9 Horror Movies That Were Ahead Of Their Time

9. Thirteen Women

The slasher subgenre would have its heyday from the mid-1970s through the1980s, with hugely lucrative franchises built around the super simple formula of unstoppable monster + shrieking, often stupid victims + gruesome murder. At their best, they were incredibly tense, visceral pictures, bolstered by now-classic horror characters. At their worst, they’re the grimiest kind of schlock imaginable.

For better or worse, much of the subgenre’s lineage can be traced back to 1932’s Thirteen Women. Directed by the prolific George Archainbaud, it establishes many of the format’s tropes long before “slasher” was a thing.

As the title suggests, the film’s victims are a baker’s dozen of college friends, pursued to deadly ends by a childhood enemy who the gaggle dismissed for her mixed race heritage. It’s 1932, so the historic racism is unsurprisingly never addressed, but slasher flicks aren’t famous for their social awareness.

Thirteen Women could be said to establish the Final Girl, here in the form of Laura, played by the hugely talented Irene Dunne. Cut to bits by the studio (whose 59 minute version makes “Eleven Women” a more accurate title), it’s an intriguing cultural curio, if not a must-watch.