Ruthy Mason – Write on the World

Horror has always been a useful way to examine the things we’re told we should accept as normal. In 2026, feminist horror continues to use the genre to interrogate power, gender expectations, and the structures that shape women’s lives—and sometimes the monsters are the least frightening part of the story. Feminist horror isn’t necessarily horror about women, and it doesn’t have to feature a woman fighting a literal monster. Instead, these novels use horror to expose the ways power operates: inside marriages and families, through cultural expectations, within institutions and communities, and in the roles we are expected to perform simply because of our gender. The supernatural, the grotesque, and the terrifying become ways of making those pressures impossible to ignore.

Spooktober reading list graphic — Spooktober is here, and we’re diving deep into feminist horror. From body horror to domestic unrest, these 12 reads explore power, identity, and the roles society expects us to play. Which ones are on your reading list this month?

Listen to this series on YouTubE!

If you’re looking for some feminist horror to catch up on this #Spooktober, these 2026 releases offer plenty to sink your teeth into. From domestic horror and body horror to stories about marriage, motherhood, sisterhood, identity, and the expectations placed on women, these novels demonstrate just how much horror can say about the world we live in.

Continue reading →

What if the most terrifying thing lurking beneath your skin isn’t a curse at all, but the possibility that you’re becoming the person society always expected you to be? Ruthy Mason’s Death Do Us is one of those horror novels that works on multiple levels at once. On the surface, it’s a deeply unsettling story about a woman who begins physically deteriorating after accepting a marriage proposal. Underneath the body horror, however, lies a sharp examination of marriage, patriarchy, identity, and the ways women can slowly lose themselves while trying to fit into roles that were chosen for them long before they ever had a say.

Bea is a promising archaeologist whose future seems bright. She has a loving boyfriend, Jake, and a clear vision for her academic career. She’s preparing to pursue a PhD and dreams of participating in archaeological digs around the world. Marriage has never been her primary goal. In fact, she has spent much of her life resisting expectations that she should settle down, define herself through a relationship, and prioritize a man’s ambitions over her own.