Sometimes, the scariest monsters aren’t burly, revenant men with knives or chainsaws. Sometimes, they’re undead brides, high school queens, ghosts, or even a pack of sharp-toothed “clever girls.”

When people think of memorable creatures from horror and science-fiction films, familiar names such as Frankenstein’s creation, Leatherface, and Pennywise often come to mind. For many years, male antagonists dominated the genre, but cinema has also introduced a wide range of memorable female creatures and supernatural characters.