MOVIE OF THE WEEK March 20, 2026: 1000 WOMEN IN HORROR
Whether you’re someone who can’t get enough of movies overflowing with blood and guts or have to hide your face behind your hands whenever anything scary is about to happen on screen, chances are you’ll get a kick out of director Donna Davies’ brisk documentary 1000 Women in Horror. Based on the book by horror expert (and AWFJ member!) Alexandra Heller-Nicholas” target=”_blank”>Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, it’s a smart, thought-provoking look at the way the genre both impacts and is impacted by women.
In some ways, 1000 Women in Horror feels like a really cool, feminist film school class, making a strong case (with tons of evidence) for how lots of horror movies reflect assumptions and stereotypes about women at many different life stages — there are segments devoted to girlhood, the school years, adulthood, work life, pregnancy/motherhood, and aging. Each section is packed with clips from movies both mainstream and obscure, plus interviews with female writers, directors, actors, and experts (including, of course, Heller-Nicholas). You’ll nod along as the interviewees explain the way that adolescent women are so often objectified in slasher movies, mothers are made to look like paranoid harridans, and older women are turned into evil harpies.
And then you’ll cheer as the same interviewees bring up examples that undermine every stereotype in the book and call attention to female filmmakers who have really made an impact on the genre, defying the sexism they faced themselves to make it in the industry (as one memorably says, “I didn’t need a f–king d–k to hold a camera”). The feeling of empowerment is palpable as specific performances and films, from M3GAN and The Craft to The Babadook and Bingo Hell, are called out for the way they’ve challenged the status quo.
Along the way, yes, there’s lots of blood. So be prepared to look away if you’re someone who doesn’t want to see an impaling (or ten), but don’t stop listening — because the insights and observations captured in 1000 Women in Horror are worth wincing through the gory bits. And if you do love a good slasher fest, then settle in for a watch that’s sure to leave you ready to grab a camera and try your own hand at making a statement with a few scares. – Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: I don’t like horror but I respect it much more now after watching this documentary. And I was delighted by how much I enjoyed it. I suppose that is because I do love to hear super-smart women talk about movies and pretty much anything else. The context they provided even inspired me to note some of the titles for my to-be-watched list. It turns out, those movies are not as scary as I thought.
Leslie Combemale I’m one of the many women who feel a bit like I’m going crazy, and this feeling is being amplified as we see our rights being drained away here in the US. 1000 Women of Horror, first the book and then this enlightening and highly entertaining documentary, really speaks to the feeling so many of us share as a sort of baseline. It’s a feeling, frankly, women share around the world. The film breaks down the ways horror films speak to that through the stages of our lives, first as children, then teens, adults, mothers, and finally as crones. Horror films express so many ways in which women are gaslit, misrepresented, made to feel scared, and are sidelined, even as we raise the world. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who is both a film journalist and expert in genre film history, lays it all out for viewers, with the aid of other insightful women who work in front of and behind the lens. It would be so great if more women who steadfastly avoid horror films would see this documentary, so they might be more willing to screen genre films that speak to their own experiences.
Jennifer Merin 1000 Women in Horror is a fascinating feminist primer and analysis of the horror genre, chronicling its evolution from the earliest days of cinema to the present — 1895 to 2018, to be exact. The enlightening documentary covers the impressive history of women creatives who’ve focused on horror and have fully developed female-centered subgenres such as those base in experiences of abuse and rape revenge, challenging postpartem psysiological and psychological conditions, coming of age and dealing with aging, along with others that storytell about strictly female issues. Directed by Donna Davies and based on the critically acclaimed eponymous book by AWFJ member Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, 1000 Women in Horror features Heller-Nicholas and other leading women film critics and cultural commentators, as well as a roster of current A-list female horror film directors, screenwriters and actresses, who speak about the cultural impact of the horror genre and discuss their personal introductions to horror films, telling what most attracted them to the genre and why the horror genre is particularly important in our current cultural context. Collectively, they point out that horror films were, for decades, the only movies that centered on assertive female characters as leading protagonists instead of treating women as eye candy or relegating them to supporting, often stereotypical roles. Read full review.
Sandie Angulo Chen: The documentary 1000 Women in Horror is an entertaining, feminist chronicle of women’s contributions to the horror genre. Based on the same-titled book by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (a fellow AWFJ member) and directed by Donna Davies, the film features Heller-Nicholas alongside a wide range of women horror directors, writers, and actors. By focusing on films that center women and girls — from rape-revenge and home-invasion stories to movies about toxic female friendships and fierce protagonists — the documentary challenges the reductive notion that horror is inherently misogynistic. Instead, the movie argues that the genre has long provided a space for women to explore fear, power, and rage on their own terms.
Loren King What an accessible, entertaining and insightful overview of the wide-ranging horror genre that centers women on both sides of the camera. Packed with clips from films as diverse and influential as The Bad Seed, Alien, Rosemary’s Baby, Annabelle, Jennifer’s Body, Possession and dozens more, 1000 Women in Horror features astute commentary from filmmakers including Mary Harron, Brea Grant. Roseanne Liang and others, all of it anchored by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on whose book of the same title the film is based. These commentators offer a keen understanding of how, more than any other genre, horror, especially in women-directed films, subverts gender expectations. It can also be just plain cathartic and empowering. Whether you’re a fan of horror or not, this sophisticated and smart immersion will make any cinephile think twice before dismissing a horror movie ever again.
Liz Whittemore Based on the book 1000 Women in Horror,” by our very own AWFJ member, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, some of our favorite female filmmakers guide audiences through a catalog of unique women in the genre’s history. The documentary is not simply a beautiful collection of curated films discussing the arch of women at every age and stage of life, but it’s also one hell of a good time. We are gleefully reminded that whether a female character finds shame, sexual exploitation, gaslighting, fear, or revenge, it is all a mirror of our lived experiences, and the catharsis in being the ultimate final girl in our daily lives. This is our horror Super Bowl.
Cate Marquis The entertaining, enlightening documentary 1000 Women in Horror is here to remind us that horror films aren’t just for boys – or by them either. Actually, wasn’t one of the first horror stories, Frankenstein, was written by a woman? Based on the book by AWFJ member Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and directed by Donna Davies, 1000 Women in Horror takes a look at women in the horror film genre from a plethora of angles – women as fans, women as directors and writers, women as characters and as horror stars. Of course, there are more than a 1000 women in horror, but this film gives us a quick look at some of them, with interviews with women filmmakers, critics and actors, along with generous clips from horror films through the decades. This delightful exploration of women in horror demonstrates how women are central, even essential, to the horror genre, as well as giving us a wonderful tour of the genre from the silents to the present era. Breaking down horror films by types – little girls in danger, teenage girls as symbols of good or bad, adult women as strong or terrifying characters, and older women as scary figures, these experts discuss the variety of ways women are depicted in horror. Delving deep beneath its skin, with a special female gaze and feminist view, this documentary uncovers hidden meanings and messages of empowerment under all the gore and blood. The documentary 1000 Women in Horror is fascinating and fun fare, after which you may never see the horror genre the same way again
FILM DETAILS:
Title: 1000 Women in Horror
Director: Donna Davies
Release Date: March 20, 2026
Running Time: 96 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriter: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, based on her eponymous book.
Lead Performers: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Cerise Howard, Mattie Do, Natasha Kermani, Mary Harron, Toby Poset, Jenn Wexler
Distribution Company:
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Liz Whittemore
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
