horror

“X” Is a Slasher Film with an Important Message about Sex Work and Pornography

A white woman with freckles and big, curly reddish hair sits in front of a backstage vanity rimmed with bright lightbulbs. She is turned away from the mirror, towards the viewer, looking off camera with a concerned expression on her face.
by Laura LeMoon
April 11, 2022 at 5:43am
What the golden age of porn shows us is that good sex means breaking rules, not necessarily literal rules or laws that exist in our physical world, but rules or standards governing human conduct, morality, and ethics. 
Shot from the music video for Stay Soft. Mitski, an Asian American woman with shoulder-length straight black hair clenches her hands near her face, looking off camera in horror in front of a lush navy blue background.

Pretty Horrifying:: Video Director Maegan Houang’s Visceral Vision for Mitski’s Music

by Oliver Haug
April 1, 2022 at 11:36am
Horror is a means to this end, something that Maegan Houang views as a “tool” in their kit. “The thing about horror and music videos is that it’s a genre that creates a shorthand that allows you to tell a more concise story,” says Houang. Read more »
The cast of Yellowjackets. Seven teenage girls in the woods at night wearing muddy clothes

“Yellowjackets” and the Disturbing Reality of Social Contract

by Grace Lavery
January 18, 2022 at 7:29pm
With Yellowjackets, the so-called “puzzle-box show” achieves a kind of maturity by doing away with the conspiratorially furrowed brow of the masculine heroes who are obsessed with, and eventually resolve, whatever metaphysical conundrum that has made life unlivable. Read more »
illustration byCheanie Kü of Grandma Deer, an indigenous spirit with long braids, transparent antlers, and a red hand print over their mouth. They are cloaked in purple and cupping a flame in their hands, with the moon and northern lights behind them.

Righteous Spirit: Indigenous Horror Authors Tap into Tribal Traditions

by Abaki Beck
November 22, 2021 at 10:43am
These writers are resisting the long impact of colonization and Christianity, which forced Indigenous communities to either hide or abandon their stories. Read more »
Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana standing on a lawn in dense fog in front of an English country house in a yellow tailored suit and tricornered hat

Frigid Family: “Spencer” Amplifies the Horror of the Royal Family

by Grace Lavery
November 5, 2021 at 2:24pm
 At last a Diana every bit as batshit as any of the inbred remnants of House Saxe-Coburg-Goth. Read more »
Four young women are laying in grass, surrounded by trees, learning how to shoot. The one with red hair and the one Asian woman are pointing sniper guns.

Bloodlust: “Mayday” Is a Brutal, Irresistible Feminist Revenge Fantasy

by Ren Jender
October 18, 2021 at 1:19pm
Karen Cinorre delivers a bloody, cathartic thrill with Mayday. Read more »
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Anthony, a dark-skinned, tall Black man, who is wearing a paint-splattered jean jacket in Candyman

Summoning Yourself: The Role of Conjure in “Candyman”

by Lea Anderson
September 1, 2021 at 9:00am
Sometimes desire is layered with disbelief, but the summoner gets what they asked for regardless. Read more »
Ilana Glazer plays Rose, a white woman with short brown hair, who is lying on her back in a hospital gown on an exam table

Demon Seed: “False Positive” Treats Wombs as Receptacles for Terror

by Sadaf Ahsan
August 25, 2021 at 10:36am
In each of these films, it’s the male ego that guides the doctors and fathers. Read more »
Mary Hawke, a white woman with light brown hair, is laying on the ground as she is being dragged by her feet and her mouth open in a scream.

Queer Fear: The “Fear Street” Trilogy Refuses to Bury Its Gays

by Alani Vargas
August 17, 2021 at 11:41am
Fear Street refuses to prioritize straight, white leads like the slasher films of the past. Read more »
Melody Hurd as Grace Jean and Deborah Ayorinde as Lucky in Them

“Them” and Us: Do We Need to Televise Black Pain to Take It Seriously?

by Shireen Rose Shakouri
April 19, 2021 at 11:09am
Stomach-churning violence against Black women is near constant. Read more »
A person covered in a glowing liquid crawls toward the camera. They hold a bright green eye over their eye.

Hiding in Dreams: Jane Schoenbrun Is Redefining Trans Cinema

by Juan Barquin
February 12, 2021 at 9:56am
Bitch spoke with Jane Schoenbrun about the film, dysphoria, and how the internet shapes our identities. Read more »

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The Feminist Power of Female Ghosts

The Ring
by Andi Zeisler
October 3, 2017 at 8:21am
The female ghost is an enduringly fascinating figure. Read more »