Released over the summer, the television series Furious, took the internet by storm with its raw and impactful depiction of feminine rage. The story follows FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) as she tracks down Catherine Grace (played by Lola Petticrew), a female serial killer who’s on a righteous path to take down the men who trafficked her and her best friend years ago.
If you’re a fan of the series and looking for films that match the vibes of Furious, then here are six horror and thriller films to add to your queue.
Black Widow
Let’s open with the film that started it all. If you’ve watched the credits of the show, then you know that Furious is in fact loosely based on the film, Black Widow. While the final series is markedly different from the movie that inspired it, I would absolutely recommend going back to the source material and putting Black Widow on your streaming list.
Starring Debra Winger as a determined Justice Department analyst hot on the trail of a female serial killer (played by Theresa Russell), this cat-and-mouse game is such an amazing and at times brutal ride through 1980s action and glamour.
While Furious certainly amps up the female rage, there’s still a lot to love in Black Widow, so be sure to check it out if you haven’t seen it yet. It remains one of the best erotic thrillers of its era.
Copycat
Once you’ve watched Black Widow, you might still be looking for another film that focuses on a female detective who’s trying to take down serial killers. If that’s the case, then consider adding the oft-overlooked horror-thriller, Copycat. Released in 1995, the film stars Holly Hunter as a gutsy detective and Sigourney Weaver as a profiler who’s been terrorized by a serial killer (played chillingly by Harry Connick Jr.).
The two women join forces when a new killer starts to emulate famous murders, including Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and The Hillside Strangler. This is a gritty movie with some very ugly death scenes, but if you’re up for some gore, then it’s worth watching Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver who are at the top of their game here.
The Silence of the Lambs
There aren’t enough female detectives and FBI agents in cinema, and even fewer have won Oscars for their performances. But Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling stands out as one of the very best iterations of a plucky, undeniable FBI agent who more than gets the job done.
A word of warning, though: the queer elements of the film have not aged well, and even director Jonathan Demme realized that shortly after making the film; hence, why his next movie, Philadelphia, tried to take a much more respectful approach toward the LGBTQ+ community.
But if you’re a fan of Furious and looking for a female investigator trapped in a misogynistic world, then Clarice is a great character to root for. (And if you want to watch something set in Thomas Harris’s universe that deals better with the queer elements, then I’ll most enthusiastically suggest the TV series, Hannibal.
With multiple queer relationships featured in the show, it’s a good course correction to the thematic missteps of The Silence of the Lambs.)
Jennifer's Body
Moving on from female detectives into full-on feminine rage, Furious explores how righteous killer Catherine channels her rage at being sex trafficked into annihilating the men who harmed her. Consequently, fans of Furious, especially those who adore the horror genre, will very likely also enjoy the succubus angle of the cult classic Jennifer’s Body.
After all, you can easily imagine the character of Catherine Grace in Furious having a Girls Night Out with Jennifer Check, the two of them more than eager to take down any sinister men that get in their way.
Ginger Snaps
It’s been said before that Ginger Snaps and Jennifer’s Body are kindred cinematic spirits, and when it comes to female rage, that’s most definitely true. Ginger in Ginger Snaps must deal with how men and boys treat her differently once she’s fully passed into puberty, and that painful experience of being exploited and ogled is definitely explored in all its horrifying details in Furious.
Much like Jennifer Check in Jennifer’s Body, you can envision how Catherine in Furious would very much understand Ginger’s desire to destroy everything in her path in Ginger Snaps.
So if you’re looking for even more feminine rage after watching Furious, consider doing a double feature of Ginger Snaps and Jennifer’s Body. You’re sure to have a fun-filled night of rage and gore.
Pearl
Yes, at this point, the list is going off in unexpected directions, but hear me out: Furious is a show about feminine rage against a world that puts us in boxes and leaves us to wither and be destroyed. However, in the show, Catherine and Alice both find themselves on paths where they demand something better, thereby breaking free of those confines, even if it means crossing some very serious societal and legal lines.
In that same regard, Mia Goth as the eponymous Pearl has her heart set on being something more than a miserable farm girl who’s abused by her mother.
Of course, Pearl doesn’t have quite the same righteous rage as Catherine and Alice, but even so, I feel like she could understand their quest for something different, and if the three of them ever met up, they might even have a very seriously blood-filled good time. And really, who wouldn’t want to see that?
Feature Image: Film Grab
