- The Invitation (2015)
Director: Karyn Kusama
Where to watch: Netflix
The Invitation chronicles a dinner party gone terribly wrong. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) accepts a dinner party invite from his ex-wife, Eden (Tammy Blanchard), and her new husband, David (Michiel Huisman). In a room full of friends reuniting, the energy becomes eerie rather than joyful when Eden tells the group about a spiritual philosophy group she joined that sounds cult-like. As the night goes on, Will fears Eden and David have ulterior motives that could result in deadly consequences.
- The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
Director: Amy Holden Jones
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Trish (Michelle Michaels), a high school senior, decides to have her friends over for a sleepover while her parents are out of town. This classic 80’s setup turns from comedy to horror as the friends become the target of a serial killer on the loose. The girls arm themselves with kitchen knives and prepare for a bloody fight against a power drill-wielding murderer. Filled with gore and unexpected jokes, The Slumber Party Massacre is a fun watch for diehard slasher fans and skeptics alike.
- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Where to watch: Shudder or Hoopla
Shot in black and white with a resounding score, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night merges the spaghetti western and classical vampire genres to create a film like no other. Director Amirpour had the cast watch Nosferatu and a selection of spaghetti westerns to prepare for the project.
The girl (Sheila Vand) is a lonely vampire living in a ghost town in Iran who finds a companion in Arash (Arash Mirandi) after she decides to not kill him. Dramatic, dark, and a bit romantic, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night encapsulates the best of vampire films in a new and exciting way.
- Pet Sematary (1989)
Director: Mary Lambert
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Though Pet Sematary is the butt of many jokes, the film scarred many 80’s and 90’s kids for life. The Creed family’s new home is near a pet cemetery in a forest. Pets buried there don’t really seem to stay buried, though. Instead, they return but they’re not all there. Pet Sematary takes a silly-sounding premise to the next level by raising questions about death, grief, and what happens when you mess with the circle of life.
- M.F.A. (2017)
Director: Natalia Leite
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Noelle (Francesca Eastwood) is just trying to survive graduate school and stay sane, but she’s struggling with artist’s block. She finds new, intense inspiration after she kills her rapist by accident. Noelle goes on to seek revenge on other predatory men while thriving in her M.F.A. program. M.F.A. is a fresh addition to the rape-revenge genre that feels cathartic for survivors and points out colleges’ inadequate responses to sexual assault.
- Braid (2018)
Director: Mitzi Peirone
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Three best friends reunite in the home where they played together as children. As adults, things have changed a bit: two of them are wanted criminals and the other is a recluse on the verge of insanity living in the old mansion. Petula (Imogen Waterhouse) and Tilda (Sarah Hay) are on the run in search of money after a drug bust. The three go to their old friend, Daphne (Madeline Brewer), to rob her, but they find themselves entrenched in a deadly game of make believe.
- Trouble Every Day (2001)
Director: Claire Denis
Where to watch: Amazon Prime or Hoopla
In Trouble Every Day, Claire Denis redefines the relationship between sex and violence in horror films. The film reverses the usual setup of a male perpetrator and female victim. Coré (Béatrice Dalle) initiates sex before killing her victims, harnessing her sexuality as a tool to overpower men. It’s a classic in the female cannibal subgenre and influenced later popular films like Jennifer’s Body (2009) and Raw (2016).
- The Lure (2015)
Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska
Where to watch: Criterion
If you’ve ever wished you could enjoy murder, mermaids, and a musical all at once, you’re in luck: The Lure has it all! Two mermaid sisters, Srebrna (Marta Mazurek) and Zlota (Michalina Olszanska) find jobs as cabaret performers at a nightclub. On land, the sisters find themselves hungry for humans but also desiring to be like them, making for an existential dilemma at the heart of the film.
- The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Director: Ida Lupino
Where to watch: Hoopla, Tubi, or Vudu
One of the first female directed horror films, The Hitch-Hiker, is a classic horror film about an escaped criminal who hitches a ride from two unsuspecting fishermen. The criminal taunts the men and threatens them throughout the film, making for a tense thriller that does not rely on blood and gore. The terror creeps up from the confined space of the car and remote locations they drive through. This oft-forgotten classic is a historical landmark for female directors in horror, making it essential viewing for horror fans.
- Satanic Panic (2019)
Director: Chelsea Stardust
Where to watch: Shudder or Hoopla
In a pizza delivery turned wrong, Samantha Craft (Hayley Griffith) finds herself in the hands of a satanic coven in need of a young woman to sacrifice. Satanic Panic is filled with antics reminiscent of classic horror B-movies of the 80’s and 90’s sprinkled with self-aware 21st century comedy. The film is perfect for viewing with friends and popcorn in tow — it’s a fun ride that really packs a punch.
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