Women in Horror: The Directors, Part 1 (The Hitch-Hiker, The Velvet Vampire, The Being, The Slumber Party Massacre)

A Cure for the Common Craig

We take a little journey through horror history, with a three-part series focusing on films directed by women. Let's get things started with a psychopathic hitchhiker, a horny desert vampire, a toxic monster, and a denim-clad driller killer!
A pioneer in women's filmmaking, Ida Lupino directs a claustrophobic movie set in the wide open desert, that is in truth more classic film noir than horror. What would you do if the guy you just picked up on the side of the road told you that he was going to kill you? It's just a matter of when. Maybe you should at least consider killing him first, in The Hitch-Hiker (1953).
Roger Corman disciple, Stephanie Rothman decides to keep us in the desert a little longer, as she directs a film that really wants to be arty and erotic. A couple is invited to the desert home of a mysterious woman who has designs on getting both of them in the sack. But wow, it's a little challenging to get interested in the sexuality when the acting is somewhat lacking, to say the least. But hey, if you're into that sort of thing, The Velvet Vampire (1971) may just become a cult favorite for you.
Less than a year after we discussed Blood Diner (1987), we thought that we had better check out Jackie Kong's first feature film. Pottsville, Idaho. They love potatoes, but they will sweep away smut. So don't even think about opening that massage parlor in their town! Radioactive toxic waste is fine, though. Until some kid goes missing and becomes a mutated toxic monster that rips off heads and delivers one hell of a heart punch, in The Being (1981)
And how many people would guess that The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), written by Rita Mae Brown, was also directed by a woman, Amy Holden Jones? With an escaped serial killer on the loose, stalking teenage girls (but he likes the boys, too), it's not difficult to figure out what that enormous power drill he carries around is supposed to represent. This 80s slasher VHS rental favorite might be a lot more fun than you expect.