A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Sigourney Weaver @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @DemonAuthor @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, Alien, Dan Dillard, final girl, Horror, Leading Lady, Sigourney Weaver, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 19 – Dan Dillard:

Alien
Leading Lady: Sigourney Weaver

Synopsis:

After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as distress call, their landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform. Continuing their journey back to Earth with the attacked crew having recovered and the critter deceased, they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.

Dan’s opinion:

“In space, no one can hear you scream. It was the tagline and movie no one was ready for. Evil creatures from other worlds had, up to the release of Alien in 1979, been rubber-suited, low budget, cornball things in Saturday matinee and drive-in sci-fi schlock. And while Stan Winston’s Xenomorph was still a dude in a suit for the most part, it was terrifying. Blame it on claustrophobia, blame it on mood, blame it on atmosphere…whatever the combination that made Alien work, it worked like a sumbitch. I don’t think many would disagree with me that Sigourney Weaver’s Lieutenant Ellen Ripley drove that film. She was a no-nonsense officer who took charge and kicked ass and one of the few characters in film who maintained her swagger and cool even when some of the sequels went squirrely. I look forward to that possible upcoming Alien project Neil Blomkamp keeps teasing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4462546/), only because Sigourney Weaver is attached.”

An additional note from Dan: 

I’d like to say these are my favorites films with strong leading ladies, and they are definitely standouts, but there are so many more. Mostly gone are the days of the virgin final girl, the damsel in distress, the doting and clueless wife, the naked eye candy. As is often the case with these things, the horror genre may be leading the way. So in no real order, my five choices presented throughout the month of February are my absolute favorites. I’m sure most of you will agree, and maybe even say, “Pfft. Those were too easy.” For those people, I threw a fairly obscure film into the mix that I think everyone should watch.

Honorable mentions go out to:  Charlize Theron as Aileen Wournos in Monster, Christina Ricci as Wednesday in The Addams Family films, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie in Halloween, Leslie Easterbrook as Mother Firefly in The Devil’s Rejects, Gretchen Lodge as Molly in Lovely Molly, Jill Larson as Deborah in The Taking of Deborah Logan, and I could go on and on and on.

About Dan Dillard:

Dan lives in Bloomington, Indiana where it is currently cold and wintry. He is the author of Demons and Other Inconveniences, How to Eat a Human Being, Dig, Light as a Feather and others, Dan has been writing his whole life, but there was always an end goal:  Movies. After the short stories, came novels, then screenplays and finally, at forty-two years old, he went back to school to get his Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography and start putting some of those stories on the screen. His first non-student film is a short drama with elements of horror entitled “Anderson Wake” based on the short story from his collection, Down the Psycho Path. Look for the short film, produced by DeadLight Films in early 2017.

Dan is an alumni member of the horror writer’s group Pen of the Damned.

Film contact info:
dpdillard@fullsail.edu

Author contact info: 
demonauthor@gmail.com
www.demonauthor.com
www.facebook.com/demonauthor
www.twitter.com/demonauthor

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Patricia Tallman @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @JonOlsonAuthor @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, final girl, Horror, Jon Olson, Leading Lady, Night of the Living Dead, Patricia Tallman, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 18 – Jon Olson:

Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Leading Lady: Patricia Tallman

Synopsis:

Seven strangers are trapped in an isolated farmhouse while cannibalistic zombies – awakened from death by the return of a radioactive space probe – wage a relentless attack, killing (and eating) everyone in their path. Graphic, gruesome and more terrifying than ever!

Jon’s opinion:

“This remake of Romero’s classic of the same name is an underrated gem. While it’s true to say that no remake ever stands up to the original (maybe The Thing), this version directed by Tom Savini improves on some of the original’s flaws. One of those flaws is the character Barbara, played by Judith O’Dea in the original and Patricia Tallman in the remake. In the ‘68 version, after witnessing her brother Johnny get attacked and presumably killed, she runs, trips a couple times and hides out in a farmhouse. At this point, mentally she’s fucked and turns into a character that the men have to take care of and almost say “There, there, it’ll be okay”. It’s very hard to cheer for a character like that. In the 1990 version, again, Barbara watches her brother get attacked and all that good stuff. Once she takes refuge in the farmhouse it seems like we are getting the same Barbara from the original. Then something good happens. Barbara comes out of it and even rebuffs Ben (played by Tony Todd) when he tries to coddle her. She grows stronger as the film progresses only to have her plan of escape shot down time after time. Near the climax when she does escape, we see that she was right all along and had they acted on her plan the majority may have lived.”

