hear something. It’s probably nothing, just the wind. That’s the premise of this Western horror written by Teresa Sutherland and directed by Emma Tammi. Set in the late nineteenth-century on the American frontier, Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) and her husband move to an unpopulated part of New Mexico, on land gifted to them as a result of the Homestead Act. While they live in solitude, this is amplified for Lizzy when her husband leaves her alone for days on end to go into town. Based on true accounts of “Prairie Madness”, Lizzy begins to struggle with telling the difference between which horrors are real, and what is in her head.
You’re Next
Upending the “final girl” trope, when a group of animal-masked assailants attack her boyfriend’s family on his (very wealthy) parent’s wedding anniversary, Erin (Sharni Vinson) spurs into action. What the attackers don’t know is that Erin was raised on a survivalist compound. She knows how to defend herself. The hunters become the hunted, so to speak. Is You’re Next the most thought-provoking film on the list? Probably not, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.
Updated October 20, 2022
The Fear Street Trilogy
A send-up of the slasher genre, Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy follows Deena and her friends as they try to break a curse cast on their town centuries ago. Featuring a diverse cast, a sweet queer love story, class commentary, and a blatantly feminist story—the series is very much worth your time. Also, with each film taking place in a different decade (or century), we get fun era-appropriate costumes (think 90s grunge and 1660s Puritan garb), campy killers, and a soundtrack to match.
Master
Written and directed by first time filmmaker Mariama Diallo, Master follows the stories of three Black women at an elite university in New England (canonically spooky locale). Each is haunted in their own way by the school’s racist past and present, attempting to find a place for themselves in an increasingly hostile environment. Oh, and there are ghosts too.
Nanny
This one is a little unfair since it doesn’t premiere until December 16 on Prime Video, but I was lucky enough to see it at TIFF this year and it is definitely worth bookmarking for a spooky winter watch! Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu, Nanny follows Aisha, a newcomer from Senegal, who is working a new job as a nanny for a wealthy white couple in New York in an attempt to earn enough money to bring her own son to the United States. But as her employers become more and more exploitative, Aisha starts to detach from reality with mysterious watery visions and monsters lurking in the shadows.
Prey
Naru is a skilled Comanche healer and hunter living in the Great Plains of 1719. Eager to prove herself and protect her tribe, she resolves to track and kill a strange and lethal creature who has been hunting humans and animals for sport (it’s the Predator! From the film franchise!). All this while navigating her relationship with her concerned older brother, and the encroaching danger of colonisers closing in. Yes, we wish the team behind the scenes was more representative of the folks on screen, but Prey also distinguishes itself as the first film to ever feature a complete Comanche dub.
Titane
Written and directed by horror auteur Julia Ducournau, it’s best to watch Titane without too much information going in. That is partially because the premise is wild. After having a titanium plate fitted into her head as a child after a car accident, Alexia develops an unnatural attraction to cars. This leads to both an inexplicable pregnancy, murder, and identity theft. As absurd as it sounds, at its heart Titane is actually a very moving story about chosen family. Give it a try!
Honourable Mentions:
Annihilation
Audition
Black Christmas (2019)
Cam
Carrie (2013)
Eve’s Bayou
Final Girls
Get Out
Knives and Skin
The Lure
Near Dark
Pet Sematary
Prevenge
Raw
Slumber Party Massacre
Swallow
The Stepfather (1987)
Teeth
Trouble Every Day
The Witch