8 Horror Movies with Complicated Protagonists - Macabre Daily
Vanessa Maki shares some horror films with complicated protagonists for you to maybe root for.
Vanessa Maki is a Black queer writer and self-proclaimed Blerd. She's been writing articles for online publications since late 2018. Her work has appeared in various publications like Dread Central, Fangoria, Daily Dead, Pop Heist, and more. She's a former contributor to the now defunct Pink Advocate, as well as The Mary Sue. Currently she's a contributor for But Why Tho? and Macabre Daily. She's also the author of "girlhouse".
https://bio.site/theblackbuffy
Vanessa Maki shares some horror films with complicated protagonists for you to maybe root for.
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Lists
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The holidays aren't for everyone and that much continues to be true as the years go by. It's perfectly alright to not be into celebrating. However, you don't need to celebrate any particular December based holiday to enjoy holiday horror. In fact, watching horror that's set around this time
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It's the official season of the macabre and the weird (let's face it, Halloween is all year round for some of us), folks. Therefore, people are scrambling to assemble their watch lists for Halloween because some people like to stay in. And sure, I think watching Halloween (1978) every year as a tradition is a [...]
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Keep Black History Month going with more shows and films about individual Black experiences.
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Oftentimes, going out to the woods in search of someone who has gone missing is a perilous course of action for a person or a group of folks in a horror film. Despite that fact, the characters in "Dead Eyes" still go on their camping trip and land themselves in an increasingly bad situation.
When faced with a supernatural force that is certainly beyond the average comprehension, both of the lead characters in "Bodycam" (2026) fail to understand the gravity of their situation until it's too late.
"Good For Her: A Splatterpunk Collection" by E.T. is a splatterpunk collection of stories that'll make you feel all sorts of things. Be warned, though, this collection isn't for those who don't care for gross-out imagery.
It's just a teenage bloodbath, baby. Puns and slight jokes (there's no shortage of bloodbaths in this book) aside, things are getting bloody and extreme in David Sodergren's (also known by his pseudonym Carl John Lee) "Psychic Teenage Bloodbath" books. These extreme horror books deliver exactly wha
This Is Not a Test doesn't reinvent the genre, but it is worth checking out for both the zombies and the lead performance from Olivia Holt.
Vanessa Maki explores the violent, seductive world of "Blinking Witness" by Lesley A. Camphouse!
Whistle (2026) fails to shatter expectations or bring anything super fresh to the horror table despite some strong central performances.
Vanessa J. Maki explores the dark and sinister world of Jon Athan's "Do Not Disturb" series! For fans of killer clowns, extreme horror, and unpredictable slashers!
In "Diabolic," from Brainstorm Media releasing in theaters on Friday, February 13, 2026, we slowly build to the climax in a way that'll have you unsettled long before the end credits roll on this Aussie horror film.
A trip to Ireland with your daughter doesn't sound so bad, right? Wrong. Instead of enjoying the sights and the local cuisine, a mother is forced to save her daughter from being the permanent host of a Pagan goddess.
Despite the dark moments that occur prior to the film's ending, The Serpent's Skin allows for tenderness for both Gen and Anna.
Incomplete Chairs fits the bill in terms of being a daring splatter horror film, that also happens to dig into consumerism.
Many horror fans feel safe in the genre, and many folks will be comfortable hanging out in the world of Queens of the Dead.
Affection is the directorial debut of screenwriter BT Meza, who crafts a film that'll leave you guessing until the reveal.
In It Needs Eyes, we're exploring the algorithm, the difficult to discern between what's real and fake, as well the need to dig.
V/H/S/Halloween is a found footage film to throw on with your favorite snacks or watch during a Halloween marathon.
After so much excitement leading up to Alien Earth Season 1 premiere date, creator Noah Hawley gave fans everything and more.
As a whole, Alien Earth Episode 8 is fine as a season finale and as long as there's a Season 2 to continue everyone's story.
