Directora

What Is Horror?

Directora

Show Notes

What IS horror? How do we define what scares us? That's what we aim to explore this month on the podcast. Welcome to Directora's Women and Horror Mini-Series. Throughout October, we will release episodes every Wednesday about horror themes. And guess what? We'll have special guests! Not only that, but we will do a horror movie challenge: 31 horror films directed by women!

Every day in October, I’ll post recaps, reviews, and fun facts about the film of the day until Halloween. This year’s list offers a wide range of films: gory, slasher, psychological, folk horror, domestic horror, creatures, vampires, ghosts, low budget, indie, remakes, sequels, franchise, anthology, and even a documentary! I’m thrilled to watch these with you.

This is the second time we are doing this here at Directora. Last year was an absolute blast, so please join Directora Podcast this year as we watch a horror film a day directed by a woman. Follow on Instagram and TikTok to watch recaps and reviews of the films. Listen every Wednesday to hear special guest interviews and deep-dives into themes like body horror, lesbian vampires, urban legends, and more!

New episodes every Wednesday.

Get spooky with me this Halloween season. Join us for 31 horror films directed by women.

Directora is researched, written, edited, and hosted by Stephanie Weber. Artwork by Brock Alter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Directora

Oct 21, 2026

Why are there so many pregnancy horror films? And horror films where motherhood is made horrific by an evil child? I wanted to delve into domestic horror and why we've seen so many pregnancy horror films in recent years. Actress and producer Deborah Lee Smith joined me to talk about pregnancy fears - both in film and in real life - and the ways that these are reflected in movies. This was a GREAT conversation as we talked about all things pregnancy and motherhood as they relate to horror. I learned some things about reproductive healthcare that I didn't know! Listen to hear more.

Oct 19, 2026

For the month of October, Directora is all things women in horror - including talking to directors of cool new horror films! We talked to director Alison-Eve Hammersley about her new found footage horror film Erie. She talked about the process of making the film, what inspired it, and trends in horror that she would love to see more of. Erie is currently doing the festival circuit, so check it out if it is coming to a film festival near you!

Oct 14, 2026

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of films featuring lesbian vampires? Or gay vampires in general? Where did that come from, and what films depict gay vampires best? This was a GREAT episode. There is a ten-minute history of vampires in film up top, followed by a hilarious and informative conversation with content creator and film lover Butch Noir. This is definitely one to listen to!

Oct 7, 2026

The 7th film for our 31-for-31 challenge this month, in which we watch a horror film directed by a woman for every day in October, is 1983's A Night to Dismember directed by Doris Wishman. It's a fascinating, low-budget, indie film for a lot of reasons: there are multiple versions, she did everything herself, and Wishman was best known for directing nudie films.

Oct 5, 2026

The Musical is a hilarious dark comedy in theaters now. The film stars Will Brill, Rob Lowe, and Gillian Jacobs. When middle school drama teacher Doug (Brill) gets his heart broken by fellow teacher Abigail (Jacobs), he gets petty revenge by writing and directing his students in an outrageous musical. Director Giselle Bonilla talks about the wild making of the film. This is a must-listen for any indie filmmaker out there! Bonilla's movie went through the ringer to get made, and it was well worth it. This film is hilarious! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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