Chloe's Not Scared

As women’s history month comes to a close, I wanted to highlight some of our fantastic female directors in horror. But to be honest, this designated month holds a lot of conflicting feelings for me, as not all women have the same experience and oftentimes white women take center stage during this month. And, lacking a month of their own, gender queer individuals seem to be lumped in with “women” during this month, essentializing them as “women lite.”

Ok, enough with the rant. Let’s talk about some fantastic women* directors in horror. I tried to highlight movies that I don’t see talked about a lot in the horror circuit (no shade to American Psycho, The Babadook or Jennifer’s Body), so hopefully you’ll be able to find something you like and haven’t yet seen! In no particular order, here are ten fantastic films directed by women.

The Invitation (2015), dir. Karyn Kusama

The Invitation is a slow burn horror that takes the horrors of LA and places them at an awkward dinner party. When Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his partner attend the dinner party of Will’s ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard), they think the most terrible thing that could happen is a little awkwardness. As the night progresses, Will is unsure if it’s his history with Eden that causes unease, or if something more sinister is at play. I love horror set in remote glass mansions, especially in the Hollywood Hills. Kusama’s pacing and script really brings out the social anxiety in all of us.

Watcher (2022), dir. Chloe Okuno

My horror bestie Maika Monroe stars in this incredible debut feature by Chloe Okuno about a couple living in Romania while a serial killer is on the loose.Julia (Monroe) and her longtime partner Francis (Karl Glusman) move to Bucharest for Francis’ work. While Francis knows Romanian, Julia does not and is unemployed. She fills her days by obsessing over “The Spider,” a serial killer in the news, eventually suspecting her across-the-way neighbor. If you’d like a Rear Window inspired surveillance-thriller and don’t mind a little blood, this is the movie for you. Plus, as I said in my 2022 roundup, this movie does a great job at portraying the feeling of isolation in a foreign country without resorting to stereotypes. 

Near Dark (1987), dir. Kathryn Bigelow

I’ve seen this movie recommended a lot in the horror world this month, but I can’t recommend it enough. It’s definitely less scary and more dramatic, but I simply love a vampire story that deals with issues of identity, immortality, life, loss, and monstrosity. Near Dark follows Caleb (Adrian Pasdar), a young man from Oklahoma, gets bitten by a vampire after a one-night-stand. He finds himself joining a group of traveling vampires in an RV across America. Part Western, part road movie– and with a soundtrack by Tangerine Dream!!– this movie has gained a cult following and is regarded as a sleeper hit amongst horror fans. 

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), dir. Amy Holden Jones

I’ve always thought that this movie was going to be a typical male-gaze slasher from the 1980’s and boy was I wrong. Written by Rita Mae Brown of the Sneaky Pie Brown cozy cat mystery fame, this smart satire of 80’s slashers leans into the stereotypes to make fun of them. The plot is exactly what you’d expect: there’s a high school girls’ slumber party and it turns into a massacre. What’s special about it? It’s clear the actors are having a blast and it really involves the viewer in a way that I hadn’t seen before, lingering on these actresses in a creepy way just a little too long, making the viewer question the action of watching and surveillance as a whole. Also, the kills are fun and it’s a wild ride. File this under successful female gaze horror.

Corki Dancingu (“The Lure”) (2015), dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska

I saw The Lure three times in theaters when it came out because I truly couldn’t get enough. It’s moody, it’s pretty, it’s a musical and it’s about sisters who are dancers and also mermaids! Sisters Golden (Michalina Olszańska) and Silver (Marta Mazurek) are discovered by a band on the beach, and recruited to perform at their nightclub. The band finds out that the sisters are mermaids and they say it adds to the appeal! When one of the sisters falls in love with a man, all hell breaks loose. This story is based on The Little Mermaid. The music is amazing and yes I got the album (by the band Ballady i Romanse) imported from Poland just so that I could dance to some of the more upbeat songs.

Vulven (“Tigers are Not Afraid”) (2017), dir. Issa López

López has been in the headlines recently because of her directing work on the latest season of True Detective, but she’s also an accomplished feature filmmaker. This moody drama will certainly pair well with Near Dark and fans of Guillermo del Toro’s edgier work, as children escape the influence of a drug cartel and discover a magical realism inspired land. A young schoolgirl named Estrella (Paola Lara) is attempting to live safely amidst the ongoing violence due to a Mexican drug cartel operating in her city. Estrella begins to imagine a fairytale world to cope with the hardships and befriends a street-smart orphan named El Shine (Juan Ramón López). 

Pahanhautoja (Hatching) (2022), dir. Hanna Begholm

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to grow up in an influencer family, it’s horror and it’s Hatching. This Finnish story follows Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), a young girl who raises a giant egg in her room until it hatches into a grotesque doppelganger. As the girl-bird (which Tinja names Alli, also played by Solalinna) begins to take shape and gain agency, Tinja’s family life begins to fall apart. Her parents, vloggers and YouTube celebrities, cannot deal with this as it disrupts their perfect life. There’s definitely a fairy tale feel to this story, though it really leans into the body horror aspect too and I had to look away at times.

Nanny (2022), dir. Nikyatu Jusu

Aisha (Anna Diop), a Senegalese woman, works as a nanny for a white affluent couple in order to bring her son to the United States. After having violent nightmares that begin to bleed into reality, Aisha cannot decipher what is real and what is imaginary in this terrifying psychological horror. Water is a major motif in this film and there are some beautiful underwater shots. This is Nikyatu Jusu’s directorial debut and I truly can’t believe it– it’s taut, gorgeous and the newest addition to the Criterion Collection (well deserved). This is one of those movies where you want to print out every frame and hang it on your wall as art. 

The Wind (2018), dir. Emma Tammi

Before Five Nights at Freddy’s, Emma Tammi directed one of the most surprising horrors I’ve seen in the last 5 years: The Wind. If you know me, you know I love a Western and this is the best horror Western I’ve ever seen (sorry, Near Dark!). The Wind is a psychological horror, centering on the religiously tinged belief system of rural American West in the 19th century and the horrors that this type of isolation can produce. Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) and her husband move from St. Louis to the frontier of New Mexico with not another soul in sight. Until a couple moves in across the prairie. By the end of this movie, you too will learn to fear… The Wind. 

Medusa (2022), dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira

When purity culture becomes deadly! Another huge surprise from Brazilian director and screenwriter Anita Rocha da Silveira. The movie follows a group of Christian teenagers who go out at night and hunt sinners. One of the girls, Mari (Mari Oliveria) begins to experience remorse over the attacks, but if she voices these thoughts, is she next? This movie also deals with peer pressure and religious trauma, as a gang of schoolgirls terrorize their small town. Perfect for fans of the book Jawbone and the horror comedy Teeth. 

What is your favorite horror movie directed by a woman?

*At the time of writing, all of these directors identified as women to the best of my knowledge. If they no longer identify this way and this page has not been updated, please notify me through my contact page. Thank you!