Now Streaming | Women in Horror Month

In a calendar riddled with observances (it’s “National Gumdrop Day,” did you know that?), some are bound to fall through the cracks. And one that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, at least as far as all us film writers at Crave are concerned, is Women in Horror Month, which celebrates the impact and creative output of female storytellers in everyone’s favorite genre.

There are lots of great female writers, actors, directors, and experts in any other horror-related profession, but they don’t always get the spotlight as much as they should, so we’re taking this opportunity to focus on five amazing horror movies from female filmmakers that are currently available for viewing on Netflix. Because that way you have absolutely no excuse. If you love horror movies, you should see every single one of these movies… in part because it’s Women in Horror Month, and in part because even in a vacuum they are all awesome.

Also: The 50 Best Horror Movies of the Century (So Far)

Check out these fantastic scary movies, and come back next Monday for more recommendations from Now Streaming!

Ravenous (Watch It Now)

20th Century Fox

The late, great Antonia Bird didn’t spend a lot of her career in the horror genre (she’s better known for “serious” dramas like Priest and Mad Love), but she directed a mouth-watering cult classic in 1999. Ravenous stars Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3) as a 19th century coward who is confused for a war hero, and sent to a remote outpost on the American frontier as a reward/punishment. But just as he’s getting acclimated to the other weirdos he’s trapped with, Robert Carlyle (Once Upon a Time) arrives with a horror story about a wagon train that devolved into cannibalism.

A search party goes out, but instead they find… well, that would be telling, but let’s just say they find gory horror and black comedy. Ravenous is a unique picture, intriguingly produced and quirkily acted, and by the end it’s almost hard to tell what genre Antonia Bird was going for, in a good way. Ravenous keeps you guessing, and it only makes you hungry for more.

Kiss of the Damned (Watch It Now)

Magnolia Pictures

Vampire movies aren’t going anywhere, but they are (at least) finally going in the opposite direction of chaste teen romances. One of the films leading that charge was Xan Cassavetes’ impossibly sexual Kiss of the Damned, a film about prurient sexuality, jealousy, guilt and moral ambivalence. Joséphine de La Baume stars as a vampire who falls in love/lust with a writer played by Milo Ventimiglia, and before long their mutual attraction blossoms into a serious, passionate relationship.

That all changes when our heroine’s “sister” (Roxane Mesquida) arrives, sexing up the place even more, which you’ll be surprised was even possible. The introduction of the outside world to an isolate, introverted romance – and the sudden temptation to stray, romantically and violently, from the rules of their relationship – leads to confusion and fear. Kiss of the Damned is filmed with all the erotic allure of classic 1970s Eurosleaze, and surely qualifies as one of the most erotic vampire movies ever made. But it’s also an intelligent examination of contemporary relationships, which seem trapped between old-fashioned expectations and progressive ideas about human sexuality.

Honeymoon (Watch It Now)

Magnolia Pictures

The honeymoon period was never shorter than it is in Leigh Janiak’s debut feature, about a pair of young newlyweds (Penny Dreadful‘s Harry Treadaway and Game of Thrones‘ Rose Leslie) who take their romantic victory lap at a cabin where, all of a sudden, communication breaks down. The bride wanders off into the woods one night, experiences something disturbing, and comes back changed. The groom notices a lot of little differences in her behavior, and for the longest time he can’t be sure whether he’s being closed-minded or if something is genuinely, truly, horrifyingly wrong with his wife.

Honeymoon eventually escalates, and a maybe a little too far. Janiak’s film is incredibly unsettling when the events are a total mystery, and the audience is forced to wonder if we are simply being paranoid. Is something really wrong with her, or is he the one who is letting his expectations mar their relationship? Honeymoon has the answers, and some terrifying shocks, but it’s the extended period of doubt in the middle that continues to resonate long after the movie concludes.

The Babadook (Watch It Now)

IFC Films

Jennifer Kent’s award-winning supernatural thriller The Babadook is one of the most celebrated horror films in years, and with exceptionally good cause. It’s scary as hell and features one of the all-time great horror performances, from Essie Davis, playing a single mother wrestling with anxiety and grief and the living personification of her son’s boogeyman.

The title creature (which eerily croaks “Baba-DOOKDOOKDOOK”) may be a literal supernatural entity or it may our heroine’s own frailties. Her young, very strange son is a constant reminder of her deceased husband, and the stresses of raising this troubled child all on her own in a house that’s probably too big for them is just an invitation for ghosts to occupy all the shadowy corners. As the horror mounts, and takes its toll, we start to think about what a real monster is and how close we all could be to becoming one. And that’s a chilling notion to contemplate, illustrating beautifully by Jennifer Kent’s impressive debut feature.

American Mary (Watch It Now)

XLrator Media

The kink of The Soska Sisters is always tempered with understanding… and fear. In their best film, American Mary, the twin filmmakers tell the story of a medical student pulled into the illicit world of illegal medicine, performing surgery on criminals and becoming a savior to body modification enthusiasts whose tastes range from the eclectic to the disturbing.

For all the empathy American Mary has for its protagonist and her fascinating clientele, it’s also a horror show. Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) starts out naive and concludes the film as a proper Batman villain, motivated by personal tragedy to perform unspeakable acts for her own personal gratification, and owning her own physicality in ways that may or may not be entirely healthy. As American Mary goes on it becomes difficult to tell whether she is a hero, an anti-hero, a villain, a tragedy or an inspiration. Like most of us, she’s probably a combination of all those qualities. American Mary is a rich and rewarding (and scary) motion picture.

Top Photo: Magnolia Pictures

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

Previously on Now Streaming: