Tag: womeninhorror

Women in Horror Interviews Part II

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For the month of March, in order to celebrate Women in Horror, I’ll be highlighting interviews with some of the authors that appear in Hush, Don’t Wake the Monster – Stories Inspired by Stephen King Women in Horror Anthology.

Rachel Bolton author of “Sharp Teeth”

Which Stephen King novel/short story inspired your short story?

Carrie inspired “Sharp Teeth.” I always had sympathy for Carrie, more than Stephen King did. In On Writing he considers her a girl version of Harris and Klebold, which I disagree with. Part of me wanted her to win. For this anthology, I didn’t want to write an exact reinterpretation. I took certain themes from the book and played around with them under different circumstances. The biggest difference is that Ann wanted her powers.

Who’s your favorite modern female author?

My two favorite modern female authors are Carmen Maria Machado and Gretchen Felker-Martin. They both write very differently from each other, but their work is beautiful, frightening, and deeply political. All things great horror should be. All things I want to achieve as a writer. 

Which song would be the soundtrack to your story?

I can’t think of a specific one, but any 50’s pop song would be fitting. Especially if it’s by a girl group. 

What are some of your current writing projects?

Oh boy, I have a lot going on. I’m trying to finish a novella, I have numerous short stories in progress, and there is a full length comic script that desperately needs a full second rewrite. I hope to have a short story collection out in the next few years. I also write a Kennedy themed substack called Trapped in Camelot. 

Who’s your favorite final girl and why?

Ellen Ripley! She’s tough, vulnerable, and always handles herself whenever she’s surrounded by idiots. “Get away from her, you bitch!” Best line ever. 

Jane Nightshade author of “The Sorting”

Which Stephen King novel/short story inspired your short story?

My story The Sorting was loosely inspired by the Loser’s Club from Stephen King’s IT. The Loser’s Club of a gang of misfit kids ring true to the way I grew up in an era where neighborhood kids hung out together and rode all over town without having to tell their parents where they were going. A different time.

Who’s your favorite modern female author?

I don’t know if they qualify as “modern” but the horror stories of Shirley Jackson and Daphne DuMaurier are big favorites.

Which song would be the soundtrack to your story?

Since my short story takes place on Halloween, I’d say it would be a great Halloween song like “Little Ghost” from Paranorman.

What are some of your current writing projects?

Working on a full-length novel that’s an origin story for one of my more successful short tales, Rockin’ Around the Murder Tree. Continuing to write at least one or two short stories a month as well. Also, getting ready for the publication of my collection of short stories, “A Scream Full of Ghosts,” coming out sometime next year from Dark Ink.

Who’s your favorite final girl and why?

My favorite final girl is Olivia Hussey in the original “Black Christmas.” She’s a very good actress.

Read Rachel Bolton & Jane Nightshade’s stories in Hush, Don’t Wake the Monster along with other amazing authors!

Purchase book here!

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Women in Horror Interviews Part I

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For the month of March, in order to celebrate Women in Horror, I’ll be highlighting interviews with some of the authors that appear in Hush, Don’t Wake the Monster – Stories Inspired by Stephen King Women in Horror Anthology.

L.E. Daniels author of “Silk”

Which Stephen King novel/short story inspired your short story?

First published in Cavalier magazine in 1972, “The Mangler” was later included in Stephen King’s 1978 Night Shift collection. An industrial laundry press is exposed to magical elements of nightshade, a bat, and virgin’s blood, summoning a demon that possesses the machine and attacks the workers. Also peering into the dark side of industrialization, my story “Silk” explores the conditions of the child workforce in the early twentieth-century New England mills. My grandmother, a child of Italian immigrants, survived polio and worked in such a mill. At five, her first job was pulling dead silk moth caterpillars from their boiled cocoons.

Who’s your favorite modern female author?

Lately, I’ve been reading short story anthologies like Sara Tantlinger’s Chromophobia, James Aquilone’s Classic Monsters Unleashed, and Other Terrors edited by Rena Mason and Vince A. Liaguno and the rising tide of female voices within from these pages is exquisite. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with Geneve Flynn. She fearlessly tackles edgy themes within narratives loaded with the residue of intergenerational trauma and deeply-informed cultural nuance. She’s a total badass.

Which song would be the soundtrack to your story?

Since the story spans the 1920s, recording of “America the Beautiful” performed by Louise Homer in 1924 would cast a shadow over images of children working the aisles of the New England mills.

