Women in Horror

Are you interested in horror? What about gender studies in regard to horror film? This might just be the month for you! February is Women in Horror Month (WiHM). It is the brainchild of Hannah Forman, who writes under the pen name Hannah Neurotica. Since 2009, the event has increased in popularity, and rightly so. Horror has been a male driven genre, for the most part, and seeing women rise in the ranks is refreshing.

Jennifer Lynch, the Soska Sisters, and others have brought their horrific visions to life on screen and have been successful in their endeavors. Here is the mission statement from the WiHM website:

Women in Horror Recognition Month (WiHM) assists underrepresented female genre artists in gaining opportunities, exposure, and education through altruistic events, printed material, articles, interviews, and online support.

WiHM seeks to expose and break down social constructs and miscommunication between female professionals while simultaneously educating the public about discrimination and how they can assist the female gender in reaching equality.

Check out their website for more information http://www.womeninhorrormonth.com/#!about. Will you be the next Women in Horror Month ambassador? Might we suggest some interesting reading in the meantime?

Film and Literary Criticism
The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film
The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis
When There's No More Room in Hell: The Sociology of the Living Dead

Fiction by women
Frankenstein
Wrong Things
Women of Darkness

Lizzy Walker,

ScholarWorks