The 40 greatest horror motion pictures that middle girls’s tales

Ladies and horror motion pictures make for unusual bedfellows — but additionally concurrently probably the most fruitful marriages in all of movie.

For a very long time, horror throughout all mediums was very exclusionary, each when it comes to gender and race. It most frequently nonetheless is, even though many marginalized individuals gravitate towards horror as a result of the style permits us to course of trauma from the protected distance of fiction.

More and more, horror movies are proving themselves to be an ideal style for social commentary, to grasp the Different moderately than demonize them.

Till we permit a fuller spectrum of ladies to be each the creators and topics of horror movies, we can’t actually say that feminism has reclaimed the style from all its gatekeepers.

So within the spirit of Halloween, we have compiled an exhaustive (although undoubtedly incomplete) information to the very best feminist and women-centric horror movies of all time. However our complete checklist comes with 1,000,000 caveats.

Specifically, giving these titles the moniker of “feminist” is imperfect at greatest when so lots of them proceed to marginalize queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and different girls of shade’s experiences — together with propagating ageist, fatphobic, racist, and ableist tropes.

Not solely is the filmography of feminist horror dominated by straight, white, skinny, cis able-bodied feminism, however a lot of the flicks are nonetheless written and/or directed by males. To the style’s credit score, although, it does typically give extra girls and marginalized filmmakers alternatives than, say, extra “revered” genres. Additionally, plenty of feminist horror, particularly these directed by girls, had been held again by the Hollywood machine, generally leading to extra muddled messaging than creators supposed.

That mentioned, feminist movies don’t have to be excellent to do nice issues (nor ought to we anticipate them to be). Holding them to increased requirements does not imply we won’t respect what progress they do make, both. However till we permit a fuller spectrum of ladies to be each the creators and topics of horror movies, we can’t actually say that feminism has reclaimed the style from all its gatekeepers.

1. Prevenge (2017)

This cheeky UK indie masterpiece is really the mom of all horror-comedies. Ruth, a really pregnant and grieving single mother, commits violent murders on the behest of her killer fetus. With salient commentary on motherhood and society’s misogynistic expectations of pregnant girls, Prevenge has all of it. Oh, and did we point out that writer-director Alice Lowe additionally starred in it when she was in her third trimester. Learn our full assessment right here.

The place to look at: Prevenge is streaming on Shudder.

2. Us (2019)

As a seminal director of the trendy renaissance in socially-conscious horror, Jordan Peele’s Us merely needed to make it onto our checklist. Whereas much less explicitly about feminist themes, experiences of womanhood are embedded in its protagonist’s journey, with Lupita Nyong’o bringing infinite layers of complexity to the character of Adelaide/Crimson. Learn our full assessment right here.

The place to look at: Us is now streaming on Prime Video and Hulu, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

3. Ginger Snaps (2001)

Whereas this beloved traditional exhibits its age greater than others on this checklist, it will be a sin to exclude it. For a lot of Gen Xers and millennials, Ginger Snaps was our awakening to what lady-driven horror may do. The werewolf-as-puberty metaphor is a well-mined one, however the iconic goth sisters of this movie seize one thing undeniably relatable in utilizing it particularly to discover experiences of girlhood.

The place to look at: Ginger Snaps is now streaming on Peacock, Shudder, AMC+, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

4. Uncooked (2016)

A woman’s gotta eat, however Uncooked takes the time period “man-eater” to a complete new degree. This placing artwork home coming-of-age horror from writer-director Julia Ducournau explores the advanced relationships girls have with sexuality, meals, consumption, and one another. It is not for the faint of abdomen, however it’s extra visually arresting than needlessly gore-y should you ask us. (Facet notice: When you’re already beginning to discover a operating theme of cannibalism on this checklist, buckle up.)

The place to look at: Uncooked is now streaming on Shudder, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

5. The Stepford Wives (1975)

The quintessential horror-as-feminist-theory allegory, the unique Stepford Wives was a seminal affect on socially aware horror, with Jordan Peele naming it as a serious inspiration for Get Out. The extra shlocky Nicole Kidman reboot comes with its personal enjoyable, however you will lose plenty of what made the Seventies one such a end result of the second-wave feminist motion.

The place to look at: The Stepford Wives is now streaming on Tubi at no cost with advertisements.

