Grab some popcorn, pajamas, and some wine cause we’re having a girl’s night. Without a doubt, I am the friend that forces the group to watch horror movies at the sleepover. If you invite me over you can guarantee that I’m packing a copy of The Exorcist and my favorite Halloween pajamas.

Call up your squad and pour yourself a glass of rosé because today we’re discussing horror films that are all about the ladies.

Teeth. Yes – this is the film about a girl with teeth in her…ahem, vagina. Despite how ridiculous this sounds; this black comedy was quite brilliant. The film focuses on Dawn, who discovers that she has Vagina Dentata after she bites the penis off a guy who was attempting to sexually assault her. She soon realizes that if she’s relaxed, and the situation is consensual that her teeth do not come out. Let that be a lesson on consent, folks.

Rosemary’s Baby. This critically acclaimed film is a classic based on the soundtrack and cinematography alone. Ah, the joys of motherhood. A time that’s supposed to be beautiful quickly turns into a mother’s worst nightmare when she finds out her child is the spawn of Satan. And I don’t mean the child is a little temperamental, I mean he’s the literal Antichrist.

The Craft. This film is what Mean Girls would be if The Plastics had a goth phase. It has all the qualities of your favorite chick flick – only the clique in this film is a coven of witches. If this film doesn’t have you attempting to play “light as a feather, stiff as a board” at your party then you need to watch it again.

Ginger Snaps. As if puberty wasn’t hard enough, try adding lycanthropy into the mix. Your body is changing, you’re growing hair in places you’ve never grown hair before, then there’s the fangs and the whole “tearing boys to shreds” things – it’s all a bit much. If you thought your teenage years were bad, you need to watch Ginger Snaps.

The Descent. A group of friends set out to explore an unmapped cave system in the Appalachian Mountains, in the hopes of being the first to do so. Unfortunately for them, they discover they weren’t the first and the ones that came before them mysteriously never made it out. The feeling of claustrophobia in this film is almost palpable. Seeing the women crawl through narrow paths and stuck in tight spaces almost makes it hard for the viewer to breathe. It’s a test of strength as the characters fight tooth and nail to not only find their way out, but to escape death as they encounter a hoard of cannibalistic humanoids hidden deep in the cave.

Inside. If you’re in the mood for something gruesome and can handle some gore, then you’ll enjoy this. A pregnant woman, still dealing with the trauma of losing her husband, is tormented by a strange woman that breaks into her house. Her goal – to cut the woman’s child out with a pair of scissors. It’s a bloody thrill ride from beginning to end.

American Mary. A brilliant film by Jen and Sylvia Soska. Medical student, Mary Mason, is struggling to make ends meet and gets thrown into the world of extreme body modification. She withdraws from school after being sexually assaulted by one of her former professors. She eventually gets her revenge and puts her newfound modification skills to the test. 

All Cheerleaders Die. This black comedy is ridiculous in the best way possible. A cheerleading squad gains supernatural powers after being brought back to life after a car accident. Moral of the story? If your abusive, shitty boyfriend cheats on you – break up with him and date a cheerleader.

May. One of the more underrated films on this list. May is socially awkward, still a bit traumatized from a childhood accident that left her with a glass eye. Fed up with her overwhelming loneliness, she tries to make friends, but it never goes right. Growing desperate, she decides to make new friends… literally. Piece by piece.

Jennifer’s Body. Did you really think I’d have a list like this and not include the most iconic film ever? Who do you think I am? A cheerleader becomes a succubus after being sacrificed to Satan by a generic emo band that thought she was a virgin. She survives by killing boys. On top of that, the soundtrack for this film is incredible and includes bops from bands like Panic! At The Disco and All Time Low.

That’s a wrap on this Women in Horror Month series! A HUGE thank you to Women in Horror Month for featuring me and to all the wonderful creators that contributed to celebrating the phenomenal women that dominate the horror scene.

Did you really think I would celebrate Women in Horror Month and not use it as an excuse to get a little bloody?

If you’re like me then your Valentine’s Day isn’t spent watching romantic comedies while surrounded by flowers, chocolates and gifts from your sweetheart. No, my Valentine’s Day is less Something Borrowed and more My Bloody Valentine.

This year, I decided to do another Anti-Valentine’s Day look. Now that I have the Modern Renaissance palette in my collection, there’s no way I could pass up the opportunity to slather the shade “Love Letter” all over my eyes – which is exactly what I did.

For the horror element, what better way to say “Be My Valentine” than carving “Be Mine” into their chest?

Products Used:

ABH Modern Renaissance (Love Letter, Venetian Red, Burnt Orange)

Nyx Brow Precise Pencil

Hard Candy Lashoholic Mascara

Wet N Wild Pressed Glitter Shadow

Elf Liquid Liner

Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in “Tulle”

Mehron Coagulated Blood Gel

Liquid Latex

My Pretty Zombie Shadow in “Fresh Scab”

Horror is not this “boy’s club” that many may think it is. There are so many insanely talented women in the horror industry that have – and continue – to make waves. Women are continuously finding new ways to create films that terrify audiences everywhere.

A few of the names that come to mind when asked, “name a director in the horror genre” are George A. Romero, Wes Craven, Eli Roth, John Carpenter, just to name a few. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg that is the world of horror. One of the goals of Women in Horror Month is to shed light on the women behind some of our favorite horror films. So, without further ado, let’s discuss some of the top horror films directed by women.

