Ghouls Rule: A Celebration of Female Monsters in the Movies

Ghouls Rule is a celebration of female monsters and the actresses who played them.

From vampires and werethings to zombettes and killer puppets, some of the scariest monsters of the cinema have been females. This book will showcase the most well-known and shine a light on the ones that have been hiding in the shadows.

Along the way, it will explore how cultural standards of “pretty” and “ugly” fuel the concept of the monster in differing ways depending on gender, and how some horror films adhere to these standards while others twist them around. It will confront the feminine beauty ideal and the burden on women to be conventionally pretty, even when playing the monster, and how the simple act of a woman playing a gross, slimy ghoul is an attack on the patriarchy.