About Jon:

On top of working full time as a Security Checkpoint Coordinator at the Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport and still learning the ropes of being a father, Jon is also a writer of horror and dark fiction. While he writes predominantly about the dark and horrible, he will step out into other areas if the interest is there. He finds enjoyment in expressing his creativity through fiction, poetry, songwriting, painting and thrashing the crap out of his bass guitar.

Blog: Monster Lane
Twitter: @JonOlsonAuthor

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Nadia Hilker @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @HunterShea1 @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, final girl, Horror, Hunter Shea, Leading Lady, Nadia Hilker, Spring, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 17 – Hunter Shea:

Spring
Leading Lady: Nadia Hilker

Synopsis:

A young man in a personal tailspin flees the US to Italy, where he sparks up a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.

Hunter’s opinion:

“I’ll be honest, I absolutely fell in love with Louise (Nadia Hilker). Spring is at first an Italian romance, with an undercurrent of horror running through it. Even knowing that Louise is a near immortal shape-shifting monster, you, just like Evan, the troubled man who has been pulled into her orbit, realize that you will gladly give everything up just to be with her. Louise is utterly enthralling, a tragic figure in a Kafkaesque fever dream. If Hilker wasn’t so enchanting herself, the movie would never have worked. Hands down, she’s one of the most alluring women in horror of all time, and that’s with her turning into hideous creatures night after night.”

An additional note from Hunter:

You’ll find more strong women in horror films than any other genre. Hell, there are so many fine examples, they even have a name for them – Final Girls. Now, Final Girls come in all shapes and sizes, strengths and weaknesses. My picks for A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films are well deserved props to my favorite Final Girls…

About Hunter:

Hunter Shea is the product of a childhood weened on The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and In Search Of. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. Hunter Shea is the product of a childhood weened on The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and In Search Of. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. His novels, Forest of Shadows, Evil Eternal , Swamp Monster Massacre , Sinister Entity, Hell Hole, The Waiting and Island of the Forbidden are published through Samhain Publishing’s horror line. Hell Hole was named Horror Novel Reviews #1 horror novel of 2014. His first thriller novel, The Montauk Monster, was released June, 2014 as a Pinnacle paperback, and was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best reads of the summer.

Hunter is proud to be be one half of the Monster Men video podcast, along with his partner in crime, Jack Campisi. It is one of the most watched horror video podcasts in the world. Monster Men is a light hearted approach to dark subjects. Hunter and Jack explore real life hauntings, monsters, movies, books and everything under the horror sun. They often interview authors, cryptid and ghost hunters, directors and anyone else living in the horror lane. Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to get Gray’s Papaya hotdogs when the craving hits. His daughters have also gotten the horror bug, assisting him with research, story ideas and illustrations that can be seen in magazines such as Dark Dossier.

Twitter: @huntershea1
Blog: Hunter Shea Author of the Dark and Paranormal

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Camille Keaton @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @BrianMoreland @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, Brian Moreland, Camille Keaton, final girl, Horror, I Spit On Your Grave, Leading Lady, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 16 – Brian Moreland:

I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
Leading Lady: Camille Keaton

Synopsis:

An aspiring writer is repeatedly gang-raped, humiliated, and left for dead by four men whom she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.

Brian’s opinion:

“Like the previous two movies I chose, this one involves transformation from a seemingly docile female into a badass when provoked. Jennifer Mills (Camille Keaton) starts out as an innocent young, waif-thin woman who retreats to a cabin in the woods to be alone and write. Five local rednecks show up, humiliate her, gang-rape her, and leave poor Jennifer for dead. Forever changed by the experience, she now has one purpose: revenge. She unleashes a very dark side as she violently hunts down each of the men who abused her and makes them wish they’d left her alone.”

About Brian:

Brian Moreland writes horror novels and short stories that get your heart pumpin’. He’s published eight books, including Dead of Winter, Shadows in the Mist, and Darkness Rising. Brian lives in Dallas, Texas where he wrangles monsters from other worlds. He’s dealt with his share of ghosts and serial killers too. For fun, Brian loves watching Dallas Cowboys football, world travel, and exploring caves.

