Horror movies actually have a majority of female protagonists, it beingthe only genre where women have more screen time and dialogue than men. However, like most genres, it sometimes carries a lot of prejudice from its earlier productions. When we look at the history of horror movies, there are some pivotal points to the relationship between horror and the female subject. The Final Girl, a trope where the female protagonist kills the monster because she was pure (no sexual activity, drugs, or alcohol, unlike her friends), came a long way. The Final Girl was so used that it became the face of a few decades of horror, especially slasher movies such asHalloweenand theendlessly self-sustainingScream. Even though they fought and defeated the monster, there was still a victim quality associated with them. This element, fortunately, has changed.
Update July 16, 2025: This article has been updated with even more great feminist horror films for your viewing pleasure.
With the popularity of the feminist movement influencing women to demand their place in male-dominated fields like the entertainment industry, the stories presented in movies started to change. It became more common to have complex women who don’t submit to abusive relationships, such as inAri Aster’sfeatureMidsommaror Mike Flanagan’sGerald’s Game. Movies where women weren’t afraid - like the Final Girls were - of using their sexuality in their favor, like inJennifer’s Body, or didn’t have to at all, likeYou’re Next.Or even movies that used horror to portray the everyday terrors of being a woman in today’s society, as inHush. Regardless of how they do it, feminist horror movies became extremely popular in the last several years, a few of them even becoming classics in a short period of time. Here are some of the best feminist horror movies.
13A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Nightis an Iranian black-and-white vampire movie that mesmerized audiences worldwide. Without the use - and need - of liters of red blood everywhere,director Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut feature isconsidered by many as a modern masterpiece. The vampire is a figure that usually over-sexualizes women, but Amirpour shows how much we can still appreciate a genre and monster without the stereotypes associated with them.
A lonely vampire skater, known only as The Girl, goes after abusive men who take advantage of women in a fictional town called Bad City in Iran. Considered to be the first Vampire Western ever made,A Girl Walks Home Alone at Nightis a mesmerizing modern classic.
12I Spit On Your Grave
Meir Zarchi’sI Spit On Your Grave, definitely nothing for the faint-hearted, is one of those horror films that will stick with you for a long time. It all begins with the aspiring author, Jennifer, who basically escapes the stress of living in the city of New York, and finds a wonderful cabin in the middle of nowhere in order to have a clear mind for the writing process of her very own novel. However, what is supposed to be a relaxing get-away in order to spark her creativity, instantly turns into a nightmare as Johnny lays eyes on her from afar.
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The danger comes into reality whenJohnny and his friendsattack Jennifer and assault her multiple times. While the group of violent men believes Jennifer will die from her injuries, she actually survives and is filled with rage as well as the longing for revenge. Subsequently, Jennifer heads out on an extremely violent and vile killing spree. She is depicted as a woman looking for revenge who kills because of her trauma. While murder is never the right solution in real life,I Spit On Your Graveaims to highlight Jennifer’s empowerment through it.
The second horror feature from filmmaker Jordan Peele,Usis a fascinating new take on slasher movies. With a cast composed almost entirely of Black actors, Peele once again defied the stereotypes of people of color in horror movies. Stepping away from horrible tropes, he tells a story about Adelaide and her experiences with womanhood and motherhood. The film has a universal quality: we see the protagonist struggle to understand and accept her place, which is something everyone can relate with to some degree - even if they don’t have doppelgängers trying to kill them.
Adelaide takes her family to the same beach where she had a traumatic experience in when she was a child; after a family that looks exactly like them breaks into their home, the mother learns what it feels like to fight for her family - quite literally. A masterpiece of class consciousness,Usstars Lupita Nyong’o in brilliant roles as both hero and villain.
Rawmade viewers around the world have visceral reactions; a few people left the cinema, and some even fainted due to the explicit on-screen cannibalism in the coming-of-age movie made by the French director Julia Ducournau. A story about women accepting - and even embracing - the monstrous parts of themselves, as well as acting upon their desires,Rawhas to be on this list.
This movie tells the story of a lifelong vegetarian who starts veterinarian school, but during a hazing ritual, Justine is forced to consume raw meat. This event triggers deep desires that she didn’t know existed - and that she now has no way of ignoring. Much likeher recent, bonkers masterpieceTitane, this is a hard movie to watch for the faint of heart or those who don’t enjoy body horror.
