Horror movies have been around since the 1890s, and historically, most of them have been directed by men. But women have become more and more prevalent in horror over time (deservedly so), and some of the best, scariest horror movies were directed by females.
This list consists of films that are currently available to stream, meaning there are some that would have been included, but just are not currently streaming anywhere. A good example of this is Near Dark, a fantastic vampire western directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Censor
- Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
- Streaming: Fubo TV and Prime’s Monsters and Nightmares
Set in the 1980s during the infamous “Video Nasty” phase in Britain, Censor features Naimh Algar in a bang-up performance as Enid, who reviews violent films and decides whether or not they should be cut or banned entirely.
When Enid was a child, her sister Nina disappeared, and Enid is upset to find out that her parents have finally decided to have Nina declared dead. Things get worse when a man kills his family shortly after watching a violent movie that Enid was responsible for reviewing.
As her sanity begins to teeter, Enid starts to believe that her sister appears in films directed by a man named Frederick North, and this belief sets off a chain of events that turn a quiet, if disturbing, character study into full-on (and very bloody) horror.
Censor was Prano Bailey-Bond’s feature debut, and another film called Things we Lost in the Fire is currently in development. Bailey-Bond both wrote and directed Censor.
Goodnight Mommy
- Directed by: Veronika Franz and Severen Fiala
- Streaming: Tubi
Though this one has been remade as a pretty good Prime original starring Naomi Watts, the original 2014 Austrian version is *chef’s kiss.
10-year-old wins Elias and Lukas (played by real-life twins Elias and Lukas Schwarz) are suspicious of their mom. She has recently returned home after undergoing surgery, and her face is obscured by bandages, leaving only her mouth and eyes uncovered.
Her behavior also seems odd to the boys, as she only speaks to Elias and completely ignores Lukas. As they begin to suspect this woman is not actually their mother, the sense of dread increases for the viewer, setting us up for a truly disturbing and uncomfortable ending.
Although Goodnight Mommy was Franz and Severin’s feature debut, they have gone on to write and direct The Field Guide to Evil, The Lodge and The Devil’s Bath.
Piggy
- Director: Carlota Pereda
- Streaming: Hulu
This Spanish film focuses on an overweight teen named Sara, who is bullied by a trio of girls who regularly call her “Piggy.”. Though she tries to avoid her tormentors, she is discovered by them swimming at a local pool, and they swipe her clothes. Upon walking back home, Sara takes a side road, where she discovers a van at the side of the road. And inside that van are three bullies, who have been kidnapped.
Sara is naturally terrified, especially when the abductor locks eyes with her…but oddly, he lets her leave. As it turns out, the pool’s lifeguard has been murdered, and a local waitress is missing, so the town knows they have a serial killer on hand.
Now Sara is torn between living her life without the three girls making it hell, or doing the right thing and notifying authorities that she knows where they are being kept.
Piggy is definitely an emotional film, and Laura Galan’s performance as Sara is heart-wrenching, but make no mistake: this is a horror movie. There is plenty of blood, and the murderer is sadistic.
Pereda made quite a splash with Piggy, which was her first feature film, but she has yet to release another feature.
Sissy
- Directors: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes
- Streaming: Shudder
Sissy (Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes) – Cecilia (Aisha Dee) is a very successful lifestyle vlogger, who runs into her childhood friend Emma. Emma spontaneously invites Cecilia (who she calls “Sissy”) to her bachelorette party, in which another school friend named Alex will be joining them. It’s pretty obvious that Cecilia is not happy about Alex’s inclusion, and Alex treats her pretty badly.
As it turns out, Alex used to bully Cecilia (then known as Sissy), and Cecilia starts to go off the rails mentally. What results is a blood bath, and despite the fact that she is totally bonkers, we can’t help but feel for Cecilia.
Aisha Dee is a revelation as the traumatized Cecilia, and you may recognize her from the recent Apple Cider Vinegar.
Barlow not only co-directed and co-wrote Sissy, she also appeared in the film as Emma. She has not yet released another feature film.
The First Omen
- Director: Arkasha Stevenson
- Streaming: Hulu
Powered by great directing and a compelling lead acting performance by Nell Tiger Free, this prequel to 1976’s The Omen is very female-centric. It brings something new and exciting to the franchise, while also honoring the original film.
Free stars as an American novice nun named Margaret, who reports to an orphanage in Rome. She immediately forms a bond with Calita, one of the orphans, but is warned by Father Brennan to not get too close with the girl.
Another novice named Luz befriends her, and persuades the prim and proper Margaret to sneak out with her to a disco. Margaret flirts and dances with Paolo, then wakes up at the orphanage the next day with no memory of the night’s events.
From here, events spiral, as Margaret finds photos of deformed infants, and uncovers a plot to bring about the birth of the antichrist. All of these events lead up to The Omen in a very clever manner.
While Stevenson has not yet released another feature film, she has worked on Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor and Syfy series Channel Zero.
The Retaliators
- Directors: Bridget Smith and Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
- Streaming: Tubi
If ultra-violent, action-packed, gory films are your jam, this one is a must-see.
Mild-mannered pastor John Bishop is raising his two daughters on his own, trying to teach them kindness and compassion. All of that changes when his older daughter Sarah is brutally murdered while innocently pumping gas. Bishop becomes obsessed with finding her killer and making sure he pays for what he has done.
He joins forces with a detective who lost his pregnant wife to a serial killer he had apprehended, and the two work together to track down Sarah’s killer. The Retaliators moves at a ruthless pace and does not pull away the camera at its most violent moments.
The Sacrifice
- Director: Jenn Wexler
- Streaming: Shudder
The Sacrifice Game (Jenn Wexler) – Wexler directed, co-wrote and produced this, her second Shudder Original (her first was The Ranger). The Sacrifice Game is set during Christmas of 1971 at Blackvale Academy, a girls’ boarding school.
Poor Samantha just found out that she won’t be leaving Blackvale for the holiday; instead, she will be staying on campus with weird Clara and a young teacher named Rose. Rose and her boyfriend Jimmy are determined to give the girls as nice a Christmas as is possible while not at home with family, but there is a group of killers on the loose, and they have an agenda that specifically targets Blackvale.
When the four killers bust in, they hold Clara, Samantha, Rose and Jimmy captive while they work towards summoning a demon…something that is trickier than they planned.
The Sacrifice Game is a worthy addition to the Holiday Horror sub-genre, and I can’t wait to see what Wexler brings next.