13 female horror writers you should read

Portrait of British Novelist Daphne du Maurier in her garden 1947 (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

6.) Daphne du Maurier

Although frequently classified as a romantic novelist, I dare you to read through Rebecca and tell me that Daphne du Maurier somehow didn’t write a horror novel. Though she never wrote about gore and mayhem, du Maurier created works that will continue to haunt you long after you have closed the book.

Born into an established British literary family, du Maurier published her first novel, The Loving Spirit, in 1931. It was eventually followed by Jamaica Inn (1936) and her most famous work, Rebecca (1938). Rebecca was adapted into many different forms, including the Academy Award winning 1940 film version by Alfred Hitchcock. The film starred Sir Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, and Dame Judith Anderson in a tale of gothic suspense that became a film classic.

In general, du Maurier’s tales have proven to be especially cinematic. Hitchcock also used one of her short stories as inspiration for his film The Birds. Another short story, “Don’t Look Now”, was the basis for a 1973 thriller of the same name, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.

Where to start
Rebecca. The novel is a classic of gothic fiction. In it, the unnamed narrator falls in love with Maxim de Winter, a rich and much older widower. After marrying Maxim, the narrator moves with him to his British estate, Manderley. There, she encounters Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper who was devoted to the first Mrs. de Winter, the eponymous Rebecca. What follows is a menacing tale of gothic horror that takes the narrator through mystery, romance, and murder.