10 Modern Horror Movies Directed By Women That Deserve More Attention

Women have long been a formidable force in the world of horror movies, even if their contributions consistently get overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. There are numerous classic horror films directed by women, from the early psychological horror of Ida Lupino’s The Hitch-Hiker, to favorites like Mary Lambert’s Pet Sematary and Mary Harron’s American Psycho, to name just a few. In more recent years, there has been a boom of women filmmakers, including Jennifer Kent, director of The Babadook, Julia Ducournau, the woman behind Titane, and Ana Lily Amirpour, who directed A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.

And yet, despite being excellent additions to the horror canon, there are several films directed by women that haven’t received the attention they deserve. These films were all released in the last ten years, but they continue to fly under the radar. They range from neo-slashers to folk revenge tales, horror comedies and satires, creature features, and intense thrill rides. There’s something for every type of horror fan among these criminally underrated films.

10

The Ranger (2018)

Directed By Jenn Wexler

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The Ranger

Horror

Release Date

August 17, 2018

Runtime

80 minutes

Director

Jenn Wexler

Writers

Giaco Furino

Producers

Andrew van den Houten, Larry Fessenden, Heather Buckley

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Chloë Levine

    Chelsea

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jeremy Holm

    The Ranger

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Granit Lahu

    Garth

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jeremy Pope

    Jerk

The Ranger is a 2018 horror thriller following Chelsea and her friends who, after fleeing a failed encounter with law enforcement, seek refuge in a remote family cabin. There, they encounter a park ranger with a mysterious connection to Chelsea’s history, adding tension to their escape.

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The Ranger is a good, old-fashioned slasher movie featuring many of the expected tropes, many of which get subverted in interesting ways. The film follows Chelsea, a pink-haired punk who gets mixed up in a serious crime after a raid on a punk show goes sideways. On the run, she and her friends decide to hole up in Chelsea’s family cabin, where a mystery from Chelsea’s past and a sinister, code-quoting park ranger with an unhealthy love of nature awaits.

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Viewers familiar with the slasher subgenre instinctively sense Chelsea will be the film’s final girl. She keeps her wits about her when in the woods, while her friends just want to party and goof off. Chelsea grew up learning to respect nature, and this sets her apart from the others in the eyes of the unnamed ranger, especially when he gets down to the gruesome business of ridding his beloved forest of invading scum. Unfortunately for him, Chelsea also knows how to fight back, making her a truly formidable slasher heroine.

9

XX (2017)

Directed By Roxanne Benjamin, Sofia Carrillo, Karyn Kusama, Annie Clark, And Jovanka Vuckovic

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XX

R

Horror

Release Date

February 17, 2017

Director

Roxanne Benjamin, Jovanka Vuckovic, St. Vincent, Karyn Kusama

Writers

Roxanne Benjamin, Jovanka Vuckovic, St. Vincent, Karyn Kusama

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Natalie Brown

    Susan Jacobs

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jonathan Watton

    Robert Jacobs

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Peter DaCunha

    Danny Jacobs

  • Headshot Of Peyton Kennedy

    Peyton Kennedy

    Jenny Jacobs

XX is a horror anthology film featuring four short stories directed by Annie Clark, Karyn Kusama, Roxanne Benjamin, and Jovanka Vuckovic. Released in 2017, the film brings together different tales centered around the themes of horror and suspense. Each segment, connected through a stop-motion animated interlude, explores various narratives and stylistic approaches within the genre, showcasing the distinctive voices of its all-female directors.

Main Genre

Horror

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XX is an anthology horror film featuring four separate stories plus a framing sequence, all of which are directed by women. One of the tales is an adaptation of horror writer Jack Ketchum’s short story “The Box,” while another, a dark horror comedy, marks the directorial debut of Annie Clark, otherwise known as St. Vincent. There’s also a short film from Karyn Kusama, director of the underrated horror movie Jennifer’s Body.

Each short film in the anthology offers viewers something completely different, giving the film a great sense of variety that sometimes lacks in other anthology movies. Also, unlike numerous other anthology films, each entry in XX is quite good, including the stop-motion animated framing story directed by Sofia Carrillo, which offers some of the film’s most striking and strange visuals. Overall, XX is a fantastic funhouse ride full of disturbing and darkly funny moments, and it deserves to be as popular as Creepshow, Trick r’ Treat, and the V/H/S series.