Brian is an active member of the horror writer’s group Pen of the Damned.

Twitter: @BrianMoreland

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Sarah Polley @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @AuthorMarkStein @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, Dawn of the Dead, final girl, Horror, Leading Lady, Mark Steinwachs, Sarah Polley, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 15 – Mark Steinwachs:

Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Leading Lady: Sarah Polley

Synopsis:

A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman, and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.

Mark’s opinion:

“Zombies, a subject dear to me, are at the heart of this movie. A group of survivors during a zombie outbreak end up barricaded in a mall and we watch as they go through cycles of trust and mistrust within the walls of a bastion of American consumerism. There are a handful of main characters, but Ana (played by Sarah Polley) is the lead of the film. The struggles between the survivors are well done within the movie and do not dragged out too long. This is my favorite film Sarah Polley has been in and her strength in it comes from her ability to portray sadness or fear while still being strong and focused. The ending is fantastic for multiple reasons, but I’ll let you watch it so you can find out for yourself.”

About Mark:

Mark writes horror with a supernatural leaning, in many cases mixing old world with new. Over a decade traveling in tour buses as a roadie plus time as a United States Marine, and a rave DJ/promoter has given him a unique set of experiences to pull from for his stories.

Mark is an active member of the horror writer’s group Pen of the Damned.

Twitter: @AuthorMarkStein

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Julie Walker @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @LeeAndrewForman @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, final girl, Horror, Julie Walker, Leading Lady, Lee Forman, Return of the Living Dead III, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 14 – Lee A. Forman:

Return of the Living Dead III
Leading Lady: Julie Walker

Synopsis:

Having recently witnessed the horrific results of a top secret project to bring the dead back to life, a distraught youth performs the operation on his girlfriend after she’s killed in a motorcycle accident.

Lee’s opinion:

“If you love bad zombie movies Return of the Living Dead should be at the top of the list. Not only does the lead character (Julie Walker) become a zombie herself, but adorns her body with sharp objects and goes full badass on a gang of street thugs pursuing her. It’s definitely a B-movie, but as far as they go, this is exactly what a B-movie should be.”

About Lee:

Lee A. Forman is a fiction writer from the Hudson Valley, NY. His fascination with the macabre began in childhood, watching old movies and reading everything he could get his hands on. He’s a third generation horror fanatic, starting with his grandfather who was a fan of the classic Hollywood Monsters. His work has been published in multiple horror magazines, anthologies, and podcasts. When he’s not crafting horrifying creatures and tales of terror, he spends his time editing, playing guitar and writing music.

Lee is an active member of the horror writer’s group Pen of the Damned.

Blog: Lee A. Forman
Twitter: @leeandrewforman

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Ellen Burnstyn @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @DemonAuthor @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, Dan Dillard, Ellen Burnstyn, final girl, Horror, Leading Lady, The Exorcist, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 13 – Dan Dillard:

The Exorcist
Leading Lady: Ellen Burnstyn

Synopsis:

When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.

Dan’s opinion:

“For forty plus years, people have been talking about The Exorcist. It’s on a lot of “scariest ever” lists and with good reason. There is a triple-threat of ladies in this film and together, they delivered a powerhouse of a movie. I have to give it to the combination of Linda Blair and Eileen Dietz (and Dick Smith and Mercedes McCambridge) for one of the best monsters ever put on celluloid. They really sold possession in a way that has yet to be improved on, although it is often copied. Some say the effects are a bit dated today, and others claim it isn’t scary, but I say the story is still solid (if the movie didn’t do it for you, read the book!), and whether you believe little Reagan is possessed or just crazy, you have to put yourself in the place of one strong character-Chris McNeil. Ellen Burstyn was the heart and soul of that film. You laugh with her, hurt with her, get pissed off with her, worry with her and you are horrified with her. In a movie filled with great performances, I think hers is most important.”

An additional note from Dan: 

I’d like to say these are my favorites films with strong leading ladies, and they are definitely standouts, but there are so many more. Mostly gone are the days of the virgin final girl, the damsel in distress, the doting and clueless wife, the naked eye candy. As is often the case with these things, the horror genre may be leading the way. So in no real order, my five choices presented throughout the month of February are my absolute favorites. I’m sure most of you will agree, and maybe even say, “Pfft. Those were too easy.” For those people, I threw a fairly obscure film into the mix that I think everyone should watch.

