‘1000 Women In Horror’ Review – A Feast For Horror Fans

Whenever I hear the sentence “horror is not for women,” I roll my eyes. Horror was invented for women; in fact, women invented horror. From the moment a little girl is taught to fear the big bad wolf in Red Riding Hood, she knows horror. Every single day of existence for women on this planet is a horror story hiding in the bushes. And it doesn’t help that sometimes women’s bodies are battlefields for horror whether it’s hormonal surges and dips, menstruation and pregnancy, PMS and menopause, or aftereffects of sexual assault and violation. That’s why Donna Davies’s documentary 1000 Women in Horror seems like a current necessity, restoring women’s quintessential position as queens reigning over the world of horror films and universes.

Based on the book 1000 Women in Horror 1895-2018 by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, this documentary gives credit to the countless talented women working in the horror genre from 1895 to 2018, either in front of or behind the camera, highlighting how women’s work is integral to the horror industry but also the idea of fear in general, whether as a creative choice or because of real life traumas.

Davies categorizes her documentary into the three stages of femininity: the virgin, the mother, and the crone—three defining stages in every woman’s life. The virgin not only represents girlhood in all its messiness and lack of proper identity, but also the thrill of encountering inherent fears, which may be a source of perverted erotic arousal. The mother is the middle and the most powerful stage, where a woman understands and separates imaginary fears from real life horrors: those unseen things which can’t be touched or felt that make her afraid but are steeped in her daily life quest for survival. The crone is the older woman, enjoying the fruits of a lifetime of accomplishments, but also more dependent on fading senses and accumulated experiences and wisdom. Horrors are more about sustaining the autumn of life in peace and safety, and avoiding invisibility, which may lead to an undesirable ending.

Davies does an excellent job of interviewing iconic female horror writers, actresses, filmmakers, and producers. Each discussion deserves an entire documentary on its own. These women discuss how the cis het male gaze destroyed films like Jennifer’s Body, toxic female friendships, menstruation, body horror, final girls, dolls as icons of objectifying little girls, horror as a metaphor for sexual assault, and more topics that enrich the mind and soul of those searching for catharsis and a better understanding of the world through horror. There is an entire section on motherhood in horror, and it’s a fantastic portal into one of the fleshiest subgenres of horror. Some of these horror filmmakers and actresses also describe their experiences with pregnancy, giving birth, and motherhood, and how terrifying and unflattering they are. It’s both liberating and enlightening as one compares it to their horror roles and creations, and how they are reflected in those.

The documentary then shifts to interviewing female horror filmmakers about the inspiration for their own films and what the driving forces behind making them were. It’s a fun, rollercoaster ride into the horror universe without getting too freaked out. It’s an eye-opener into why women get scared, but why they also don’t get scared when the whole world expects them to. 

1000 Women in Horror is a fun nightmare about topics that stir controversy or make men uncomfortable, but it’s a must if someone wants to get a closer look at womanhood and what it entails. It’s also a proper “thank you” to the thousands of brave, intelligent, funny, and creative women who once decided to turn their fears, nightmares, and dark, unacceptable fantasies into art.

1000 Women in Horror is now available to stream on Shudder.