Back in 2020, critic, historian, author and all round horror legend Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (Chain Reactions) introduced the world to 1000 Women in Horror 1895 – 2018, an essential nonfiction text highlighting female pioneers of our favorite genre. Now, Heller-Nicholas' expertise has been translated to documentary form, and we're excited to premiere the trailer for 1000 Women in Horror exclusively today. Let's meet the ladies:
Written by Heller-Nicholas and directed by Donna Davies (Nightmare Factory), 1000 Women in Horror hits Shudder on March 20, very appropriately as March is both Women's History Month and Women in Horror Month.
Featuring interviews with Roxanne Benjamin, Akela Cooper, Mary Harron, Cerise Howard, Kier-La Janisse, Nikyatu Jusu, Roseanne Liang, Annalise Lockhart, Toby Poser, Sara Risher, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Mattie Do, Kate Siegel, Jenn Wexler, and more, 1000 Women in Horror is a deep dive into how women pioneers revolutionized horror cinema through their groundbreaking work as directors, actors and creators since 1895, leaving an indelible mark on the genre’s evolution.
Heller-Nicholas, whose work you're almost certainly familiar with if you own even one single horror 4K or Blu-ray release, has the following to say of the upcoming doc:
“Like so many women and femme-identifying horror fans, horror is in my blood: I live and breathe it, and it has helped me navigate the real-life horrors of the world more times than I can count. Having dedicated my career as an author and a film critic to the genre, watching my 2020 book, 1000 Women in Horror, come to life on screen has been a dream. This has been rendered even more magical not just through our collaborations with the horror royalty interviewed on screen, but the unwaveringly supportive Shudder team themselves, without whom this film literally would not exist!”
Davies adds:
“In my films, I like to rip back the curtain and expose the raw underbelly of stories that obsess me. I love horror because it drags our deepest, darkest fears out into the light. Women have been shaping this genre from day one, but the industry has too often ignored or erased their contribution. This film finally sets the record straight, and SHUDDER is the perfect place for horror fans to discover the voices and films that have too often been overlooked,”
1000 Women in Horror hits Shudder on March 20. Check out the official poster below, and for more, here's all the other upcoming horror movies we're excited for in 2026.