Honorable mentions go out to:  Charlize Theron as Aileen Wournos in Monster, Christina Ricci as Wednesday in The Addams Family films, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie in Halloween, Leslie Easterbrook as Mother Firefly in The Devil’s Rejects, Gretchen Lodge as Molly in Lovely Molly, Jill Larson as Deborah in The Taking of Deborah Logan, and I could go on and on and on.

About Dan Dillard:

Dan lives in Bloomington, Indiana where it is currently cold and wintry. He is the author of Demons and Other Inconveniences, How to Eat a Human Being, Dig, Light as a Feather and others, Dan has been writing his whole life, but there was always an end goal:  Movies. After the short stories, came novels, then screenplays and finally, at forty-two years old, he went back to school to get his Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography and start putting some of those stories on the screen. His first non-student film is a short drama with elements of horror entitled “Anderson Wake” based on the short story from his collection, Down the Psycho Path. Look for the short film, produced by DeadLight Films in early 2017.

Dan is an alumni member of the horror writer’s group Pen of the Damned.

Film contact info:
dpdillard@fullsail.edu

Author contact info: 
demonauthor@gmail.com
www.demonauthor.com
www.facebook.com/demonauthor
www.twitter.com/demonauthor

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Katharine Isabelle – American Mary @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, American Mary, final girl, Horror, Katherine Isabelle, Leading Lady, Nina D'Arcangela, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s MY Point of View!

Nina’s B&E Bonus Pick – o2!

Wondering what a B&E bonus pick is? Since I handed my blog over to the guys for their opinions on strong leading ladies for WiHM this year, I’m doing a little breaking and entering into their realm and posting a few picks of my own! Here is number two.

American Mary

Leading Lady: Katharine Isabelle

She’s an Artist

Synopsis:
The allure of easy money sends Mary Mason, a medical student, into the world of underground surgeries which ends up leaving more marks on her than her so called ‘freakish’ clients.

Nina’s opinion:

“Mary, played to perfection by Katherine Isabelle, is a medical student studying to be a surgeon who finds out it’s difficult to be an attractive woman and be taken seriously by her male mentors. Just when she thinks she’s achieved serious recognition for her talent and hard work, it turns out that the interest she’s garnered has nothing to do with her surgical abilities at all (misogynistic male surgeons sexually abuse attractive female student). The resulting series of events that take place have more to do with Mary’s burgeoning surgical career than any amount of schooling ever could. While uncomfortable in her new role at first, she soon takes to the underground scene of body modification for cash like a fish to water!

“This movie is seedy, sultry, twisted, gory, creepy, and enthralling – and let’s not leave out just a tad vengeful. If you haven’t caught American Mary yet, put it on your TBW list!”

About Nina:

Nina D’Arcangela is a quirky horror writer who likes to spin soul rending snippets of despair. She reads anything from splatter matter to dark matter. She’s an UrbEx adventurer who suffers from unquenchable wanderlust. She loves to photograph abandoned places, bits of decay and old graveyards.

Nina is co-owner of Sirens Call Publications, co-founder of the horror writer’s group Pen of the Damned, and if that isn’t enough, put a check mark in the box next to owner and resident anarchist of Dark Angel Photography.

Twitter: @Sotet_Angyal

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Jodey Foster @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @JonOlsonAuthor @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, final girl, Horror, Jodie Foster, Jon Olson, Leading Lady, The Silence of the Lambs, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 12 – Jon Olson:

The Silence of the Lambs
Leading Lady: Jodey Foster

Synopsis:

A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

Jon’s opinion:

“Not only is this a great horror movie, it is also one of the greatest movies of all time. This film has it all. There’s a great story, fantastic protagonists, one of the greatest monsters of all time with amazing portrayals to bring them to life. FBI Agent in training Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) is used to seek help on a serial killer case from another serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The director, Jonathan Demme, did an amazing job filming as he used a lot of facial close ups and character POV’s to allow the audience to truly feel like they were there. Demme also honed in on what it must’ve felt like for Starling to be in a largely masculine world (FBI, Law Enforcement) by placing Starling in shots where she is surrounded by men, who are all taller than her to help emphasize her isolation. The entire movie is an uphill battle for Starling and she survives her own version of the ‘Minotaur in the Labyrinth’ when she is chased around Buffalo Bill’s basement in the dark by the Buffalo Bill himself. We watch her grow from a trainee in the beginning to a full FBI agent at her graduation at the end and endure all of her struggles along the way. It is simply a masterpiece.”

