50 Top Scary Movies Starring Women

The horror genre has seen quite the resurgence over the past few years with films like Us, Midsommar, and The Conjuring franchise dominating the box office. One thread that runs through many of the best scary movies right now is the presence of a strong female lead character.

This isn't a new concept, of course. From Halloween and Alien to Carrie and A Nightmare on Elm Street, women are often at the center of scary movies. It makes sense, when you think about it: While these films are aimed at scaring viewers, they also often speak to larger cultural issues—and that often means addressing the real-life horrors women face. In Rosemary's Baby, for example, Mia Farrow's character is facing off against a male-dominated system that wants to control her body. Similarly, Jaime (Maika Monroe) in It Follows is essentially slut-shamed in the most terrifying way possible. Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is faced with tremendous bullying—and only comes into her real power after starting her period (or "becoming a woman").

So with all of that in mind, here's our list of some of the best horror movies that put women front and center in the story.

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