Philly Girls Chase Horror Thrills Through Film Club

A New Community for Horror Fans in Philadelphia

When Christina Acevedo moved to Philadelphia from Los Angeles in 2022, she hoped to find a sense of community through horror movies and the city’s many cinemas. However, every time she attended a film screening, she found herself surrounded mostly by men. This experience was isolating, but Acevedo knew there had to be other women who shared her passion for horror films.

As a filmmaker who has loved horror since childhood, Acevedo directed her own body-horror short film, The Pointy Slippers, which explores the discomfort of shoes in a surreal way. In October 2024, she launched Girls Like Horror, a film club aimed at challenging the stereotype that horror is a male-dominated genre.

Acevedo’s motivation was simple: “I wanted to see movies with my people — the people who are of the same energy, who like the same films as me, and especially women.” The club's mission is to watch films directed by women or featuring strong female protagonists, followed by group discussions. “The only requirement for membership is a passion or curiosity for horror through the eyes of girls. All genders are welcome — just bring your love, and that quest for the thrills and chills!” she said.

The club started small, with about 15 friends gathering to watch The Substance at the Philadelphia Film Society. From there, Girls Like Horror tapped into Philadelphia’s rich horror film programming through microcinema pop-ups like Space Melt and Heavy Cycle. Their Valentine’s Day screening of Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession filled 450 seats at PFS, and the event included interactive elements such as disposable cameras, DIY card-making stations, and photo backdrops.

A December screening of Nosferatu drew 250 attendees, with an after-party so packed that the entire upstairs of Glory Bar was full, and there was a line for drinks out the door. Acevedo said the response was overwhelming. “I’ve made so many new friends because of this club, and I’ve seen others make friends, too. It’s really just happening organically because of our shared love for horror.”

Beyond movie screenings, Girls Like Horror has expanded into themed mixers, cemetery tours, ballet outings, and more. Acevedo collaborates with partners like MovieJawn editor-in-chief Rosalie Kicks, who helps design crafts and activities, and local vendors like Soft Belly Cookies and Tapes From the Crypt, which sells VHS tapes. Mixers often include raffles, tarot readings, or coloring stations tied to a horror film.

“It is so rare to find a true partnership like this,” says Kicks. “We are not in competition or rivals — we are two cinephiles that not only want to share their love of film but to do so in a welcoming and safe space.”

For members, these collaborations can be transformative. Tory Talaga, 28, of Lower Moyamensing, recalls her first Girls Like Horror event, which was a screening of Blood Rage at the Film Society. “It was awesome to join a community of people who are as passionate about horror as me!” she said. Talaga works at a local nonprofit cat adoption café called Get a Gato, which collaborated with Girls Like Horror on a horror-themed trivia event. The event sold out faster than any they had hosted before — in less than an hour.

Why Horror?

Acevedo believes horror is uniquely suited to reflect the anxieties of its time. “Any great filmmaker, whether they know it or not, is making films that reflect the era they’re in,” she explained, citing George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, a 1968 classic where strangers barricade in a farmhouse as zombies close in. “That film was a commentary on race and the media, even if Romero didn’t intend it that way. That’s what horror does — it becomes a mirror of our deepest fears and concerns.”

For Acevedo, horror offers a way to process her fears around issues that exist in the world today. “Psychological thrillers feel too real. Horror gives you just enough distance to engage with those fears.”

Horror has also long served as a mirror for gendered fears. Body horror channels anxieties about autonomy and reproductive rights, while possession films dramatize the silencing of women through metaphors of madness or rage. Slashers give rise to the “final girl,” a symbol of resilience and survival, and more recent films like Revenge, The Invisible Man, and The Babadook reframe trauma and rage through surreal menace.

For Acevedo, the monsters, demons, and haunted spaces often feel like metaphors for gaslighting, domestic expectations, and the double bind of femininity. Watching them on screen offers not only recognition but catharsis — and she notes with excitement that many of the films she gravitates toward are directed by women.

Last month, Girls Like Horror showed Pet Sematary at the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown. The choice was deliberate: Not only is it based on one of Stephen King’s most personal stories, it was directed by trailblazer Mary Lambert. “She was one of the first women in major Hollywood to direct a horror film, which shattered the myth that horror was a man’s territory,” Acevedo noted. “Plus, having a young girl as one of the leads was groundbreaking at the time. Producers didn’t think a film could sell with a female child protagonist.”

Acevedo dreams of a permanent home for Girls Like Horror: “I’d love a retro space in Philly where people can hang, grab snacks, and watch films together — a kind of community-run video store and screening house.”

Ultimately, Girls Like Horror is more than a film club — it’s a refuge. “It’s just amazing to watch people come together and find each other through horror,” Acevedo said. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”