It's safe to say that Alien Earth Episode 7, "Emergence" landed and delivered on moments that'll make for a grand season finale.
The tensions rise so high between characters during Alien Earth Episode 6, "The Fly" that you'll be pulling at your collar.
Alien Earth Episode 3 crafts characters that people are bound to care about, or at least be curious about moving forward.
Trust (2025) delivers a lackluster survival thriller that's only worthwhile in order to support female filmmakers.
Instead of solely focusing on the Xenomorph and other alien creatures, there's also an emotional core to Alien Earth Episode 1 - 2.
Witchboard (2025) lacks an identity that its cult film predecessor nailed, proving that it won't reach cult status anytime soon.
A Whisper A Scream and A Cut to Black thrusts its film crew into an unimaginable nightmare when they're targeted by the ultimate villain.
The uttering of the words "home invasion" often sends people into a rightful state of paranoia. There's nothing supernatural about people breaking into homes wi
The anticipation, the high stakes regarding the Men's World Championship, and everything in between finally unfolded during AEW's third annual All In. Instead o
An abandoned house in the middle of the woods, a group of paranormal investigators, shaky cam footage, and unforeseen consequences make for a good time. No? Hou
After what was a mess of a second episode, TWD Dead City Season 2 Episode 3, is a tiny bit of an improvement on the season.
TWD: Dead City Season 2 Episode 2 is less interested in making sense and more interested in having its characters be nonsensical.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 1 is more focused on setting the stage for what's to come.
You know how people say that revenge is sweet? Well, sometimes it's actually more bittersweet because getting what you want might come at a cost. This is precis
Author's note: This is a throwback review and I've watched this film several times since I wrote this initially. After many years of no films in the Alien franc
Directed by Steffen Haars
spoilers ahead* The vast majority of the time, possession horror falls into a typical formula. Someone gets possessed, needs an exorcism, and the entity is likely vanquished after causing mayhem....
The First Omen (2024) is the pro-choice film we need at this point in time. It's a prequel to The Omen (1976) that sheds some insight into the horrors of how Damien came to be.
We're back in the Hell House universe again, folks. It's been some time since the third entry in the Hell House franchise. The last time we were in the Hell House universe, people were being murdered in the Abbadon hotel as well as around the property and the very rich Russell Wynn (Gabriel Chytry) defeated demonic cult leader Andrew Tully (Brian David Tracy) in the basement, destroying the hotel in the process.
There's a special feeling that found footage horror radiates. The scares often come across as real because the visuals aren't perfectly crafted. We watch characters struggle and are forced to...
Slashers aren't always mindless fun featuring horrible characters, hot people, and outrageous kills. Of course those can be fun and there is nothing wrong with enjoying horror that doesn't extend beyond the surface level.
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In a series like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the antagonists are just as interesting as the protagonists.
Summer can be unsettling or scary as hell, and horror is the best genre to capture that fact. And in the case of slashers, many have taken place during summer
Slashers aren't everyone's cup of tea, and that's understandable in some respects. However, there's no denying how beloved the subgenre is to many horror
Returning to form is often a wise choice when you take into consideration a prequel like Saw X (2023). Instead of going back to that nasty bathroom, we focus
The Evil Dead Rise franchise has existed since 1981 and since then people have endured the batshit nature of Deadites and those who try to defeat them. It
The world of V/H/S is intense, and no, I'm not talking about VHS tapes. I'm talking about the found footage franchise that has captured many hearts. Found footage horror isn't always taken seriously, and that's a shame because there are many great films out there.
BOOKS
Ash has longed for freedom for herself and the other captured girls. Fortunately, her time has come for bloody revenge and escape.Indulge in vanessa maki's debut extreme horror short story.Leave a review on Storygraph if you wish.
A chapbook of poetry from Vanessa Maki Official release date January 21, 2020 In the chosen one, a Buffy The Vampire Slayer themed chapbook, Vanessa Maki unpacks her own personal experiences and uses the world of Buffy to do so.