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WSC - Women in Horror

Women in Horror: Crafting Suspense through the Female Gaze

August 4, 2026

A DGA Women's Steering Committee Meeting Panel Discussion

On August 4, the Women’s Steering Committee (WSC) meeting featured the discussion, Women in Horror: Crafting Suspense through the Female Gaze.

In a conversation moderated by 2nd AD Michelle West, Directors Roxanne Benjamin, Axelle Carolyn, Chloe Okuno and UPM Pamela Monroe discussed the representation of women in the genre, the techniques filmmakers use to build suspense and deliver unforgettable scares, and the behind-the-scenes challenges that can turn production into a scheduling nightmare.

During the conversation, the panelists also shared the influences that shaped their work and the paths that led them to horror and thriller filmmaking.

Benjamin explained the importance of balancing tension and release in horror, and how that is similar to the comedy genre. She reinforced that it requires strong instincts to determine how much tension to build.

Carolyn spoke about pacing in during the editing process, sharing the technique that if it feels too slow, you often have to slow it down even more to get the suspenseful effect you’re looking for.

Okuno revealed that anchoring everything through the protagonist’s subjective point-of-view was the key to the effectiveness of her feature, The Watcher.

Monroe explained how she supports the Director over-covering on horror films so there is plenty of footage to edit with, reinforcing Okuno’s statement that suspense is often in the micro-moments that you can’t get from standard coverage.

West summed things up by quoting Stephen King’s book Danse Macabre, “A good horror story is one that functions on a symbolic level, using fictional events to help us understand our own deepest, real fears.”

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Roxanne BenjaminDirector Roxanne Benjamin
Benjamin’s directorial credits include the feature Body at Bright Rock; segments of the anthology films, Southbound and XX; and episodes of Creepshow, Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Nancy Drew. Benjamin has been a member since 2016.
 

Axelle CarolynDirector Axelle Carolyn
Carolyn’s directorial credits include the feature The Manor; and episodes of Creepshow, American Horror Story, The Midnight Club, Mayfair Witches, Them, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Carolyn has been a member since 2019. 
 

Chloe OkunoDirector Chloe Okuno
Okuno’s directorial credits include the feature Watcher, the short films Full Circle, Slut and The Dotcoms; and episodes of Let the Right One In and Teacup. Okuno has been a member since 2022. 
 

Pamela MonroeUPM Pamela Monroe
Monroe’s production management credits include features such as Axelle Carolyn’s The Manor, Anna Chi’s The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu, Zu Quirke’s Nocturne, Kevin Greutert’s Jackals and Daniel Grove’s The Persian Connection; and episodes of Diary of a Future President and Corporate. Monroe has been a member since 2004 and has served on the Western AD/UPM Council and as a co-chair of the Women’s Steering Committee. 
 

Michelle West2nd AD Michelle West (moderator)
West’s AD credits include features such as Miguel Arteta’s Duck Butter, William Monahan’s Mojave and Elliott Lester’s Nightingale. She has also directed the short films Lineage, Lesbophilia, Cosmic Love and The Right Thing. West has been a member since 2012. 
 
ABOUT THE COMMITTEE:

The Women's Steering Committee (WSC) was created to advance the professional interests of its members, and to heighten their visibility and career opportunities in the entertainment industry. The WSC currently promotes diversity through sponsoring net-working events, screenings and seminars, and fosters relationships between the members to provide support, mentoring and networking opportunities.

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