9Panic Room
Anothermovie about motherhood, David Fincher’s 2002 thriller set the bar high for anyone who tried to dohome invasion movies. While also breaking gender stereotypes and the idea of the rivalry between mother and daughter,Panic Roomis a great example of complex female characters. With an incredible script, the audience feels as breathless as young Kristen Stewart when she has an asthma attack inside the panic room - and her inhaler is on the other side of the door that is keeping them safe. Meg and her daughter Sarah hide in the titular room when three men invade their house in the middle of the night. They will soon learn that staying there is not an option: there are things they need from outside the room, and the men want what’s inside.
In 1976, the horror movieCarrie, which was directed byBrian De Palma, was released. It is safe to say that the opinions about this movie are split, but there are reasons as to why it can be seen as feminist. Carrie White, a young teenager, has to deal with immense hardships as she is the constant target of bullies at her school. While she endures her suffering for a long time, her situation changes when she discovers her telekinetic powers. As a result, her mother considers Carrie as evil and adds even more despair to her daughter’s life.
When Carrie is publically shamed in front of the entire school, she cannot keep the anger and resentment hidden away any longer and eventually lashes out, leaving a horrific scene of death behind. What is ultimately feared inCarrieis a young girl rising above the constant oppression she has to endure and stepping into her own individual power. Even though Carrie’s actions are absolutely vile, her decisions have a deeper meaning behind them.
7Last Night in Soho
The most recent Edgar Wright movie was released in 2021, andthe director continues to march aheadwith his bold style. Using colorful lighting, an amazing sixties soundtrack, and London as the background,Last Night in Sohotells a complex story full of emotional moments and incredible twists - including murder. The movie follows two women, Sandie and Eloise, as they brave London in their own way and time period. Sandie (a fantastic, luxuriousAny Taylor-Joy) is a sixties singer who comes to Eloise (a reliably excellent Thomasin McKenzie) in the form of dreams once Eloise starts to live in an old building.
Eloise, who appears to have abilities to see beyond her reality, is immediately intrigued by the singer. A story about (women’s) dreams and how they can be crushed by society, it stylistically succeeds in portraying these women’s struggles to live the lives they desire.
6Promising Young Woman
In 2020,Emerald Fennelldirected a highly debated movie calledPromising Young Woman. It tells the story of a woman named Cassie, who lost her best friend, Nina, due to unbearable emotional pain after being assaulted. Cassie’s goal is to avenge Nina, and it is safe to say that she is willing to go to great lengths for it. Her scheme starts with continuously acting drunk in nightclubs, letting guys take her home to then punish them for their behavior, but she ends up targeting specific people from her and Nina’s past.
Without glorifying Cassie’s problematic actionseither, she ends up going on a hunt for Nina’s perpetrators and tries to reveal their despicable actions.Promising Young Womansheds light onto possible percussions of violence and shows that there are people out there who would do anything to cover up their own mistakes. Al, the main perpetrator in the film, has a very important role since he shows that he would rather use violence again instead of admitting his vile behavior and its devastating consequences. Cassie tries to find justice and empowerment, but the chances are high that she might suffer a terrible fate herself.
5The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man2020 reboot was quite a surprise, telling a thrilling and deeply unsettling narrative and transcending its own source material. The film tells the story of a woman that escapes her abusive relationship with a tech millionaire. A few days later, her ex-husband is found dead. When she starts to move on with her life, weird things begin happening around her. Cee then remembers what he always used to threaten her with: he would find her if she ever dared to leave, and he can be made invisible.
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The plot is a clear metaphor for women in abusive relationships: the denial that comes from family members and friends, the PTSD, and how society views the women who seek help; this movie hit all the marks. With a spectacular performance from Elizabeth Moss, we are transported to the mind of Cee as we follow her journey to free herself of many invisible things - including her supposed dead ex-husband.
4Silence of the Lambs
Another Jodie Foster film,Silence of the Lambs, shows what is like for awoman to be in a male-dominated environment. There are various shots of Starling walking/jogging with the purpose of getting the viewer to notice the number of men who turn their heads to look at her. Even Buffalo Bill, the serial killer Starling is trying to catch, started his stalker activities by spying on women. Using filmmaking techniques, such as framing the men around Clarice - like Hannibal - in the middle of the shot while they look directly at the camera, makes us see exactly what Clarice is seeing, forcing us to be inside her reality.
Silence of the Lambstells the now-classic story of FBI agent Clarice Starling, who is hunting down the serial killer Buffalo Bill. However, to understand the killer’s mind, she will have to know how their brains work. There is no better way to do that than to talk to someone worse: Doctor Hannibal Lector, who will become her mentor on this quest.