Slumber Party Massacre (Amy Holden Jones) – Let’s kick things off with my favorite subgenre of horror – slasher films. Slumber Party Massacre has the typical slasher film formula: a high school senior who’s left home alone, decides to invite over her friends for a sleepover. Little did they know, there’s an escaped maniac on the loose with a power drill terrorizing the neighborhood. The writer on the film, novelist Rita Mae Brown, originally wrote the screenplay as a parody of the slasher genre. This is evident in some of the humor present in the film (although some of it isn’t as intentional as originally planned). This film gained a cult following, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics.

Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow) – Before she became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow directed this western-style vampire flick. Near Dark is a gritty and violent film about a group of nomadic vampires, roaming the countryside, trying to teach a newly-turned vamp how to survive. The film features heavy-hitters like Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton (previously of the Alien Franchise) as well as little-known actors like Adrian Pasdar who stars are the newby in their dysfunctional vamp family. One of the best scenes is when the vampires hit up this biker bar and just completely tear through the place. A truly phenomenal film.

American Psycho (Mary Harron) – Mary Harron not only directed this film, she co-wrote this iconic black-comedy alongside Guinevere Turner. American Psycho is based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, Starring Christian Bale in the lead role as Patrick Bateman, a narcissistic yuppie with an obsession for music and killing. Featuring a star-studded cast with Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Reese Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe and many others. This stylish take on the American serial-killer gave a whole new look to the monster most audiences were familiar with. This wasn’t Leatherface in the backwoods of Texas, this was set in upscale New York, among the rich elites. This film is deliciously bloody and savy and continues to be an influential staple in horror.

Jennifer’s Body (Karyn Kusama) – Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body remains a cult-classic to this day. It features the same wit and snarky attitude that was present in the writer Diabo Cody’s Oscar winning film Juno – however, this film didn’t quite get the same amount of praise. While the film fell flat for mainstream audiences, horror-lovers still love quoting this black comedy about a cheerleader who is turned into a succubus after being sacrificed to Satan by some generic emo band. Despite the “obvious surface flaws”, this film still remains a cult-favorite.

Pet Sematary (Mary Lambert) – This Stephen King adaptation was directed by Mary Lambert, who was also a sought-after music video director after being responsible for the iconic videos for hits like Janet Jackson’s “Nasty” and Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. This dark and incredibly creepy film follows a father, haunted by the death of his youngest child that decides to cheat death by digging up their dead son and burying him in an ancient Indian burial ground. There are so many things wrong with that statement but alas, he soon found out that “dead is better”. Mary Lambert brought us one of horror’s favorite creepy kids and for that, we thank her.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (Rachel Talalay) – Yes, the director responsible for giving horror icon Freddy Krueger a proper send-off in the 90s was a woman. Rachel Talalay worked on the Nightmare franchise as a producer on the 3^rd and 4^th installments in the series (which are arguably the best sequels in the series) and made her directorial debut on Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. Not only was this the only film directed by a woman in the series, but it also kept true to the tradition of having a strong female lead (minus the second film), introducing us to Freddy’s daughter who would ultimately bring upon his demise. It also featured another bad ass female, Lezlie Deane, who went on to form glam-rock group Scary Cherry and the Bang Bangs, Clueless’ Breckin Meyer, and Ricky Dean Logan. There was an array of cameos in the film from stars like Rosanne Barr, Tom Arnold, Alice Cooper, and Johnny Depp, who was in the original Nightmare. Freddy’s Dead was also the first film released in 3D From New Line Cinema.

The Rage: Carrie 2 (Katt Shea) – In another film inspired by Stephen King characters, this horror-sequel directed by Katt Shea who was also responsible for the 1992 Drew Berrymore film Poison Ivy. While this film doesn’t hold a candle to the Brian De Palma 1976 film, it still holds some charm. In this film, we see Rachel Lang, another misfit teen harboring telekinetic powers that unleashes hell on her tormentors. Amy Irving also reprises her role as Sue Snell as she attempts to help Rachel before things turn bloody as they did years before. This film is like the moody, emo sister to the original but it still manages to hold its own. The 2013 remake featuring Chloe Grace Moretz was also directed by a female – Kimberly Peirce.

The Babadook (Jennifer Kent) – Arguably one of the best horror films of the recent years, Australian director Jennifer Kent brought us this eerie psychological horror film in 2014 and introduced us to a new horror icon – The Babadook. This tale follows a distressed widow struggling to take care of her troubled son, but things take a dark turn when a strange creature begins wreaking havoc in their lives. This film is hauntingly clever and thoughtful as it’s so much more than your typical creature feature. The film is based on a short film titled Monster, that was also written and directed by Kent.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Fran Rubel Kuzui) – Before Sarah Michelle Gellar started staking vamps in Sunnydale, Kristy Swanson was Buffy Summers in this 1992 film. The film adaptation is a lot campier than Joss Whedon’s darker, more edgy tv series but it’s still incredibly entertaining. The film also stars Beverly Hill’s 90210 hunk Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, and David Arquette.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour) – Speaking of vampires … this Indie-vampire western is one of the more recent films on this list, and by far the strangest. Tagged as the “first Iranian vampire Western”, this film is about a ghost-town that’s being stalked by a vampire that skateboards through town, devouring men that disrespect women. A modern-day feminist horror film shot in black-and-white, it’s a stylistic take on the vampire film that delivers a hell of a bite – pun intended.

Do you have any favorites that I missed? Let me know in the comments and stay tuned for the next WiHM post.