About Jon:

On top of working full time as a Security Checkpoint Coordinator at the Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport and still learning the ropes of being a father, Jon is also a writer of horror and dark fiction. While he writes predominantly about the dark and horrible, he will step out into other areas if the interest is there. He finds enjoyment in expressing his creativity through fiction, poetry, songwriting, painting and thrashing the crap out of his bass guitar.

Blog: Monster Lane
Twitter: @JonOlsonAuthor

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!

A Damned Take on Women in #Horror #Films: Maika Monroe @WiHMonth @Sotet_Angyal @HunterShea1 @PenoftheDamned #WiHM8

Tags

Actor, Actress, final girl, Horror, Hunter Shea, It Follows, Leading Lady, Maika Monroe, WiHM, WiHM8, Women in Horror Month

A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films
The Guy’s Point of View!

In honor of Women in Horror Month 2017, I asked six male horror writers for their top-five favorite horror films staring strong leading ladies and why they loved them so much. So, without further ado…

Day 11 – Hunter Shea:

It Follows
Leading Lady: Maika Monroe

Synopsis:

For 19-year-old Jay, fall should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, or something, is following her. Jay and her teenage friends must now find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind in this critically-acclaimed chiller that Bloody Disgusting calls the scariest movie of 2015.

Hunter’s opinion:

“The whole concept of a possession that gets passed on through sexual intercourse just blows me away. Poor Jay (the great Maika Monroe) does the old two step boogie in the back of her boyfriend’s car, gets choloroformed, tied to a wheelchair and shown the shambling wraith that will keep following her until she gives the curse to someone else. She’s just a young, kind of lost girl with crappy parents who is as harmless as a butterfly. I love how she leans on the unquestioning support of her sister and friends to help her get through this. Sure, she could easily just pick a dude and sleep with him and be rid of it. But she doesn’t want to make someone’s life just as miserable as her own. Jay is no superhero. She’s not exceptionally intelligent or strong or courageous, which makes her all the more likeable. She is us, thrust into a terrifying and impossible situation.”

An additional note from Hunter:

You’ll find more strong women in horror films than any other genre. Hell, there are so many fine examples, they even have a name for them – Final Girls. Now, Final Girls come in all shapes and sizes, strengths and weaknesses. My picks for A Damned Take on Women in Horror Films are well deserved props to my favorite Final Girls…

About Hunter:

Hunter Shea is the product of a childhood weened on The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and In Search Of. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. Hunter Shea is the product of a childhood weened on The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and In Search Of. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. His novels, Forest of Shadows, Evil Eternal , Swamp Monster Massacre , Sinister Entity, Hell Hole, The Waiting and Island of the Forbidden are published through Samhain Publishing’s horror line. Hell Hole was named Horror Novel Reviews #1 horror novel of 2014. His first thriller novel, The Montauk Monster, was released June, 2014 as a Pinnacle paperback, and was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best reads of the summer.

Hunter is proud to be be one half of the Monster Men video podcast, along with his partner in crime, Jack Campisi. It is one of the most watched horror video podcasts in the world. Monster Men is a light hearted approach to dark subjects. Hunter and Jack explore real life hauntings, monsters, movies, books and everything under the horror sun. They often interview authors, cryptid and ghost hunters, directors and anyone else living in the horror lane. Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to get Gray’s Papaya hotdogs when the craving hits. His daughters have also gotten the horror bug, assisting him with research, story ideas and illustrations that can be seen in magazines such as Dark Dossier.

Twitter: @huntershea1
Blog: Hunter Shea Author of the Dark and Paranormal

Stop by my other blogs for more Women in Horror Month content!
Sotet Angyal, The Dark Angel – Dark emotive flash fiction written by me.
Spreading the Writer’s Word – A new Horror Flash-Fiction from a different female author daily in February!

And don’t forget to visit the Women in Horror Month official web site
for more great WiHM8 events and posts!