15 Female Filmmakers That Could Kill It At Horror [Hi, Jason Blum!]

Carol Morley
One of the most significant triumphs of Carol Morley’s moving and underseen “The Falling” was her ability to marry genres so that the tension never relented. The monster is born within, and fostered in, unruly and cold environments so that when a young woman loses her anchor she becomes rudderless without that reliable human affection. Morley plays with this idea with themes evocative of “The Crucible” and imagery that plays with interpretive dance like choreography. She already displayed her attraction to the macabre with her 2011 documentary “Dreams of Life” which explored what happened to a woman who died in her apartment and whose body wasn’t discovered for three years. These stories that she’s chosen to explore both touch on isolation and loss, as well as, play into themes that have been utilized before but with fresh eyes that find bonds between characters, “The Falling” particularly, that give any sense of dread a landing to tether itself to, making sure that the drama that ensues is deeply felt. Aren’t the best horror films the ones that manage to not just inspire fear but also compassion? – AJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OEhqmKmZ9Q

Karyn Kusama
Karyn Kusama’s “Jennifer’s Body” was ahead of its time — too biting and too sharp to be looked at beyond its vapid packaging. On the surface it played with the idea of the male gaze before subverting it, making Megan Fox’s lusted after character a literal man-eater who feeds on the male population of the school to give her strength. While the horror elements were clearly there from sacrificial ritual to bloodthirsty demons, there was a crux of female friendship at the center which gave it weight, making this more than just a satirical genre spin. Kusama has defied expectations throughout her career, molding her filmmaking to whatever new topic she tackles. With “Jennifer’s Body,” she brought together comedy and horror, and with “The Invitation,” claustrophobic terror and grief. She has dabbled in drama too with her debut film “Girlfight” and the upcoming “Destroyer” starring Nicole Kidman, which once again positions her versatility to stand in the spotlight. Horror is an ever-changing genre, one that preys on current social climate concerns and anxieties and Kusama has demonstrated time and time again that she isn’t just willing to adapt, she’s eager to. – AJ

Julia Hart
With most of her films premiering at SXSW, she is probably best known for writing and directing the beautiful comedy “Miss Stevens” starring Lily Rabe, and we couldn’t make a list of female directors without including her. Julia Hart is a force to be reckoned with behind the camera, encompassing deep character development and a unique way of storytelling. While she hasn’t dabbled in horror, she has written a thriller and her ability to capture her audience and make them feel is unlike any other writer/director out there. The thriller we are referring to is, of course, “The Keeping Room,” a unique story of three women, left without men in the dying days of the American Civil War, they must defend their homes and themselves from two rogue soldiers. Much like all of Hart’s work, it is a story about women and the women are the lead, which always seems fresh and natural when written by a woman, especially Hart. – Jamie Rogers

The Soska Sisters
Knowing that 2006’s slasher film “See No Evil” was directed by Australian-American Gregory Dark, it may come as a surprise to you that he did not direct the sequel in 2014. In fact, that job went to a pair of twins out of Canada whose film background screams horror— the Soska Sisters. The twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska, are also known as the twisted sisters, and for good reason. Their first project together was a film they completed during their time at film school, called “Dead Hooker in a Trunk,” which received an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.After this project, they struggled to find work as female filmmakers and went out on their own and made “American Mary” a film where the lead is lured into a world of freakish surgeries for easy money. The film showed at London’s Film4 Fright Fest, Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and Monster Fest. They, also, directed the segment “T is for Torture” in the “ABCs of Death.” – JR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SAEN43OHZc

Roxanne Benjamin
Nothing says creepy like a hospital with a dark hallway with a light flickering, a pair of twins lurking outside the window, and a mysterious nameless thing floating in the desert. Add some music and jump scares and you have the recipe for an epic horror movie. The film we’re talking about here is “Southbound” the horror/thriller co-directed by Roxanne Benjamin. Her use of surrealism, and her way of taking classic horror movie traits and making them something we don’t expect, makes her one heck of a horror director. She is also known for ”XX” which was a milestone in filmmaking. While we have obviously seen many directors come together throughout the years to celebrate their love of horror by contributing to an anthology feature, ‘XX’ was the first to be driven by women filmmakers. – JR