For decades, men have taken the majority of plaudits in horror, but this is a poor representation of the genre considering just how many great movies there are from female directors too.
Their presence in the genre really took off in the 1980s and has grown with each passing year, but it didn’t start then. For that, we can go back over 100 years to 1913 to the likes of Lois Weber and Phillip Smalley’s Suspense, a short silent movie considered one of the most important early works in horror.
The variety of filmmaking from female directors covers all the avenues you would expect within the genre and its subgenres, but more so, it feels like female directors are more inclined to explore more diverse and deeper stories than the typical mass-marketed major studio releases we are so used to. With that in mind, here are 20 of the very best female-directed horror films.
Near Dark (1987)
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Written by: Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red
Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
A small-town farm boy meets an attractive drifter who changes his life in more ways than he can ever imagine. Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and vampires, what’s not to love!? Near Dark is widely considered one of the best vampire movies of all time, and rightly so. 1987 was THE year for vampire movies; not only did we get Near Dark but a mere two months prior, we also had The Lost Boys (1987), often cited as the reason why Near Dark struggled at the box office. Thankfully this has given the movie a huge following today, garnering its cult classic status.
Near Dark was brought to us by one of the most successful female directors ever to have graced Hollywood, Kathryn Bigelow. She has enjoyed a career spanning from the early 80s to the present day, rarely putting a foot wrong and this is masterfully displayed in Near Dark. As despite having so many huge names fighting for screen time, there is never a moment in which it doesn’t feel like everybody is at their best. A movie steeped in atmosphere and vampiric greatness!
Pet Sematary (1989)
Directed by: Mary Lambert
Written by: Stephen King
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
It is almost inevitable when discussing horror that Stephen King will come up in some capacity, but Pet Sematary is one of, if not the best movie adaption of his work. Brought to the big screen by the ever talented Mary Lambert, Pet Sematary tells the story of, as the name suggests, a pet cemetery where families have buried their pets after passing; however, this cemetery is not like the others. This ancient burial ground has the power to bring back pets, and much more, from the dead.
Pet Sematary shines as one of the better horror movies from the late 1980s, the decade that so many people look back on as one of the best for the genre. Lambert, holding her own as a first-time director in the genre, really showcases her talents behind the camera. The film has some of the most gruesome and gut-wrenching scenes you’ll ever see, in particular the reveal of Zelda and the scene in which Gage slices Jud’s Achilles. The sequel is a bunch of fun too and considering the success of both movies, it’s a real shame that Lambert didn’t do more horror.
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Directed by: Rachel Talalay
Written by: Michael De Luca
Run Time: 1 hour 29 minutes
A Nightmare On Elm Street is and always will be one of the greatest horror franchises. Something that is showcased in every single movie, especially Rachel Talalay’s Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, her directorial debut after previously producing both Dream Warriors (1987) and Dream Master (1988) in the same franchise. Taking over when audiences and critics had given up on the franchise, off the back of the “worst” (critically speaking) movie in the franchise Dream Child (1989), Talalay had an uphill battle on her hands to make a movie fans would like, but she managed just that.
Freddy’s Dead was intended to be the end of the franchise; we now know it wasn’t, but it was created as such. So she really didn’t shy away from it being cheesy and packing it with hilarious one-liners and ridiculous set pieces. None more ridiculous, in the best and most entertaining way, than the 10-minute blockbuster-esque ending that becomes even more ludicrous by being in 3D.
Ravenous (1999)
20th Century Fox
Directed by: Antonia Bird
Written by: Ted Griffin
Run Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Ravenous is set against the backdrop of the Mexican-American war in the 1840s, and is about a remote military post in which Captain Boyd (Guy Pearce) and his team embark on a rescue mission only to be preyed upon by a crazed cannibal.
Antonia Bird, a British director who unfortunately has passed on, brings together an incredible blend of morbid depravity that comes from cannibalism with hilarity, satire, and truly charming storytelling. With absolutely incredible performances from Guy Pearce, Neal McDonough, Robert Carlyle, and others, you will laugh until your stomach hurts and wince at the brutality on display. The western-horror subgenre is so underutilised, but Ravenous is one of its finest examples.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Directed by: Karyn Kusama
Written by: Diablo Cody
Run Time: 1 hour 42 minutes
A movie about a cannibalistic demon possessing a cheerleader, who goes on to devour her male students; how can you NOT love Jennifer’s Body? There is a great interview from screenwriter Diablo Cody in which she speaks about how the movie was completely mismarketed, noting that it should have been targeted towards female filmgoers rather than relying on the appeal of Megan Fox to male audiences.
