Women in Horror: Revenge of the Stereotype

We want WEIRD horror. We want women lead horror. And studios are delivering. 

Women have always been a crucial and integral part of any good horror film. Carrie (1976), Scream (1996), and Alien (1979) all come to mind when thinking of classic horror films that feature a female lead. Recently however women have been featured throughout horror movies in a new way. With the rise of women starring on the screen in horror as a heroine - even if she is a demented one -  rather than a cutaway gag or pair of boobs is an excited and refreshing trend throughout horror films that wasn’t necessarily expected. This trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon with horror movies like Nosferatu and The Substance being nominated multiple times at the most recent Oscars and films like Companion and Pearl quickly becoming cult classics. Horror fans have been hungry for a true female lead in horror, and directors and writers are delivering. 

Earlier this year audiences and critics alike were gifted with the release of Companion (2025) a horror/thriller/comedy starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. The quick paced jam packed movie takes on a unique perspective and plays out through the perspective of our lead character, a futuristic sex-bot. 

Hunter Schafer also stepped out to star in the horror scene, in the cinematic thriller Cuckoo. The eerie and nordic atmosphere takes the thriller aspect up to nine, and a compelling and never before seen story keep audiences entertained even when suspense dies down. Warning: this one is WEIRD. If you enjoyed The Substance or Heretic this one’s for you.

If you have gone outside on or around Halloween since 2022, you have heard of the movie Pearl. The (now) trilogy starring Mia Goth is a twisted story of a crazed woman turned attempted actress, played by Mia Goth, and her subsequent doppelganger, also played by Goth. Pearl, her older sister XXX and her baby sister Maxxxine all star Goth as the titular character, and explore the intricacies of what it’s like to be an (insane) woman across a span of 60 years. 

If you like Hugh Grant or making fun of mormons, you’ll love the (year) movie Heretic. This weird and suspenseful horror follows two young mormon missionaries, Sophie Thatcher and insert actress name oops???, on their trials to salvation, and the possible conversion of a strange man. 

The Substance was arguably one of the most discussed movies of the 2024 Oscar and overall awards season, besides possibly Nosferatu, when it came to horror. The, to put it simply, fucked up body horror earned Demi Moore her first Emmy and made Margaret Qualley a household name (lesbians everywhere cheered.) 

In short; thank god for women and thank Sophie Thatchers agent for keeping her booked and busy. If you’re looking for more female horror to watch, The Ugly Stepsister, The Black Swan, and Midsommer all come to mind and deliciously horror filled movies with insanely talented female leads. Enjoy responsibly. 

From Broad City to Too Much: The Return of The Twenties on TV

Where were you back when being an adult became “adulting”? How many times have you proclaimed that “you’re just a girl” in the face of inconvenient responsibility? And are you often called back to the incoherent sitcom advice of Carrie and Miranda or Abbi and Ilana?

In the mid-2010s, television peaked for twenty-something comedies that gave levity and brilliance to the messiness of this era in life. Broad City, Girls, and the oh-so-rewatched SATC taught us that friendship could survive (and even thrive) in chaos.

The interpersonal connections of these series  insisted on their right to be unlikable, broke, and painfully self-serious. Insecure and its successors satirized the blissfully painful reality of the humiliation ritual that becoming a woman can be. Shortly after the craze in popularity for these series and their unmentioned counterparts, a drought fell upon the dramedy about twenty-somethings series worlds, yet none have gone unquoted, unreferenced, or unedited on TikTok (set to a Charli XCX remix). But in 2025, a miracle arrived in the form of a buddy comedy resurgence. Shows like Overcompensating, Adults, Too Much, and The Sex Lives of College Girls are ushering in a new version of the “lost twenties” narrative, with new series ordered that offer bespoke stories like “I Love LA”: Rachel Sennott’s trauma-bonded episodic comedy about primed Los Angeles transplants and natives. 

Where earlier characters stumbled through adulthood with naive earnestness, today’s leads are hyper-aware of their messiness.

