My Dearest Weirdlings,
One of my favorite months of year year it here. It’s Women in Horror Month — a time to celebrate the work of women who have been a vital part of the horror community since its beginning, from directors, actors, writers, and other creators.
This month, we’ll be highlighting short films directed by women, as well as sharing other work by women. We hope you’ll find some new works to terrify and enjoy.
Movies
The Best Female-Directed Horror Films of the 2010s (IndieWire)
From Knives and Skin to The Babadook, women have helmed a number of chilling and innovated horror films over the past decade.
Games
Tomb Raider's 25th Anniversary Is Being Celebrated All Year In 2021 (GameSpot)
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamic will celebrate the iconic game series with various events based around monthly themes along with hints of “what lies in store for the franchise and its future.”
What is Resident Evil Village? (SUPERJUMP)
James Burns discusses the ways in which Capcom has continually reinvented both the Resident Evil franchise and the survival horror genre in general, and how it continues to push the boundaries with it’s forthcoming game in the series, Village.
Life & Lore
Medieval Pilgrims Apparently Tried to Ward Off the Plague With Bawdy Badges (Atlas Obscura)
While traveling to sacred religious sites, pilgrims would collect pewter badges that they pinned to their hats as protective charms — some of which came in the form of anthropomorphic vulvas and penises.
Literature
Women in Horror Month: Mary SanGiovanni on Being A Veteran Woman in Horror (RA for All: Horror)
Author Mary SanGiovanni, who has written fiction, comics, and radio plays, discusses the value of Women in Horror Month and some ways you can support female horror writers not only in February, but throughout the year.
Books Like House Of Leaves: An Intro To Ergodic Fiction (Book Riot)
Ergodic fiction represents stories that present unconventional storytelling elements that break with traditional linear storytelling, creating beautiful, compelling, and complicated reading experiences.
Short of the Week
Lois Weber was not only America’s first female director, but was also considered to be America’s first auteur, being “involved in all aspects of production.” She was also credited as being "one of the first directors to experiment with sound."
In “Suspense,” a silent thriller released in 1913, a tramp stalks a woman and her child, using unique new filming techniques to build a sense of unease, including the first use of split screen.
Footnote: After a couple of weeks of slogging, Once Upon the Weird has reached its new home. I’ve transferred all of the existing posts (a whopping 20) from the old site to the new — and now I’m ready to move forward with getting Once Weird back on track again.
New reviews, essays, and other celebrations of the weird (including a continuation of the Great X-Files Rewatch).
One of the new benefits of Medium is that there is an opportunity for me to easily invite authors to join the publication, who then have the opportunity to earn money through the site’s partnership program. Although I’m not opening up widely yet, if you’re on Medium or would like to explore using Medium and would like to be considered as an author for Once Weird, please send me a message.
