Historically the horror genre has had a complicated relationship with women. Often intended for a male gaze, horror films have been known to exploit and victimize women, contemporary film subverts some this these problematic tropes and has done so on the backs of films that have come before.

From exploring bodily autonomy in films like Rosemary's Baby or The Stepford Wives to the commentary about aging starlets in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? horror has been able to further the agency of women by offering strong female characters to inspire audiences and parables for those who choose to disenfranchise them.

1 'Cat People' (1942)

Cat People

Cat People stars Simone Simon as a newly married woman who believes she has descended from a long line of Cat People who transform into panthers when aroused. As her husband grows increasingly frustrated with her reluctance to consummate the marriage, he begins an affair with his assistant, which enrages his wife and proves to be a deadly decision.

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On the surface, the film serves as a tale of morality and the consequence of owning one's sexuality in an era when censorship and the policing of women's bodies were commonplace. Cat People though not explicit, was viewed as obscene by some audiences but remains one of the first films to explore female sexuality.

2 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' (1962)

Jane in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"
Image via Warner Bros. 

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? stars real-life rivals Joan Crawford and Bette Davis as two aging sisters whose hunger for stardom has led one to torture the other after a car accident leaves her in a wheelchair. The film was a box office success due to the ongoing rivalry between the two actresses creating publicity and revitalizing the careers of Crawford and Davis.

The film is notable for its camp and cult status but for starring two women over 50 at a time when mature actresses weren't getting much work. It is a scathing commentary on how Hollywood disposes of women when they are no longer marketable and the toll it takes on the lives of those who have made it their identity.

3 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968)

Rosemary looks over crib while holding a knife

Rosemary's Baby centers on Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), who has just moved to an upscale apartment in New York with her actor husband. After becoming pregnant, she discovers her pregnancy and paranoia surrounding strange happenings in her building have been orchestrated by a satanic cult comprised of her neighbors and husband.

The film explores bodily autonomy, abortion rights, and gaslighting when women were still being treated for hysteria. Rosemary's Baby is ranked as one of the best horror films ever and remains a terrifying look at a woman's lack of agency over her body.

4 'Black Christmas' (1974)

Olivia Hussey looks cautiously out her window in Black Christmas
Image via Warner Bros. 

Black Christmas follows a sorority being tormented by a killer leading up to their Christmas break. The film is one of the first slasher films and would serve as inspiration for John Carpenter's Halloween. It has a cult following and is considered one of the best horror films ever made.

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The film is notable for its main character Jess (Olivia Hussey), who not only subverts the virginal final girl trope usually associated with slashers but how she affirms her autonomy by seeking an abortion. The film came out only a year after Roe v. Wade and depicted women as four-dimensional beings rather than damsels or victims, a high note in a genre known for exploiting its female characters.

5 'The Stepford Wives' (1975)

eight women in large hats in a grocery store aisle

The Stepford Wives follows Joanna (Katherine Ross), who relocates with her family to a small community where the women are subservient to their husbands. Jordan Peele's Get Out is one recent horror movie with more than a few thematic threads linking them and maintains a cult following.

The film explores themes of autonomy and consent while providing a blistering satire of the patriarchal reaction to feminine equality. The film was made during a push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment by feminist activists while fighting opposition from traditional housewives led by Phyllis Schlafly.

6 'Carrie' (1976)

Carrie White from Carrie

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Carrie follows a sixteen-year-old girl (Sissy Spacek) from an abusive religious household who is bullied while developing telekinetic powers. Carrie was King's debut novel and his first adaptation just two years after publication, the success of which allowed him to quit his teaching job and become a full-time author.

Carrie has been analyzed over the years and has been a point of contention among feminists. Carrie could be interpreted as an example of the monstrous feminine; brutalized by misogyny, she reaches her breaking point, where she can finally act with her own agency, however violent that may be.

7 'Suspiria' (1977)

Jessica Harper clenches a knife in Susperia
Image via Produzioni Atlas Consorziate

Suspiria follows a ballerina (Jessica Harper) who joins an elite dance school run by an ancient coven of witches. Dario Argento's visually striking film is considered a cult classic and has inspired filmmakers like John Carpenter and James Wan.

The film is centered entirely on women: the hero, villain, and victims are all women. Though there is something to be said about the lingering male gaze in the movie, the power in this film, either from the witch coven or the cautionary tales told by the students that lead to the heroine's survival, comes from women banding together.

8 'Halloween' (1978)

Jamie Lee Curtis hiding from Michael Myers
Image via Compass International Pictures

Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis started her career and became the ultimate final girl in John Carpenter's Halloween. Carpenter wanted to make a straight slasher film, but Debra Hill's writing humanized and brought the character of Laurie Strode to life.

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Laurie Strode popularized the final girl trope for mass audiences. Though she survives by the skin of her teeth in the first film, subsequent sequels and reboots show a strong, clever, and vengeful woman who can care for herself and her loved ones.

9 'Alien' (1979)

Jonesy and Ellen Ripley
Image via 20th Century Fox

Alien was a film that broke the genre and expectations. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is not seen as a heroine or even a main character until the last half of the film, in which she defeats the Alien and boards an escape pod solo.

Like Laurie Strode, Ripley returns in subsequent films as a stronger, more hardened hero and has become a cultural phenomenon. Weaver was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Ripley in the sequel Aliens, and the character has been cited as one of the best characters in film history.

10 'Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984)

Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street

Nightmare on Elm Street follows teen Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), whose dreams are tormented by the malevolent Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Nancy is shown as being proactive and resourceful despite most heroines of the era relying on others for survival.

Wes Craven wrote the character of Nancy after his daughter expressed frustration with his portrayal of women in his previous film, The Swamp Thing. He wanted Nancy to be the first to break the "clumsy heroine" trope and, in doing so, inspired more empowered characters going forward.

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