8

She Will (2021)

Directed By Charlotte Colbert

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She Will

Horror

Drama

Thriller

Release Date

July 15, 2022

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Charlotte Colbert

Writers

Kitty Percy

Producers

Dario Argento, Edward R. Pressman

Cast

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  • Headshot of Alice Krige

    Alice Krige

    Veronica

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Kota Eberhardt

    Desi

  • Headshot Of Malcolm McDowell

    Malcolm McDowell

    Hathbourne

  • Headshot Of Rupert Everett

    Rupert Everett

    Tirador

She Will is a 2022 psychological horror film following aging film star Veronica, who retreats to the Scottish countryside for recovery. Accompanied by her nurse, Desi, Veronica encounters mysterious forces granting her the power to seek revenge through her dreams.

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Part gothic folk horror, part #MeToo revenge fantasy, She Will is the impressive feature directorial debut of Charlotte Colbert. The story centers on Veronica, played by the venerable Alice Krige, who realizes she can control events in reality via her dreams. Featuring a chilling atmosphere aided by Jamie Ramsay’s lush cinematography and Clint Mansell’s haunting score, She Will is rich with psychological dread and unsettling imagery. Colbert, along with co-writer Kitty Percy, proves herself highly adept at crafting a beautifully macabre narrative.

She Will explores themes of aging, particularly as it relates to women in Hollywood, who get tossed aside whenever they reach a certain age.

She Will explores themes of aging, particularly as it relates to women in Hollywood, who get tossed aside whenever they reach a certain age. Through the character of Hathbourne, played by Malcolm McDowell, the film also tackles how abusers gaslight their victims, especially with the power imbalance between the characters. Veronica’s supernatural abilities become a reclamation of her power over Hathbourne, though they’re not without their consequences, showing the dangerous side of vengeance.

7

Prevenge (2016)

Directed By Alice Lowe

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Prevenge

TV-MA

Horror

Comedy

Drama

Thriller

Fantasy

Release Date

February 10, 2017

Runtime

89 minutes

Director

Alice Lowe

Producers

Vaughan Sivell, Jennifer Handorf

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Jo Hartley

    Jo Hartley

    Midwife

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Alice Lowe

    Ruth

  • Headshot Of Kayvan Novak

    Kayvan Novak

    Tom

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Tom Davis

    DJ Dan

Prevenge follows Ruth, a pregnant woman compelled by her unborn child to embark on a spree of violence. The film, released in 2017, explores themes of societal blame and maternal instincts, creating a dark narrative as Ruth navigates her actions dictated by her vengeful, yet unborn, offspring.

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Written, directed by and starring Alice Lowe while she was actually pregnant, Prevenge tells the story of Ruth, a widowed woman heavy with child who embarks on a revenge-fueled murder spree, believing her unborn child is telling her to kill. A wickedly funny satire as well as an effective slice and dice, Prevenge gleefully goes over the top, all while maintaining a dry and distinctly British wit. Fans of Shaun of the Dead will undoubtedly love Prevenge.

Lowe especially shines in the lead role as well as the voice of the unborn baby, but the film sports an impressive supporting cast playing Ruth’s various victims, including Kate Dickie (The Witch), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), and Kayvan Novak (What We Do in the Shadows). Prevenge deserves to be a cult favorite, but despite everything it has going for it, including solid reviews, the film rarely gets discussed as one of the great horror comedies of the last 15 years.

6

The Love Witch (2016)

Directed By Anna Biller

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The Love Witch

Drama

Comedy

Fantasy

Horror

Romance

Thriller

Release Date

November 11, 2016

Runtime

120 minutes

Director

Anna Biller

Writers

Anna Biller

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Elle Evans

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jeffrey Vincent Parise

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Samantha Robinson

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Katy Morris

The Love Witch, directed by Anna Biller, follows Elaine, a modern-day witch, who uses magic to make men fall in love with her. Set in a meticulously crafted 1960s aesthetic, the film explores themes of love, desire, and gender dynamics through a unique blend of horror and satire. Samantha Robinson stars as Elaine, whose quest for romance leads to unforeseen complications.

Main Genre

Drama

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The Love Witch is a visually stunning horror satire, and easily one of the best films of the 2010s, regardless of genre. The story revolves around Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a witch who uses love spells on unsuspecting men, but who is repulsed whenever her lovers become emotional or clingy. Writer, director, editor, composer, and production designer Anna Biller utilizes the style and color palette of a bygone era juxtaposed against a modern setting to evoke a sense of history repeating. Patriarchal ideas of love from that time remain prevalent despite feminist advances.