For a sensation of being completely out of control for the big finish, the 1929 recording of “You Were Meant for Me” by Nat Shilkret with Dick Robertson on vocals might also leave us breathless.

What are some of your current writing projects?

This week, I’m currently braiding a few true ghost stories together into one narrative for Kristi Petersen Schoonover’s 34 Orchard literary journal.

Rebecca Rowland author of “The Clawset”

Which Stephen King novel/short story inspired your short story?

“The Clawset” is a feminist reimagining of King’s “The Boogeyman” from his Night Shift (1978) collection. My father was a huge King fan, so his paperbacks filled our bookcase when I was growing up, and I remember reading Night Shift when I was pretty young. I loved a number of the stories in that collection, but “The Boogeyman” flat out terrified me and the imagery stayed with me. Even as a freshman in college, I could not sleep with the closet door ajar.

For the culmination of my graduate degree in English literature, I analyzed King’s female characters in (what was at the time) his more recent releases: Dolores Claiborne, Gerald’s Game, Insomnia, Rose Madder, and Needful Things. So many of his twentieth-century stories portray women as either the victims of men or the monsters who destroy them. I reread “The Boogeyman” recently, and his portrayal of the one woman who appears (tangentially) in it is very telling of the time in which King penned it nearly fifty years ago. I wanted “The Clawset” to be a 2020s version of his tale with an all-female cast, and I named the characters very purposefully. It’s my love letter to Stephen King and the influence his stories had—and continue to have—on my writing.

Who’s your favorite modern female author?

There are so many to choose from, it’s difficult to name one as a favorite. I adore Gwendolyn Kiste’s writing: it’s feminist with a whip smart wit I adore, and I’ll read anything she puts her hand to. As a fan of short fiction in particular, I love seeing the names of women writers whose work I’m familiar with in thematic anthologies and reading their interpretations of those themes, women like KC Grifant, EV Knight, Kenzie Jennings, Ruthann Jagge, Candace Nola, Holly Rae Garcia, Bridgett Nelson, Stephanie Ellis, Hailey Piper, C.O. Davidson, Elin Olausson, and of course, three of the kick ass women I share space with in this anthology: Amy Grech, L.E. Daniels, and Kristi Petersen-Schoonover. The stuff all of these women are crafting is simply genius: it’s horrific and original and more than anything, smart as hell.

What are some of your current writing projects?

My seventh curated anthology, American Cannibal, drops just a few days after this anthology, and it’s a true juggernaut with twenty stories from some of the biggest names writing horror today: I can’t wait for readers to take a bite out of it. My own stories will be appearing in anthologies here and there throughout 2023, including in Sinister Smile Press’ Just a Girl women in horror collection later this month (March 2023). My next novelette, Rock of Ages, debuts in a horror anthology that benefits a Texas-area food bank in June, and my next short fiction collection, White Trash & Recycled Nightmares, drops from Stygian Sky Media in late summer. I maintain a (likely obnoxious) website, RowlandBooks.com, and a (definitely silly) Instagram, @Rebecca_Rowland_books. I hope readers will give them a look.

It’s certainly easier being a woman in horror today than it was thirty, twenty, or even ten years ago, but it still isn’t a piece of cake: there will always be INCELs and boys’ club naysayers lurking about, trolling social media and slapping blind, one-star reviews on anything they see is penned by a woman. I’m endlessly appreciative of small presses, reviewers, and influencers that take the time to spotlight the women who write horror. We may still be in the minority, but make no mistake: we are a force to be reckoned with.

Read L.E. Daniels & Rebecca Rowland’s stories in Hush, Don’t Wake the Monster along with other amazing authors!

Purchase book here!

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Top 5 Horror Films Directed by Women

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In the past couple of years, female directors have truly flexed their predilections for all things scary and creepy, and have managed to create some true gems. Here are some amazing films directed by female directors that will be sure to keep you up at night and leave you questioning a few things about yourselves and others (as all excellent horrors do).

TITANE (2021) DIRECTED BY JULIA DUCOURMAU

A woman who has a titanium plate fitted in her head embarks on a bizarre journey involving her fetish for cars.

CENSOR (2021) DIRECTED BY PRANO BAILEY-BOND

A British film censor links a disturbing horror movie to her sister’s mysterious disappearance.

