I'm not a non fiction reader for the most part, however this title I knew I had to give it a go. I loved every minute of reading this and the authors thoroughly researched key points. I have added the books and movies that are mentioned to my reread pile for spooktober and will be buying this book for my bookshelf! I very informative read!

Johnson takes a critical reexamination of a few classic horror films. Their thesis revolves around women’s bodily autonomy, and how the recent regression in abortion policy mirrors the time period (1968-1980) that they examine. Then, she moves to explaining how the modern reboots amplify and (sometimes improving upon) the feminist conceits of the originals.

Overall, the points are made well. Though, the writer is inconsistent at times. They praise Ripley (Alien) for being a lone woman fighting her oppression; opposed to one of the sequels when she has help, then a few chapters later, praises The Shining’s novel ending, in which Wendy and Danny are helped, instead of being left to their own devices completely, like in the film.

The plot synopses of the films seem over wrote, to me, but I’m sure they will help those that haven’t seen all the movies discussed.

Especially if you’ve seen the movies, it can be a quick read, that can, potentially, make you see some classic horror films from a new perspective.

(This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. )

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an early copy of this book.

I love critical and cultural analysis of horror films so when I saw this, I immediately had to read it. I love that this book generates from a lecture about reproductive choice and <i>Rosemary's Baby</i>.

The structure of this book is as follows:
- a chapter devoted to each film (<i>Rosemary's Baby</i>, <i>The Exorcist</i>, <i>The Stepford Wives</i>, <i>The Omen</i>, <i>Alien</i>, and <i>The Shining</i>) where cultural and societal context are given to support the author's analysis;
- a chapter about the 2010s films (<i>Paranormal Activity</i>, <i>Creep</i>, and <i>Creep 2</i>) that apply to the author's analysis;
- a chapter about the films made post-Dobbs (<i>Immaculate</i>, <i>The First Omen</i>, and <i>Apartment 7A</i>;
- an epilogue about the film <i>Women Talking</i>;
- Appendix A titled "Brief Synopses of the Terrible Remakes of the Original Six Horror Films";
- Appendix B titled "Further Readings for Victims and Survivors of Domestic and Reproductive Violence, and for their Friends and Families"

I enjoyed the individual chapters for each film. When it came time for the chapter about the 2010s films, I was disappointed. As much as I appreciated the analysis, it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book. These three films are using the camera to inflict the horror, but it felt like they needed a Laura Mulvey analysis more than anything.

The next chapter was about the analysis of the 2020s films which allowed me to get back into the groove of the author's argument that got away from me with the 2010s chapter.

I wish the discussion of "Women Talking" had been added in the "main" part of the book and not regulated to the epilogue since the author devoted a lot of time to going through the film. I understood why it was placed in the epilogue, but it would have been a great addition with the other films.

I thought Appendix A was another section that ended to be in the "main" text. It showed each of the main films have sequels that are subpar. There wasn't as much focus on the films' summaries, but I had a few problems with the way the author characterized the sequels. I think the analysis of Mike Flanagan's <i>Doctor Sleep</i> was a little unfair since it's using the Stephen King book with Kubrick callbacks and Flanagan wanted to focus on the alcoholism element. I was disappointed in the lack of mention around <i>The Exorcist</i> television series and <i>Alien: Prometheus</i> which are great vehicles for the author's domestic horror analysis.

Overall, I loved this book and its analysis and I will end up purchasing a hard copy when it comes out.

Horror movies and feminism are probably two of my favorite topics. All of the films discussed I have either seen myself, or they’re iconic enough that I know what happens.

I think that someone who doesn’t believe in feminism would HATE this. Some of the correlations and discussions seemed a bit stretched out and I did roll my eyes a few times thinking “there’s no way it is this deep”. But I did truly enjoy it.

I wish more books were written like this - breaking down films in this way. Are there books like this? I want them lol.

The book also made me wish I was in school again, in a good way. Would LOVE to just have discussions like this.

I also truly loved the last paragraph of the book. I’ll leave it at that.

I loved this, thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!
This book was well-researched and an engaging read, while also making you really think about the state of our society today. Spoiler alert, many of the real life horrors against women discussed in these films are still very much present in 2025. Eleanor Johnson does a great job of explaining the films and historical and feminist context surrounding them, and I believe readers who may not have watched the films discussed will still have all the context they need to understand and analyze the films on their own.

Very interesting and very topical.

I've read several articles and seen video essays recently that assert horror movies are largely social commentary and many of them create fear in men by making them live the female experience and almost every author and video essayist has been met with a fair bit of push back.

