25 Incredibly Well-Made Horror Films Directed By Women

14. Antonia Bird - Ravenous (1999)

Antonia Bird€™s Ravenous starts off quietly, making the viewer believe that it€™s simply a run-of-the-mill exercise in historical fiction. Set during the Mexican-American War, the film doesn€™t take long to show its true colours. Guy Pearce plays Lieutenant Boyd, a wounded U.S. officer who encounters a sadistic colonel (Robert Carlyle) with an appetite for human flesh. Ravenous is a brilliant mix of cannibalism, gruesome gore, sly black humour and quasi-philosophy. The film also sets itself apart by offering an imaginative story-line with numerous twists and incredible characterisations. The only thing better than watching this with someone for the first time, is watching it with someone who thinks they know where the story is going to go. Ravenous is a horror film that feels as if it would be perfect for both horror and non-horror fans. The horrific elements are all in place, but the tired tropes that dominate most horror movies are not at all present. There are no jump-scares to be found here. In fact, there are no real €œscares€ of any sort - the horror is more psychological, mixed with the occasional gore and grossness that, while graphic, is never done to the point of excessiveness. Ravenous is a film beyond duplication. There€™s a brilliance at work here that lifts it above the star-studded pack into a dimension all its own.