5 Books to Read During Women In Horror Month
March is Women in Horror Month, a community celebration of women’s contributions and achievements across the horror genre. For the next month, the horror community will come together to celebrate female creators in literature, poetry, publishing, film and television, visual art, music, podcasting, and more. While I enjoy all of these forms of creative expression, I don’t think it’s a surprise that I’m most immersed in the world of bookish horror. I’m fortunate to work in an industry populated by talented, badass women writing powerful, poignant books. While the number of excellent horror books written and edited by women feels limitless, I wanted to take the time to shoutout a few of my most recent favorites. Here are 5 books you should definitely read during Women in Horror Month!
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Henry Holt & Co. | 2021
Inspired by the birth-story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this YA horror/thriller brings SCREAM (1996) energy to THE DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989). The book follows a small group of horror-obsessed teens as they compete to see who can pull the best horror-inspired prank on their classmates. It blends genres seamlessly, stirring slasher and teen thriller elements together in a perfect spooky stew.
Moldavsky is a master of characterization, expertly crafting this rag-tag crew of high school misfits each of whom buck stereotypical horror tropes while paying homage to the stories that paved the way. This book is rich in film references from the classical to the contemporary, Williamson-esque meta, and cinematic imagery. This would play out as a phenomenal movie or mini-series, but is truly excellent as-is. This book has twists and turns galore, with a fun whodunnit edge that’ll keep you on your toes.
Also by Goldy Moldavsky: Lord of the Flyfest; No Good Deed; Kill The Boy Band.
Unboxed by Briana Morgan
Independently Published | 2020
How far would you go to gain one million followers? That’s the question posed to Greg Zipper, the main character of this web-based stage play by indie horror powerhouse Briana Morgan. This drama draws from classic horror elements to tell a uniquely modern tale: a paranormal vlogger gets way more than he bargained for when he purchases a mystery box off the dark web, hoping its unboxing will win back his wary YouTube followers and restore his girlfriend’s faith in his online career. Instead, Greg unleashes a mysterious entity, thrusting himself and his family into the fight for their lives.
This play showcases Morgan’s talent and true gift for evoking the spooky, the creepy, the intense unease of classic horror. She is built for this genre. While this is a quick read, it’s action-packed and perfectly paced, hitting all the right beats to pull strings of tension and evoke emotions of fear, of sympathy, of hope, of love. Unboxed would look phenomenal on stage, but is just as effective, visceral, and scary on the page.
Also by Briana Morgan: Mouth Full of Ashes; The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories; Livingston Girls.
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
Del Ray | 2022
This genre-blending novel borrows elements from dystopian horror and domestic thrillers to explore cycle-breaking and survival in three generations of women. In the wake of covid-19, a new pandemic lurks beneath the surface — and this one is far more dangerous. Those afflicted with the Violence are prone to sudden bursts of blackout rage, attacking those nearest to them with inhumane strength, turning anything in their hands into deadly weapons.
The book centers on a trio of women: grandmother Patricia, mother Chelsea, and daughter Ella. In a fast-paced, multi-perspective narrative, The Violence breaks down the meaning of violence before and after its fictional titular disease takes hold. It’s a story about motherhood, womanhood, and feminine power. At times a bit heavy-handed, this book is ultimately a powerful and empowering examination of what it means to be abused and to overcome that abuse. What challenges do we face when we chose to fight back? What support do we need to succeed? You can read my full review, complete with content warnings, here.
Also by Delilah S. Dawson: Wicked As They Come; Star Wars: PHASMA; Servants of the Storm.
I Am Not Your Final Girl by Claire C. Holland
GlassPoet Press | 2018
This gorgeous collection blends horror heroines and beautiful free-verse poetry to examine the ways in which women interact with, are empowered by, and feel represented within the horror genre. This book reads like a love letter to final girls past, present, and future. It breaks down the traditional trope and peels back the layers of who these women are and what they mean to female audiences. It digs into the inner workings of characters from Laurie Strode (HALLOWEEN, 1978) to Thomasin (THE WITCH, 2015).
While the poems are absolutely written with specific characters in mind, they transcend the films that inspired them and tell the stories and feelings of countless women. It is relatable in the same way final girls themselves are relatable. We see ourselves in them, we want them to win because their victories feel like our victories. On top of all that, this book is written with deep passion and love for its source material, the kind of rich emotions that seep off the page. It’s a must-read for sure.
Also by Claire C. Holland: mother / daughter / monster.
Slash-Her edited by Janine Pipe & Jill Girardi
Kandisha Press | 2022
This empowering anthology contains stories by twenty-one talented women to rehash the slasher genre through the female-lens. In the words of slasher expert Stephen Graham Jones, “it’s got the blood, it’s got the guts, it’s got heart.” This book is a moving tribute to an iconic sub-genre of horror populated largely by women. It takes a fresh look at the final girl and even pulls some Freaky Friday shenanigans, putting women behind the scary masks and often blurring the lines between heroes and villains, questioning what it means to be either in a chainsaw massacre, dream demon sort of world.
Slash-Her features stories by horror powerhouses including Laurel Hightower, Red Lagoe, and Stoker Award-nominated Cynthia Pelayo and Rhonda J. Garcia. It runs the gamut from quiet horror to pure splatterpunk. As an added bonus, the cover art is hand-painted by horror author and artist Gemma Amor and the anthology is edited by Splatterpunk Award nominee Janine Pipe and Kandisha Press Editor-in-Chief Jill Girardi. I’ll have a full review up shortly, but for now just now that this is one hell of an anthology, and its release truly kicked off this year’s Women in Horror Month celebration with a bang.
Also from Kandisha Press: Don’t Break the Oath; The One That Got Away; Graveyard Smash.