It's very gratifying that a respected academic supports the feminist view of these stories and highlights the real life events that inspired the writers who created the film.

My favorite chapter was the one on Alien. I hadn't even considered the symbolism in Ash using a rolled up magazine when trying to kill Ripley.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This was fabulous! While I'm not sure I'm entirely in agreement with all of Johnson's interpretations about the motives behind the movies, I found her analysis compelling and fascinating and very thought-provoking. I loved the way she blended film analysis with critical theory, and much of what she determined definitely resonated with me on a powerful emotional level.

I was familiar with the main movies she analyzed in depth, and found those sections to be the most interesting. I'm not a horror/slasher buff on the whole, but the classic 70s/80s horror movies hold a special place in my heart, having seen them during my formative years. The more recent movies are ones I haven't seen (and after those descriptions, and given what I know about technological advances in realistic movie-making, I'm unlikely to watch them!), and those sections were still interesting but without my own experience of the movies it was harder to determine how I felt about her analysis.

On the whole though, we're in lock-step - the shift in social/political attitudes in recent years definitely harkens back to the days of the earlier movies, and that is a horrifying thought indeed...

I really enjoyed this book! Eleanor Johnson does an excellent job describing how 6 domestic horror movies had an effect on feminism. The 6 films she discusses in length include: Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Stepford Wives, The Omen, Alien, and The Shining. 1968 through 1980 saw the beginning of the women’s rights movement. The Supreme Court granted the constitutional right for a woman to have an abortion. Domestic shelters opened in various states for women escaping abusive marriages. These 6 films were released around these wins for women’s rights. Johnson has a strong and powerful voice in these essays. She really did her homework. I love nonfiction books about feminism so this book is even sweeter since it is centered around domestic horror films. I ate this book right up. The writing and research is amazing. Very smart. Very insightful. Scream with Me kept me engaged and entertained.

As a feminist who loves the horror genre, I was so excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint.

Anyone who loves horror should pick this up and give it a chance!

Absolutely phenomenal. This book explores classic 1970s horror films as feminist masterworks, and I was completely enraptured by the author’s insight. I love all the movies she discusses, and her professorial and cinematic and historical acumen has deepened and enriched my appreciation for those movies.

Furthermore, she tackles the paradoxical nature of many male directors whose parasitical misogyny goes against the very thematic ideas explored in their films.

This is a well researched, well written book that is perfect for movie and horror fans who want to get into the bloody red meat the genre offers. I read an e-arc, and I will be buying this book in hardcover.

Be warned: you may never look at horror movies the same, and you’ll be better for it.

A good introductory text for baby feminists trying to look into horror + feminism critique and theory, but ultimately feels very barebones, which is why I consider this a starter text: there’s not much new here being explored

Solid 4.5! This is an excellent and insightful read, especially for horror fans. Although, even if you aren’t, you’ll still enjoy as it was well researched, cited and delivered. It was fascinating (and sad) because women are still in the same spot we were decades ago. Still trying to fight for our rights.

The author looks at the rise of feminism by looking at the six most impactful horror movies of the late 60s to early 80s:

Rosemary’s Baby
The Exorcist
The Stepford Wives
The Omen
Alien
The Shining

I absolutely loved learning from this author!

First and foremost, thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of “Scream with Me”.

I enjoyed the authors in-depth description of the movie Rosemary’s Baby. As someone who has not seen the movie I appreciated the very detailed annotation of it and the themes that went along with it. I enjoyed how the author brought issues occurring in New York pertaining to women and their reproductive health and correlated it with different horror movies. I do think that the Alien chapter was a little far fetched and reaching.

An easy read but educational. Feels like a hybrid between a wiki page and textbook. A little over done with the drawn out summaries and lengthy explanations for every single movie along with a few others that don’t have specific chapters. The chapters were LONG too. As someone who enjoys a short chapter, it took a little adjusting. I’m also bummed that the book technically ended at 87% (rest was notes).

Overall I’d give this book a 3.5-4 stars. I did enjoy it a lot, but some parts were long and repetitive. I’ll give it 4 stars because it was a very impressive novel and the author did so much research.

I thought this was a fantastic and fascinating read - while I have not seen every horror film referenced in the book, those I have seen I've watched over and over again. Johnson's book made me see parts of them through a totally different lens, and I'm eager to give them another viewing with new eyes. Through each film discussed, we learn about the themes of domestic violence, reproductive control, how these films were perceived at the time, and how they helped to shape the feminism of today. Additionally, we look at some more recent films and see how things have changed post-Dobbs - it's an interesting compare and contrast from 50+ years prior. I highly recommend this to anyone, horror fan or not. Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

As someone who had never seen a horror movie before reading this book, I am surprised to say that Scream with Me by Eleanor Johnson just may be one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time.

