To some, feminist horror sounds like an oxymoron. Horror films, as a genre, have a long history of exploiting and mistreating their female characters — especially their beautiful, bloody final girls. To quote one of history’s most beloved horror directors, Dario Argento: “I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to watch them being murdered than an ugly girl or a man.” Yeah, that’s not great. In recent years, horror films with feminist theming have become more popular, coinciding with the rise of the so-called “elevated horror movie.” This has led to a number of listicles about feminist horror films with what I can only describe as an extremely loose definition of what makes a movie feminist. I mean, can we really call Rosemary’s Baby feminist? You do know who directed it, right? So, in response to those lists and to a new eye-roll-inducing “feminist” horror movie that will go unnamed, I’ve created my own mini-list for our readers who love to be scared while thinking about the societal horrors of gender and femininity.
Do You Want To Have Fun?!
Black Christmas (2019)
Directed by Sophia Takal from a screenplay she co-wrote with April Wolfe (two of the most exciting filmmakers working right now), this feminist take on the classic 1974 slasher of the same name was bashed by horror movie bros because of its pro-feminist leanings. The film tracks Riley, whose sorority sisters are terrorized after she names her rapist during a kitschy Christmas talent show performance. While I won't argue that the film is perfect — the movie was written and shot in a rush, and it shows — its good parts are so good, it's easy to forgive the rest. In Black Christmas, the characters are big, the horror is bloody, and everything is just a little bit campy and on the nose, including the feminism. And you know what? Fuck subtlety. This movie is gloriously uncomplicated and simply a good time. For example, when Riley (Imogen Poots) meets the villains and tells their leader (a scenery-chewing Cary Elwes) that they’re insane, he replies, “Not insane, simply men.” Delightful. The film beat for beat highlights the way rape culture and misogyny are embedded in our institutions and in ourselves. It is the perfect gateway for future feminist horror fans, and like its predecessor Jennifer’s Body, I believe it will in time, get the cult classic status it deserves.
Black Christmas is available to rent on Youtube, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu.
For Tumblr Grrls
Cam (2018)
Although it is fundamentally about sex work, Cam, directed by Daniel Goldhaber and written by former cam-girl Isa Mazzei, has no interest in being erotic. The film follows Alice, an ambitious, up-and-coming cam girl, who one day finds her account streaming sexy footage of a mysterious doppelgänger. While her fans eat up the new content on her feed, Alice fights for control over her likeness, boundaries, and ultimately, her physical safety. Shot with an infectiously neon, tumblr grrl aesthetic, Cam is way more than the prettier, sexier version of Unfriended you may be expecting. Mazzei’s twisty narrative uses the device of Lucy’s double as a metaphor for the lack of control even the most empowered women feel over their bodies and perceived sexuality. Perhaps even more exciting is the refreshing way Cam frames sex work: not as a punishment or mistake to be saved from, but as valid ambition. It would be a crime if I didn’t hammer home that beyond its political implications, Cam is a gripping, scary, crunchy psychological masterpiece. It features a star turn by The Handmaid Tale's Madeline Brewer, who pulls off the nearly insurmountable feat of playing Alice, her cam girl alter-ego Lola, and her doppelgänger with stunning clarity. It’s just one of those movies that works on every level.
Cam is currently available to stream on Netflix
For My Man-Eaters
Raw (2016)
Julia Ducournau, in my opinion, the reigning queen of the feminist horror genre, stunned audiences and critics alike with her freshman feature, Raw. It tells the tale of Justine, a freshman and, importantly a vegetarian, joining her family’s legacy at a veterinarian school. When Justine first tastes meat, a scene too fun and gross for me to give away here, she begins to experience an uncontrollable desire to eat raw flesh. So much more than a gross-out horror flick, although decidedly also that, Raw is a radical coming-of-age story about female desire. Ducourau poses the question: What happens when a woman desires something outside of society’s notions of acceptability? Sure, Cannibalism is an extreme scenario here, but as the movie goes on and we watch Justine attempt to subvert and eventually embrace her hunger, we see all the different ways everyone is hurt by the shame that comes with truly wanting. Fair warning, this movie is not for the weak-hearted. In fact, an ambulance was called to a Toronto film festival screening because the film was “too much” for some audience members. But I promise that it’s also beautiful and sexy and will leave you thinking long after the credits roll.
Raw is available to stream on Netflix and available to rent on Youtube, Apple Tv, and Google Play.
A Very Honorable Mention
The Baby (2022)
Yes, this is a movie newsletter. But I would be remiss if I wrote a whole listicle about feminist horror and didn’t include one of the most exciting instances of feminist genre storytelling I’ve ever seen — the HBO limited series The Baby. The Baby is about Natasha, a single, child-averse woman whose life takes a surreal turn when she becomes the primary caregiver of a murderous baby. Listen, I know this synopsis sounds ridiculous. First Boss Baby and now murder baby? But this macabre triumph is so much scarier and more absurd than I can possibly do justice in this tiny blurb. It’s a brilliant exploration of the burdens of parenting, the effects of generational trauma, and the implications of unwanted motherhood from the perspective of both mothers and their children. Lucy Gaymer and Sian Robins-Grace have created an endlessly surprising, layered, brutal feminist horror rollercoaster. Now that Hacks is over, and we all have a little more time on our hands, I implore you, do not miss this.
The Baby is available to stream on HBO Max.