What, on the surface, due to studios being narrow-minded, is just a hot demon on a rampage, is actually a wonderfully constructed commentary on bisexuality and female empowerment. It is the movie embodiment of “girl power,” packed to the the rafters with quotable lines and quick-witted humour, that in recent years has garnered a cult fan base of epic proportions, that will no doubt only continue to grow.
Chained (2012)
Directed by: Jennifer Lynch
Written by: Jennifer Lynch and Damian O’Donnell
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Despite the fact that Chained is directed by Jennifer Lynch, the daughter of David Lynch – Hollywood has always loved a nepo-baby – shockingly, it isn’t particularly well-known. Her film tells the story of a serial killer who captures a young man and keeps him prisoner. He has to battle with the killers plans to make him his protégé or do whatever it takes to break free.
Chained is incredibly unsettling throughout, not at all an easy-watch. Lynch delivers big time on the tension and creates a downright disgusting feel for her film. Vincent D’Onofrio plays the self-made psychopath who is completely empty behind the eyes, which leans heavily into how unpredictable his character is. This again is praise to Lynch, who also co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Hopefully we see more from her in the future; her talents deserve much more screen time.
American Mary (2012)
Directed by: Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska
Written by: Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
No conversation about women in horror should be complete without mentioning Jen and Sylvia Soska. Their debut Dead Hooker In A Trunk (2009) is a notoriously under-appreciated and under-seen movie, as is Festival Of The Living Dead (2024) their spiritual sequel to George A. Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead (1968). They are constantly using their platform across social media to uplift those in the industry that don’t get the love or credit they deserve. We are truly blessed to have them!
American Mary is a movie so good it’s hard to believe that it’s only the Soska’s second feature. It tells the story of Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle), a medical student who finds herself delving into the underworld of surgeries and body modification to make money. If you are on the lookout for an entertaining body horror, then American Mary is for you. It is a gory exploration of the body modification community delivered in a tasteful yet brutal way that is certainly one for lovers of gore and practical effects.
The Babadook (2014)
Directed by: Jennifer Kent
Written by: Jennifer Kent
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Jennifer Kent is an incredible director, be it with the massively successful The Babadook, or the lesser known but equally as thrilling The Nightingale (2018). The former is a film rife with emotional allegories and truly powerful storytelling. It leans far enough into the jump scares that you are taken aback a few times but without overdoing them. The majority of scares aren’t spoon-fed to audiences, they are slow; the buildup and the growing sense of dread are akin to the likes of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973).
Kent relies on the tension that builds along with the pain experienced by her characters Amelia (Essie Davis) and Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Watching their grief will never not feel painful, especially for those who have experienced loss of their own. The broken life of grieving played out by a monster in the shadows proves a genius touch, making The Babadook a true modern masterpiece of the genre worthy of any horror top 10 list, no matter the stipulations.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
Directed by: Ana Lily Amirpour
Written by: Ana Lily Amirpour
Run Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Vampires have and always will be synonymous with horror; Dracula may as well be the posterboy for the genre. So when Ana Lily Amirpour’s vampire film with a twist was announced, it certainly piqued the interest of horror fans. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is a wonderful spin on a centuries-old monster. Set in an Iranian ghost town, it tells the story of a lonely vampire stalking the townspeople.
The movie supersedes audiences expectations of a traditional vampire movie; it is totally unique and refreshing. It is breathtakingly beautiful; the use of black and white brings an almost nightmare/dreamlike feel to it, adding to the loneliness felt throughout. It is a celebration of women, and it’s obvious that Amirpour is pouring her heart into this dead-pan, beautiful, smart take of an age-old monster with a wonderfully modernised approach.
The Love Witch (2016)
Directed by: Anna Biller
Written by: Anna Biller
Run Time: 2 hours
Anna Biller’s The Love Witch is a love letter to 1950s and 1960s melodrama and horror, neatly packaged into one of the most beautifully made movies of all time. The story follows Elaine Parks (Samantha Robinson), a young, beautiful witch who is desperate to find love by any means. This leads her to seduce men with potions and spells, luring them to her stunning Victorian home. Unfortunately her witchy ways take a sinister turn, resulting in her being stuck with a string of victims until her knight in shining armour comes along.
