Clarice Starling is the brilliant and determined protagonist of Thomas Harris's psychological horror novel The Silence of the Lambs. Portrayed by Jodie Foster in the popular film adaptation, Clarice is a student at the FBI Academy who gets tangled up with Dr. Hannibal Lecter—a talented psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer—while in pursuit of another serial murderer. While this icon of late-twentieth-century horror makes a comeback in the novel Hannibal (and its film adaptation of the same name, now starring Julianne Moore), many feel Starling gets a raw deal in the follow up.
Still, her origins are undeniably a strong foundation for female protagonists of horror, thriller, and police procedurals alike who came after her appearance on page and screen. In fact, she's so beloved that CBS has recently premiered a television series—Clarice—dedicated to her whereabouts following The Silence of the Lambs. But what are some of the best examples of clever, scrappy, and all-around bad-ass female protagonists in horror?
Related: WATCH: The Chilling Teaser Trailer for the New Silence of the Lambs Sequel Series
From supernatural suspense to horror thrillers, here are 8 female leads in horror books that would make Clarice Starling proud.
Mine
What's better than a strong female protagonist? A strong female protagonist facing off against a crazed female antagonist.
In Robert McCammon's Mine, Mary Terrell shot a man to death in 1960. As she once belonged to a fanatical group called the Storm Front Brigade, the FBI has been on her trail ever since for her crimes—but Mary's cunning has kept her one step ahead of the law. Though the '60s are far in the past, Mary's still out there, living it up with LSD, psychotic delusions of motherhood, and a murderous rage. But a message she reads in Rolling Stone sends her over the edge, spurring her on to sneak into an Atlanta maternity ward and steal a baby to build a life with her old leader.
Related: 12 Creepy Robert McCammon Books That Will Keep You Awake At Night
Laura Clayborne is the proud mother of a newborn baby. She's sensitive, kind, and has pursued a successful career—the blue print of a typical modern woman. But after the kidnapping of her infant son, her burning fury won't allow her to stand by while the FBI investigates. She's going to find Mary herself, even if that means putting herself into the shoes of a madwoman.
After Life
In this high-strung paranormal suspense, a young woman named Jessie becomes blind after a tragic car accident. After a year of recovery, she's starting to piece her life back together—including a move with her husband, Lee, to the quiet village of Gardner Town. But the village isn't so quiet for Jessie...
With a heightened awareness due to her loss of sight, Jessie can sense peculiar and terrible things going on around Gardner Town. There are voices calling to her from the cemetery—voices that no one else can seem to hear. And she believes there's something deeply wrong with her husband's new boss.
Related: 7 Thriller Books with Paranormal Twists
Things only get more chilling with the desperate request of a local woman: "When your husband dies, don’t let them bring him back."
Behind the Door
Zarepath is a rural town with deep woods that sit on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But that's not the only divide in town. In those woods is the Door—a phenomenon which no one knows where it came from or where it leads. But for a very long time, the people of Zarepath have come to the Door with hand written letters asking for emotional burdens to be eased. These requests are signed and sealed with wax and blood before being slipped under the Door, and in a matter of days the requests are granted.
When a single mother named Kari asks the door to erase the memory of her teenage daughter who committed suicide, the woman is filled with instant regret. She opens the door to take the letter back, unleashing every sin, secret, and spirit ever trapped on the other side.
Only occult specialist Kathy Ryan can seal this gateway before Hell walks the earth.
Broken Monsters
For a protagonist that walks a similar career path to the iconic Clarice Starling, Broken Monsters follows Detective Gabriella Versado. In her line of work, she's seen a countless number of dead bodies. But nothing could have prepared her for her latest case. In an abandoned Detroit warehouse, Versado looks upon half of a boy's body somehow fused with half of a deer. And that's only the first—more bodies with more disturbing aspects keep popping up in warehouses across the city.
Related: 11 Nightmare-Inducing Authors to Check Out After You've Read Everything by Stephen King
As reality feels like it's beginning to crumble in Detroit, Versado's teenage daughter begins a dangerous online flirtation. Freelance journalist Jonno bends over backwards to get an inside scoop on the horrific murders. And Thomas Keen is determined to keep his homeless family safe at any cost.
If you're intrigued by this story of a madman intent on remaking the world, check out Lauren Beukes's other gripping novel, The Shining Girls.
My Best Friend's Exorcism
Mixing delicious teenage angst with '80s nostalgia, this gripping read is as fun as it is disturbing. A high school sophomore in 1988, Abby has been Gretchen's best friend since they were in the fourth grade. But when disaster finds the pair after a night out skinny dipping, Gretchen is no longer the girl Abby grew up with. Literally.
It starts small, with Gretchen acting moody and irritable. But bizarre incidents happen whenever Gretchen is close by. Abby knows this isn't normal, and her investigation brings her to a terrifying conclusion.
Related: 10 Women in Horror Who Scare Us to the Bone
When you're best friends with someone, you always think there's nothing that could tear you apart. But can Abby and Gretchen overcome the devil?
The Harvesting
The first in a series of five, The Harvesting follows a woman named Layla. Raised by a medium, she was considered the "weird" girl in town—leaving no question as to why she wasted no time trying to get as far away as possible. But when an outbreak sweeps across the globe, the dead begin to rise. And Layla receives a desperate plea for her to come home. Layla may be the only thing that can protect her town from the vicious undead out to end the world—even if saving the town means saving the ex that jilted her.
Related: 8 Freaky Reads for Fans of “The Silence of the Lambs”
Floaters
When Detective Carly Greene was eleven years old, she learned the brutal truth about Lake Superior. It was a body of water capable of dredging up lost and painful memories, as it would occasionally resurface the body of those who got trapped under the waves. But there was one truth she didn't know back then.
As an adult, Detective Greene doesn't hate the lake any less—especially as it still erodes away at the graveyard and still spits out corpses. But alongside a medical examiner and a local reporter, Detective Green is about to discover a secret older than time. Beneath the waves is a legend—a monster—that is ready to feed. And ready to breed.
Dread Nation
Two days before the dead rose to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, a child was born. Jane McKeene came into the world just as the very war that was supposed to change the world forever was derailed in unforeseen and terrifying ways.
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The changes this new America has seen means certain children—such as the Navajo and Black children—are required to attend schools for combat so they might protect the country against the dead. But Jane sees opportunity in this, studying to become an Attendant, which means training in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. Since even having a wealthy white woman as a mother doesn't shield her from society's expectations, this is the best way she knows to find a better life for herself.
But around Baltimore County, families begin to go missing. Jane is suddenly tangled up in the heart of a conspiracy, and it seems like the dead may be the very last of her worries.