When they fail, it feels like a vlog prompt or an inspiration for their untouched Substack article series, maybe even a story for their Hinge profile prompts. Although satirizing the dirty reality of failures in early adulthood isn’t new, it has been ushered in as the punchline rather than a supporting role in the greater comedic beats of these series.  

A decade after Broad City and Girls making fun of New York City’s ridiculous subcultures and the definitive millennial state of girlhood, and Insecure’s delivery of a woman’s navigation of love and success through a personal lens of life’s funniest of flops, new series are rewriting the foundation of poking fun and the new girl-to-girl who has it all pipeline.

Overcompensating leans into cringe-comedy, spotlighting characters who are too self-aware for their own good and the unshy awkwardness of being closeted and queer in college. Adults plays with the absurdities of post-grad survival — financial precarity, petty drama as hobbies, group chats as lifelines. Too Much thrives (and sometimes relies) on meta-humor and situational comedy, poking fun at the fact that every attempt at seriousness collapses into ironic chaos. 

The connective tissue is friendship, but not in the ride-or-die sense of Broad City (which I’m personally impartial to as a clingy Cancer rising). Instead, these relationships are more dead-on,  transient, reflective of the real world during this chapter of life where friends cycle in and out based on city moves, job shifts, and the occasional (and necessary)  mental health spirals or romantic crash outs.

There was a clear demand for Gen Z to see these dynamics in a more relatable and refined way, and every generation deserves to see its growing pains being made fun of and made into an arguably Oscar-winning edit that they can send to their roommate with the note “this is us”. Clear distinctions between the Jessica Salmon and the Hannah Horvaths of our screens can be easily identified, mimicking the differences of how life has become publicized for even the average struggling woman.

Today’s characters aren’t just fumbling in private; their mistakes are immediately broadcast, archived, and memed, even when set in the early 2010s era of MySpace status posts. New series like these are likely to lean into that reality, making self-awareness itself a joke, which we all love to identify with as we laugh.

 Earlier shows often revolved around career arcs — becoming a writer, an artist, a professional. In these stories, work is treated as an impermanent force: just another gig until rent’s due again, with love (both romantic and platonic) and self-discovery making it’s way to the front of the plotlines. The drama isn’t whether you’ll achieve your dream job, but whether you’ll survive another month on a corporate paycheck and/or side hustle while juggling the life stuff. 

Friendship has also rebranded in a reflective way! Abbi and Ilana were love at first sight-type of soulmates,  Issa and Molly had a bond that could bend but never break. Today’s friendships are less mythic and more transactional, reflecting a reality where people cycle through roommates, co-workers, and cities. It’s not worse — just different. Intimacy looks more like shared Uber rides or trauma bonding over failed connections rather than lifelong promises. 

So why do we keep coming back to these shows? Because they remind us that being lost is universal, generational, and deeply laughable? Is it our God-given destiny to produce an era-defining lineup of productions that can redefine the retellings of these awkward stages of life for each generation? If the first wave of coming-of-age comedies captured the chaos of becoming an adult, this new wave captures the chaos of realizing you’ll never stop becoming one. And maybe that’s the most grueling, giggle-inspiring portrait of growing up television has ever given us.

Bring Back Comedy: How American High is Bringing New Life to the Coming-of-Age Comedy in the Digital Age

While most production companies are focused solely on making content for the big screen, American High saw the potential to grow on the smaller screen. The Syracuse-based production company, founded by Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps, was founded on the passion to make this generation’s teen comedies. Their dedication was solidified when they bought an abandoned high school to operate as their home base for their production office and filming location for future projects. The studio has grown tremendously over the last eight years, coming out with hits such as Big Time Adolescence, The Binge, and Summer of '69. As well as having eight picture deals with Hulu (recently renewed for another eight pictures per deadline).  

As they found success on the big screen, they wanted to be able to connect with this young generation where they were spending a great amount of their time, online. Coming out with their first sketch comedy channel, American High Shorts. The page displays the awkwardness and the quirks of high school that remain timeless, all under 60 seconds. Since the launch of American High Shorts, they have gained over 10 million followers across all platforms, 8 billion views, and a Webby Award. I had the chance to chat with Axelle Azoulay, the Head of American High Digital, to walk us through the evolution of the company’s online presence.