CANDYMAN (2021)DIRECTED BY NIA DACOSTA

For decades, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green were terrorized by a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer. In present day, an artist begins to explore the macabre history of Candyman, not knowing it would unravel his sanity and unleash a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

12 HOUR SHIFT (2020) DIRECTED BY BREA GRANT

Bodies start to pile up when a drug-addicted nurse and her crazed cousin try to find a replacement kidney for an organ trafficker.

BLEED WITH ME (2020) DIRECTED BY AMELIA MOSES

During a winter getaway at an isolated cabin, a self-destructive young woman becomes convinced that her best friend is stealing her blood.

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Excerpt: “Chronic Chills” by Hudson Wilding from Tainted Love: Women in Horror Anthology

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Rumor had it that Oskar Abernathy rehearsed every week after choir practice, so Orchid lingered in the pews one evening after all her friends left. As Edinburgh’s meager light fell through the stained glass windows, Orchid tried to imitate the expression an older woman might take on while meditating on something holy and somber. Soon, the opening notes of “Lacrimosa” jolted her. She squeaked. The music stopped and Oskar rose to look at her from the organ bench at the front of the hall. He was wearing the same surprised expression one might have after seeing a mouse scamper up a curtain.

“Why, hello,” he said, smoothing his hands over the cufflinks on his tweed jacket. His conscientious way of dressing always gave her the impression he was waiting for a surprise visit from The Queen. Orchid could not escape the notion that he had arrived in the 1970s quite by mistake, belonging instead to an earlier time when his delicate complexion and precise mannerisms would have seemed less eccentric.

“You have the most beautiful handkerchiefs,” she told him, her high voice echoing across the large auditorium.

“They’re for my chronic chills,” Oskar replied as if her non sequitur was a completely ordinary attempt at conversation.

She walked closer to him, approximating the hip-sway of one of the older girls in the choir. “Your chronic chills?”

“Here,” he said, reaching out. “Feel my hand.”

She hesitated a moment before approaching the organ. Then she pressed two fingers gently into the skin of his outstretched palm. His fingers enveloped hers like a Venus flytrap closing around an insect at the Royal Botanic Gardens. The biting cold of his flesh shocked her. She’d heard rumors of his strange illness but had always assumed it was just town gossip.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

Only then did his grip relent. “I believe I was the one who interrupted you.”

***

Read this and other chilling tales in Tainted Love: Women in Horror Anthology! Check out the pre-order giveaway here!

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Flash Fiction: Two Words by Erica Ruhe

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You used to laugh when I wrapped myself around you and tangled you in the sheets to keep you from work. The morning sunlight loved to ripple over your green eyes and sleepy smile. Ignoring the fourth snooze alarm, I’d bury my face in the soft skin of your stomach and hold you tighter. I had two words, two magic words that always made you giggle; two words that always stole a few more moments with you.

“Don’t go.”

You staged a brave pillow protest but I negotiated your surrender with the pinning weight of the comforter.

I remember the time you had to fly back to California for your great grandmother’s birthday. We were still a young a couple, not quite ready for the family introductions but too heady with the feel of each other’s touch to bear the time apart. I hugged your legs as you stood at my apartment door. You fought the grin on your lips. You wriggled your knees against my arms and begged me to end my guilt trip. But I held you ransom.

“Don’t go.”

You smiled down at me and ran your fingers through my hair. Departure time was tight. The cab was downstairs. But I pulled you to the floor, to me. I just needed to steal you for a few more moments, to find that sacred space of skin hidden beneath your scarf. That warm place at the base of your jaw that inebriated me with your scent. I can still feel your laughter in my chest. You loved my thievery. But I stole other moments, too, when you weren’t looking.

When the wind ruined your good hair day, I smoothed it behind your ear. When you scolded me for smudging your lipstick, I kissed it back in place. On that night of our last visit to London, when the heel on your favorite pair of boots caught in the cobblestones, I followed my hand down your calf and freed you from the rain-slicked street.

It was like the city even pleaded, “Don’t go.”

Now I have you tangled in the bed sheets once more. But it’s dark. There’s no smile on your parted mouth. It hurts to smile. I tell you not to worry. Don’t smile for me. Just breathe. You shiver. In this foreign bed, I wrap myself around you. My fingers find their way under the tubes and wires to touch the chill of your hollowed stomach. I want to squeeze tighter but I’m afraid I might break you. You’re so fragile now. And I can’t bear it. Not quite ready for the family goodbyes and too overwhelmed with the ache of holding the last embers of you to bear the coming time apart.

