Female friendship in horror has always fascinated me, since it tends to be handled in one of two ways – it is either weaponized in order to leave a character vulnerable to whatever/whoever the “villain” is, or it is bolstered in order to give the character the power be victorious.
I decided to select a few of my favorite instances of horror besties that are just a bit more nuanced than all that, since we all know that real friendships are a lot more complicated than ‘you’re in or you’re out’ of them.
Sadie and McKayla – Tragedy Girls
I know, I know, I can’t shut up about this movie. I just love it so much! But they get to be a part of this article on the strength of their surprisingly realistic relationship. I mean, yeah, they may not be doing the best things possible, but…they’re such perfect friends! I love that they are 100% ride or die, but then they diverge, and things get weird, but in the end, their love for one another runs deeper than their differences and they come back together. It’s just so sweet!
The Colleens – Yoga Hosers
Honestly, as female friendships go, this one is definitely the only non-dysfunctional one I could find. Colleen M. and Colleen C. are basically the perfect BFFs. They work well together, always support each other, and use the power of yoga to defeat Nazi bratwursts – or Brazis to the initiated.
I know it’s apparently cool to hate on Kevin Smith’s True North movies, but I’m not drinking that Kool-Aid. Both Yoga Hosers, and its predecessor, Tusk are loads of fun – provided you’re not one of those ‘everything has to be potential Oscar-bait types,’ which I think is a super lame way to be.
Ginger and Brigitte – Ginger Snaps
Okay, I know they’re not technically friends, but I did say sisterhood as well, and tbh solid female togetherness is hard as hell to find in any movie, let alone horror movies. So you’re gonna have to work with me here. Ginger and Brigitte are wonderful. Since they’re sisters, their relationship is tinged a bit by the normal teen-sisters business, like maybe a little tiny bit of sibling rivalry or whatever, but they’re actually really fucking solid. In the end they just want to protect each other above all else.
Merricat and Constance Blackwood – We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Alright, despite using a picture from the movie, I can only speak to their relationship in the book – I haven’t watched the movie yet. But, like Ginger and Brigitte, these sisters have each others’ well being in mind first and foremost.
They stick together through thick and thin, even after Constance reveals that she knows about a very bad thing that Merricat has done, and Merricat admits that although she did that aforementioned bad thing, she did it in a way that would ensure the continued safety of her beloved sister. And even when they have nobody else, they still have each other.
Holy shit, that’s all I could come up with, though. No other female relationship comes to mind where one isn’t taking advantage of the other, or somebody ends up being shunned and/or fridged. Let’s do better, horror!
Honestly, it really bums me out that these were the only examples I could find of female friend/sister relationships that weren’t entirely one sided. Please tell me that you know of some other ones – I’d be forever grateful!
