Women Horror Writers You Need To Read Before You See Elisabeth Moss In SHIRLEY

By Movie Geeks | June 9, 2020

Contributed By Cate Marquis and Michelle Hannett

Frankenstein. Interview With The Vampire. The Haunting of Hill House. The Woman In Black. All have a legion of devoted fans. All came from the imagination of women authors.

Now comes a film about another woman horror writer.

NEON‘s SHIRLEY starring Elisabeth Moss, Odessa Young, Michael Stuhlbarg and Logan Lerman is available everywhere now.

https://neonrated.com/films/shirley#virtual-cinema

Read WAMG’s review: http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2020/06/shirley-review/

Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival of newlyweds upends her meticulous routine and heightens tensions in her already tempestuous relationship with her philandering husband. The middle-aged couple, prone to ruthless barbs and copious afternoon cocktails, begins to toy mercilessly with the naïve young couple at their door.

Here’s our list of women who write terrific horror novels.

Mary Shelley: “Frankenstein”

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” was the first true science fiction novel as well as a masterpiece of horror. Note that is not the first from a woman, but simply the first. Published in 1818, the 18-year-old Mary Shelley started working on the tale as part of a contest a horror novel. The novel “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus” is very different from the Frankenstein movies, deeper and more profound, while still a gripping tale of terror. If all you know are the Frankenstein movies, you owe it to yourself to read this landmark novel.

Anne Rice: “Interview With The Vampire”

Anne Rice re-made vampire tales with “Interview With The Vampire,” as far from Dracula and Nosferatu as could be. Dripping with New Orleans atmosphere and Gothic-style elegance, it evoked the tradition of Grand Guignol, a theme she expanded in her next novel. But it all starts with the haunting “Interview.”

Stephenie Meyer: “Twilight”

Released in 2005, “Twilight” is according to the author’s website, “a love story with bite.” Did you know that Meyer decided to go with the above book cover because it represents “forbidden fruit” as well as choice? The story of your average girl meets fantastically beautiful, sparkly vampire became a global hit, cemented the household names of Bella and Edward and connected with fans of horror and romance.

Tananarive Due: “My Soul to Keep” Immortal Series

“My Soul to Keep” is a 1997 novel by American writer Tananarive Due. It is the first book in Due’s African Immortals Series and was followed by The “Living Blood” (2001). The third book in the series, Blood Colony, was published in 2008. Fun fact: The author is an executive producer on Shudder’s groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.

Shirley Jackson: “The Haunting of Hill House” “The Lottery”

Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” a mix of psychological horror and supernatural ghost tale, was the basis for an excellent film starting Julie But essential reading for Shirley Jackson is also her short story “The Lottery” which is referenced several times in the film SHIRLEY. The novel she’s working on in the film is “Hangsaman,” which director Josephine Decker considers Jackson’s masterpiece, but many consider her masterpiece to be the eerie “We Have Always Lived In The Castle.”

Toni Morrison: “Beloved”

In 1993, Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature as an author “who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality”. She became the eighth woman and the first African-American to win the prize. Based on the true story of an African-American enslaved woman, “Beloved” was a Bestseller for 25 weeks and won countless awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Susan Hill: “The Woman in Black”

Hill’s novel is spine-chilling, traditional horror at its best, and the Daniel Radcliffe 2012 film was equally scary and unnerving! One of ultimate ghost stories ever written, the 1983 story is not for the faint of heart and at 135 pages, “The Woman In Black” is definitely a one-sitting read. Fans of the author’s gothic story should also check out the Simon Serrailler series.

Daphne Du Maurier: “Rebecca” or “Jamaica Inn”

If you like your horror on the Gothic side, Daphne Du Maurier”s “Rebecca” is your go-to. Along with her “Jamaica Inn,” Du Maurier blends suspense and psychological horror in an immersive, atmospheric period tale masterpiece.