Women's Horror On The Rise

Women’s Horror is on the rise, and I am here for it. Give me every female Horror Writer of every background and slap their delicious fiction on my shelves. I will read EVERY SINGLE ONE because the Horror genre has been male dominated for far too long. Face it guys, women have a voice and we have something to say!

My personal favorite is the “good for her” genre of Horror that I see on social media. You know the one, the one where after a lifetime of being abused, talked down to, mistreated, and misunderstood the woman finally loses her shit? Yeah, that’s the one. Give me more of that. Also, give me more strong women, give me more neurodivergent women, give me Black and Asian, and Hispanic women, give me more women who don’t fit inside the patriarchal box. I desperately need these characters in my life. We all do.

One of my biggest pet peeves is grabbing a book with a female lead and reading the first chapter only to find out that the main character is a cookie-cutter take on what society thinks women are or should be. Gag.

I want my women to be fierce and dangerous, I want them to be quirky and smart, I want them to be bat-shit crazy, wild, untamed. I want them to be fucking human. Is that so hard? Give them faults, make them real, hell make them kill.

Let’s see that rage, let us see the dark side of femininity. Get them out of the kitchen and off the diets and give them a goal other than finding a man. Because, if you’re a woman, like me, you know there is much more to life than cooking, cleaning, and swooning.

I'd like to read about women chasing their dreams, putting their careers first. I want to see middle-aged women with kids making it happen regardless of their age. I want them to still look and feel sexy at forty-five and fifty-five and sixty and so on. At the same time, I want them to not be sexualized, it’s confusing, I know but you ladies understand.

Give us brains, give us brawn. Don’t be afraid to make us strong, give us some muscles, or some curves. Let us eat fast food and not look at the scale. Give us good motivation. What are our goals? What pisses us off and how do we act? Women get angry too. We lose our shit, and we show out. Tell us what happens when you piss us off.

Make us diverse and highlight our culture, Authors. If you’re a woman Author, give it your all and let it ALL out. All that pent up rage, all your sorrow, your happiness, your nostalgia, everything. I want you to bleed on the page so that I can read it. Better yet, so that the world can read it. We need more of that.

Look, I know I’m probably not saying anything that hasn’t been said before. But it needs to be said again and again. Because we have to keep Women’s Horror in the limelight. The world needs it. So, I’ve added a list of Women’s Horror books below. Go through, pick a few, and start reading. Then, when you’ve finished, leave a damned review. Writers work hard at what they do, and these women deserve that much.

First up, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

Bat Eater And Other Names For Cora Zeng A Horror Novel By Kylie Lee Baker

This book follows a crime scene investigator who is dealing with the racially motivated homicide of her sister while working as a crime scene cleaner. She keeps finding dead bats at the scenes and is dealing with her own emotional turmoil, as you can imagine, since she witnessed the murder of her sister. All the murders seem to be tied together, and all are targeting Asian women.

I’ve already pre-ordered the paperback, and I know as soon as I get this one I will tear into it. It is giving me Monika Kim vibes which is why I’m going to put her book second on my list.

The Eyes Are The Best Part Horror Novel by Monika Kim

Book two of my Women’s Horror list, The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim.

This book was out there in the best way. I absolutely loved it. I look forward to seeing more from Kim. The Eyes are the Best Part follows Ji-won, a young college girl who is dealing with the emotional turmoil of her parent’s divorce. She is confused and distraught as her father leaves her, her mother, and her sister for another woman. But when her mother finds a new beau, things get even worse, and Ji-won slips deeper into her own madness as she becomes fixated on a specific body part.

This one is gross, and emotional, and it centers on the theme of mental health, and the expectations of women in her culture. You can read my review of this one here.

Third up is The Lamb by Lucy Rose.

The Lamb follows the life of Margot and her mother, who has a strange appetite. Apparently the mother likes to nibble at the people who get lost and wander up to their house.

Until one day when a “stray” named Eden turns up and Margot becomes infatuated. The struggle between mother and daughter ensues and I’ll have to read this one to see what happens next. Will Margot save Eden or will Mama win?

This one sounds very interesting and has the same cannibalistic vibes that The Eyes are the Best Part is throwing out. I’m eager to see if this coming-of-age Horror ends with a beautiful queer romance or not.

Keeping my fingers crossed that it does because even though I love spooky shit, I’m still a romantic at heart.

My fourth Women’s Horror book hunt landed on Vanishing Daughters by Cynthia Pelayo.

Vanishing Daughters is a Ghost Story, meets Serial kKller Thriller, meets Psychological Horror novel. All these elements mixed together make for what looks to be a gripping read.

Bri, the main character, is having psychic dreams that, according to one person, are supposed to help her stop a serial killer and allow his victim’s spirits to finally find peace.

The synopsis mentions a Victorian Greystone, which gives me these gothic horror vibes that I love. Who doesn’t love a good, haunted house story?

Last up on my Women’s Horror list, Dead

Dead Girls Walking A Horror Novel By Sami Ellis

Girls Walking by Sami Ellis

I love a good slasher, especially a campy one with eighties horror vibes. This one was described on Amazon as a “spine-chilling YA horror slasher about a girl searching for her dead mother’s body at the summer camp that was once her serial killer father’s home—perfect for fans of Friday the 13th and White Smoke.”

I have White Smoke at home and am wondering if I should maybe read it first?

Anyway, YA Horror will always hold a special place in my heart. That’s where it all started for me.

Dead Girls Walking follows a girl who is investigating her mother’s murder so that she can prove if her father did, or did not, commit the crime. She ends up at a summer camp for queer teen girls who love horror. What are the odds right?

Also, I’m loving all the queer vibes btw. But as it turns out, someone at the camp is a killer. So, Temple, the main character, suspects it may be a copycat. So, of course she has to investigate.

Honestly, this sounds like the perfect summer read. This is the type of book I’d bring to the beach or maybe even, do I dare say, camping? It gives Slasher Summer vibes in all the best ways.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my Women’s Horror list. Remember to share it with your friends on social media and give this blog a like. Also, comment with your favorite Women’s Horror books or movies below.