Women in Horror - RECOGNIZE

Women in Horror Recognition Month is coming to an end.  Yes, I'm sad as well.  :(  Of course we can celebrate talented and creative women any day of the year (and certainly should) but having a month devoted to the cause is fun.  In case you have squandered your time by not using it to celebrate women of horror, I have taken the time to compile a list of horror films that were made by women.  This is not, of course, all of them but it's a solid chunk of mainstream.  That way you can easily use the remainder of the weekend to catch up.  Pop these movies in now and you can say you've done something for the good of female filmmakers.  Who knows?  Maybe some of these will surprise you.  Maybe you'll spy a flick you didn't even know was made by women.  That then falls under education and it means I've done my part.  We all win.

1.  American Psycho was adapted for the screen by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner.  It was directed by Mary Harron. Fun fact:  Mary Harron was also the only woman to direct an episode of "Masters of Horror"/ "Fear Itself".

2.  Stephen King wrote his own screenplay for Pet Sematary but it was directed by Mary Lambert.  It then went on to be one of the most memorable and oft-quoted horror films of the last two decades. She also went on to direct the sequel.

3.  Ravenous is an amazing film. It's creative, funny, twisted, and gut wrenching.  The actors (such an incredible cast, too) pull off some memorable performances as they are directed by Antonia Bird.  If you've missed this gem, you must fix that pronto.

4. The Slumber Party Massacre was written by feminist Rita Mae Brown and directed by Amy Holden Jones.  With this film they took hold of the slasher and proved that women know how to do it, too.  So there.

5. It's true that those above have all been modern films but that doesn't mean women were soft before then.  Ida Lupino directed The Hitch Hiker (1953) which was based on real life multiple murderer Billy Cook.  She had to change the death count to three from five to appease the censors so she could take more than they could. 
BAM!

6.  Rachel Talalay directed the fifth sequel in the ever popular A Nightmare on Elm Street series.  Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

7.  Kathryn Bigelow (before taking home the Oscar) dipped her brush into the horror palette as well with the western/horror hybrid Near Dark that she co-wrote and directed.  It didn't make much money upon release but has reached cult status now.

8.  I'm wrestling with myself over whether or not the following film is actual horror but it's one of my favorites so I'm sticking it in because I want to.  The IMDb categorizes it as a thriller so that's close e-damn-nough.  Therefore I give you Boxing Helena, directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch and starring Sherilyn Fenn, one of the sexiest women ever created.

9.  For those who think women can't stomach gore or can't handle something really bloody, I give you Blood Diner directed by Jackie Kong.

10. Now you can feel what you wish about Claire Denis' French horror Trouble Every Day.  Truthfully it received a lot of harsh criticisms but no one can say that's it not an example of just how twisted women can be.  If you need proof positive that we can attack disturbing themes, this is it.  Adding Vincent Gallo to any film accomplishes that much.  lol  You can also spot Beatrice Dalle from Inside.

Okay, that's ten.  It's a good, round number and plenty enough to get you started.  But that's just the tip of the iceberg.  I named mostly films you might know by heart and tossed in a couple that are more obscure to tweak your brain but women are working hard in the industry every day.  A fantastic way to see what indie women filmmakers are up to is to go to viscerafilmfestival.com.  Seriously, go there. 
Viscera was created by independent champion Shannon Lark to promote and encourage female filmmakers in the genre.  Submission ends on the 28, February for this year but if you're hankering to get your work out there, there's always next year.  And if you don't fancy yourself a filmmaker, you can still support.  Go there to see how.