The 2011 Women in Horror Recognition Month Finale

Last time we talked about Women in Horror month, I felt like I was slacking.  Gotta be honest, I still kinda feel that way.  While I managed to focus on some of my favorite portrayals of women in horror in this month's Midnight Movie of the Week posts, and I was able to share a few links from some fine folks across the world who I adore.  But did I do Women in Horror Recognition Month justice?

I mean, I could have spent some time honoring the women who have starred in horror films.  Let's be honest, the horror genre is all about putting women in danger - because that's more interesting than men in peril - and the genre got to where it is on the backs of these great women.  Does Michael Myers scare us so much if Jamie Lee Curtis isn't so pure?  Does Psycho shock us so much if we don't spend our time watching Janet Leigh unravel?  I could have talked about the likes of Jo Beth Williams or Jessica Harper or Mia Farrow.  I could have broke down the greatest performances in horror for as long as I could type.

I could have talked about the women who make horror happen.  I could have gone back to Mary Shelley, or I could have come all the way up to Elisabeth Fies or Jen & Sylvia Soska.  To be honest, I'd have to have done a lot of research on the likes of Mary Harron or Mary Lambert to get that all ready, because women filmmakers have been so poorly represented by the masses, though the likes of Ms. Fies and the all-woman genre-fest Bleedfest have been working to change that.

I could have focused on the women who love horror, of which there are many.  There are plenty of women out there who have inspired me as a writer and horror fan, including (but not limited to) Christine Hadden, Emily Intravia, Stacie Ponder, Andre Dumas (Hi TW!), Brittney-Jade Colangelo, and Kristy Jett.  Oh, and there are the women of The Midnight Warriors who have been kind enough to share their own Women in Horror posts this month, who include:

• Michele of The Girl Who Loves Horror (Who just sent me this cool post, BTW!)
• Jinx of Totally Jinxed
• Syrin of My Own Little Corner
• Enbrethliel of Shredded Cheddar
• (And, Bleaux Leaux of the Bleaux Leaux Reveaux - who is not a woman in horror, but that's OK.  We take all kinds at FMWL.  Rock on good sir!)

So yeah, I could have focused on all those people too.  And when I look at this list of all the amazing women in the horror genre who have amazed, excited, intrigued, and inspired me - I frankly don't know where to begin.  Twenty-eight little days is nowhere near enough time to focus on all these fantastic ladies, nor is it even enough time to start finding and recognizing all the Women in Horror that I've already missed.  One man can't take on all this alone.  And name dropping - which is what this post boils down to - is a poor excuse for recognition.

So what can I do to take on this impossible challenge?  How can I truly honor the women who have fought for horror despite the sad truth that they get far less of a chance than their male counterparts in most situations?  I've spent too much time considering questions like this, but the answer is simple.

And this is the part where I start to sound like Bill Murray in Scrooged, because it becomes evident that recognizing the women who have advanced the horror genre simply can not be a one time deal.  Sure, Women in Horror Month is still February, and will still be February - a fact we all owe to the fabulous Hannah Neurotica who conceived this lovely C.H.U.D. of a month (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) - but we don't have to just celebrate the women who make horror great once a year.  It's our duty as horror fans to shake the trees, to light the fires, to cry from the mountaintops - all from the safety of our computers, of course - to find a way to remind the world that women have given more to horror than we've ever imagined.  That women MEAN more to horror than we've ever let on.  That women in horror are among us, and that they are often ridiculously fantastic.

Maybe I didn't accomplish everything that was humanly possible during Women in Horror Month...but I'm not going anywhere.  From Midnight, With Love is not here to jump on a trend and then trash it like last night's leftovers, we're here to shine a light on all we love about genre cinema.  And I can promise, women in horror will always have a welcome home at our humble little corner of the horror 'verse, because they deserve that and a whole lot more. 

It's with great pride that I salute all who have given to Women in Horror Month, from the Midnight Warriors who have shared here to the filmmakers who have fought for the cause.  But as I do so, I feel obliged to offer a challenge.  You've all done great things for Women in Horror - now do more.  If we work together, if we keep on pushing the boundaries of what we find comfortable, we can make sure that Women in Horror are never forgotten again.  That's gonna take a lot of work, but - like I said - I'm not going anywhere.  Women in Horror will always be a key part of what From Midnight, With Love is - no matter what month it is.