The naked nape of your neck is stripped of essence. Your scent is lost under the cocktail of rubbing alcohol and latex. Pressing my lips against that place where your hairline used to be, I exhale, hoping my breath might light you up again. That maybe, by some miracle, it will warm your spine, smolder through your veins, and reignite the dying star in your chest where your soul used to burn.

Two words try to rise up my swollen throat, but they’re stuck. There’s only the beep of the heart monitor, the gasp of the ventilator. I can’t make that magic work anymore. I try. God, I try. Somehow, I know I’m responsible for this. I must be. What a fool I am, to think I’d never have to pay back all those stolen moments.

I beg the universe for one last heist. Just a few more moments. My lips move against your frigid skin, but I can’t utter the words. They are forbidden to me now.

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COMING SOON! Tainted Love: Women in Horror Anthology

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I’m very proud to announce that another Women in Horror Anthology will be coming out next month! This is the third Women in Horror Anthology that I’ve edited, but the first one that I’ve edited with fellow Inkblotter Erica Ruhe, so it may have a different feel than the others (since we both selected stories and agreed which ones would make the cut).

I’ve always been a fan of stories where love goes wrong, because a part of me is a huge romantic and the other part of me is hugely attracted to the sinister so this embraces both things very well.

An artist soon discovers how dangerous it is to paint her muse.

A young boy finds out how deadly a birthday wish can be.

A young woman plagued by nightmares will find out what they really mean with deadly consequences.

A woman visits her sister only to discover of her new macabre hobby.

These and many other stories make up the twisted world of TAINTED LOVE, a collection that exalts and explores the many ways love can go wrong, may it be romantic relationships, friendships, or familial bonds, sometimes, love can become deadly or scary. Here you have fourteen chilling tales of love and the wounds it leaves, sometimes metaphorical sometimes literal. Love kills, and these authors expertly wield the knife in this anthology that you don’t want to miss!

These are the short stories you will find in the anthology:

When The Mask Drops by Hillary Lyon

Vanitas by Azzurra Nox & Erica Ruhe

The Wait by Kathleen Halecki

They Want to Talk by Rachel Bolton

Chronic Chills by Hudson Wilding

Make A (Death) Wish by Melissa Burkley

The Flagship by Phoebe Jane Johnson

Of Guys and Dolls by Stella B. James

Prey by Erin Lee

Sleep by Marie Anderson

Hunter’s Moon by Marnie Azzarelli

Unborn by Alexandra Bay

Unfinished Business by Joni Chng

My Lady Bathory by Mandy Burkhead

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY!!!

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Women In Horror: Beloved

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beloved

February is one of those months on the calendar that offers a unique and exciting blend of emotions. It’s time to honor and celebrate Black history and culture. Valentine’s Day reminds us of love and relationships (the good, the bad and the ugly…). I also enjoy watching The Oscars to see where the needle of society’s values and elevation of diversity in cinema lands. More recently though, February has become a month to showcase women in horror. With the release of Azzurra Nox’s anthology “Strange Girls”, I thought it befitting to make a cinematic recommendation while adding some horror into today’s post as well.

In ruminating on all this, I was struck by how one film, in particular, incorporates all these themes to absolute perfection; a film that has haunted me with its piercing honesty and emotional depth; a film that effortlessly weaves the themes of slavery and freedom in all its various forms; a film that celebrates the beauty, power and, yes, horror that can manifest from immense love.

Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.”

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I was living overseas when “Beloved” first came out and it had slipped past my radar for a long time. It was always one of those movies I knew I’d appreciate but didn’t get around to seeing it until just a few years ago. Better late than never though. When I did eventually see this film, it made a huge impact on me and has remained one of the top five best films on my list of favorites. It’s haunted me ever since and completely reframed my standards for what constitutes a good ghost story. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to consume fifty classics this year in books and film. Needless to say, Toni Morrison’s novel is next on that list.

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Incredibly acted and unapologetic, “Beloved” threads a needle through the struggles and triumphs of a mother navigating post-emancipation America while the horrors of her past demand reconciliation – with an ever-increasing insistence for attention. As the climax nears, the thread tightens and cinches together all of these elements into a jagged, heart-shaped tapestry of tenacity, terror, and tenderness. It’s a beautiful and painful portrayal of the multi-faceted nature of love. And it raises the question in all of us…

What would you do for your beloved?

