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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Femme Fatales


The femme fatale (French for ‘fatal woman’) is an impossibly beautiful and desirable woman whose allure proves deadly for any male who befalls her temptations. The archetype began on the screen in the silent era and gained a popularity in 1940s Film Noir.

There have been a number of genre variants from the immortal queens of various versions of She (1887) and L’Atlantide (1919) to various sirens and supernatural creatures. In the 1990s, a whole body of erotic thrillers derived from Basic Instinct (1992) were awash with sizzling and deadly femme fatales.


Alraune (1928)

2 February 201310 January 2022

Rating: ★★

Evil Artificially-Birthed Woman

Director: Henrik Galeen
Actors: Brigitte Helm, Paul Wegener, John Loder, Ivan Petrovich
Category: Science Fiction

Amnesiac (2014)

12 November 20199 July 2022

Rating: ★★★

Imprisonment Thriller

Director: Michael Polish
Actors: Wes Bentley, Kate Bosworth, Shashawnee Hall, Richard Riehl, …
Category: Horror

An Angel for Satan (1966)

12 May 201624 August 2019

Rating: ★★★½

Italian Gothic

Director: Camillo Mastrocinque
Actors: Barbara Steele, Anthony Steffen, Claudio Gora, Ursula Davis, …
Category: Horror

The Astounding She-Monster (1958)

9 June 20032 December 2021

Rating: ★

Female Alien Invader

Director: Ronnie Ashcroft
Actors: Robert Clarke, Shirley Kilpatrick, Kenne Duncan
Category: Science Fiction

L’Atlantide (1921)

29 October 202429 October 2024

Rating: ★★★★

Lost World/Immortal Queen

Director: Jacques Feyder
Actors: Stacia Napierkowska, Georges Melchior, Jean Angelo
Category: Fantasy

Bad Girl Island (2007)

5 December 20245 December 2024

Rating: ★

Mysterious Femme Fatale

Director: Stewart Raffill
Actors: Antonio Sabato Jr, Annalynne McCord, James Brolin, Simone Griffeth
Category: Fantasy

Basic Instinct (1992)

14 August 200029 October 2019

Rating: ★★★

Psycho-Sexual Thriller

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Actors: Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza, …
Category: Horror

Basic Instinct 2 (2006)

2 April 200629 October 2019

Rating: ★★

Psycho-Sexual Thriller

Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Actors: Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, David Thewlis, Charlotte Rampling, …
Category: Horror

The Black Widow (1947)

5 September 199914 December 2021

Rating: ★½

Serial/Deadly Female Spy

Director: Spencer G. Bennet, Fred C. Brannon
Actors: Bruce Edwards, Virginia Lindley, Carol Forman
Category: Science Fiction

Black Widow (1987)

7 August 199928 December 2019

Rating: ★★★½

Femme Fatale Psycho-Thriller

Director: Bob Rafelson
Actors: Theresa Russell, Debra Winger, Terry O'Quinn, Nicol Williamson, …
Category: Horror

The Conduit (2016)

16 November 201723 December 2022

Rating: ★★

Deadly Mystery Woman

Director: Sixto Melendez
Actors: Wes Martinez, Monica Engesser, Chris Cox, Carrie Fee, …
Category: Horror

The Diabolical Dr Z (1966)

24 April 202424 April 2024

Rating: ★★★

Mind-Controlled Femme Fatale

Director: Jess Franco
Actors: Estella Blain, Mabel Karr, Guy Mairesse, Howard Vernon, …
Category: Horror

Embryo (1976)

7 April 20016 October 2020

Rating: ★

Evil Artificially-Birthed Woman

Director: Ralph Nelson
Actors: Rock Hudson, Barbara Carrera, Diane Ladd, Anne Schedeen, …
Category: Science Fiction

Eye of the Beholder (1999)

29 January 200016 December 2022

Rating: ★

Psycho-Sexual Thriller

Director: Stephan Elliott
Actors: Ewan MacGregor, Ashley Judd, Patrick Bergin, Genevieve Bujold, …
Category: Horror

The Fourth Man (1983)

31 July 200017 December 2020

Rating: ★★★

Precognitive Dreams/Deadly Seductress

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Actors: Jeroen Krabbe, Renee Soutendijk
Category: Fantasy

Frat House Massacre (2008)

22 December 20119 June 2023

Rating: ★★

Fraternity House Slasher

Director: Alex Pucci
Category: Horror

Genuine (1920)

12 April 20162 April 2021

Rating: ★★

German Expressionism/Femme Fatale

Director: Robert Wiene
Actors: Fern Andra, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, John Gottowt
Category: Horror

Girl on the Third Floor (2019)

7 June 20207 June 2023

Rating: ★★½

Malevolent House

Director: Travis Stevens
Actors: C.M. Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks, Karen Woditsch, …
Category: Horror

Grim Prairie Tales (1990)