6. Eve’s Bayou (1997)

A groundbreaking, attractive southern gothic, the ever-present loom of sexism and racism hang-out the ladies protagonists of Eve’s Bayou — although they discover a solution to embody Black lady magic anyway. Legendary writer-director Kasi Lemmons (who earlier gained an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs) grounds the movie in Black girls’s experiences, notably by the younger (now Emmy award—successful) Jurnee Smollett as she wrestles with recollections and traumas, each private and communal.

The place to look at: Eve’s Bayou is now streaming on Peacock and Prime Video, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

7. Revenge (2018)

The directorial debut of Coralie Fargeat, Revenge doesn’t draw back from depicting the true horrors of rape and its aftermath. The horror style is, if something, the originator of the rape revenge fantasy, by titles like I Spit on Your Grave. However Revenge subverts the worst of its exploitative previous. Learn our interview with the director on what makes it an evolution in Hollywood depictions of rape right here.

The place to look at: Revenge is now streaming on Shudder, AMC+, MUBI, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

8. A Woman Walks House Alone at Evening (2014)

Author/director’s Ana Lily Amirpour’s feature-length debut that she additionally stars in is described as, “the primary Iranian Vampire Western ever made.” However that does not start to seize the center of this distinctive, subversive, arresting masterpiece, which turns each style trope it is in dialog with on its head. On prime of every little thing, the vampiric protagonist gave us among the best skater lady icons of our technology.

The place to look at: A Woman Walks House Alone at Evening is now streaming on Shudder, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

9. We Are What We Are (2013)

One of many extra unknown titles on our checklist, We Are What We Are is an American adaptation of the 2010 Mexican authentic (which we, sadly, couldn’t get entry to). Buying and selling in biblical allegory, it tells the story of sisters Iris and Rose surviving the actually horrific abuses of their cultish, overbearing patriarch.

The place to look at: We Are What We Are is streaming on The Roku Channel and on Tubi, each at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video.

10. Goodnight Mommy (2015)

The breakout movie of Austrian author/administrators Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala walks a tightwire of pressure, paranoia, and Freudian mommy points. Whereas the dual boys are technically the protagonists, it is their “monstrous” mom attempting to get well in peace from reconstructive surgical procedure that actually earns the empathy of moviegoers.

The place to look at: Goodnight Mommy is now streaming on Prime Video, Kanopy, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

11. Beneath the Pores and skin (2014)

Regardless of Scarlette Johansson’s extremely suspect gender politics, we felt compelled to incorporate Beneath the Pores and skin as an oft-underrated piece of experimental cinematic horror, evolving the monstrous female trope with riveting subversion.

The place to look at: Beneath the Pores and skin is streaming on Shudder, Kanopy, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

12. The Post-mortem of Jane Doe (2016)

Seemingly a extra conventional coroner’s workplace horror, this thriller flips the script on the attractive feminine sufferer narrative in probably the most scrumptious means attainable. We debated the place to incorporate a movie the place the girl with probably the most time on display screen is lifeless the entire time. In the end, although, it is a cathartic and satisfying expertise that also wrestles with girls’s trauma — to not point out that the Jane Doe in query deserves an Oscar for Most Emotive Corpse Ever.

The place to look at: The Post-mortem of Jane Doe is now streaming on Showtime by way of Peacock, AMC+, Shudder, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

13. Audition (1999)

This Japanese masterpiece is a mainstay of most GOAT horror lists, and we cannot spoil any of the expertise by saying an excessive amount of on why. All it’s essential to know is that it follows the journey of a person who auditions a bunch of ladies to seek out the right subservient spouse — and he will get far more than he bargained for.

The place to look at: Audition is now streaming on Shudder and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

14. Horror Noire: A Historical past of Black Horror (2019)

Spotlighting precisely what’s so missing within the well-liked conception and understanding of horror, this important documentary primarily based on Robin R. Means Coleman’s e book lays out the centuries-long intersection between Blackness and horror. From the Black-made horror movies which were all however erased from public entry to re-framing Beginning of a Nation as a part of the style, it exhibits how Black individuals (particularly girls) are a a lot greater a part of horror’s greatness than the white mainstream offers them credit score for.

The place to look at: Horror Noire: A Historical past of Black Horror is now streaming on Shudder and AMC+, and is out there for buy on Apple TV.

15. The Love Witch (2017)

The “nicely, really” horror followers will possible need to problem characterizing Love Witch as a horror film. However that is perhaps as a result of author/director Anna Biller bucks any type of conventionality, presenting a luxurious imaginative and prescient of the girl’s gaze not often allowed to flourish in movie, horror, or in any other case. An homage as a lot as a subversion, The Love Witch can also be a extra delicate instance of comedic horror than others on this checklist. Learn our interview with Biller on the movie’s feminist lens right here.

