Arizona O'Neill recommends 3 haunting horror novels with a feminist twist

CBC

26-05-2025

Arizona O'Neill has been a lifelong fan of spine-tingling horror fiction.
From a young age, the writer and illustrator devoured the works of Stephen King, plunging headfirst into his eerie, chilling plots. This early interest marked her first foray into a genre long dominated by male authors and perspectives — until she discovered writers like Shirley Jackson.
Jackson's haunting novel The Haunting of Hill House opened O'Neill's eyes to the gripping, spine-tingling stories women were telling in horror, pulling her even deeper into a genre she already loved.
"I've just been a fan forever," O'Neill said.
Today, she's immersed in feminist horror novels — a growing subgenre where female writers reclaim and reshape the genre to challenge patriarchal structures and the societal expectations placed on women. Rather than simply portraying women as victims, feminist horror places them at the centre, giving them agency, depth and complexity.
"The main character is a woman, and it's the tasks of everyday life — marriage, having children, childbirth, that becomes the horror. Rather than being the victim, she causes the horror," said O'Neill.
O'Neill is a Montreal-based writer and illustrator. She has published the illustrated book Est-ce qu'un artiste peut être heureux? and illustrated for books like Hoop Muses by Kate Fagan and Seimone Augustus. Her illustrated novel Valentine in Montreal, written by her mother Heather O'Neill, will be out on July 15, 2025.
On The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing, she shared three of her favourite feminist horror books — and why they've stayed with her.
Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
In Victorian Psycho, Winifred Notty seems to be the perfect governess — devoted to her lessons and enchanting with bedtime stories. But beneath her refined exterior lies a dark secret, and as the story unfolds, a disturbing history and pattern of violence toward the children in her care begins to emerge.
"Other governesses in literature … we watch them and we never know exactly what they're thinking. But [ in Victorian Psycho ], you're in her head. It's a first-person narrative … as she's thinking about murdering the children," said O'Neill.
Virginia Feito is a writer from Madrid. She studied English and drama at Queen Mary University of London and advertising at Miami Ad School. She is a regular contributor to Vanity Fair Spain. Her debut novel is Mrs. March.
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
"This book is a reaction to the trope of the single mother mania … [who] can't function in the world without a husband," said O'Neill.
The Lamb is a queer, gothic coming-of-age folktale about a mother and her daughter, Margot, who take in and secretly consume "strays" — people with no one else, seeking refuge in their home. But when a stray named Eden arrives, Margot's mother begins to feel something more than just hunger — and Margot must navigate the changes that follow.
Lucy Rose is an author and film director based in England. She explores gothic themes, girlhood and horror, and her work has appeared in Dread Central and Mslexia. The Lamb is her debut novel.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
"In gothic, there's an emptiness feeling. You have this old, ancient evil, so something that has been there for many centuries. You know, I think of Dracula and he feeds off the people. Garcia takes this and she actually makes the house, the thing, that feeds off of the people," said O'Neill.
Mexican Gothic is a gothic horror novel set in 1950s Mexico. It tells the story of a young woman named Noemí who is called by her cousin to save her from doom in her countryside home, the mysterious and alluring High Place. Noemí doesn't know much about the house, the region or her cousin's mysterious new husband, but she's determined to solve this mystery and save her cousin — whatever it takes.