10 March 200120 January 2023

Rating: ★★★

Anthology of Wild West Horror Tales

Director: Wayne Coe
Actors: Brad Doruif, James Earl Jones, Marc McClure, Michelle Joyner, …
Category: Horror

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1974)

29 November 20005 February 2024

Rating: ★

Sadistic Nazi Woman Commandant

Director: Don Edmonds
Actors: Dyanne Thorne, Wolfgang Roehm
Category: Horror

Knock Knock (2015)

26 October 201517 February 2025

Rating: ★★

Home Invasion by Two Malicious Girls

Director: Eli Roth
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Aaron Burns, …
Category: Horror

L’Atlantide (1992)

5 June 20006 February 2024

Rating: ★★

Lost City

Director: Bob Swaim
Actors: Tcheky Karyo, Victoria Mahoney, Jean Rochefort, Anna Galiena, …
Category: Fantasy

London Fields (2018)

6 July 20206 July 2020

Rating: ★★

Near Future/Femme Fatale/Precognitive Dream

Director: Mathew Cullen
Actors: Billy Bob Thornton, Amber Heard, Jim Sturgess, Theo James, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Love Witch (2016)

25 July 201612 June 2023

Rating: ★★★★

Modern Witch

Director: Anna Biller
Actors: Samantha Robinson, Gian Keys, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Robert Seeley, …
Category: Fantasy

The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967)

8 February 20175 June 2025

Rating: ★★

Female Super-Villain/All-Women World Domination Plot

Director: Lindsay Shonteff
Actors: George Nader, Shirley Eaton, Frankie Avalon, Wilfrid Hyde White, …
Category: Science Fiction

Mindscape (2013)

2 March 20153 December 2022

Rating: ★★

Therapist Journeys Inside People’s Memories

Director: Jorge Dorado
Actors: Mark Strong, Taissa Farmiga, Brian Cox, Indira Varma, …
Category: Science Fiction

Muse (2017)

18 May 201819 January 2025

Rating: ★★

Man Haunted by Supernatural Muses

Director: Jaume Balaguero
Actors: Elliot Cowan, Ana Ularu, Franka Potente, Christopher Lloyd, …
Category: Horror

Night Angel (1990)

9 September 200018 January 2025

Rating: ★½

Demonic Temptress

Director: Dominique Othenin-Girard
Actors: Linden Ashby, Isa Andersen, Karen Black, Doug Jones, …
Category: Horror

Nurse 3-D (2013)

22 June 201418 February 2025

Rating: ★★★

Psycho Nurse

Director: Doug Aarniokoski
Actors: Paz de la Huerta, Katrina Bowden, Judd Nelson, Melanie Scrofano, …
Category: Horror

Rampo (1994)

13 July 202314 May 2024

Rating: ★★½

Real-Life Author and His Creation/Meta-Fiction

Director: Kazuyoshi Okuyama
Actors: Naoto Takenaka, Masahiro Motoki, Mikijiro Hira, Teruyuki Kagawa
Category: Fantasy

Reminiscence (2021)

4 September 202130 October 2022

Rating: ★★★

Memory Retrieval Device/Future Noir

Director: Lisa Joy
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandie/Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, …
Category: Science Fiction

Robo Geisha (2009)

21 March 201727 March 2023

Rating: ★★★

Cyborg Geisha/Gonzo Bio-Mechanical Transformations

Director: Noboru Iguchi
Actors: Aya Kiguchi, Hitomi Hasebe, Takumi Saito, Asami, …
Category: Science Fiction

Serpent’s Lair (1995)

11 May 201511 March 2025

Rating: ★

Demonic Seductress

Director: Jeffrey Reiner
Actors: Jeff Fahey, Lisa B., Heather Medway, Patrick Bauchau, …
Category: Horror

Sex and Death 101 (2007)

1 January 201012 March 2025

Rating: ★★★

Man Receives a List of All the Women He Will Ever Have Sex With

Director: Daniel Waters
Actors: Simon Baker, Winona Ryder, Mindy Cohn, Leslie Bibb, …
Category: Fantasy

Shadow of Chikara (1977)

9 March 200011 February 2020

Rating: ★★★

Western Quest/Cursed Mountain

Director: Earl E. Smith
Actors: Joe Don Baker, Sondra Locke, Ted Neeley, Grady Wyatt, …
Category: Horror

She (1925)

15 February 202215 February 2022

Rating: ★★

Lost City/Immortal Queen

Director: Leander De Cordova
Actors: Betty Blythe, Carlyle Blackwell
Category: Fantasy

She (1935)

29 October 20005 December 2023

Rating: ★★

Lost City/Immortal Queen

Director: Lansing C. Holden, Irving Pichel
Actors: Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce, Gustav von Seyffertitz, …
Category: Fantasy

She (1965)

31 July 200127 July 2019

Rating: ★★

Lost City/Immortal Queen/Hammer Film

Director: Robert Day
Actors: John Richardson, Ursula Andress, Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, …
Category: Fantasy

