In the past, when people think of women in horror, their first thought may have been of The Final Girl trope and ear-piercing screams of fear. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always of ground-breaking and innovative directors. However, in a genre so dominated by men, it is exciting to see, over the last decade or so, that there are a number of women directors rising to prominence and creating some truly astounding work along the way.

Women’s contribution to horror isn’t confined to the last decade. A prime example would be the iconic 70s horror movie Suspiria, which was originally credited as being written and directed by renowned auteur Dario Argento. After a lengthy battle with the studio and Argento, Daria Nicolodi was finally acknowledged for her involvement and received a ‘co-writer’ credit.

Update October 12, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great horror films directed by women filmmakers.

Recently, women have been given far greater opportunities to truly showcase their skills in a space that was once very much a boy’s club. Their unique approach to the horror genre has resulted in some truly ground-breaking work. While long overdue, it’s fantastic to have this variety in a genre that was in severe danger of becoming stagnated by the time we hit the '90s. As we continue to celebrate women’s achievements in cinema, below are 12 of the finest horror movies directed by women.

12 American Mary (2012)

American Mary is a Canadian extreme body horror movie directed by the Soska Sisters (Jen and Sylvia Soska), who are often affectionately referred to as the ‘Twisted Sisters.’ It’s not hard to see how the sisters acquired this moniker either; let’s just say their unique brand of macabre storytelling doesn’t leave much to the imagination. American Mary is about a down-on-her-luck medical student who begins taking clients to perform acts of extreme body modification to solve her financial woes.

Like many of their other works (which include the aptly titled Dead Hooker in a Trunk and a remake of the godfather of body horror, David Cronenberg’s Rabid), the movie is made up of ultra-violent and visceral horror, pitch-black humor, and a healthy dose of feminist conviction.

11 Candyman (2021)

2021's Candyman served as a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, and was the second feature to be written and directed by Nia DaCosta, who made her debut with 2018 crime drama, Little Woods. The film tells the story of an artist living in the now-gentrified Cabrini Towers in Chicago who, seeking inspiration, learns of the urban legend of th Candyman - the ghost of a homeless African American man who was unjustly killed over forty years earlier.

Based on the short story "Forbidden" by Clive Barker and starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris, Candyman is both terrifying and surprisingly poignant. Despite being the fourth installment in the franchise, DaCosta does a good job of finding new material, and the story told here is certainly one worth telling. Few people can breathe life into a nearly 30-year-old horror film series, but DaCosta pulls it off with not only one of the best horror movies of the 2010s but one of the best social commentaries too.

10 Titane (2021)

Like American Mary, the 2021 French-Belgian film Titane is an extreme body horror. It depicts a woman called Alexia with a titanium plate fitted to her skull following a car accident as a child. Instead of fearing cars, Alexia develops a fetish for them and works as a showgirl at a motor show before seemingly getting impregnated by a car she engages in intercourse with. Also, she's a serial killer. Yes, this is a very bizarre film. But it's also original, visually stunning, incredibly messed-up, and horrifically entertaining, and is the brainchild of French writer-director Julia Ducournau.

With splashes of David Cronenberg's Crash, Titane is a pretty uncomfortable watch, with scenes of metal piercing through flesh and motor oils streaming out of body parts, it doesn't make for easy viewing. With themes of identity and struggling to find a place in the world, the film offers something more though-provoking than the average body horror and has garnered critical acclaim since its release, with Ducournau becoming only the second woman to win the Palme d'Or award at the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival.

9 Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

Prior to directing the Fear Street movies, based on the R.L. Stine book series of the same name, Leigh Janiak had only ever directed one feature length movie before, which makes the Fear Street trilogy an even more impressive accomplishment. Shot back-to-back, Fear Street Part 1: 1994, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, and Fear Street Part 3: 1666 were released on a weekly basis as Netflix Original Films to critical acclaim.

The trilogy revolves around a group of teenagers who are desperately trying to find a way to break the curse that has long loomed over them and their town. While, at its heart, the series is first and foremost a slasher-style horror, each individual movie is different in style and plays with other subgenres and influences. Janiak, herself has stated that Part One was influenced by 1990s slasher films, especially Scream, and Part Two was influenced by Friday the 13th. She then goes on to compare the final movie in the series to the likes of historical drama The New World. Janiak handled this multitude of influences with ease, and while maybe not as prolific as other women directors on this list, this trilogy proves that she’s certainly among the most talented.

8 Piggy (2022)

2022's Piggy marked the feature film debut of Spanish filmmaker Carlota Pereda. Based on Pereda's 2019 short film of the same name, it tells the story of an overweight teenage girl called Sara who is bullied by her peers. After a round of poolside mockery, Sara starts to head home, only to witness her bullies being kidnapped. She chooses not to do anything and, in doing so, sets in motion a series of events that will change her life forever.

As much a social commentary as it is a horror film, Piggy is a story that could only have been told by a woman. With an excellent lead performance by Laura Galán, who conveys all of Sara's pain from a lifetime of torment with seeming ease, the film is a brilliant look at the dangers of bullying and the impact both our actions and words can have. Plus, it's filled with blood and moments of dark humor. Critically acclaimed but sadly overlooked, Piggy is an underrated gem of a horror film.

7 Saint Maud (2019)

Another feature film debut by a female director, British psychological horror Saint Maud, made a splash when it was released in 2019. Written and directed by Rose Glass, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim before going on to be nominated for numerous awards, including two BAFTAs. Narratively, it follows a religious nurse called Katie, who goes by the name Maud (played by Morfydd Clark), who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of a patient under her care.

