Reel Girl’s list of monster movies starring females

Posted on by

This Halloween season, Hollywood put out not one, but three new monster movies that star males. Once again, in children’s movies, male characters are in the majority while female characters are in the minority. You can read about these new movies in Reel Girl’s post Girls gone missing in new Halloween movies for kids.

The Reel Girl community put together a list of monster movies starring females that you can screen this Halloween and show your kids that girls and boys are equally important. There is no reason for kidworld or fantasy world to be sexist.

So here are the historical exceptions we found, but a few things first:

Given the slim pickings, we took some liberties here with what really qualifies as a monster movie. Teen movies are not included, these are recs for young kids who you’d think would be too young to be learning about sexism.

I have not seen several of these movies, and must admit the poster for “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” so dominated by Jim Carey, who takes over every movie he is in, as well as the boy leading the pack of kids, makes me a nervous. The Corpsebride rec comes from a source I trust, but I personally didn’t see it when it came out, pre-Reel Girl, because I couldn’t stomach another animated bride. I hear this movie is great though, and I’m going to rent it.

“Coraline” is one of my absolute, favorite animated movies. Some little kids get scared, but, I think  repetitive sexism is scarier to expose your kids to than any monster. My younger one loved it and my older one was the most frightened, though a couple years later she loves it as well. And the book, too.

This is a list in progress. Please send in your suggestions.

Coraline

Kiki’s Delivery Service

CorpseBride

My Neighbor Totoro

Wizard of Oz

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Monsters and Aliens

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Hocus Pocus

 

13 thoughts on “Reel Girl’s list of monster movies starring females”

  3. I agree with most of these movies ( I thought Journey and Monsters v aliens were dumb and I’ve never seen hocus pocus) but how many are horror movies? Besides coraline and corpse bride they all seem more like fantasy to me.
    And Series of unfortunate events is a beautiful film, although I absolutely hate Jim Carey. He’s just soooooo full of himself

    Reply ↓

  4. The 1st Coraline game my kids nightmares. And I have never seen The Corpse Bride, but I’ll pass. LOVE Hocus Pocus, Journey and M vs Aliens. Halloweentown is quite cute, as well as the Good Witch series through Hallmark. Of course classics (if you can find them, Garfield’s Halloween, The Great Pumpkin CB, and Scooby Doo!

    Reply ↓

  5. What about Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland? Full of monsters, great heroine and the ending (and story line) has a great message but I wasn’t sure if it could be considered a ‘Halloween’ movie…however, thought I’d suggest it anyway for at least discussion. :0)

    Reply ↓

      • I suppose, in the way that the characters on Sesame Street are monsters, but I feel like it should have more scariness to it to be called a monster, you know? Otherwise I’d categorize him with other harmless imaginary creatures, like elves 😉

        Reply ↓

        • Hi eeyore,

          Sesame Street is monsters but so male dominated! And its PBS, guess gender equality isn’t important for kids. Abby Cadabby came out a few years ago to try to equalize but she’s got nothing on Elmo and the ratios are bad. Same with the Muppets and Muppet Movies and Muppet Movie posters.

          MM

          Reply ↓

  8. return to oz! the worst witch? also, the last unicorn. i dont know if i’d consider it a halloween movie, per se, but it definitely fits.

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply