Women in Horror Month Year
Editor’s Note: With Women In Horror Month drawing to a close I ask, why does it have to be only a month? Let it be Women In Horror ALL YEAR. So, to start off your year of watching horror movies, here are a few recommendations from Molly Henery of TheBloggingBanshee.com
2018 marks the eighth year of Women in Horror Month. The movement is meant to highlight and celebrate women who work in the horror film industry, whether in front of or behind the camera, during the entire month of February. People often celebrate by having film screenings, creating lists of favorite female directors, and forming lists of favorite female horror characters. I have been asked to do a top five list of my own, but I decided to focus on something I haven’t seen before. Here is a list of my top 5 horror films written by women:
XX (2017)
“The Box” written by Jovanka Vuckovic
“The Birthday Party” written by Roxanne Benjamin and Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent)
“Don’t Fall” written by Roxanne Benjamin
“Her Only Living Son” written by Karyn Kusama
XX is a film released in February of 2017 with the purpose of giving more career opportunities to women in the horror industry. The film is an anthology of four horror shorts. Each segment was written and directed by women and the shorts focus on female characters. In this case, the women who wrote each screenplay also directed their shorts (Annie Clark directed “The Birthday Party). Each short has a different tone and focuses on different topics making a beautiful and highly entertaining anthology.
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Written by Karen Walton
Anyone who knows me knows I have a deep love for Ginger Snaps. The film focuses on two sisters as they deal with puberty, boys, high school, and one sister becoming a werewolf. Karen Walton’s script is one of the most entertaining parts of the film. The sisters, Ginger and Brigette, are written so most of their dialogue is moody and sarcastic. Walton writes about Ginger going through puberty as only a woman could and she uses lycanthropy as a way to exaggerate what happens to Ginger’s body during these changes.
Raw (2017)
Written by Julia Ducournau
Much like Ginger Snaps, Raw uses cannibalism as a way to exaggerate and highlight a young woman going through a sexual awakening. The French film follows Justine, a vegetarian who goes off to veterinary school and gets her first taste of meat. This leads her down a dark path that leads to a desire for human flesh. Julia Ducournau wrote and directed the stunning film and she perfectly shows Justine going through these changes while also exploring the relationship she has with her older sister, Alexia.
Suspiria (1977)
Written by Daria Nicolodi and Dario Argento
When most people think of Suspiria, they think of writer and director Dario Argento. Yet, it is less commonly known that this film was co-written by Daria Nicolodi, Argento’sone time lover and mother of his daughter, Asia Argento. This film focused on several women living at a ballet academy. Nicolodi likely helped properly portrayrelationships between women who could be both rivals and friends at the same time in that kind of environment. Suspiria is widely regarded as one of Argento’s greatest films, and Nicolodi’s influence on the screenplay likely had a hand in that.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Written by Diablo Cody
Diablo Cody is known for writing films highlighting quick-witted, sarcastic women. Jennifer’s Body is Cody’s only dive into horror, but it is one of her most entertaining screenplays. Cody does a great job of highlighting the complicated relationships of teenage girls in high school. There are also some hilariously memorable lines such as, “It smells like Thai food in here. Have you guys been fucking?” Anyone who has seen Jennifer’s Body can likely admit that it isn’t an amazing film, but it is definitely filled with dark humor, thanks to Cody.
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