20 Most Badass Female Horror Characters Ever

In the 1942 classic Cat People, a woman named Irena discovers that she will transform into a panther when aroused, as she’s a descendant of a village of devil worshippers. All throughout the movie, a guy named Oliver is pursuing her despite how clearly strange she’s acting around him, and eventually they get married. But Irena doesn’t want to sleep with him out of fear of what could happen. Oliver ends up falling in love with his assistant, Alice, and when Irena feels betrayed, she begins stalking Alice and intimidating her. 

So basically, Irena is a woman who can transform into a panther and attack people who do her wrong. How badass is that? All the sequences where her presence is implied off screen are incredibly effective, even though you don't really see anything. 

That's because Cat People is really all about the tension and wondering if Irene’s curse is real, but she really is a great character, with a unique situation captured perfectly by Simone Simon. The 1982 version is more graphic and is also worth seeing, but there's something about this story which just seems to call for the more subdued, black and white treatment.