Hey Midnight Warriors! Come Join FMWL in Celebrating Women in Horror Recognition Month!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's that time of year again!  February is already upon us, and that can mean only one thing...THE PACKERS ARE PLAYING IN THE SUPER BOWL ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!!

Wait, wait...sorry...The Mike's mind is not functioning right.  While the above fact is true, that's certainly not the one thing I mean to speak about.  The truth of the matter, as my post's title gives away, is that it's once again Women in Horror Recognition Month.  And, boy howdy, FMWL wants to help get this party started!

I put a lot of thought into what I could do to celebrate women of horror, because I believe that it is women who have made horror what it is today.  It occurs to me that many - most likely too many - horror films gain their power over the viewer by putting women in predicaments that we don't expect women to survive.  For example, The Descent is widely considered a horror film, while a film like Predator is not as widely considered such.  What's the difference between the two films where a trained group of individuals is dropped into a survival situation and meets a menace they didn't expect?  The easiest answer to give is that viewers expect Arnold Schwarzenegger to survive an unknown evil.

And, as I pondered conundrums like the one above, I spiraled deeper and deeper into my own mind.  What do we really expect from women in our societies, and how do horror films exploit the norms that we're taught by those around us?  Are a lot of the horror movies we love exploiting the stereotypes that we are too blind to see?  And if so, which flicks have gotten it right?  Which films should we be championing as we look to the future of the portrayal of women in horror?

So, while I will of course spend much of Women in Horror Recognition Month recognizing Women in Horror (Like, duh!), I also want to break through some of the barriers we set for ourselves.  And that's where I need the help of YOU, you Midnight Warriors!

As we travel through February, I invite Midnight Warriors of all shapes, sizes, genders, and mindsets (and even of all football fandoms) to join me and share their experiences, opinions, and theories about women in horror and why we love them.  It's certainly a vague challenge, but I don't want to let semantics get in the way of the common goal.  After all, this IS a celebration.  I'm gonna dive into the psyche of the horror genre while doing my best to honor women in horror, and you can do the same....or you can do whatever you like to celebrate women in horror. 

So, do what you do.  You can email me (frommidnightwithlove (at) gmail (dot) com) links to stories you write so I can post them here, or you can send me your stories and I will post them at FMWL as guest posts.  There will, of course, be maximum linkage to your own sites, so don't feel as if I'm trying to make you do work for me.  I just want to make sure FMWL does everything it can to honor the women who have helped me love horror.

Go forth, Midnight Warriors, and pay tribute!  I can't wait to see what you all have up your sleeves.  In the meantime, I'll have a brief post recognizing some women of horror I love coming up very soon.  The Mike's ready to wave the Women in Horror flag all month long, and he wants YOU to join him!