The attack on reproductive rights isn’t a thing of the past. Currently, more than half of the United States have abortion bans and or restrictions. It’s unsettling to think of the ways progress is getting stripped away for folks who might need or want access to a medical service. Out of all the genres in media, horror movies have explored reproductive rights and issues very boldly. Not even just abortion and pregnancy, but all things under the umbrella of these issues.
Unpacking these themes within horror films is particularly interesting, but also incredibly thought-provoking. Many of us horror lovers are here for the thrills and chills (also a great song by Helene Smith) and obviously kills. However, horror isn’t just a genre that solely entertains, it’s very political and has been since its inception. Back to the subject of repro horror, though there have been some misses throughout the decades, there’s been some stellar ones that will knock your damn boots off.
1. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
When discussing repro horror, Rosemary’s Baby is essential viewing. The film follows Rosemary (Mia Farrow), a pregnant woman who suspects her neighbors are part of a cult that seeks to take her baby. Throughout the film, Rosemary is denied agency by those around her, including her husband, who secretly trades her body to the cult for fame. At one point in the film, she is drugged, raped and impregnated by the devil while the cult watches. The mistreatment doesn’t stop for her as she is gaslit, isolated, controlled, and treated as if she doesn’t understand her own body. There’s something so pointed about medical practitioners (even if one is part of the cult) that don’t take her seriously. Rosemary’s story isn’t a happy one, and she loses the only person in her corner before the film’s end. It’s the perfect horror film to analyze as far as bodily autonomy goes.
2. Black Christmas (1974)
Slashers can dig into tough subject matter and Black Christmas is one of the best examples of that. The film follows a sorority house that experiences a Christmas break from hell when they’re stalked and slowly picked off by a deranged killer. The main character, Jess (Olivia Hussey), is struggling as she’s pregnant and wishes to have an abortion, despite her boyfriend’s negative response to that decision. While it’s not the entire plot, it’s something that’s woven into the events that occur. It’s a horror classic that also happens to be Canadian and came out during a time when abortion was even more so a touchy subject. But it allows Jess to boldly stand her ground and not waver with her desire to not have a child nor get married.
3. Alien (1979)
It’s widely discussed that the Alien film franchise is very repro horror, just as much as it’s sci-fi horror. Alien follows a space crew that fights for survival when an alien boards their ship. What seems like a threat they can neutralize becomes something much more dangerous. The themes of unwanted pregnancy and sexual assault don’t just affect the women in the franchise, the men are also used as hosts to birth aliens—in Alien, the only person used as a host to birth a xenomorph is a man. Being forced to carry something, that you otherwise wouldn’t agree to, is a terrible experience. Reproductive horror doesn’t need to be set in reality to qualify as such. Alien uses the face hugger and forced birth of xenomorphs as a loss of bodily autonomy. It’s a clever way to explore such topics in a way that isn’t simply about human to human violence.
4. Ginger Snaps (2000)
Menstrual issues fall under the repro horror label, and what better way to explore menstruation than through a werewolf film? Ginger Snaps is a Canadian horror gem that follows Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and her sister Brigitte (Emily Perkins) who tries to save Ginger after she is bit by a werewolf on her first night of menstruation. The transformation that Ginger endures is what people might view as a transition out of girlhood to womanhood. Her transformation into a werewolf is tied directly into her period. It’s considered monstrous for someone with a vagina to bleed and change. And not a lot of films want to touch base on having a period or the complications/stigma that can arise from that. Body horror is often ripe with symbolism, after all.
5. Inside (2007)
Inside is a tremendous example of the often taxing experience of pregnancy. The film follows a grieving pregnant woman named Sarah (Alysson Paradis) who is attacked in her home by a ruthless woman on Christmas Eve. Sarah’s pregnancy is the focal point of Inside. La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) wishes to take Sarah’s baby from her, as in cut it out and claim it for herself. There’s something to be said about Sarah not being excited about her pregnancy and how it hinders her during the film. Rather than have Sarah be blindly happy about being pregnant, she is still in grief over her husband’s death and having to do it all alone. Allowing people to have feelings, even if they choose to be pregnant, shouldn’t be seen in a negative light.
6. Teeth (2007)
Comedy horror can have dramatic aspects to it and Teeth isn’t afraid to be serious in some scenes. Teeth follows a religious teen named Dawn (Jess Weixler) who comes to realize she has vagina dentata while she’s sexually assaulted. During the film Dawn comes to grips with embracing sexual desire, but also understanding her own body. Sexuality is explored occasionally where repro horror is concerned. And while Teeth is very comedic, it still manages to touch upon consent, sexuality, anatomy education, as well as empowerment.
7. It Follows (2014)
The stigma surrounding STIs and STDs is never ending and using horror as a vehicle to depict that is perfect. It Follows follows Jay (Maika Monroe) who is pursued by an unsettling supernatural entity after having sex with her date. The themes of sexuality and knowing STI/STD transmission are strong in this. And escaping the supernatural entity means passing it along to someone through sex. It’s a creepy supernatural horror that falls into repro horror in a way that’s not all that typical. Cycles of shame and a lack of transparency when having sex with people is still a huge issue in society, unfortunately.
8. The First Omen (2024)
Making a prequel of what led to the events of The Omen (1976) shouldn’t have turned out as good as it did. The First Omen (2024) follows Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) who goes to Rome to become a nun and work at an orphanage. There, she discovers there is a conspiracy surrounding the Catholic church and their nefarious plans to bring forth the antichrist. It’s an absolutely stunning film as far as cinematography goes. But it also happens to be a more dramatic look into the church and how it controls women’s bodies in particular. Not to mention the deliberate scenes involving rape, unwanted pregnancy and forced birth. I’d call it a quintessential horror film if you’re looking for eerie and uncomfortable repro horror.