The place to look at: The Love Witch is streaming on Peacock and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

16. Beneath the Shadow (2016)

Blended in with magical surrealism however set within the actuality of post-revolution Tehran, Beneath the Shadow tells the story of a physician who’s all of the sudden forbidden from working towards below the brand new regime. Because the world turns into increasingly more unrecognizable, she fights to guard her daughter from the fixed risk of bombings in addition to a extra ephemeral monster hellbent on capturing her youngster.

The place to look at: Beneath the Shadow is now streaming on Netflix, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

17. Drag Me To Hell (2009)

An early horror-comedy from the famend Sam Raimi, Drag Me to Hell begins off with a Lean In office state of affairs gone awry (lol). It is as a lot a pleasant trip as it’s scary, with hidden layers of which means — together with hints of battling an consuming dysfunction — that make this supernatural creeper nicely value your time.

The place to look at: Drag Me to Hell is now streaming on HBO Max, Peacock, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

18. Suspiria (2018)

Choosing the Amazon Authentic reboot moderately than the unique will most likely be thought of a sin by most cinephiles. In all honesty, I have not seen the unique, however felt captivated sufficient by Luca Guadagnino’s current remake starring Tilda Swinton to incorporate it as a beautiful ballet of the grotesque, lovely, and female.

The place to look at: Suspiria is now streaming on Prime Video, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

19. Swallow (2020)

The psychosexual undercurrent of this film is plain, with an oral fixation as nice as its protagonist. Betty Friedan’s seminal Female Mystique e book completely drips off the display screen, virtually to the purpose the place references are a bit overdone. However finally Swallow is saved by a spectacular efficiency from Haley Bennett, a unbelievable sense of cinematic pressure, and an abundance of visible sumptuousness.

The place to look at: Swallow is now streaming on Hulu, MUBI, AMC+, and Shudder, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

20. Starry Eyes (2014)

2014’s Starry Eyes isn’t revolutionary so far as horror tropes go. But it surely’s definitely forward of its time as a movie concerning the systemic sexual abuse of ladies in Hollywood launched years earlier than the bombshell allegations towards Harvey Weinstein introduced mainstream consideration to the #MeToo motion.

The place to look at: Starry Eyes is streaming on Shudder, AMC+, Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

21. I Am the Fairly Factor That Lives within the Home (2016)

This gothic arthouse ghost story is a masterpiece of uncanny disquiet. A live-in nurse arrives at a home haunted by the rot of female magnificence. Visually gorgeous and tensely atmospheric, it is a sluggish burn straight to the center. To cite our assessment, I Am the Fairly Factor That Lives within the Home is “one in all Netflix’s most daring experiments, and probably the most evocative atmospheric horror movies exploring the feminine psyche since Polanksi’s Repulsion... The movie’s dream-like narrative emerges by the disparate but intertwined lives (and deaths) of three girls, all colliding below the identical roof.” You may learn our full assessment right here.

The place to look at: I Am the Fairly Factor That Lives within the Home is streaming on Netflix.

22. Enamel (2007)

One among many examples of early feminist horror that was at first maligned, solely to later turn into appreciated as a cult traditional, Enamel is taken into account seminal to the subgenre. Reworking the psychosexual Freudian ideas of penis envy and vagina dentata into rape revenge energy fantasies, we actually simply like to see it.

The place to look at: Enamel is streaming on Prime Video and Tubi at no cost with advertisements.

23. The Perfection (2018)

Let stars Allison Williams and Logan Browning take you on one wild, wild trip — and spoil your self as little as attainable with The Perfection. All it’s essential to know is that this campy journey is all about two girls in search of inventive excellence. They’re additionally pitted towards one another by the predatory techniques that gatekeep mentioned excellence.

The place to look at: The Perfection is streaming on Netflix.

24. The Witch (2015)

Like lots of the entries on this checklist, The Witch complicates the everyday, trope-y feminist empowerment horror narrative. The extra highly effective feminist studying of it (in this author’s opinion) isn’t as a story of empowerment, however surviving full disempowerment, immersing viewers within the oppressive religiosity that’s the origins of America.