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By: Erica Ruhe

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Women in Horror: Interview with Cristina Vargas

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I love checking out haunts during Halloween and for a few years, I’ve been a scareactor for a haunt at a middle school in Newberry Park, California. Universal Halloween Horror Nights is an awesome experience, and in partnering up with the wonderful folks at Voyage LA for this exclusive collab, I will be showcasing some of the talented people that make up the city of Los Angeles. We catch up with actor Cristina Vargas for a quick Q & A!

Describe your experience working for Universal Halloween Horror Nights. What were some of the pros and cons?

My experience working at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights was overall fun! The pros were being able to scare people and seeing some of their reactions from screaming to running to dropping on the floor. Aside from that, another pro was meeting new people and creating friendships for years to come! The cons were, unfortunately, getting harassed by guests for scaring them and even getting tainted for not being scary to them. One of the rules that guests are supposed to follow is not to touch the Scareactors and that rule gets broken a lot…and scareactors get physically hit by guests. Luckily we have a protocol for that and are able to report those kinds of issues right away.

What sparked your interest in horror?

Ironically, I’m not that into horror, but what sparked my interest was when I was dared by a friend to watch a movie. I believe it was Ring 2 that was playing in the movie theater at the time. I was really scared and still laugh about it till this day!

Do you have a favourite horror movie?

My favorite horror movie is Chucky and the bride. I used to be so scared of Chucky when I was a little kid, but I started watching the movies at an older age and realized Chucky’s not so bad after all!

Editor’s Note: Chucky’s Bride

What acting project are you the proudest of?

The project I am most proud of is the indie film titled “Drug Addiction,” where I play the role of Gabby who comes out as this friendly girl, but later you find she’s not really friendly, but rather a backstabber.

What are some of your future projects? Where can we see you next?

You can catch me on Jenny Lorenzo’s YouTube channel where she creates funny LatinX sketches. I play the role of Lorena, who is one of Maruchi’s best friends. Check out Jenny Lorenzo’s YouTube and stay tuned on when Lorena makes an appearance! I also have a YouTube channel of my own in which I explore different restaurants and try out new food!

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Follow Cristina!

Twitter: @Cristimisty

Instagram: @Cristimisty

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn8USIYraCDCxoMxKX98dyA/featured

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Excerpts From: Strange Girls: Women in Horror Anthology

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It’s officially Women in Horror Month and in less than two weeks, this anthology will be released (February 18!). You can pre-order the book in both ebook and paperback formats! If you’re from the Los Angeles area, then you can find signed copies of the book over at Skylight Books (1818 N. Vermont Ave.!).

Excerpt from Night Terrors by Angela Sylvaine

I wake up unable to move, pinned to my bed by an invisible force. I struggle against it but can’t even wiggle my little finger. Each beat of my pulse pounds through my veins. My eyes are wide open. I try to blink, but even my eyelids are frozen, immovable. With my head locked in place, I can only stare straight up at the ceiling. What’s holding me down? Why can’t I move?

The air is too thin. I can hardly breathe. Every muscle in my body tenses as I twist and strain, but it’s no use.

My vision is hazy as if my face is covered by a gauze veil. Blurred figures are visible in my peripheral. They wear light blue tops, surgical masks, hospital caps, and latex gloves. There are seven in all, three on each side of the bed and one at the foot. I want to open my mouth, to scream for help, but I can’t.

That figure at the foot of the bed speaks, his voice the low baritone of a man.
I strain to hear. Something about administering medication. The person closest to my head on the left responds, “Yes, doctor.” A woman. She has something in her hand. I focus on the object, try to see through the veil.

A syringe.

My breath catches in my throat. No. Leave me alone. Let me go!

Pain pricks the inside of my elbow, and a slow burn spreads through my veins, building into a raging inferno. Tremors shake my body, and a scream swells in my throat. Unable to open my mouth, the shriek stays locked inside, silently ripping through my brain.

Excerpt from Leda and the Fly by Marnie Azzarelli

But that noise, that thing on her wall was neither plain nor right. The thunder was spreading to her chest, walloping her ribcage with each loud boom. She got up achingly, her body accustomed to anything but her bed. She crouched when she got closer to the wall, her knees popping protest, but she knew she needed to be as quiet as possible.

She moved in closer to the ring of light and that terrible sound like a stalking cat ready to spring; her body taut and still, her eyes closed to slits. The thing started to flit in and out of the light, but Leda’s usually dulled senses were sharpening just by the sight of her prey. She could see it almost too clearly.

It was there staining her pristine wall with its filth covered feet, buzzing, buzzing, buzzing through the quiet of her mind.