We are so used to final girl or femme-fatale characters across most genres being told from male perspectives, and it has always come across a bit hammy or not fleshed out enough. But that is something Biller doesn’t struggle with at all; while the story happens to centre around a beautiful woman, it never feels like it is all about her beauty; she comes at it from a unique perspective that makes every choice the director makes feel fulfilling to witness. It’s a brilliant example of contemporary filmmaking told through the Technicolour visuals of days gone by, a true spectacle in the modern day, one you should rush to see if you haven’t already.
Raw (2016)
Universal Pictures International
Directed by: Julia Ducournau
Written by: Julia Ducournau
Run Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
The wave of new French extremity has been turning out some of the best horror movies of the last few decades, arguably none better than Julia Ducournau’s debut, Raw. It’s considered one of the best debuts in decades, and the praise is warranted. Raw is a visceral, stomach-churning, coming-of-age body horror that is a hard watch but a totally worthwhile one. It follows a sixteen-year-old veterinary student and vegetarian who, during a hazing ritual at school, gets her first taste of meat, which gives her an all-encompassing deep desire and craving for human flesh, a craving she isn’t afraid to go out and satisfy.
Raw has sadly suffered from the recent sensationalist reporting on horror films, the “*insert number* people threw up at the screening” rubbish that appears to sell tickets. Whereas the more interesting angle is actually how Ducournau uses cannibalism as a somewhat allegorical horror reflecting being a young adult in this world and exploring all the new things in life. The movie is beautiful in both storytelling and visuals, a commentary on coming of age in the 21st century that will stay with you long after you finish it.
Saint Maud (2019)
Directed by: Rose Glass
Written by: Rose Glass
Run Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
More recently you might have encountered the talents of director Rose Glass through her romantic-thriller Love Lies Bleeding (2024), but she’s also the extraordinary mind behind Saint Maud, the chilling psychological horror that came out a few years previously. Leaning into the religious, Saint Maud takes on a much deeper and sinister feeling, telling the story of Maud (Morfydd Clark), a devout nurse who becomes obsessed with the concept of saving her dying patients’ souls before they pass on.
Saint Maud joins the star-studded list of critically-acclaimed A24 horrors from over the past few years, and justifiably so. It is a supernatural horror rooted in the gritty realism you expect from an A24 drama. The duality of both tones sharing the screen makes for an intensely uncomfortable and creepy movie. And with Glass going two for two with her feature releases so far it warrants much excitement for whatever she does next.
Relic (2020)
Directed by: Natalie Erika James
Written by: Natalie Erika James and Christian White
Run Time: 1 hour 29 minutes
Australia doesn’t enough credit when it comes to horror movies. For decades they’ve produced titles like Next Of Kin (1989), Wolf Creek (2005), The Loved Ones (2009), 100 Bloody Acres (2012) and The Babadook (2014), to name but a few. And Natalie Erika James’ Relic can now be added to this list as well. Relic is a horror about three generations of one family, grandmother Edna (Robyn Nevin), her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer), and her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote), who are all living with the haunting manifestation of the dementia that is consuming and threatening Edna.
Relic has been likened to fellow Aussie horror The Babadook given its depiction of real-world experiences manifesting in less than natural ways, which is fair. But, don’t get it misunderstood, while Relic is depicting dementia in a physical form, that form comes in the way of an intense body horror that we see taking over Edna, which grows and grows throughout the movie. Unforgettable for many reasons, it’s one of the most amazing body horrors seen in a long time.
Censor (2021)
Directed by: Prano Bailey-Bond
Written by: Prano Bailey-Bond and Anthony Fletcher
Run Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor tells the story of British Board of Film Classification employee Enid Baines (Niamh Algar), who works as a part of the classification team in the height of the video nasty era of the 1980s. Enid is incredibly strict and wants all things remotely violent banned.
Censor is another classic in the making, especially considering it takes place in the mid-1980s, a peak period for horror. The movie is a brilliant commentary on the whole controversy that comes with, well, controversial movies. It isn’t as simple as just saying that censorship is bad; it takes that line of thinking and broaches it from multiple angles. The contrast of people wanting to ban all things violent to the story leaning into that being pivotal to Enid’s spiral from sanity is a wonderful touch.
Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)
Directed by: Michelle Garza Cerver
Written by: Michelle Garza Cerver and Abia Castillo
Run Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
Another recent body horror highlight comes in the form of 2022’s Peruvian-Mexican Huesera: The Bone Woman from Mexican filmmaker Michelle Graza Cervera. As it stands, Huesera is Cervera’s only feature, but it is one hell of a debut that is both a breath of fresh air and inspired by the genre classics. Huesera tells the story of Valeria (Natalia Solián), a young Mexican woman who has always dreamt of being a mother. But after falling pregnant she starts to realise that things aren’t quite right, leading audiences to become passengers in her descent into all things occult.