The place to look at: The Witch is streaming on HBO Max and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

25. At all times Shine (2016)

One other exploration of the struggles of being a lady in Hollywood, author/director Sophia Takal focuses on how the business creates an environment that makes feminine camaraderie practically not possible. Once more, some would possibly argue it falls extra below the “thriller” than “horror” class, however we do not actually acknowledge these hair-splitting distinctions.

The place to look at: At all times Shine is streaming on Shudder, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

26. Jennifer’s Physique (2009)

One other largely panned film after its authentic launch in 2009, Jennifer’s Physique loved a current revival as an missed feminist horror traditional. By means of ahead-of-its time subversion of the male gaze, exploration of ladies’s wishes, a queer kiss, or metaphors for consuming issues, individuals have discovered rather a lot to like about author/director Karyn Kusama’s movie. Nonetheless, it is vital to notice that star Megan Fox has a sophisticated relationship to it as an exemplar of all of the movies that hypersexualized her from this time.

The place to look at: Jennifer’s Physique is streaming on Hulu, Disney+, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there to hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

27. Carrie (1976)

Consider us once we beg you to look at the unique Carrie over its 2013 remake. Whereas Kimberly Peirce’s reboot tries to imbue extra overt feminist messaging into it, the result’s a lack of a lot of what made Brian De Palma’s 1976 model a reigning masterpiece of women-centric horror energy fantasies.

The place to look at: Carrie is streaming on AMC+ and MGM+, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

28. Cam (2018)

From leisure reporter Alison Foreman’s full assessment: “Set within the cyber area of digital intercourse work, CAM chronicles the nightmarish ordeal of Alice, an web mannequin or ‘cam lady,’ who sooner or later logs on to find she has been changed by a mysterious doppelgänger. As her many followers obsess over the menacing substitute, Alice fights to regain management of her picture, freedom, and bodily security… Greater than a disturbingly horny Unfriended, CAM makes use of its grownup setting to not directly handle feminist themes and motifs in a means that’s not solely nuanced, but in addition extremely efficient.”

The place to look at: CAM is streaming on Netflix.

29. The Craft (1996)

When you had been younger when The Craft got here out, you both desperately needed to begin your individual coven or haven’t any enterprise studying this checklist. Whereas a modern-day watch brings a few of its remedy of socioeconomic variations into query, it was surprisingly progressive for its time due to the long-lasting position of Rochelle. Whereas being one of many only a few feminist horror motion pictures to trouble together with a Black girl’s expertise, although, that achievement is severely undermined by the IRL racist remedy of actress Rachel True, who has been repeatedly neglected and erased from its legacy.

The place to look at: The Craft is streaming on Paramount+, Prime Video, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

30. Prepared or Not (2019)

Prepared or Not is not successful any “elevated horror” awards, however it does not have to. It is well-written, cathartic enjoyable with not solely a feminist but in addition socioeconomic bent. Additionally, who can beat that torn-up marriage ceremony gown with an old-timey gun holster and black excessive tops look?

The place to look at: Prepared or Not is streaming on Hulu, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

31. Midsommar (2019)

As a lot a cathartic break-up film as it’s a scary one, as joyful as it’s terrifying, Midsommar is a beautiful grotesquerie that thrives by contradiction. Like many on this checklist, it complicates the trope-y feminine empowerment horror movie narrative by not portray it by rose-tinted glasses, and is relatable to any girl who’s suffered by grief and relationship a shitty dude. Learn our full assessment right here.

The place to look at: Midsommar is streaming on HBO Max, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

32. The Babadook (2014)

The Babadook has turn into a staple of not solely feminist however common greatest horror film lists for a motive. The directorial debut of Jennifer Kent, it is not solely brutally sincere concerning the battle of single motherhood, however produced one in all our technology’s best homosexual horror icons.

The place to look at: The Babadook is streaming on Hulu, AMC+, MUBI, Shudder, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

33. Alien (1979)

The place will we even start? Alien is feminist horror 101, resulting in many years of scholarly evaluation into its psychosexual undertones. All we’ll say is that it primarily entails about two hours of Sigourney Weaver surviving like a boss whereas combating to save lots of her pussy (defend Jonesy in any respect prices). Apart from being revolutionary for its time, few different classics from the style have aged fairly as gracefully, making it as gripping and evocative now because it was within the Seventies.

The place to look at: Alien is streaming on Hulu, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

34. You are Subsequent (2011)

Much like Prepared or Not, You are Subsequent is a superb (if not the GOAT) horror film that provides class commentary to the extra typical feminine empowerment horror film narrative. We dare you to look at it and never give out a guttural “FUCK YEAH!” a minimum of as soon as due to Sharni Vinson’s stellar efficiency.