Before I get to why, let me explain my approach to reading this book (which I highly recommend to anyone wishing to read this book). Because I hadn't seen any horror movies before, I thought this book presented a wonderful opportunity to dive into Johnson's curated list of films. Before each chapter, I watched the corresponding movie and would then read Johnson's analysis of the film, which made for a splendid experience.

While I enjoyed watching these movies, it is not necessary to have seen them to benefit or enjoy reading Johnson's analysis, as she seamlessly interweaves summary, historical background knowledge, and feminist implications. I am surprised by how much I learned about the connections between domestic horror films and feminist social change. Johnson's writing struck a perfect balance between clarity and depth, offering accessible yet insightful analysis. Even though the movies were fresh in my brain, Johnson uncovered nuances within each film that I failed to consider upon watching.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. I recommend it to film buffs, feminists, and everyone in between. Immerse yourself in this thrilling history and, when you're ready, scream with me.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Be sure to grab this book when it's published on September 30, 2025!!

I’m a big fan of reading film theory, especially theory around horror films, and Eleanor Johnson has such an intriguing premise here. She writes of six of the most known, most beloved horror movies of all time (The Exorcist, Alien, The Stepford Wives, Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, and The Shining) and how those movies, whether intentionally or not, have a lot to say about feminism, reproductive control, domestic violence, and the idea of “the home” as a safe space becoming intentionally sinister. It’s really clear that Johnson has spent a great deal of time thinking about and teaching the concepts that she writes of in this book. The ideas are clear and coherent, if occasionally a bit obvious. Johnson also writes about the times that these movies came out in - the passing of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, the introduction of laws making domestic violence a punishable offense, and the existence of second-wave feminism all played into what these movies spoke to and what they eventually became to the female public. I find books like this so interesting (and also depressing!) because of how little has really changed.

When this popped up on NetGalley, I immediately hit the request button and eagerly looked forward to reading; I devoured it in a few hours and it *absolutely* delivered!

Johnson presents six major horror films that we now consider classics of the genre: Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Stepford Wives, The Omen, Alien, and The Shining. She crafts a brilliant argument for each as a feminist (even if complicatedly so) reflection of the American political and cultural climate at the time. For most, the intrinsic feminist messages are presented in understated and less obvious ways, but no less potent and reflective of the tumultuous years in which they were released.

Throughout, there is the underlying rage (what's new?) of what it means to be a woman in America, both during the second wave feminist movement and now, as so many rights are being ripped away and so much progress is being undone. Now more than ever, these films speak to that rage, fear, powerlessness, and survival, and Johnson does a fascinating job of laying it all out.

(I will admit that I skimmed a bit through the sections on Creep and Creep 2, as well as the analyses on recent reboots of the original six, simply because I'd like to stay spoiler free in case I decide to watch!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Scream with Me, author Eleanor Johnson examines the women's movement and issues like domestic violence, forced pregnancy, and rape through the lens of classic horror films. By diving into films like Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, Johnson addresses the very real fears that women live with. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Love this book! The authors writing style was great for me, I was hooked right away. Sometimes nonfiction reads can be too dry and hard for me to get into, not the case here! Also love how the intro laid out what we were getting into, how each chapter focuses on a different movie. I love horror movies, Rosemarys Baby is my favorite. So it was cool to read about it in the context of the time it was created and what it means.

Wow! First, i’m not usually into nonfiction but this just had my attention PEEKED! Horror and talking about how horror movies from the 70’s-80’s tackle woman’s rights to their bodies and domestic violence.

The author delves into how horror movies like, “Rosemarys Baby” (1968), “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Stepford Wives” (1975), “The Omen” (1976), “Alien” (1978), and “The Shinning” (1980), tackle the struggle woman had in the time these movies were made and how they were trying to shed light on their pain. I really enjoyed how the author, as well as talking about how the movies are showing these struggles but also relating it to how the world and the times were.

We also get a look into more recent horror movies post-Dobb with a feminist view that are slightly similar and partially connected to the older movies like, “Immaculate” (2024), “The First Omen” (2024), and “Apartment 7A” (2024).

The way the author writes and you can honestly just feel the way she feels for the woman and children in these horror movies. It really made me also feel for these characters that I don’t really know (since I sadly haven’t seen ANY of the movies we talked about in the book (except “Alien”)). She wants woman to continue to write, speak out, and SCREAM. It was very inspiring but also very bittersweet.

Thank you Atria Books Publicity and Marketing, and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!