Women in Horror: Ida Lupino
Trailblazer Ida Lupino was to moody, suspenseful film noirs and taut thrillers in the 40’s and 50’s, as Jamie Lee Curtis was to slashers throughout the 80s. Born in 1918 and beginning her acting career in the 30s, Lupino starred in many noirs and thrillers such as They Drive By Night, The Hard Way and On Dangerous Ground . She eventually went on to become a pioneering figure amongst women behind the camera in cinema. She was the first American woman to ever direct a film noir ( The Hitch-Hiker ) and her other feature directorial offerings, such as Outrage and The Bigamist , were concerned with themes and ideas regarding social issues, sexual abuse and bigamy. No mean feat considering she was making films in a post Hayes Code Hollywood. While her directorial offerings can’t really be described as straight ‘horror’, they still contain moments fraught with suspense, violence and unsettling moodiness, and she dabbled in hard boiled noirs and gritty B-movies. The Hitch-Hiker , one of...