OCTOBER PLAYLIST
This month’s playlist turns the horror genre inside out. Throughout their long history, horror films have been carried in large part by the anguish and vulnerability of their female characters. From celebrated classics (Silence of Lambs, Rosemary’s Baby), to cult favorites (Scream, Jennifer’s Body), to sleeper hits (Unsane), the trope remains consistent: a well-meaning young woman finds herself at the mercy of a horrifying villain who has made it their mission to cause her suffering. Through cleverness and luck, our heroines might survive.
This month we are taking a more expansive view of the ‘horror’ genre by highlighting films that look at women’s suffering not through the lens of horror, but through the lens of rage. Instead of the terrified victim, our protagonists are avengers with agency. From revenge thrillers to dark comedies, these films and television shows look at women who confront the perpetrators of their horror, driven to their own breaking points and finally unafraid to confront their aggressors. These are stories of rage and sometimes redemption, where women, no longer victims, become forceful agents of terror in their own rights.
Solia Cates is the Editor-In-Chief of WomenDo, a graduate of Yale University’s Film and Media studies program, and a writer and actress based in Los Angeles.