Huesera is the Mexican lore horror movie we all wanted from The Curse Of La Llorona (2019), but didn’t get. Yet it has been unfairly labelled with the pretentious term “elevated horror,” resulting in it being seen by fewer people than it should have. This is such a disappointment as the movie is a goosebump-inducing body horror that deserves to be seen, just be prepared it will leave you wincing in discomfort and cringing throughout.
Nanny (2022)
Directed by: Nikyatu Jusu
Written by: Nikyatu Jusu
Run Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny is a simple story at heart; following an undocumented immigrant from Senegal, Aisha (Anna Diop), who leaves her son in order to better support him. However, while in New York working as nanny for a family on the East Side of New York, Aisha’s world threatens to fall apart, compromising her idyllic idea of the American dream.
Nanny is one of those horror movies where you can feel the unsettling pain and anguish throughout, blending the real world with Aisha’s nightmarish events into one seamless reality. It’s a beautiful arthouse horror that makes you feel each emotion Aisha experiences, tugging on your heartstrings at every turn. For a feature debut, Jusu comes out absolutely swinging.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Directed by: Halina Reijn
Written by: Sarah DeLappe
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Bodies Bodies Bodies sees a group of insufferable teens organise a party at a remote mansion during a hurricane; one of the guests winds up dying, resulting in the party spiralling into chaos of bitching, betrayal, and backstabbing. What more could you want from a teen-centred horror comedy?
Halina Reijn’s english language debut comes complete with a star-studded cast (Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace and Pete Davidsion to name a few) who deliver throughout, be it comedically or through the film’s whodunnit aspect. The film was advertised more as a slasher, but in reality it’s actually closer to a murder mystery, and in that aspect it excels. Combined with its commentary on how society has warped its relationship with information and technology the movie is an absolute blast, and all within a 90-minute runtime, what’s not to like!?
Fresh (2022)
Directed by: Mimi Cave
Written by: Lauryn Kahn
Run Time: 1 hour 54 minutes
In the wake of Covid-19 a lot more movies were released straight to streaming services; Mimi Cave’s Fresh was one of these titles, hitting Hulu/Disney+ in 2022. Cave’s film follows a young woman named Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who has given up with the digital world of dating but instead meets, who she thinks, is the perfect man, Steve (Sebastain Stan) in a supermarket. He invites her on a romantic getaway, but only in the hopes that she can fulfil his less than desirable appetites.
Cave makes her feature debut in excellent fashion, bringing to life this terrifying tale with the support of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan who are absolutely incredible together. This movie is widely spoken about as a horror about modern dating, but it really isn’t. This is just an initial plot device to get to the really good stuff. It’s one of the best-paced and most unsettling horror movies in recent years!
Hatching (2022)
Directed by: Hanna Bergholm
Written by: Ilja Rautsi
Run Time: 1 hour 31 minutes
Hatching is a Finnish psychological body horror from Hanna Bergholm and it is up there with some of the very best international horror. A young girl desperate to please her overbearing mother discovers a strange egg, which she hides and keeps safe. But the creature that eventually emerges from it is far more than she bargained for.
Admittedly the metaphorical use of the hatched creature looks very heavy-handed in some stills, but within the movie Bergholm treats it with impressive nuance and allows the audience to carefully unpick the real meaning behind it. Adding to her nuance, Bergholm also provides a damning commentary on the overindulgence of social media and how it affects the people around us. At times Hatching even manages to be sweet and endearing, but always blended with the scary and unsettling.
Run Rabbit Run (2023)
Directed by: Daina Reid
Written by: Hannah Kent
Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Coming from the female duo of Australian writer Hannah Kent and director Daina Reed, Netflix psychological horror Run Rabbit Run tells the story of fertility doctor Sarah (Sarah Snook), who has an unwavering belief in life after death. And after noticing some very odd behaviour from her daughter, she is forced to confront a ghost from her past.
Filmmakers down under truly know how to make great horror and Run Rabbit Run is only further proof of this. It’s an old-school, slow-paced, intense horror-thriller that doesn’t rely only on violence. There are some mild instances of this featured throughout, but the movie chooses instead to focus more on telling its story than solely trying to shock and awe its audience. An incredible script, lofted even higher by absolutely superb performances.
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