She Devil (1957)

5 March 20255 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Scientist Creates Femme Fatale

Director: Kurt Neumann
Actors: Mari Blanchard, Albert Dekker, Jack Kelly, John Archer
Category: Horror, Science Fiction

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

23 August 20148 March 2025

Rating: ★★★½

Graphic Novel Adaptation/Ultra-Violent Film Noir Tales

Director: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Actors: Josh Brolin, Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey Rourke, …
Category: Horror

Siren (2016)

24 April 201712 October 2022

Rating: ★★★

Unearthly Woman Creature with a Mesmerising Song

Director: Gregg Bishop
Actors: Chase Williamson, Hannah Fierman, Justin Welborn, Michael Aaron Milligan, …
Category: Horror

The Siren (2019)

16 April 202110 September 2024

Rating: ★★★

Deadly Mermaid Creature

Director: Perry Blackshear
Actors: Evan Dumouchel, Margaret Drake, MacLeod Andrews
Category: Horror

Siren of Atlantis (1948)

6 July 201629 October 2024

Rating: ★★½

Lost City/Impossibly Desirable Queen

Director: Gregg G. Tallas
Actors: Maria Montez, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Dennis O'Keefe, Henry Daniell, …
Category: Fantasy

Siren Song (2016)

24 March 201714 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Greek Sirens in the Present Day

Director: Benedict Mart
Actors: Matt Silver, C. Thomas Howell, Rikke Leigh, Eloise Oliver, …
Category: Horror

Species (1995)

28 May 200325 October 2021

Rating: ★★

Alien Sex Fiend

Director: Roger Donaldson
Actors: Ben Kingsley, Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger, …
Category: Science Fiction

Species III (2004)

24 June 200721 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Alien Sex Fiend

Director: Brad Turner
Actors: Sunny Mabrey, Robert Knepper, Robin Dunne, Amelia Cooke, …
Category: Science Fiction

Species: The Awakening (2007)

4 April 20097 January 2020

Rating: ★★

Alien Sex Fiend

Director: Nick Lyon
Actors: Ben Cross, Dominic Keating
Category: Science Fiction

Spellbinder (1988)

6 April 20013 October 2022

Rating: ★★★

Pursuit by Satanic Cult

Director: Janet Greek
Actors: Timothy Daly, Kelly Preston, Rick Rossovich, Audra Lindley, …
Category: Horror

Stree (2018)

26 March 202528 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Bollywood Horror/Folk Boogeywoman

Director: Amar Kaushik
Actors: Rajkumar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, …
Category: Horror

Sweet Sixteen (1983)

20 August 202020 August 2020

Rating: ★★

Deadly Teenage Girl/Slasher Film

Director: Jim Sotos
Actors: Bo Hopkins, Aleisa Shirley, Patrick MacNee, Susan Strasberg, …
Category: Horror

Takut: Faces of Fear (2008)

5 November 202027 January 2025

Rating: ★★

Indonesian Horror Anthology

Director: Rako Prijnto, Riri Riza, Ray A.J. Nayoan, Robby Ertanto, …
Actors: Shareefa Daanish, Epy Kusnandar, Mike Muliadro
Category: Horror

Tam-Lin (1971)

27 April 20164 April 2025

Rating: ★★

Modern-Day Queen of the Fairies

Director: Roddy McDowall
Actors: Ava Gardner, Ian McShane, Stephanie Beacham, Richard Wattis, …
Category: Fantasy

The Temp (1993)

29 August 20013 April 2025

Rating: ★

Psycho Secretary

Director: Tom Holland
Actors: Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle, Faye Dunaway, Steven Weber, …
Category: Horror

The Terror (1963)

18 December 20004 April 2020

Rating: ★★★

Haunting/Mysterious Woman

Director: Roger Corman
Actors: Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Richard Miller, …
Category: Horror

Traces of Red (1992)

5 May 20016 May 2025

Rating: ★

Psycho-Sexual Thriller

Director: Andy Wolk
Actors: Tony Goldwyn, Lorraine Bracco, William Russ, Faye Grant, …
Category: Horror

Twice-Told Tales (1963)

18 March 200512 May 2025

Rating: ★★

Horror Anthology

Director: Sidney Salkow
Actors: Vincent Price, Beverly Garland, Sebastian Cabot, Mari Blanchard, …
Category: Horror

The Woman in the Fifth (2011)

12 July 201212 June 2025

Rating: ★★

Mysterious Femme Fatale

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Actors: Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig, Samir Guesmi, …
Category: Fantasy

Zeta One (1969)

16 March 201630 April 2021

Rating: ★★

Softcore Spy Film/Invading Alien Women

Director: Michael Cort
Actors: Robin Hawdon, James Robertson Justice, Yutte Stensgaard, Charles Hawtrey, …
Category: Science Fiction

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Contact Moria

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Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
∧

Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

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