A fly.
Musca domestica.

Six hair-covered legs, antennae, a small head with two compound eyes, prothorax, mesothorax, a large abdomen, and two transparent wings.

Its front two feet were probing the pure white of Leda’s wall, searching for sustenance only to buzz out its frustrations over the empty surface. Her frustration was built on its existence in her, once sacred, space. Her only solitude after her body had been hollowed out, wiped clean from the toxins and waste that fly thrived on.

She felt the storm rage throughout her and let it out with a low moan, her vocal cords cracking to attention after months of disuse. She groaned softly at first, her knees starting to shake slightly. She took another step towards the fly and her voice came out louder, her legs ready to give out on her in any second.

The fly buzzed louder, startled by the other presence in the room. Its movements became a little more frantic as it bounced to different parts of the lit wall. Leda tried to follow, but she was so focused on that one spot, she couldn’t imagine it going anywhere else. But it decided to move and ruin more and more of her wall.

She started to cry, small tears hot and salty falling down her tingling face. Her nerve endings were all firing at once and she suddenly felt like she was dancing on a thousand pins and needles. Each step was another sharp stab to her that almost broke the skin but didn’t. Her legs finally gave out on her and she fell keening to the carpet.

Patterns of Faerytales by Azzurra Nox

A dreadful chill ran down his spine. It was like having a million spiders crawling down his back. He shivered. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his soul mate.
“So what exactly am I supposed to do with this box?”
“Keep it locked and away from Olivia.”
“Why haven’t you just buried it then?”
The look she gave Cillian was that of disbelief, almost as though he had suggested torching the damn box.
“You must never do such a thing!”
“Why not?”
“Because this is part of her, and you can’t bury it like it’s a box of bones you’re trying to get rid of!”
“What would happen?”
“There could be fatal consequences.” With that, she got up and handed the box to Cillian. “Be careful, and remember….never let her see the contents of this box! Keep it locked.” And with those parting words, Lydia left as swiftly as she had entered.

STRANGE GIRLS: WOMEN IN HORROR ANTHOLOGY DROPS FEBRUARY 18, 2020 BUT IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

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Women In Horror: Top 5 Female Directed Horror Movies

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The world of directing is still predominantly male, and so is the horror genre. But more and more women are trying to carve out their space in both directing and horror. Below are some of the best the world of horror has to offer when it comes to female directors. Many times women decide to tackle subjects that many men wouldn’t understand with the same amount of ethos. Women understand trauma, the fear of sexual assault, female friendships, and body horror more than men, and the movies I’ve selected all explore those themes.

RAW – directed by Julia Ducournau

Everyone in Justine’s family is a vet. And a vegetarian. At sixteen she’s a brilliant student starting out at veterinary school where she experiences a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her family principles and eats RAW meat for the first time. Justine will soon face the terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge.

Honeymoon – directed by Leigh Janiak

Young newlyweds Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie) travel to remote lake country for their honeymoon, where the promise of private romance awaits them. Shortly after arriving, Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night. As she becomes more distant and her behavior increasingly peculiar, Paul begins to suspect something more sinister than sleepwalking took place in the woods. Treadaway (CONTROL) and Leslie (HBO’s GAME OF THRONES) give captivating leading performances as a couple that takes new love to disturbing depths. With romance slowing giving way to terror, writer/director Leigh Janiak puts her unique stamp on this intimate, chilling thriller.

Blue My Mind directed by Lisa Ivana Brühlmann

15-year-old Mia is facing an overwhelming transformation that calls her entire existence into question. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, she is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than she.

M.F.A directed by Natalia Leite

An art student struggling with creativity is violently raped by a fellow classmate. After attempting the traditional routes to cope with her trauma, she impulsively confronts her attacker – a decision that has deadly repercussions. Her world is turned upside down as a chilling reality is uncovered: she is one of many silenced sexual assault survivors on campus. A vigilante is born- retribution is the inspiration she’s been waiting for.

Always Shine directed by Sophia Takal

Two friends, both actresses (Halt and Catch Fire’s Mackenzie Davis and Masters of Sex’s Caitlin FitzGerald), leave Los Angeles for Big Sur embarking on a weekend getaway to reconnect. Once alone, however, the two women’s suppressed jealousies and deep-seated resentments bubble to the surface, causing them to lose grasp not just of the true nature of their relationship, but also of their own identities.

What female-directed horror movies are your favourites?

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