It's a subtle and slow film that builds and builds to a satisfying yet shocking ending. Almost a combination of classic horrors, such as the Exorcist and Carrie, and relevant modern themes, such as mental health and loneliness, Saint Maud is a dark, daring, and tragic film that's hard to believe is the work of a first-time director.

6 Hatching (2022)

Like others on this list, the Finnish film Hatching is a body horror that uses its surreal and gruesome imagery as a metaphor for the modern female experience. The work of director Hanna Bergholm it tells the tale of a 12-year-old gymnastics enthusiast named Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) who stumbles across a mysterious egg that she decides to bring home. Tinja cares for the egg, and it begins to grow bigger and bigger until, one day, it hatches, revealing a creature that slowly starts to resemble Tinja herself.

Hatching, known by its original Finnish name Pahanhautoja, is a strange and thought-provoking watch from beginning to end. It takes the overused horror trope of doppelgängers and does something interesting and original with it, using Tinja's double as an embodiment of her repressed emotions, particularly those about her demanding mother. However, just because it's smart doesn't mean it's not gory, bloody, and more than a little bit frightening.

5 Totally Killer (2023)

Totally Killer dropped on Prime Video this Halloween season, and it has been a delight. Directed by Nahnatchka Khan, who previously directed the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe, Totally Killer is a horror-comedy hybrid. Part Hot Tub Time Machine and part Scream, the film follows a young girl who travels back to 1987. There, she meets not only her parents in high school but also has the chance to change the future by stopping her mom's former friends from dying on the weekend of Halloween.

Totally Killer is a delightful new horror film that pays homage to classics of both the slasher and time travel genres while also exploring the relationship between children and parents. Khan's voice helps inform that the film, centered around female victims, is well-rounded and feels like real people. Totally Killer is certainly the horror surprise of 2023.

4 A Girl Walks Home at Night (2014)

2014’s A Girl Walks Home at Night, is a beautiful and totally original Middle Eastern horror movie, which marked the directorial debut of Ana Lily Amirpour. Shot entirely in black and white, Amirpour herself has described the movie as the ‘first Iranian vampire spaghetti western,’ but in reality, it’s so much more than that. Yes, it is a vampire horror movie that is clearly influenced by the old westerns of yesteryear, depicting the Iranian ghost-town Bad City and the doings of a lonesome vampire.

When peeling back the layers, the movie is dealing with a plethora of important issues including drug addiction, feminism, and sexuality. While Amirpour has gone onto direct some impressive films, subsequently including 2016’s dystopian thriller The Bad Batch starring Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey, and last year’s fantasy flick Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, none have seemed as important and ground-breaking as A Girl Walks Home at Night.

3 Raw (2016)

Raw is both an ultra-graphic cannibal horror flick and a beautiful coming-of-age family drama. Like others on this list, horror tropes are used as metaphors and ways to approach far deeper issues embedded in reality. While admittedly, the more graphic scenes and the sheer volume of bodily fluids presented on screen will certainly be enough to have those weak of stomach feeling just a little queasy and potentially needing to reach for the sick bag once or twice, it’s the immersive atmosphere and deep symbolism that will most likely be left embedded on your minds.

In her short career following the success of Raw, director Julia Ducournau has gone on to receive numerous accolades and much critical acclaim. On her success, she said "Maybe we were entering an era where things would be more equal in acknowledging of the work of people beyond their gender” — let’s hope so.

2 The Babadook (2014)

Considered among film critics as one of the greatest horror movies — and, for that matter, one of the best Australian movies — of recent years, The Babadook is another directorial first, this time for Australian director Jennifer Kent. Following a resurgence in interest in psychological supernatural horrors, thanks to the successes of movies like The Grudge and The Ring in the early 2000s, by around 2010, the genre had grown stale and tiring. Hollywood seemed to be mass-producing them on a never-ending conveyor belt, and too often, they began to rely on cheap jump scares over story, atmosphere, and character development.

However, this was to soon change; in response, a new breed of intelligent thought-provoking psychological horrors began to hit the scene and slowly rise to prominence, spearheaded by the likes of The Witch, Hereditary, and The Babadook. Full of engaging subtext and symbolism, The Babadook is an examination of the destructive power of grief and manages to create a real sense of uneasiness and fear amongst viewers without once ever having to rely on jump scares or an overuse of CGI.

1 American Psycho (2000)

When American Psycho, the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, was published in 1991, the book was hit with a huge amount of controversy. In particular, the book was criticized by many for its misogyny and portrayal of violence against women, so it may be surprising to hear that the movie was, in fact, directed by (woman) Canadian director Mary Harron. To say she undertook the task successfully is an understatement. Herron interpreted it as the piece of satire it was meant to be, and as a result, American Psycho is one of the finest examples of modern horror there is. Harron was praised for her unique direction style, and it was noted that her off-kilter tendencies were a good complement to Ellis's unique style.

Drenched as much in dark humor and satire as it is in blood and violence, set in the yuppie 1980s era New York, American Psycho follows uptight investment banker Patrick Bateman (played flawlessly by Christian Bale) as he begins to lose his grip on reality and descends into a mass murdering pit of madness. Obviously, due to the graphic and controversial nature of the source material, the movie had its detractors, but Harron’s grasp and handling of the material perfectly brought to life the 80s culture of materialism, narcissism, and greed in a way in which all those in the project should be proud.