13 Horror Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test

Sam Raimi’s 2013 adaptation of Evil Dead breathes new life (or should we say death?) into the 1981 original. Accompanied by her brother and a few friends, recovering addict Mia ventures to a cabin in the woods to quit heroin cold turkey. When the group stumbles across a Book of the Dead in the basement, they unwittingly release a demonic spirit. In this ultra-gory modern cult classic, the agony of withdrawal becomes a real and all-consuming evil.

This ‘80s throwback flick is fit for any hipster. It centers around a college sophomore named Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) who is hired for a mysterious babysitting gig by a couple, then arrives at their Victorian mansion in the woods only to learn that instead she’ll be caring for one of their super-creepy ailing mothers. 

This black-and-white western follows a lonely vampire that preys on bad men but also falls for a local gardener with James Dean-esque good looks. Moody and at times subversive, this bloodthirsty ode to film noir will haunt you for weeks.

In this terrifying period piece, a family living in a 17th-century New England colony is forced to start a new life on the edge of a forest. The area is supposedly haunted, and when things go south on the plantation, the parents accuse their daughter of witchcraft. 

The Craft follows a coterie of teen witch outcasts as they exact revenge on their enemies while sporting the best of ‘90s goth fashion. Spells are cast, Neve Campbell co-stars, and a racist is punished—what’s not to love?

How far would you go for some easy money? That's the question at the crux of this Canadian horror film. Desperate to stay in medical school, aspiring surgeon Mary Mason starts answering adult classified ads to make some dough on the side. One leads her to the bowels of a seedy night club, where she discovers the twisted and lucrative world of body modification.

Don't let the title fool you; this Chinese horror film is terrifying. It focuses on an aging actress with a cheating husband who yearns to recapture her youthful beauty and vigor. Enlisted to help, a local chef offers up one of her special recipes: rejuvenation dumplings. The not-so-secret ingredient? Fetuses.

No list of feminist horror flicks would be complete without Carrie­—specifically the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s infamous novel of the same name. Relentlessly bullied by her classmates and her devoutly religious mother, 17-year-old Carrie White is the epitome of teenage misery. After an embarrassing incident at school pushes her to the brink of sanity, her supernatural powers are unleashed, to a deliciously devastating effect.

Set in 1887, Crimson Peak is a gothic romance starring Mia Wasikowska as Edith, a girl haunted by ghostly visions. Having just moved into her new husband’s decaying family mansion, she quickly realizes the house not only has dark secrets, but also dark forces at play. 

In this 2011 horror film, two intrepid employees set out to prove the storied Yankee Pedlar Inn is haunted, before it closes permanently. Armed with EVP recording equipment, the pair roam the halls in hot pursuit of unseen guests, including the vengeful ghost bride Madeline O’Malley. They certainly find her, in all her ghastly glory. TBD if they survive the shock.

Shot in vibrant shades of neon, Suspiria is a vintage horror classic from the masterful Italian director Dario Argento, in which an American ballerina flies to Germany to study at a prestigious dance academy...run by witches.

The Descent follows six women who go spelunking on their yearly outdoors adventure, not realizing that the uncharted cave they’ve chosen to explore is haunted by flesh-eating terrors. Unable to turn back, they plunge deeper into the claustrophobic cavern—and deeper into madness—in search of an escape.

After a disturbing children’s book shows up on their shelf, a mother and her troubled son become terrorized by a disguised figure called The Babadook. Growing stronger despite their fierce denial, the monster gradually drains both of them of their sleep and rationality, fraying the edges of their sanity over the course of 92 minutes. This film is grueling but never gruesome.