Day 9: Female-Helmed Horror Movies For October American Mary Written and Directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska 2012 1 hour, 42 minutes I watched it on Blu-ray with my friend, Courtney Catallo, and my husband, John Patrick Nelson. Thanks for being down, guys! There was a moment a ways into “American Mary” when I turned to Courtney and said something like, “Wow, this movie is surprisingly restrained. I expected a lot more gore.” And…
Read MoreDay 8: Silent House
Day 8: Female-Helmed Horror Movies For October Silent House Directed by Laura Lau and Chris Kentis (They bill themselves the opposite way and I imagine they have a good reason for that (alphabetical?) but I’m putting her first for my purposes.) Lau is also the writer and one of the producers of the film. It was based on a “La casa muda (The Silent House)” directed by Gustavo Hernandez in…
Read MoreDay 7: Thou Wast Mild and Lovely
Day 7: Female-Helmed Horror Movies For October Thou Wast Mild and Lovely Written and Directed by Josephine Decker 2014 1 hour, 34 minutes I watched it on Shudder. (Shout out to Shudder for having a Female Director showcase!) (Oh and a quick clarification to my new horror fan or horror-curious friends, Shudder is a horror movie lover’s dream of a paid subscription service. They have a wide variety of scary…
Read MoreDay 6: The Love Witch
Day 6: Female-Helmed Horror Movies for OctoberThe Love Witch Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Anna Biller 2016 2 hours I watched it on iTunes. Wow, this movie is angry. Biller is constantly working out her frustrations with the minefield that is love between the genders and when she’s firing hard at those themes, it’s fantastic. It’s supposedly a horror comedy but I only found it somewhat funny. But to…
Read MoreDay 5: Goodnight Mommy
Day 5: Female-Helmed Horror Movies for OctoberGoodnight Mommy Written and Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala 2014 1 hour, 40 minutes I watched it on iTunes. This is my absolute favorite so far. Genuinely disturbing and probing, this is exactly why I’m so in love with horror movies. It’s so rare that any movie, let alone a horror film, gets into it and explores the darker side of parenthood….
Read MoreDay 4: The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears
DAY 4: Female-Helmed Horror Movies for October The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears Written and Directed by Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani 2013 1 hour, 42 minutes I figured it was time to take a break from ‘80s slashers, much as I love them. So I went in an entirely different direction: “The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears,” a modern giallo film, directed by Helene Cattet and Bruno…
Read MoreDay 3: Sorority House Massacre
Day 3: Female-Helmed Horror Movies for October Sorority House Massacre Written and Directed by Carol Frank 1987 1 hour, 16 minutes I watched it on Amazon Prime with my husband. Oh man, I was bored. It’s good to point out that just like men, women can make middling time wasters, too. All right, so in Carol Frank’s “Sorority House Massacre,” Beth (Angela O’Neill) spends a weekend at a sorority house…
Read MoreDay 2: Slumber Party Massacre 2
Day Two: Female-Helmed Horror Movies for October Slumber Party Massacre II Written and Directed by Deborah Brock 1987 1 hour, 15 minutes I watched it on iTunes. I loved the first one so much, I had to try the sequel. Alas, “Slumber Party Massacre II” is exactly what you think it is, only more boring. It rips off some of the original’s scenes and ideas and has none of the…
Read MoreDay 1: Slumber Party Massacre
First Female-Helmed Horror Movie for October: Slumber Party Massacre Directed by Amy Jones Written by Rita Mae Brown, with uncredited rewriting by Jones 1982 1 hour, 17 minutes I watched it on iTunes with my husband. Oh man, I loved this movie. It absolutely lives up to the hype of a super fun and yet still sneaky slasher flick. Directed by Amy Jones and written by Rita Mae Brown, “Slumber…
Read MoreOctober Project
I’m about to do a fun little project: watching and writing about a horror film directed by a woman every day in October. I’m curious to see if I can find out if there are any running themes, whether the female experience is more accurately explored and of course any new-to-me favorite voices. And I’m hoping to spread the word about all of the great female directors out there, bringing…
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