A good horror movie is nothing without a terrifying killer, and a good slasher is nothing without a sharp killer. The killer stalking the protagonists is what creates the action and urgency of the movie. Anticipation created by the antagonist is what keeps the audience entertained, captivated, and on the edge of their seats.
While there are a lot of famous slasher killers, the women are the underappreciated villains. There have been a lot more women-centered horror movies coming out as of late, all of them creating new takes and interesting antagonists for audiences to see. There’s a wide variety of styles to see despite the fact that most slasher films have a pretty straightforward formula. The movies with female killers are always interesting to see, as they can range from just entertaining insane women to powerful leads with twisted feminist ideals. There’s a lot to be explored through these slashers, and here are just a few of those films that are crowd favorites.
Update September 27, 2023: This article has been updated with even more films with women killers in time for your Halloween viewing.
10 Bride of Chucky (1998)
Kids (and parents) all across the world couldn't help but feel uneasy around their toys after watching the demented serial killer Chucky terrorize society in the spine-tingling Child's Play horror franchise, with Bride of Chucky reuniting the red-headed vicious psychopath with his equally terrifying lady love Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly). The fourth installment in the fan-favorite series follows the murderous dolls as they search for an ancient magical amulet that would turn them human again, gleefully killing anyone who gets in their way.
Tiffany is just as evil and demented as her scar-faced, knife-wielding lover, Chucky, merrily murdering a thieving couple by impaling them in the middle of their lovemaking. The chilling couple leaves blood and gore in their wake as they look for suitable new bodies to possess, doing so with a nasty delight and frightening flair.
9 Psycho II (1983)
Legendary silver screen serial killer Norman Bates was back at it again when he returned to the scene of his horrific crimes in Psycho II. After two decades of being incarcerated in a mental asylum, he returns to the Bates Motel, where he plots his revenge against Lila Loomis, his murder victim Marion Crane's sister. While Norman attempts to fight off his homicidal tendencies and struggles to keep "Mother" at bay, someone is running around killing everyone he crosses paths with.
While audiences immediately assumed Norman was the culprit for all the crimes, the true killer's identity is shockingly revealed at the end of the picture, as are her connections to the deranged Norman. The psychological slasher was a hit at the box office, with fans flocking to witness Anthony Perkins return as the iconic murderer and be out-maneuvered by a formidable female foe.
8 Ma (2019)
This film stars a talented and diverse cast, with Octavia Spencer in the lead as the unsettling titular Ma. The story centers around a group of high school students who meet Ma when they ask her to buy alcohol for them, and soon enough, she starts doing other favors and inviting them to party in her house. It’s clear to the audience that Ma has some sinister ideas in store for the teenagers, as she quickly becomes unable to leave them alone. While she first comes off as unassuming and tries to play herself as a “cool mom” type of role for the kids, things devolve in the kids’ lives as Ma’s plan begins to unwind, leading to death and disaster.
7 Urban Legend (1998)
For those looking for a slasher with a little more substance, you might take a look at this movie. This film has all the read elements of murder and mayhem to keep viewers entertained, but it also has aspects of urban legends woven throughout. The characters are plagued by a hooded killer who comes after them one by one. When the killer reveals herself, she divulges her motivations are rooted in a sense of vengeful justice for her fiancé, who died in a car crash the main characters caused.
But as the audience follows the turmoil of the characters and makes it to the end, they realize they were being told an urban legend the entire time. The film follows a great slasher recipe while also making it its own unique take on the style. It’s enticing and has chilling twists and turns throughout and right up until the end.
6 All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
Any time a group of high school kids goes off for a weekend full of debauchery and hard partying in a slasher movie, it doesn't usually bode well for their overall survival rate when a deranged killer inevitably shows up. In Jonathan Levine's underrated film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Amber Heard appears as the innocent and beautiful eponymous character who is invited to join in the wild festivities at a remote ranch.
It doesn't take long until the bodies begin to drop, and the drunken teenagers are picked off one by one as they are terrorized by a ruthless murderer, with the exhilarating climax revealing there are not one but two killers causing all the carnage. One member of the deranged duo is revealed to be a female, with her nefarious motives ultimately being revealed during a final showdown between the two.
5 We Summon the Darkness (2019)
Everyone loves the movies that are based on or take place in the '80s, and there has been a surge in that media over the past few years. This movie centers around three girls who bring home a group of guys after a heavy metal concert. A game of Never Have I Ever turn sinister when the trio drugs the boys and tells them their plan to kill them and make it look like they were satanic sacrifices.
The fun twist of this movie is that these punk rock-looking girls are actually part of an extremist church setting up scenes to make the public afraid of “sinful” things that lead to Satanism. This movie becomes a cat-and-mouse game between the girls and their captives as they try to hunt down the boys. It’s full of twisted morals and fun punk aesthetics with wild lady killers.
4 Scream 2, 4, 5, and 6 (1997, 2011, 2022, 2023)
The Scream movies are a cultural phenomenon and a slasher classic; it even got a spinoff series and had a new installment in the movie franchise released back in March. Audiences can’t get enough of the movies. Four of the six movies in the series feature a woman as the killer. In both movies, the killer Ghostface is revealed to be a malicious duo working together, each tag team featuring a cunning woman. The female Ghostfaces helped to plan and execute all the murders that happen within the story – all of them happening in a variety of ways, which makes for a grim yet intriguing plot for the audience to watch unfold.
3 The Babysitter (2017)
Then there’s the semi-recent Netflix hit The Babysitter, which has a wild cast that includes members like Robbie Amell and Samara Weaving. This slasher has a classic fun setup of a sexy babysitter causing trouble, except in this film, the trouble is that she’s using the blood of the kid she babysits for a cult ritual. Everything turns upside down when the young boy sees his hot babysitter and her friends kill someone for their ritual and try to expose them. As he tries to escape and outwit the killers, the audience gets to witness a bizarre yet perfectly executed combination of comedy, death, and mayhem.
2 Tragedy Girls (2017)
This morbidly funny and fast-paced film has a talented young cast that includes Alexandra Shipp alongside Brianna Hildebrand, both supported by 2010's heartthrob Josh Hutcherson. Shipp and Hildebrand play two best friends who run a true crime blog but yearn for more popularity and followers. The two girls decide their best course of action is to murder people to create enticing viral stories for their blog. The movie is funny, clever, and extremely entertaining to watch, and contains intriguing themes of friendship and strength in a world centered around morbid curiosity and social media.
1 Friday the 13th (1980)
The first installment in this famous film series doesn’t actually center around the infamous Jason Voorhees – instead, it centers around a killer who is revealed to be his mother. She is after revenge for the tragedy that happened to her son at the camp and wreaks havoc on the counselors. She is a calculating and vindictive killer with a plan as sharp as her weapons. Mrs. Voorhees uses a variety of methods to kill everybody off, making for an entertaining viewing since the audience doesn’t know what to expect.
Not only do the murders keep audiences on the edge of their seats, but the final twist is really what seals the deal for making this an iconic movie. Even the younger generations watching for the first time would be expecting Jason Voorhees to return for revenge– but the surprise of Mrs. Voorhees, driven insane by motherly love and grief, makes the film even more dynamic.