the monstrous-feminine
in the first edition of ‘the monstrous-feminine’, barbara creed challenges the dominant representation of women in horror films as victims, arguing that patriarchal ideology constructs women as monstrous because of their sexuality (or lack thereof).
later, creed reinterprets the monstrous-feminine as a being who embraces her body and reclaims her otherness. in line with this contemporary vision, these are books which use horror to redefine notions of ‘womanhood’.
recommendations welcome!
created by aliyahmk
last updated February, 2026
Comments
Okay not a book rec but I think you would love the film Raw (2016, French). Coming of age x sexuality x cannibalism. I'm not a horror lover generally but that one lives in my mind rent free
aliyahmkOP
update (feb 15th 2026) to say that seven books have been added to this list (and if i ever get to make quests, this’ll be one of them)
I'm not sure if you want to include manga, but I just finished my very first one, Tomie by Junji Ito, recently and I think it would be a really good fit haha
I don’t read horror, but I bookmarked this so fast 😂
aliyahmkOP
i’m always trying to convert people to horror, so hopefully something from this list will eventually take your fancy!
Neither do I for the most part. The only one I've read is Victorian Psycho, but I am saving this list for inspo later if the mood strikes again.
this is such a fantastic list!
aliyahmkOP
thank you! the book is so incredibly insightful when it comes to horror cinema, so i thought it’d be great to use the monstrous-feminine to look at horror lit as well!
YES i was thinking of other examples i’ve seen of the monstrous feminine potentially, but i could only think of cinema! so cool to have a compilation of example of this in literature as well 🤩
Oooh, this is such a cool list! Perhaps The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw would fit here? The main character is a mermaid slowly regaining her monstrous identity and features after it was brutally stripped away by the prince.
aliyahmkOP
oooh love that! i was thinking of adding it but wasn’t sure if it’d fit, but based on that description i definitely will! now i’m sooo keen to read
Excited to read your thoughts when you do pick it up! The writing can be divisive, but there's definitely commentary on women's bodies, taking back power, and monstrous identity.
Ooh I like this!!! I don’t usually read a lot of horror but a couple of these are already on my TBR and I’m definitely gonna look into the rest
aliyahmkOP
ooh which ones are on your TBR already?
Love the list and the shoutout to Barbara Creed! I love her.
I'd recommend adding Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung to the list. Many of its short stories deal with the idea of the monstrous-feminine!
aliyahmkOP
ooh great recommendation, i’ve been meaning to read this one for ages and am even more inclined to now, thanks!
i think the plans i have for you would fit!! one of the main characters has more or less become one with a “monstrous” supernatural entity that demands she drowns people, she comes to embrace this identity near the end of the novel!
