I love horror films. A lot. So much so that I had a gore 'n' horror themed birthday party. In February. In spite of the sexualized violence that's systematically portrayed in the horror genre, women have a lot more agency there that they don't in a lot of other genres like action thriller or romantic comedy. Even if they die, at least they fight. They plot, plan, scheme, and retaliate. But sometimes there's a horror film that really takes the time to attack the anti-woman tropes of the film industry. While no movie can be 100% feminist and all of these films have their issues, I think they still deserve some love. I've included trigger warnings for each film below each films' description so that you go in prepared.
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This Canadian Body-Horror flick is one
of my all-time favorites. It uses lycanthropy as an analogy for
puberty. It's bloody and terrifying and littered with the dead
bodies of household pets. One thing I find fascinating about this
movie is that it contains the only onscreen portrayal of date-rape
against a man I've ever seen in a film. All the women in this film
are strong, complex, and have interesting character development. The
protagonist, Bridgette, is not once sexualized in the whole film.
That alone gives it a spot on this list.
Film Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Rape,
Graphic Violence
A Kickstarter funded film that delivers
slow, creeping terror. There is almost no blood or gore, but that
doesn't keep this film from twisting you up psychologically. It's
about a woman who's husband disappeared without a trace years ago.
Her sister comes to stay with her for moral support while she goes
through the process of having her husband declared dead. Pregnant
with another man's baby and trying to move on with her life, she
starts having visions of her (late?) husband. It's a quiet film that
has a very realistic feel, especially when it comes to the complex
dynamics between the sisters.
Film Trigger Warnings: Drug Abuse,
Homeless Abuse, Domestic Disturbance
Another psychological horror film, this
time centered around a young divorcee named Katy. She moves into a
small apartment after her divorce and tries to start over, but keeps
getting calls from an old woman she doesn't know. The problem? That
old woman claims to be calling from the past. As she begins to
entertain the caller, who seems to only need a friend, Katy finds
herself drawn deeper into the old woman's grasp. A great film with a
female protagonist AND antagonist.
Film Trigger Warnings: Psychological
Abuse, Child Abuse
A lot of people have written a lot of
things about this film. It's been called the most and the least
feminist film of all time by many people. However, I think it's
still worth watching. Teeth, for those of you who don't know, is a
film about Vagina Dentata. Specifically, a young evangelical girl
named Dawn who just might have teeth up there. As she learns about
the power, both positive and negative, of sexuality, she goes through
a remarkable transformation. I'm not a big fan of the ending to this
film, but it still has a lot of interesting scenes that break the
traditional horror-movie mold.
Film Trigger Warnings: Rape, Sexual
Torture, Sexual Assault, Graphic Violence, Assault by a Doctor
Tried and true slasher terror with a
feminist twist. There is very little I can say about this film
without spoiling anything, but it's worth watching if you can handle
the gore. While at first it seems like a standard “cabin in the
woods” style horror film, it's a beautiful analysis of the
Virgin/Whore complex that's so inundated in the horror industry. The
film is aware of it's tropes and uses them to shocking advantage. It
also has the scariest daylight scene I've ever seen grace a movie
screen.
Film Trigger Warnings: Incredibly
Graphic Violence, Peer Pressure, Torture
I may or may not get reamed for
including this here, but I really liked the feminist messages of
Mama. It's not Guillermo Del Toro's best film by a long shot, but
it's definitely interesting. It follows two little girls whose
father murders their mother and intends to kill them as well, but is
stopped short by a supernatural creature. The girls grow up in the
woods under the care of “Mama”, but are later found by their
uncle, who brings them back into society. But it's ultimately a
story about two little girls, a motherly monster, and their uncle's
punk-rock girlfriend, Annabel, who didn't even want to be here today!
While many have criticized the films maternal focus, I really liked
the way Annabel cared for the children. She didn't turn into a
super-mom, and she loved them on her own terms.
Film Trigger Warnings: Violence Against
Children, Suicide
So the only problem with May is that by
telling you that it's a horror film I've already sort of spoiled it
for you. So please, try to go see the film without reading up too
much about it? Like, most of the posters for the film contain spoilers. How lame is that? It's about a lonely, socially awkward girl with a
lazy eye named May. She had a horrific childhood where her only
friend was a creepy doll in a glass case, and now she (surprise!) has
trouble connecting with other people. All she wants is someone other
than her very creepy doll to love her. She is sweet, quiet, and
awkward, working in an animal hospital stitching together post-op
cats & dogs all day.
Film Trigger Warnings: Sexualized
Violence
I
hesitated about whether or not I wanted to include this here, not
because it isn't phenomenal, it is, but because it's so damn hard to
watch. This is hands down the goriest, bloodiest and most triggering
film on the list, but it's also absolutely amazing. The main
characters are a disturbed goth boy named Brent and a girl with a crush
on him, Lola. When Lola finds out he's going to prom with another
girl, she kidnaps him and has her own torture “prom” at home.
This is a torture-porn flick that manages to truly turn the tables.
This is a film which not only doesn't shoot from the male gaze, it
does the opposite. The male victim, even before his capture, is
overtly sexualized. Throughout the film we cut back to the other
kids, the ones at real prom. They make normal teenage life decisions
and those scenes are really disarming and sweet. It's this cutting back and forth that keeps
the viewer tuned in to how horrific the violence is. This film
artfully prevents that “numb” feeling, leaving you squirming in
your seat the whole way through.
Film Trigger Warnings: Graphic Violence, Sexual Violence, Incest, Torture, Suicide, Drug & Alcohol Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Contentious Consent, Self-Harm/Cutting, Depression
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So, what are YOUR favorite feminist horror films of all time? Let me know! I want to watch them! I'm sure at some point I'll do a "part II" with even more feminist horror films as I find them.
