When it comes to horror films in general, the adversary is almost always a man. Daring filmmakers, on the other hand, have defied precedent, and we’ve been treated to a slew of violent female villains throughout the years.
These female villains were equally as scary as their male counterparts, if not more so, and terrified both their victims and the audience! In this video, we’ll take a look at a few cheesy horror films that have embraced the notion of using a female villain to scare the audience.
Necromancer (1988)
Julie is a young college student who is forced to watch Allan, Carl, and Paul attempt to take exam answers from the professor’s office. They sexually abuse her, traumatising her and driving her to seek vengeance.
When her friend finds an advertisement in the newspapers offering revenge, she goes looking for the source and finds a strange woman with paranormal abilities. This woman is a necromancer, capable of summoning a shape-shifting demon to get back at the terrible guys loathed by Julie!
Dusty Nelson, the filmmaker, has put together a great horror film with a gripping narrative. Despite the fact that it follows in the footsteps of other corny 1980s horror films, the female demon steals the show in this one. She’s a necromancer, or someone who can call on the dead to help her in her work. We say villain, but this character is mostly pursuing evil criminals and rapists who ought to be punished!
The issue is that the necromancer doesn’t stop at causing harm to the bad guys. Julie appears to have a change of heart after the demon goes on a killing spree. However, there is no simple method to put a stop to this dangerous witch. The vicious, nasty female adversary will strike a chord with moviegoers in Necromancer, which isn’t a horror classic.
Lady Terminator (1989)
A young, seductive archaeologist is possessed by the wicked ghost of an old queen, who sends her on a deadly rampage across Indonesia’s streets! She equips herself with an AK-47 and goes about her business as she seeks vengeance on those who have mistreated her. She’s practically unstoppable, and there doesn’t appear to be any way to stop her!
This tacky Indonesian horror film is a witty parody of James Cameron’s masterpiece The Terminator, and as a result, much of her action scenes are stolen directly from the James Cameron film. Despite this, we can’t get enough of Barbara Anne Constable, who plays Lady Terminator in the film. She is an evil cyborg hell-bent on slaughtering all her enemies, with her being particularly keen on killing a rising Asian pop star.
This film is plainly not meant to be taken seriously, and a gorgeous villainess does not inspire dread. She does, however, have some thrilling scenes, such as the nightclub gunfight and the one in which she takes on an entire police station.
You will also enjoy some bizarre moments of the Lady Terminator, such as when she performs surgery on herself! She removes her eyeball, runs it under a tap, and pops it right back into the socket.
The filmmakers don’t waste any time putting the curvy babe on screen, and her character is arguably more vicious than James Cameron’s legendary Terminator. Enjoy this Indonesian insanity for some light-hearted entertainment, and we promise that the antagonist will be a sight for sore eyes!
Howling II…Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985)
Werewolves have been waiting for the chance to take over the planet from mankind for hundreds of years. Stefan Crosscoe, a werewolf hunter, discovers that his sister has been changed into one and now lives in Transylvania with the powerful Queen of the Werewolves herself, Stirba. This immortal werewolf queen must be neutralized before she gains her full powers. However, this is easier said than done, given the evil army at her disposal!
The film was billed as a sequel to The Howling, but unlike the first film’s heart-stopping scenes, this one is more of a comedic take on the werewolf genre. You won’t be scared by the werewolves because they appear like men dressed up as gorillas.
The star of the show is the incredible Sybil Danning, who plays the breathtaking werewolf queen! She is constantly one step ahead of Stefan and scheming his destruction as he plots her ruin. Despite the mediocrity of Howling II, Sybil Danning aced the part of Stirba with her nasty mannerisms and oomph, and will be one of our favourite female villains.
Bordello of Blood (1996)
Lilith, the mother of all vampires, is unwittingly resurrected when an expedition team opens a box holding her heart. Lilith now runs a brothel disguised as a funeral parlour, with all of the females employed as vampires. Caleb’s sister informs the police when he goes missing under suspicious circumstances.
The police do not pay much attention, but a private investigator named Rafe offers to help. Rafe discovers the brothel to be a vampire’s paradise, but he needs more evidence to convince everyone!
Bordello of Blood is a clever, dark comedy with a few frightening moments sprinkled throughout. It’s mostly a B-movie that may be the ideal guilty pleasure after a long day at the office. This film is a recipe for a great trashy picture, from excessive violence to nudity, and Lilith’s wicked charms are the icing on the cake.
Angie Everhart takes to the role like a fish to the water, and she seems comfortable with the negativity of her character.
Lilith is inadvertently resurrected, and she quickly demonstrates her bloodlust by murdering members of the expedition group. Later, Lilith kisses Caleb’s buddy and puts her tongue down his throat to pull out his heart in another horrific scene.
Eventually, she turns her eyes onto Detective Rafe, leading to a powerful struggle with a surprising twist! Check out Bordello of Blood if you can!
Queen of the Damned (2002)
Lestat, the eternal vampire, became tired of his immortality and spent many years sleeping in his coffin. He awakens on a new planet and joins an undead rock band as the leader. He becomes a famous rock singer soon after, but his music mysteriously wakes the wicked Queen Akasha, who wants him to be her ruler.
However, Lestat is aware of her evil intentions of taking over humankind and convinces other vampire nobility to foil her plans. There are some vampires who consider him to be a traitor, and when a clash of vampires ensues, the outcome will decide the fate of humanity!
