From Evil Dead to X, women have suffered at the hands of horror. In many movies, women are catalysts for the narrative, often portrayed as character tropes that reinforce harmful gender stereotypes. Or, they are portrayed as objects the leading man relies on to appear knowledgeable, brave, or charismatic. The lack of accurate representation of women indicates a widespread failure of cinema. Media culture frameworks can help us investigate biases and quantify the extent to which female representation is sidelined. Â
The Bechdel Test, sometimes called the Bechdel-Wallace Test, is a media metric based on three characteristics that determine whether a movie or television show has basic representations of women. To pass the test, there needs to be at least two women who are both named and have a conversation about something other than a man. You would be surprised at how many movies fail this test. Â
Here are five horror/thriller movies that pass the test for your next movie night:
The Medium is a Thai horror/supernatural film that follows a family and the deities that haunt them. Nim, a family matriarch, is inhabited by Ba Yan, whom she believes is on the hunt to possess a new host, Nim’s niece, Mink. If you like movies about demonic possession, this movie is right up your alley. An incredible example of ongoing despair, Nim’s investigation into Mink’s possession uncovers disturbing details of the family’s history with Ba Yan, leading to a crisis of faith for the characters with disastrous consequences. This movie passes the test several times as there are three named female characters whose discussions primarily center around Mink.Â
Us tells the story of Adelaide, Addie, and her family, who are being stalked by Red, Addie’s underworld counterpart. Red is bloodthirsty for revenge and justice. Red assembles doppelgängers, who were left underground by the U.S. government to control the population. Their goal is to rise and take their rightful place on the surface. This film may have left me with more questions than answers, but it was suspenseful and captivating, with the reveal at the end cementing Jordan Peele’s ability to take novel ideas to the next level. Red’s confrontation passes the test with flying colors; there are numerous named female characters, and an incredible monologue.Â
In Talk to Me, Mia becomes addicted to a mysterious hand that allows spirits to inhabit her body. She believes one of the spirits is the spirit of her mother, who died under suspicious circumstances and is now possessing her. The movie discusses themes of grief, addiction, and peer pressure. Mia’s descent into further psychosis is exacerbated by opportunistic entities that attempt to swallow Mia’s soul and subject her to the same torment they’re in. Talk to Me includes female-centered conversations about Mia’s mother’s passing, both between her and the entities and her and her friends.Â
Cuckoo was one of my favorite movies of 2024, and Hunter Schaeffer’s performance is largely the reason. Isolated in a resort town, Gretchen (Schaeffer) finds herself in the middle of an experimental breeding ground for a near-human species of parasites. With each attempt to leave, she finds out more about her family’s involvement. The movie passes the Bechdel Test when Gretchen and her love interest, Ed, talk about leaving the resort and backpacking.
Nocebo is a Filipino-Irish film about a family that employs a mysterious nanny who offers help in the form of traditional folk remedies. The interactions between the parents, Christine and Felix, and their nanny, Diane, are tense as the dynamics shift and each family member becomes more reliant on Diane. Her ulterior motives and prior history with the family are given to you in pieces, culminating in her taking an eye for an eye. This movie passes with flying colors; there are less than a handful of scenes that focus on Felix, the only named man in the film, and numerous that shed light on Christine’s misdeeds and what she took from Diane.Â