On top of being a psychologically provocative film brimming with social commentary, The Love Witch features some of the most incredible imagery of any modern horror film. Shot on 35mm by cinematographer M. David Mullen, the film’s aesthetic beautifully captures the look and feel of 1960s cinema. The incredible photography combined with Biller’s meticulous production design has the effect of transporting the viewer not only to the past, but into a kind of fantasy realm — a dream of the ‘60s, rather than a realistic telling.

5

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2024)

Directed By Ariane Louis-Seize

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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Comedy

Horror

Fantasy

Release Date

October 13, 2023

Runtime

92 minutes

Director

Ariane Louis-Seize

Writers

Christine Doyon

Producers

Jeanne-Marie Poulain

Cast

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    Sara Montpetit

    Sasha

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Félix-Antoine Bénard

    Paul

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Steve Laplante

    Aurélien

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Sophie Cadieux

    Georgette

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person follows Sasha, a sensitive young vampire who struggles with killing for sustenance. When her parents halt her blood supply, she forms a unique bond with Paul, a suicidal teenager. Together, they embark on a journey to address Paul’s final wishes overnight.

Main Genre

Horror

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Directed by Ariane Louis-Seize from a script by Louis-Seize and Christine Doyon, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is a delightful coming-of-age film about a teenage bloodsucker named Sasha (Sara Montpetit) who cannot bring herself to kill for food. She encounters Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a suicidal young man who learns Sasha’s true nature and volunteers to be her first meal. The film sports a morbid sense of humor that elicits infectious laughter from the audience.

Montpetit and Bénard are superb in their respective roles, and they have charming chemistry together that is an absolute joy to watch. Also of note is Noémie O’Farrell as Sasha’s cousin Denise, who tries to teach Sasha how to hunt, with hilariously disastrous results. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is as heartwarming as it is funny, and it’s overall an impressive debut feature film from Louis-Seize, who crafts films like a seasoned pro rather than a relative newcomer.

4

Hatching (2022)

Directed By Hanna Bergholm

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Hatching

Not Rated

Horror

Drama

Fantasy

ScreenRant logo

9/10

Release Date

March 4, 2022

Runtime

87 minutes

Director

Hanna Bergholm

Writers

Ilja Rautsi

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Siiri Solalinna

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Reino Nordin

In Hatching, 12-year-old gymnast Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) is desperate to please her image-obsessed mother, whose popular blog ‘Lovely Everyday Life’ presents their family’s idyllic existence as manicured suburban perfection. One day, after finding a wounded bird in the woods, Tinja brings its strange egg home, nestles it in her bed, and nurtures it until it hatches. The creature that emerges becomes her closest friend and a living nightmare.

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A film blending elements of the creature feature and the body horror films of David Cronenberg, particularly The Fly, Hatching centers on Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), a 12-year-old girl forced into gymnastics by her domineering influencer mother (Sophia Heikkilä). Tinja eventually discovers an egg in the woods that hatches a large, birdlike creature, which Tinja names Alli. The movie utilizes practical special effects to bring Alli to life, a welcome change from the CGI beasties populating most modern horror films.

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Hatching doesn’t just feature some amazing animatronic puppetry, it’s also an exploration of image obsession, particularly as it relates to social media. Tinja’s mother is cruel and overbearing in her relentless pursuit to portray an image of perfection online. Alli, who forms a psychic link with Tinja and begins acting out her surrogate mother’s latent desires, represents a physical and grotesque manifestation of Tinja’s suffering, ultimately showing that abuse generates more abuse.

3

Piggy (2022)

Directed By Carlota Pereda

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Piggy

Not Rated

Horror

Thriller

Drama

ScreenRant logo

7/10

Release Date

October 7, 2022

Runtime

99 Minutes

Director

Carlota Pereda

Writers

Carlota Pereda

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Claudia Salas

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Carmen Machi

Piggy is a 2022 thriller directed by Carlota Pereda. The film follows Sara, an overweight teenager bullied by her peers in a remote Spanish village. As events escalate during a summer vacation, Sara finds herself entangled in a series of violent confrontations that challenge her sense of morality and self-identity.

Main Genre

Horror

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Piggy combines slasher tropes with an exploration of the psychological effects of bullying and body-shaming. The film stars Laura Galán, who delivers an absolutely stunning performance as Sara, the narrative’s complex protagonist. Writer-director Carlota Pereda likes to toy with audience expectations as Sara travels down her blood-soaked path. Viewers are never quite sure if the character will fully succumb to her darkest impulses as she battles ridicule from both her peers and members of her family.

