On the doorstep of Sitges Film Festival’s new edition, critics and industry experts gathered to vote for the top 10 female‑led horror films. The preliminary list reveals a surprising trend: many selections hail from the last two decades, with very few titles dating before 1980. The oldest film in the lineup is from 1987, and its director, Mary Lambert, will appear at Sitges in the coming days. This momentum showcases the strong, ongoing presence of women behind the camera in a genre that has historically underrepresented them. Since 2021, Sitges has run the Woman in Fan program, offering scholarships and special events to amplify the work of women in fantasy and horror. The rankings were assembled by a group of critics including Quim Casas, Desirée de Fez, Laura Fernández, Juan Manuel Freire, Julián García, Elena Hevia, Nando Salvà and Rafael Tapounet, all aiming to highlight female talent in genre cinema.
Voting methodology
Each critic submitted a ranked list of ten films. The scoring awarded ten points to the first choice, nine to the second, eight to the third, down to one point for the tenth. The final tally was calculated by summing scores across all ballots, producing the published top 10 list.
10. Prevenge (Alice Lowe, 2016), 15 points
A pregnant woman, seven months along, turns into a killer following orders believed to come from the baby she carries. The film marks Lowe’s debut as writer and director, with her playing the lead role. It crafts a brutal, bloody comedy that lampoons pregnancy and motherhood while delivering sharp social satire and a distinctly British sense of black humor. The premise doubles as prenatal revenge satire that defies conventional expectations.
Social critique and dark wit mingle in a story that uses a pregnancy-centered premise to probe gender dynamics and violence with audacious flair.
9. Jennifer’s Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009), 16 points
Some critics initially dismissed the film as a silly horror comedy about a demonically possessed cheerleader. Yet Kusama, with Diablo Cody’s razor-sharp screenplay, creates a visually inventive, emotionally precise narrative. What may appear as light entertainment reveals layered commentary on identity, desire, and the costs of fame when looked at with care.
Seen as more than a gimmick, the movie stands as a bold entry in the horror canon, inviting closer readings rather than lazy judgments.
8. American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000), 17 points
How did a filmmaker translate a controversial novel into a cinematic experience that exposes a culture obsessed with surface and status? Harron adapts Brett Easton Ellis with a darkly satirical lens, letting narcissism, misogyny, and mediocrity show their true faces without glamorizing them. The result is a morally piercing critique wrapped in stylish, disturbing satire.
Harron’s approach blends black humor with piercing social commentary, delivering a sharp portrait of a society enthralled by appearances and excess.
7. Living Cemetery (Mary Lambert, 1989), 21 points
Adapting Stephen King is a risky proposition that invites fierce fan scrutiny, yet Lambert took a bold risk and succeeded in creating a film that resonates with the source material’s atmosphere. Her intimate grasp of King’s world helps recreate the bleak, decadent mood and cast selection to powerful effect.
The film’s success led Lambert to pursue even more ambitious projects, expanding the bar for what a horror adaptation could achieve.
6. The Invitation (Karyn Kusama, 2015), 26 points
A reunion among old friends spirals into a suspense-laden feast of fear and paranoia. Kusama crafts a tight, claustrophobic thriller, anchored by John Carroll Lynch’s chilling performance. The film dissects the dynamics of trust and social ritual, culminating in a twist that broadens the domestic dread into a broader meditation on community and narcissism.
The film earned the best Film award at Sitges in 2015.
5. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014), 32 points
Often described as the first Iranian vampire western, Amirpour’s film blends romance, vampirism, and feminist sensibility in stark black‑and‑white visuals. Filmed largely in California, it sits stylistically closer to Jim Jarmusch in spirit than to traditional vampire cinema, delivering a quietly radical story about power and autonomy in a moonlit town.
In a near-deserted setting, a vampiric prowl intersects with a troubled man, and the film’s moody aesthetic amplifies its themes of resistance, desire, and consequence.
4. The Babadook (Jennifer Kent, 2014), 38 points
The debut feature from Jennifer Kent offers a clever inversion of the monster trope by rooting terror in a mother’s unresolved grief after loss. The son’s presence magnifies the fear as the family’s world tightens into a nightmare, anchored by precise direction and a chilling sense of space.
Kent’s film stands out for its restrained, masterful suspense and its examination of motherhood as a site of anxiety and strength, eschewing cliché for a deeply personal horror.
3. Raw (Julia Ducournau, 2016), 47 points
Justine leaves the nest to discover new freedoms, testing boundaries of appetite and identity. The story’s core shifts when a forbidden interest erupts into raw, primal urges, pushing the heroine into a brutal journey of self-discovery.
The film reframes coming‑of‑age as a radical, bodily experience, using a university setting to explore desire, discipline, and the meat of human hunger.
2. There’s Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis, 2001), 49 points
Denis builds a stark, unsettling tale of desire and decay through two lovers whose acts threaten to unravel their humanity. The film’s visceral energy and transgressive mood helped redefine contemporary French extremism in cinema, aided by a raw, provocative soundtrack that intensifies the mood.
Gallo and Dalle embody a combination of longing and danger, turning a Parisian setting into a fever dream of appetite and consequence.
1. Night Walkers (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987), 60 points
A tale that blends Western ambience with vampire lore, Night Walkers is a bold early statement from Bigelow. The film fuses romance, danger, and humor with vibrant confidence, delivering memorable characters and a striking score. Its practical effects and striking visuals helped it stand out as a kinetic, genre-crossing achievement.
With memorable performances and innovative pacing, the film remains a touchstone for fans of vampire cinema and genre fusions alike.