Six Flix: This Week in Horror Movies (3/22-3/27)

After enjoying the final girls last week, we concluded Women’s History Month with a few horror films featuring memorable villainous women.

Editor’s Note:

When it comes to onscreen representation of women, horror films have always been far ahead of the pack compared to the rest of Hollywood. In fact, according to The Center for the Study of Women in Film, horror movies have the most female protagonists, with 43% of female characters appearing in scary films. According to Women in Television & Film, the percentage of films with female protagonists has decreased from 33% in 2022 to 28% in 2023. This is the lowest percentage of movies with female protagonists since 2017. 77% of films have more male than female characters in speaking roles.

To celebrate the end of Women’s History Month, we decided to watch some great female villains. And once again, these ladies really slayed!

1. GET OUT (2017)

Get Out is an all-around great movie. It’s one of our favorites and by far our favorite Jordan Peele Movie.

There are several villains, with the entire family serving as the main entity of evil. However, Rose (Allison Willims) and her mother are arguably the biggest villains. Rose seems to be the one who brought in most of their victims, leading her lambs to slaughter without a shred of remorse. She is also more twisted, sick, and manipulative than anyone in the family because she dates these men for months and then brings them home to be killed.

Rose does a great job of pretending to love Daniel Kaluuya’s character, Chris, and they really seem like a fitting couple in the beginning. She’s also masterful at quelling his fears and trepidations when they arrive at her family’s home. Meanwhile, her mother, Missy Armitage (Catherine Keener), hypnotizes the victims, including Chris, and puts them in “the sunken place” where they can no longer move or talk and are trapped in their minds.

There are so many awkward and uncomfortable exchanges in this movie and some really creepy scenes. All of the actors are incredible, especially Allison Williams, Daniel Kaluuya, Betty Gabriel, LaKeith Stanfield, and Catherine Keener.

This is unquestionably worth a watch as a great horror film, a compelling social horror, and an example of outstanding female villainry.

2. GONE GIRL (2014)

Gone Girl is an incredibly thrilling and engaging film. Its great story unfolds beautifully to a stellar score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score never fails to set the tone and flow perfectly with each scene. It’s a longer movie, being 2 hours 29 minutes, but you never feel bored. David Fincher is always amazing, but this is one of our favorites.

This crime thriller tells the story of a seemingly immaculate couple, Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick (Ben Affleck). When Amy goes missing, Nick finds himself in a very suspicious position, while the growing media circus surrounding the case affects how people see him.

Rosamund Pike is incredible in every scene that she is in and delivers an outstanding performance. Amy is crazy, twisted, and vindictive. She uses people as she needs them, is a fantastic liar, and is very manipulative. Yet somehow, you can’t help but root for her; it is a blast to watch her story unfold.

This movie has an incredible and very memorable kill scene that alone makes this movie worth watching, but there is so much more to tune in for. 

3. TRAGEDY GIRLS (2017)

Tragedy Girls is a comedy slasher with a fun plot, great gory kills, and some laughs along the way.

We love McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) so much; she’s hilarious and gorgeous. Her best friend Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) is a pretty solid character, too, and they have great chemistry together. These two girls are absolutely insane and deranged. They have so much fun killing, and it’s a blast to watch. The dialogue is funny but not too over-the-top silly.

These dangerous and obnoxious girls begin committing murders to report on their online show “Tragedy Girls” and advance their careers and horror legend status.

We love the mix of bloody and brutal kills with hilarity mixed in and recommend this if you like slashers with lots of style and wit. 

4. AUDITION (1999)

Audition is a slow-paced Japanese horror film focused on a man trying to find his new perfect woman years after his wife dies.

Our protagonist Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi) seems like a relatively normal and well off man with a friend in the film/tv industry. He tags along on an interview process for women trying for a new program to see if he can find a good match for him and his son. He gets a little more than advertised with Asami. (Eihi Shiina) Asami is a once abused and now insane young woman out for blood.

Asami is a great villain, she has no reasoning and no sympathy. She ends up trapping him in his home and inflicting some good ol’ torture on him.  She has a blast putting Shigeharu in all kinds of pain through various methods, and it is fun to watch.

It takes a long time to get to the real brutality. However, when you do, it’s a great payoff — disturbing and cringe-inducing. The infamous needle scene makes this movie worth watching.

Audition is perfect if you’re looking for a good, disturbing slow burn with some bite and torture at the end.

5. BRIDE OF CHUCKY (1998)

Bride of Chucky is such an entertaining ride, and Jennifer Tilly gives a wildly fun performance as Tiffany. She’s very sadistic and has a lot of fun with it! This movie is full of laughs and kills exactly what you want in a comedy horror.

There are some funny and memorable moments, including a full head spin around and an uncomfortable doll sex scene.

Tiffany is a great villain because she enjoys the carnage so much, and she has a hand in some pretty cool kills. She has great chemistry with Brad Dourif, who voices Chucky, and he is always terrific. Tiffany and Chucky have an incredibly toxic love/hate relationship that breeds a lot of funny banter between them.

The movie still has some big flaws, mainly being you don’t care about any of the humans. They’re either annoying or just bad actors, but it’s a fun ride nonetheless.

Bride of Chucky is silly, but it offers a ton of laughs and kills — and that’s really all we can ask for at this point in the franchise.

6. PEARL (2022)

Pearl was a pleasant surprise. Although we had heard good things, period pieces are not usually our vibe, so we weren’t expecting to love it. However, we had a great time watching. It feels very modern and relatable, which is a feat in itself.

Pearl (Mia Goth)  is crazy and fun to watch. You feel for her throughout the film, watching her heartbreak and then insanity build up and bubble over. She lives a pretty miserable and bleak life on a farm, caring for her seemingly vegetative father with her insensitive mother. With her husband away at war, Pearl yearns for more and wants to be a dancer like the famous women she sees in the pictures.

The kills were really fun, and the special effects were outstanding. Mia Goth is always a joy to watch. She is incredible, and she can really hold a scene. Toward the end of the film, she has a little monologue about what has happened and how she feels, and it is nothing short of breathtaking.

Mia Goth’s mesmerizing performance alone easily makes Pearl worth watching.