Book Review — Eleanor Johnson

A random TikTok sent me to the library waitlist for this one. Months later, I finally got my hands on it — and I was hooked within a few pages.

I’ll be honest: I don’t like horror movies. Reading the descriptions of the films covered in this book scared me. But that’s almost exactly the point.

In college, I was a film and TV major and took a class on horror films. We learned how horror reflects the societal fears of its time — economic anxiety, political instability, the unknown. What we never once touched on was women’s rights and feminism. That’s the gap this book fills, and it fills it well.

Eleanor Johnson points out parallels between horror films and feminist theory that feel almost embarrassingly obvious once you see them — and yet they probably went over the heads of the majority of viewers when these films were released. That’s what makes this book so compelling. It doesn’t feel like an academic exercise. It feels like someone finally saying the quiet part loud.

I had a personal moment near the end of the book: one of the final films covered is one I led the marketing for. We weren’t able to heavily promote it, so there’s something full-circle about reading it analyzed here with such care. I’m glad someone saw it and took away something meaningful.

Overall this book is insightful, easy to read, and genuinely compelling. I actually learned a lot — which, for someone who reads mostly fiction, is saying something.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 5/5 stars

Scream With Me by Eleanor Johnson. This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.