5 fascinating female horror performances from 2019
By Mads Lennon
2019 has been a great year for subversive and thought-provoking horror films. In particular, women have excelled in some incredible horror roles. We’re looking at five standout performances from women in the genre.
2019 has been a great year for subversive and thought-provoking horror films. In particular, women have excelled in some incredible horror roles. We’re looking at five standout performances from women in the genre.
When the year began with the breakout horror, Us, I knew it 2019 was going to be an interesting one for the horror genre. The mainstream hits haven’t been extraordinary. The latest film from The Conjuring franchise, The Curse of La Llorona, fell flat, and Pet Sematary was mostly a dud.
But the offbeat psychological thrillers like Ma and Greta delighted in ways I hadn’t expected. Then came Netflix’s twisted, erotic, wicked film, The Perfection.
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Finally, those films were followed swiftly by late summer entry, Midsommar. Ari Aster’s disturbing and darkly humorous follow-up to last year’s Hereditary.
What struck me most about all of these films was their weirdness and unusual story beats, and most of all, the fantastic performances given by the female stars in each one.
I still firmly believe we need more women directors in the horror genre. But, I have been pleasantly surprised by the new and intriguing roles written for women beyond the typical “final girl” trope.
Mainly because many of them are brutal and ugly, most of the women on the following list are wicked and often cruel. It’s about time we see the rise of complex female antagonists reflected on-screen, particularly in this genre that has often been dominated by male villains.