Sexism in the horror industry.

Sexism in the horror industry. It exists. As females, we have to work twice as hard as men in pretty much everything. But in horror? It’s beyond ridiculous. Think about it. Where would Frankenstein be without his Bride? Where would all of those damsels in distress movies be without the damsels? I’ve been a member of a few clubs on this mixed bag of an app named Clubhouse, and the moderators are mostly dudes. Now–sure, we’re all friends and colleagues, but in rare occurrences–females are still treated as fans. Or followers.

I’ve seen maybe two women moderate horror things before, if we’re being generous–three. But it’s always men. Even in comic con panels, it’s usually men. Whether they put in their opinion for the goriest flick, to introducing their colleagues, to introducing themselves, or introducing special guests (which are usually also women.)

There’s not a lot of female-fronted things anymore. Though 2021 is slowly changing. We’ve got women co-hosting podcasts, running columns online or in magazines, interviewing celebrities, hustling in their careers. But on the other side, you’ve got women reduced to audience members.

Women who are already industry. Women who work hard and are only asked if they have any input or questions. The standard, what do you do? Are you an actress? Do you write? In fact, the majority of interviews with females always somehow lean into their workout routine, what they eat, cosmetics, costumes.

I pride myself on asking out-of-the-box questions, digging deeper into the source material. Who gives two craps who they dated. What luxury house they’re buying next. How loud they can scream. We want the meaty bits. What are they writing. What drives them. What inspires them. Just the other day Niki Koss revealed exclusively to 1428 Elm that her new production company is called K Factor. I remember when Scarlett Johansson had a question once in an interview, it was degrading, asking her what her eating habits were for the catsuit. And what made it worse, was that the interviewer asked Jeremy Renner an entirely different and fascinating question. Pure sexism.

Even in Hollywood, women are somehow paid less than men.

We need to denormalize this. Have more things run by women. Whether it be Clubhouse hangouts, movies, scripts, websites, magazines, production companies, video gamers. We’re not bimbos who shriek at horror. We are strong, independent women who work our asses off, doing something we love. And we’re damn good at it, too.

Some noteworthy females include: Jennifer Kent (writer/director: The Babadook), Karyn Kasuma (writer/director: Jennifer’s Body, director: The Invitation, she also discovered Resident Evil‘s powerhouse Michelle Rodriguez.) Angela Kang (The Walking Dead show-runner). To read more on kick-ass girl-powered horror accomplishments check out the article on Film School Rejects.

So ladies, when someone asks what do you do? You are an actor. You are a writer. You are a director. You are a designer. No accomplishment should go unnoticed. Sexism has to stop.