Very little has been written about Piggy since its release in 2022, despite it being one of the best horror films to come out that year, and one of the best in general to deal with the terrors of being a teenage girl whose body does not conform to arbitrary societal standards of beauty. Very few movies in the genre handle the subject matter with as much sensitivity and expertise as Pereda’s. Despite this, Piggy seems all but forgotten now, only three years later.

2

Watcher (2022)

Directed By Chloe Okuno

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Watcher

R

Horror

Drama

Thriller

Release Date

June 3, 2022

Runtime

96 Minutes

Director

Chloe Okuno

Writers

Chloe Okuno, Zack Ford

Producers

Derek Dauchy, Rami Yasin, Roy Lee, Mason Novick, Sean Perrone, Steven Schneider, Aaron Kaplan, Elizabeth Grave, Gabi Antal, John Finemore, James Hoppe

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Maika Monroe In The PUMA x Balmain Launch Event

    Maika Monroe

    Julia

  • Headshot Of Karl Glusman

    Karl Glusman

    Francis

  • Headshot Of Burn Gorman In The BFI London Film Festival 2022 - ‘Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio’ Premiere

    Burn Gorman

    The Watcher

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Tudor Petrut

    Irina

Watcher is a psychological thriller following Julia, a young actress who becomes increasingly paranoid after moving to a new city with her husband. As a serial killer terrorizes the area, Julia is unsettled by a shadowy figure watching her from a neighboring building. Released on June 3, 2022.

Main Genre

Horror

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Starring modern-day scream queen Maika Monroe in another fantastic performance, Watcher is one of the most intense thrillers to come out in recent years. It centers on Julia (Monroe), recently transplanted to Bucharest with her inattentive boyfriend Francis (Karl Glusman). Julia notices a man in the building next door who watches her constantly, and she begins to sense she’s being followed — fears disregarded by Francis as paranoia. First time feature director Chloe Okuno expertly ratchets up the tension as Julia’s world spirals out of control.

While there is a serial killer loose in the city chopping off women’s heads, the biggest monster in the film is Francis, who routinely dismisses Julia and even mocks her mounting suspicions. He’s one of several men in the film that gaslight Julia, insisting the very real threats she faces are all in her head, or just simple misunderstandings. All Julia wants is for Francis to believe her, but he can’t even manage that. For these reasons, Francis is among the worst boyfriends in horror movie history, right up there with Christian from Midsommar.

1

Saint Maud (2019)

Directed By Rose Glass

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Saint Maud

R

Horror

Mystery

Drama

ScreenRant logo

8/10

10/10

Release Date

October 9, 2020

Runtime

85 Minutes

Director

Rose Glass

Writers

Rose Glass

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Morfydd Clark In The V&A Summer Party 2024

    Morfydd Clark

  • Headshot Of Jennifer Ehle In The Los Angeles Premiere Of Paramount+`s `1923'

    Jennifer Ehle

Saint Maud follows Maud, a pious and reclusive nurse, who becomes obsessed with saving the soul of her new patient, Amanda, a retired dancer grappling with terminal illness. Directed by Rose Glass, this psychological horror delves into themes of faith, salvation, and the fine line between devotion and madness. As Maud’s mission intensifies, her grip on reality begins to slip, leading to a gripping and unsettling climax.

Main Genre

Horror

Studio(s)

Film4 Productions, BFI, Escape Plan

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While writer-director Rose Glass made a splash with her sophomore feature, the romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding, her first film Saint Maud remains one of the most well-crafted, but criminally-underseen, horror films of the last several years. A subversive take on religious horror films like The Exorcist or The Conjuring, Saint Maud centers around the titular Maud (Morfydd Clark), who believes she hears the voice and feels the presence of God. The film is a masterclass in slow-burn psychological terror that explores the dangers of loneliness mixed with religious zealotry.

Saint Maud also contains one of the most gruesome and haunting horror movie endings of all time, featuring a brilliant use of a smash cut in its final few seconds. The entire movie is incredible, but this horrifying coda cements Glass’s status as a master filmmaker, and on her feature debut no less. It’s a horror ending as immediately iconic as those of The Wicker Man, Carrie, and Night of the Living Dead, and deserves to be just as widely discussed.