1000 WOMEN IN HORROR -- Who Runs the Genre?

Review by Steve Barton II

From the dawn of time, women have had a vital role in humanity and often get overlooked in the grand scheme of it all. Women being involved in horror stories can be dated back to biblical texts and beyond. In many ways, the horror genre and women are like scary stories and a campfire. You can have each without the other, but paired together, it’s magic! 1000 Women in Horror is the newest original documentary from Shudder and it covers a sprawling time period from 1895 until now and the impact women have had on the horror genre. The documentary is based on a book under the same title from 2020 written by Alexandra Heller-Nicolas and she also appears as a talking head throughout the documentary itself. Both the book and documentary show women from behind and in-front of the camera and the pioneering work they did to pave the way for women today!

A unique aspect of 1000 Women in Horror is the overall structure of the documentary. While most movies in its genre usually section out itself on chronological order, this one is much more creative. The breakdown actually happens through the traditional phases/milestones of a woman’s life. It starts with adolescence and how girl’s obsession with their dolls has become a major subgenre of horror itself. They also touch on puberty and high school angst, motherhood, losing their sexual desire and several other headers of sections that made this documentary stand out among the others. The film also touches on the many different women who became staples of the genre and how many tropes/terms derived from the performances from these icons. Whether it's “the final girl”, the “whore” or the utopian, feminist societies like Wicker Man, women have made their impact on the horror world and deserve to be celebrated. But while the genre may have its moments of celebrating women, horror has also historically been their biggest enemy. Especially in the 70’s and 80’s, women were seen as sex symbols and solid carnage candy for the dominating male audience. As the women in this documentary state, it took many of these brave ladies to step up and start taking their power back and telling their stories. The diversity of fresh voices in horror is the major component of why it connects with younger generations and these women play a huge part in that.

While it does have its own special identity, 1000 Women in Horror is also quite similar to many other “talking head” documentaries. Throughout the runtime, we hear from about 20 different women that have their own personal stories and expertises as ladies in and around the genre. None of the interviews were notably weak or uninteresting, but a few of the standouts were Kate Siegel (Hush) when she talks about her cesarean section procedure and the horror of that and the author herself, Alexandra Heller-Nicolas. They cover several generations and the variety of perspectives makes the audience consider the deeper meaning in some of these iconic movies and how they relate to the female experience.

In the end, 1000 Women in Horror is a solid documentary to burst onto the scene during International Women’s Month and celebrate these iconic faces and voices in the always growing horror genre. Putting a microphone and camera in front of these ladies to hear them gush about their passions for horror and how much of an impact it had on their lives is something to be celebrated and needs to happen more often. If you’re looking to brush up on some light horror history from several of the ladies that laid the bedrock for horror fans, look no further than 1000 Women in Horror!

1000 Women in Horror is streaming on Shudder starting March 20th!

Rating: 4/5