10 MORE Horror Films Directed By Women
Get Your Female Filmmaker Fix This Spooky Season.
I already compiled a list, a little while ago now, of some top female-directed horror films but this year I realised that there are still many more films to talk about, and even some new ones that have since been released. So here are 10 MORE female-directed horror/thriller films that you can add to your Halloween watch list for 2019.
The Wind (2018) - Directed by Emma Tammi
The directorial debut of Emma Tammi, The Wind is a western horror that centres around Lizzy a tough, resourceful woman living on a remote stretch of land in 19th-century America. Isolated from civilisation the wind never stops howling and she begins to sense a sinister presence. When a newlywed couple moves into a nearby homestead, their presence amplifies Lizzy's fears, setting into motion a shocking chain of events.
xx (2017) - Directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin and Karyn Kusama
This 2017 anthology film has 4 stories directed by 4 female directors Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin and Karyn Kusama. Story one follows a boy who starts to display strange behaviour after looking inside a mysterious gift box. Story two follows a woman who refuses to let an untimely death ruin her son’s birthday party. Story three is an innocent camping trip that turns deadly. And in the last story, a mother must deal with the child from hell.
Slumber Party Massacre (1982) - Directed by Amy Holden jones
This 1982 slasher directed by Amy Holden Jones is the tale of a drill-wielding killer who shows up at a high schoolers slumber party. Whilst it is a product of its time, with director Jones and writer Rita Mae Brown lamenting some of the more objectifying scenes, the girls are not simply empty shells but fleshed-out characters that enjoy one another's company and have meaningful conversations, in between getting murdered that is. It spawned two sequels and to this day is the only horror franchise exclusively directed by women.
M.F.A (2017) - Directed by Natalia Leite
M.F.A. is a 2017 American thriller film directed by Natalia Leite and written by Leah McKendrick. After Noelle, a Californian fine arts graduate student is raped by her crush she confronts him the very next night only to, in a moment of rage, accidentally kill him. Much to her surprise, she is then hit with an unexpected surge of inspiration which gradually fuels both her stagnant artistic expression and her thirst for revenge on those who assaulted the lives of innocent women.
Always Shine () - Directed by Sophia Takal
This psychological thriller directed by Sophia Takal follows two actress friends as they take a getaway trip to the Big Sur to reconnect after years of jealousy and competition have driven them apart. However, they soon discover that their once intimate friendship has disintegrated into a deep-seated resentment that appears to be unable to be brought back to life.
Prevenge () - Directed by Alice Lowe
This horror comedy directed, written and starring Alice Lowe follows the story of Ruth a pregnant woman whose husband is killed in a climbing accident. Soon after Ruth starts to believe her unborn child is guiding her to enact murderous revenge on those responsible for her husband’s death. Lowe herself was in fact pregnant whilst shooting for principal photography and her newborn was the newborn baby in the film as well. Unsettling or cool? You decide.
Berlin Syndrome - Directed by Cate Shortland
Directed by Australian Cate Shortland this thriller film staring Teresa Palmer follows a solo traveller who ends up being held captive in the apartment of an international one-night stand. The film has been generally well received with mainly positive reviews but had a very short release in cinemas.
Chained (2012) - Directed by Jennifer Lynch
This 2012 film directed by Jennifer Lynch depicts the relationship between a serial killer and a young man he kidnapped who he then plans to turn into his protege. It received a polarised response from critics regarding its content and ending. The film was shot over a period of 15 days and Lynch adapted the script to focus more on the story between the characters as opposed to creating "torture porn".
Cargo
Stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic, an infected father desperately searches for a new home for his infant child and a means to protect her from his own changing nature. Co-Directed and written by Yolanda Ramke it received positive reviews by critics and was praised for its more emotional story focus sets it apart from most other zombie apocalypse films.
The Voices (2014) - Directed By Marjane Satrapi
This 2014 black comedy horror directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Ryan Reynolds follows a mentally unstable bathtub factory worker who must decide whether to listen to his talking cat and become a killer or follow his dog's advice to keep striving for normalcy.