Hollywood is a male-dominated world, especially in horror, but for a genre that revolves around the Final Girl, it’s fascinating the lack of women behind the scenes in horror. If anyone understands how a female thinks or feels, it’s another female; yet so many stories about women are told by men. This International Women’s Day I decided to celebrate the women directors behind some of my favourite horror movies. Listen up, you might learn a thing or two.
1. Jill Gevargizian – The Stylist
A hairstylist herself, Jill made the short film The Stylist in 2016, which was a hit at genre festivals and later turned into a feature film that was released in 2020. A great psychological thriller that reinforced why I will never visit a hairdresser ever again. Jill also created a monthly showcase called Slaughter Movie House showing support to other independent filmmakers. Jill recently announced on social media her next movie will be out this year called Ghost Game with the storyline being a mix of phrogging and haunted houses.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSVCw9pj7vw
2. Mary Harron – American Psycho [2000]
I remember seeing this at the cinema with my mum. We were laughing and suddenly my mum whispers, “are we meant to be laughing at this?” because the rest of the room was silent. The book by Bret Easton Ellis is a dark comedy on narcissism and 80’s consumerism, but many didn’t see the humour in it. I have to admit I didn’t either at the time - that book is dark and ultra-violent. We almost didn’t see Harron’s vision come to life. After having written the script and been in talks with Christian Bale, Hollywood proved it’s a man’s world when the producers wanted to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as Patrick Bateman. They were also happy to ditch her as director because Leo wanted a famous director like Martin Scorcese and they attempted to rewrite the script. Lucky for us, it all fell through and Mary was rehired as director and made the movie she wanted. Now there are talks of a remake and I really don’t know how you can remake perfection.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46-WNPlCYsg
3. Mary Lambert – Pet Sematary
The movie is about grief - loving something so much you can’t give it up - and when presented with a way to bring back what was lost - no matter the circumstances - would you?Fun Fact: Stephen King had the final say on the director and picked Mary Lambert. The end result is a cult classic that still holds up to this day!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbL_db16k0w
4. Veronika Franz – Ich Seh Ich Seh (aka Goodnight Mommy)
Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala co-wrote/directed Ich Ich and later teamed up together for 2019’s The Lodge. Both films share a common theme with children not trusting the adults in their lives and how easily they can turn into tiny psychopaths.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMj5bYdaNeg
5. Nia DaCosta – Candyman [2021]
Making a direct sequel to a cult classic almost 30 years later was not going to be an easy feat, yet Nia DaCosta blew audiences away with her take on the Candyman. Expanding on the lore and incorporating different visual styles to tell the story respectfully. DaCosta also broke records becoming the first black female director to have a #1 film at the box office that year.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlwzuZ9kOQU
6. Jessica M. Thompson – The Invitation [2022]
The Invitation puts a spin on the good ol’ Dracula tale by giving us the point of view of his soon-to-be Bride. After reading the script, Jessica made the call to turn the protagonist Evie into a woman of colour and insisted on hiring a female crew. In an interview with Collider, Jessica explained,
“It’s just a difference of perspective. When you get something told time and time again, it’s not actually just a man versus woman thing. It’s, 'Why do I want to watch the same film made by the same kind of people?'. As soon as you add diversity to the mix, whether that’s race, religion, background, sexuality, gender, or whatever it is, you’re going to get a more interesting film just because it hasn’t been done before.
"I wanted to keep it fresh... and also, we need more women in the business. So of course I’m going to hire women.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bL1ftuxgOE
7. Camille Griffin – Silent Night [2021]
In her feature directorial debut, Camille delivered one of the most depressing Christmas movies of all time. Inspired by a conversation with her children (who all star in the film) about what would happen if there was a war, she wanted to make a movie portraying how painful it is to be a parent when you can’t protect your children from the atrocities of the world, something she definitely succeeded in doing with the film as a family come together to celebrate Christmas before lethal gas kills everyone in England. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPISnnjxRu4
8. Emma Jean Sutherland – Letters To Satan Claus
Christmas time is when we become inundated with Hallmark Christmas romance movies with cookie-cutter storylines where two people clearly on each other's nerves fall in love in a matter of days - and half the time there’s a Prince involved. So who better to direct a Hellmark movie than someone with experience in this particular genre? That knowledge certainly paid off because Letters to Satan Claus has all the clichés of a Hallmark movie making for one hilarious horror comedy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s83aAukSb-k
9. Elza Kephart – Slaxx
To prove women can do more than talk about families and children, Elza and co-writer Patricia Gomez came up with an idea for a film taking a dig at fast fashion and unethical work practices, about a murderous pair of jeans set inside a retail outlet.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBUwi9eXtXM
10. Carlota Pereda – Cerdita
Cerdita (English title: Piggy) started out as a horror short that was developed into one of the more successful Spanish feature-length films. The film focuses on bullying, body shaming and in general what a bunch of sociopaths teenagers are, but the film also has you questioning your own moral standpoint at times. There’s a serial killer in town and after witnessing what happened at the local swimming pool, has kidnapped the bullies and taken a liking to Sara. Would you turn your back on the girls who made your life a living hell, or would you be the bigger person and try to save them?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7avOmQA-pC8
11. Laura Moss – Birth/Rebirth
Birth/Rebirth was Moss’s first feature-length film, which questions: "When does life begin and when does life end?" The death of a child brings two women together: the mother and a morgue technician trying to find a cure for death, who has stolen the child’s body and brought her back to life - life that only exists thanks to the cells of aborted fetuses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iSSRWut50c
12. Lynne Ramsay – We Need To Talk About Kevin
One of the most disturbing films I have ever watched, we see a family dynamic from the point of view of a mother who pushed her career aside for an unplanned pregnancy and the strained relationship she has with her son and husband over the years as the boy shows clear signs of being a sociopath and the husband refuses to listen to her concerns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmf42pkfgZw
13. Shana Feste – Run Sweetheart Run
One fear most women can all relate to is men, and nothing is scarier than putting your trust in a man you don’t know when going on a first date. Shana’s inspiration for the film came from her own dating experiences but with the main protagonist being a black woman, she hired two black writers to help give the character more authenticity. Interestingly, the main plot point revolves around Cherie being on her period - something that’s rarely discussed in film let alone shown - because women are taught it’s a taboo subject and too many men behave like toddlers just hearing the word... but here we have a woman menstruating heavily throughout the film and its integral to the plot. Written by Katie Torrance.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lee5IQPuj-M