“In 2022, our social media presence was low. We were busy making 3-5 movies a year, no one was really paying attention to that, but we wanted to be the high school people…We have this high school with all the sets, all the props, all the costumes just sitting there, and we thought ‘Why don’t we make high school sketches?’ Essentially test ideas, test actors, within a one-minute format on their phone (where high schoolers really are) and see what happens.” Azoulay searched every corner of the Syracuse area for talent, from social media, comedy clubs, to college drama departments. She assembled her first team of creatives, which included Ryan and Aidan Micho, who would later be signed on to the official American High Shorts team. Through the curating process, Azoulay had to check that these creators didn’t only work well on camera, but behind the scenes as well.

“They don’t just need to be funny; they need to be funny, good writers, need good ideas, be good performers, understand social media, and be team players. There are a lot of great writers and great performers, but the combination of everything is pretty special.”

She goes on to explain how these talented creators are paving their own path in breaking into Hollywood, and how being able to adapt to so many roles in order to make content that will stand out to producers like herself.

“They are adaptable in general because they are consumers as well. They were born exactly in this time where you don’t need Hollywood to make it, you can just create content on your own and be noticed if you are good enough. Take control of your fate in your own hands.” 

After spending a week brainstorming ideas, which they would come up with 50-70 sketches they would then film throughout a 5-day period. Generating enough content for two months, and being able to see what audiences gravitated towards. Every two months, they would invite new creatives, modify the groups, and see who worked best together. Throughout this process, they would go viral multiple times with videos such as Alpha Dads, Math Teacher Who's Always Behind, and Problematic Theater Teacher. 

Like their films, they were able to capture the unique experience that is high school in a shorter format. “It’s the world of firsts. It’s something very universal; it’s something we’ve all been through. No matter where we are from. The first time you’ve driven a car, first time you kissed, first time you’ve done anything, so it’s very memorable and shaping.” 

Azoulay was able to piece together the powerhouse group that would be the face of American High Shorts: Grace Reiter, Ryan Micho, Aidan Micho, Julia DeCesare, and Hyde Healy. Once she found her team, they turned into a well-oiled writer’s room. “We operated like a Gen-Z SNL” said Azoulay. “Monday we’d brainstorm, Tuesday we’d write the scripts that were selected, Monday, Wednesday/Thursday/Friday we’d film, and almost every Thursday/Friday we’d have a guest star.” 

After the success of American High Shorts, the American High Digital Universe started to expand. Rather than

go out and buy a college campus, their relationship with Syracuse

University allows them to film content

there when needed. “We opened COLLEGE LIFE, because that was our next target audience, and the next type of movies we wanted to do.” For those who are done with school and trying to navigate the beginning of adulthood, they have a channel for you too. Barely Adults captures the chaos we face in this new chapter of our lives, trying to figure out who we are and what the hell we are doing. With the channel being based out of Los Angeles, this creates another opportunity for the company to collaborate with more creators as guest stars.

Through American High Digital, Azoulay is helping amplify the rising class of online creators. Operating like an industry-level writer’s room, it provides the support and guidance for these young creators to grow.

“We are very creator and talent forward- they get credited for every single video, the first group of American High Shorts went from pretty much no followers to famous today, and being able to do it on their own. Now, after two years, they moved on; some moved to LA, some moved to NY, some are doing stand-up or their own creations. They were cast in our movies, they are coming back to guest star, it's one big family. Now we have a new generation of American High Shorts, who I think are very funny and talented, and are definitely highlighting the next generation of up-and-coming talent.”

In addition to their short clips, the American High Shorts team took their comedy to YouTube, creating their first web series, Minimum Wage, which is currently being pitched to networks. With plans for more web series, YouTube appears to be the connecting factor in the American High Digital Universe among its four channels, joining a new wave of media creators bringing new life to the YouTube production landscape and helping revive the comedy in these spaces.

You can stream American High Shorts, College Life, Barely Adults, and Unhirables on all platforms.

You can stream the entire first season of Minimum Wage on Youtube.