Interview with the Vampire is a loose sequel to this film. Combining Lestat’s narrative with the novels of Queen of the Damned is no easy task; in fact, the tale has to be drastically shortened.
However, it remains an intriguing vampire film with a gorgeous Queen Akasha who has captured our hearts! She is revealed to be the first vampire ever created, and she is a despotic queen who delights in annihilating both humans and vampires.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton, who played the role to perfection, unfortunately died in a plane crash shortly after the movie was released. Her work as the enigmatic villain in Queen of the Damned will be remembered fondly by horror fans!
Cat People (1982)
The Cat People sprang from a long-standing tradition of sacrificing women to leopards. The leopards mated with the women, giving birth to Cat People, who are human-like. However, in order for the race to advance, they must mate with other members of their species.
Irena Gallier is a lovely young woman who has no idea she is one of the last Cat People. Her adoptive parents raise her, but her sexual awakening and meeting her brother Paul awaken the horrors of her true origins.
The idea of this picture is virtually the same as that of the 1942 film of the same name. This edition, on the other hand, has far more violent violence and sexually explicit content than the original.
In terms of the female adversary in this tale, she is more of a victim than a villain. But, in her were-cat avatar, she is quite the threat. Irena is pursued by her brother Paul who makes sexual advances towards her because they are the last few of their kind.
Irena does not murder the person she loves, even in her animal form. Later, she asks him to make love to her one more time so she can permanently shift into her panther form. Let’s just say she was a villain who made us care for her!
Audition (1999)
A widower, Aoyama mourns the loss of his wife while raising his son Shigehiko. Shigehiko wants his father to remarry in order to help him cope with his loneliness. To aid his goal, Aoyama’s buddy assigns him the task of organising a special audition where he may screen numerous ladies and choose a bride.
Aoyama is smitten by a lady named Asami, but first impressions can often be misleading! The woman he falls for is something very different from what he perceived her to be!
Takashi Miike’s Audition is a frightening horror classic that masterfully weaves together a complicated plot. Once you realise the actual terror on offer, this evocative storey will terrify you.
Asami, the enigmatic Asami, is both beautiful and terrifying! She is originally depicted as an isolated, lovely lady, but we quickly learn of her actual tragedies, turning the theatrical romance into a horrific story. She is extremely violent towards men who betray her, her violent side having emerged after a sexually-abusive childhood. When she finds a photo of Aoyama’s late wife in his house, she is enraged and plans a brutal revenge.
You will have second thoughts on dating strangers after watching this woman in her true form!
Curtains (1983)
Samantha Sherwood, an actress with a history of psychiatric problems, appeared in many films directed by Jonathan Stryker. For his latest project, Audra, he urges her to prepare for the part by enrolling in a mental institution. What she thinks is preparedness, however, is actually a long-term strategy to get rid of her.
In the meantime, Stryker organizes an audition in a remote mansion for six new ladies. Things take a horrific turn when a masked murderer starts targeting the actresses trying out. Is Samantha behind this?
Curtains is a lovely slasher film that, despite its scary moments, is shamefully overlooked. It has a unique and realistic narrative, and the terrifying moments are sprinkled throughout the film. The characters are all fascinating, but none more so than Samantha, who is driven by desire.
She is so keen to fit into the role of a crazy woman that she doesn’t hesitate to go ahead with the bizarre plan of her director. She manages to break free from the asylum, and her desire for the role continues as she heads to the mansion picked for the audition.
Only a crazy version of a female villain is scarier than a mean female villain, and Samantha surely gave us goosebumps!
Nightmare Sisters (1988)
Three nerdy college females appear to be having difficulty finding a date. In a desperate attempt to find a loving partner, they invite a few nerdy males. However, things do not go as planned when the girls hold a séance and get possessed.
They go from being harmless nerds to sex-crazed vamps. Only a group of geeks can save them, and they must figure out how to halt the horrific possession.
This movie was made by the same people who were responsible for movies like Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, and the theme remains somewhat similar.
This is, by all means, a cheesy horror, and the plot is more of an excuse for the ample nudity that follows. However, the vile female antagonists are lookers! The cast comprises the likes of Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer, and Brinke Stevens, and all of them thrill the audience with their ruthless mannerisms.
The kitchen scene, bathtub scene, and séance change are just a few of the sequences worth remembering. The B-movie scream queens don’t let you down, and their acting talents bring out the best in feminine cruelty. Even if they aren’t precisely serious, the Nightmare Sisters wouldn’t be worth seeing if they weren’t so happy.
Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988)
The new pledges and their male friends are entrusted with stealing a trophy from the local bowling alley as part of a sorority ceremony. Things go wrong when they smash the trophy while going about their business. The trophy houses a wicked imp who begins to terrorise their lives. The teens begin to experience attrition, and there appears to be no immediate fix in sight.
The title of the movie is enough to give you a quick heads-up of where you are headed. It is horribly hilarious and a fun horror comedy to enjoy with a couple of beers. The story is crafted to be a sleaze classic, and it gets weirder after the imp grants them wishes that actually do them more harm than good!
Now we get to the part that makes us want to see this movie: the three drool-worthy beauties. They make excellent villains and inexpensive thrills. Their homicidal spree is really amusing, as one of them gets transformed into the Bride of Frankenstein and the other into a demonic minion.
Linnea Quigley, the scream queen, stars in this film and does an excellent job portraying her lovely yet sinister persona.
Do not take anything about Sorority Babes seriously, and it might prove to be a fun watch for a casual movie night.