The place to look at: You are Subsequent is streaming on The Roku Channel and Tubi, each at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

35. The Descent (2013)

All-female casts are at all times an awesome begin, however throw in a cave-vagina metaphor (full with tons and plenty of blood) and you have got your self a bonafide feminist horror film must-watch. Even with out the allegory, although, The Descent is superior horror due to the way it offers these girls characters and their relationships full personhood, which is rarer on this style than you’d assume!

The place to look at: The Descent is streaming on Kanopy, The Criterion Channel and Prime Video, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

36. The Lure (2015)

One thing about The Little Mermaid continues to enthrall our collective unconscious century after century, and it has rather a lot to do with its gender politics (for higher and for worse). This Polish horror-musical genre-bender is nearer to the darker authentic Hans Christian Anderson folktale than the Disney model. Depicting two mermaid sisters as carnivorous sirens moderately than fantasies of the male gaze, director Agnieszka Smoczyńskait’s impressed imaginative and prescient nails the monster sympathy movie.

The place to look at: The Lure is streaming on The Criterion Assortment and HBO Max, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

37. The Woman with All of the Presents (2017)

One of many few horror movies in historical past to ever characteristic a younger Black lady because the hero, The Woman With All of the Presents is a British zombie film that bucks lots of the subgenre’s tropes. Whereas the lead character was not written with any race specified, the fascinating Sennia Nanua provides groundbreaking layers of social commentary. In any case, it’s the story of an Different who’s seen as a monstrous risk, and thus caged, abused, and made to adapt to a social system constructed solely to serve the extra dominant inhabitants. Like plenty of nascent feminist horror movie representations on this checklist, not each facet of its Black feminist studying lands. However the movie’s uncooked energy is inarguably elevated by the illustration of a gifted younger Black lady’s want to belong and battle to outlive an apocalyptic world hellbent on destroying her.

The place to look at: he Woman With All of the Presents is streaming on Kanopy and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

38. Halloween (2018)

To cite our deep dive into the gender politics of the current reboot, “With 2018’s Halloween and the return of probably the most prototypical closing lady, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode has ushered in a brand new sort of slasher flick for the horrors uncovered by #MeToo… The timeliness of the brand new Halloween lies in the way it speaks to a real-world second of ladies coming collectively for the same reckoning. As survivors all over the place search to finish many years of victimization, Laurie lastly confronts her personal predator, drawing power from the solidarity and shared expertise of trauma with different girls in her life.” You may learn our full assessment right here.

The place to look at: Halloween is streaming on Hulu and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

39. Hush (2016)

Folks with disabilities typically get a very uncooked fucking deal in horror motion pictures, showing largely by tropes that flip them into inhuman evil grotesqueries. Whereas protagonist Maddie doesn’t have a visual incapacity, she is deaf, and set as much as seem as the right helpless sufferer for a predator. However as we and her assailant shortly study, she definitely fucking isn’t.

The place to look at: Hush is streaming on Peacock, Prime Video, AMC+, Shudder, and Tubi at no cost with advertisements, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

40. Relic (2020)

On its floor, Relic appears to deal within the misogynistic horror trope of older girls’s our bodies as inherently grotesque, disgusting, or evil (taking a look at you, The Witch and extra egregiously, The Shining). However first-time author/director Natalie Erika James’ debut movie brings a beforehand unseen tenderness that subverts it, exploring the true horror of growing older as having little to do with a lady’s physique. With among the best closing scenes in any horror film, we extremely suggest checking it out.

The place to look at: Relic is streaming on Shudder, AMC+, and Prime Video, and is out there for hire or buy on Apple TV.

Honorable Point out: Lovecraft Nation (2020)

We all know, we all know. Lovecraft Nation is a present, not a film. That technicality is the one motive it does not qualify for our official checklist. However as one of many uncommon horror something’s to not solely be spearheaded by a Black girl however that additionally centralizes Black girls’s views throughout many ages and social circumstances, Misha Inexperienced’s Lovecraft Nation is an extended overdue, important leap ahead within the feminist reclaiming of the horror style we have to see far more of. Learn our full assessment right here.

The place to look at: Lovecraft Nation is streaming on HBO Max.

UPDATE: Oct. 23, 2025, 12:25 p.m. This checklist was first printed on Oct. 16, 2020. It has been up to date to replicate streaming choices.