25 Incredibly Well-Made Horror Films Directed By Women

18. Fran Rubel Kuzui - Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

Kristy Swanson is the OG Buffy Summers, and she's often left in the shadow of her counterpart played by Sarah Michelle Gellar on TV. That doesn't make her less of a slayer, it just means you really need to revisit the movie that started it all. For those of you who don't know, Buffy is a vapid L.A. girl whose life revolves around cheerleading and shopping. Her priorities are almost nil until she's visited one day by a strange man named Merrick (Donald Sutherland) who tells her that she is the next in a long line of girls chosen to hunt and kill vampires. But she better be ready to accept her fate, because the vampire king Lothos (Rutger Hauer) is in town and he's coming after her. Joss Whedon - screenwriter of the film and creator behind the series - is adamant about the fact that this film should not be considered part of the Buffy canon. Whedon has (repeatedly and publicly) voiced his disappointment with the film, which was not representative of his original screenplay. But what does he know right? Fran Rubel Kuzui's quintessential horror comedy serves as the ultimate guilty pleasure. It's a film that chooses to embrace the absurdity and run with it. To the naysayers? Just remember that this film started a great tradition of self-aware heroines and a fantastic TV show, so seriously, cut it out. The movie is hilarious and Pee-wee Herman is a one-armed vampire with hair like the dudes from Poison. What's not to love?