[Editorial] 21 Coming of Age Horror Movies

Coming of age, puberty, growing up, and the horrors of high school feature heavily in a lot of horror movies makes sense, considering so many focus on teenagers. The prospect of growing up can be terrifying enough without the added bonus of monsters or serial killers waiting around every corner, so let’s dive into the world of sexual awakenings, periods, societal expectations, and all that fun stuff as we explore 21 amazing coming-of-age horror movies.

21 - A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Nightmare (1985)

Whether they intended it or not, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Nightmare is a great look at life as a teenage boy and exploring your sexuality. While Jesse is interested in his friend Lisa, he has Freddy literally fighting a battle inside him to escape, which could very easily be a metaphor for something else. There’s also his growing friendship with Grady and that shower scene.

20 - The Company of Wolves (1984)

The Company of Wolves is a gothic fairytale horror that deals with sexual desire, the pressure men put on women in relationships, and the end of childhood innocence, as told through Rosaleen’s dreams. The wolves are shown as monsters that hunt young women down hoping to turn them into one of them, but Rosealeen makes a willing choice to become one herself and run off into the woods with her new mate despite her grandmother’s warnings.

19 - Darlin’ (2019)

The sequel to The Woman (2011) looks at what happens to Darlin’ now that she’s a teenager after leaving to live in the wilderness with the Woman, Peggy, and Socket. She ends up at a hospital and is sent to a Catholic boarding school after they are unable to find her parents. Her reintroduction to society allows her to bond with girls her own age, and discover what life as a teenager should be.

18 - Hellbender (2021)

This is the first movie on the list where a teenager discovers that growing up means finding out you’re some sort of monster, but it certainly won’t be the last. Izzy has been living a pretty sheltered life with her mother, where she can’t leave the house and has to stick to her mum’s strict diet. But as Izzy begins to make friends in town and take more risks, it becomes clear that she has an unusual appetite lurking.

17 - Excision (2012)

Pauline is a high school student who is obsessed with becoming a surgeon, but her challenging family life and her passionately religious mother mean she is often stressed out and resorts to her fantasies to get by. When her sexual appetite starts to grow, alongside her obsession with blood and her period, her fantasies start to become a lot darker.

16 - Teen Wolf (1985)

Scott is just your average seventeen-year-old who loves basketball but isn’t very good at it. Then one day that all changes when he discovers he is a werewolf and that comes with a side of basketball skills, making him the star of the school. It turns out his father is also a werewolf, but kept the secret from Scott hoping it would skip a generation. The joys of parents, eh?

15 - Society (1989)

Bill may come from a rich family, but as he grows towards adulthood, he realises he doesn't trust adults very much. And as he desperately tries to get answers, he is constantly regarded as an irrational teenager and dismissed. Bill soon discovers that the adults have a lot of secrets they are keeping as they refuse to treat Bill and his fellow teens like grown-ups.

14 - The Babysitter (2017)

The Babysitter deals with a lot of issues that pre-teens face these days including bullies, intense crushes, and being treated like a child by their parents. However, Cole manages to work through most of these issues over the course of the film as it turns out his babysitter is a devil worshipper who needs his blood for her latest ritual.

13 - The Witch (2016)

Thomasin doesn’t have the best time with her family. Not only do her father’s actions see the family exiled to the woods, but the fact that she is coming of age means her parents are looking to ship her off to serve another family. And when things start to go wrong on the farm, the blame quickly falls at Thomasin’s feet for being a witch simply because she’s a young woman.

12 - Let the Right One In (2008)

Oskar is only twelve, but his life in Stockholm is already tough. Not only does he have to deal with divorced parents and a group of extreme bullies at school, but he also doesn’t have any friends until Eli moves into his apartment complex. Both Oskar and Eli are in desperate need of someone who understands them and soon form the type of bond that only happens with coming-of-age friendships.

11 - The Lost Boys (1987)

Michael and Sam move to Santa Carla with their mother after her divorce to live with their grandfather, and Michael quickly finds himself involved in the troubles of a local biker gang. These bikers just so happen to be vampires, but their approach to life is very similar to most teenagers who simply want to sleep all day and party at night without any interference from their parents.

10 - Raw (2017)

Justine is following in the footsteps of her parents and her older sister by starting veterinary school and soon finds herself taking part in uncomfortable hazing rituals and succumbing to the peer pressure of those around her. She also discovers her growing feelings for one of her fellow students is tied to a more literal type of hunger, as she tries to come to terms with her feelings without much help from those around her.

9 - Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Jennifer’s Body deals with the sexual expectations that teenage girls have placed upon them, as well as the intensity of female friendship at that age, and how it can quickly turn toxic. There’s also the fact that boyfriends never quite understand those friendships, and Jennifer has to deal with opinions about her due to her sexual activity.

8 - Jug Face (2013)

In Jug Face, Ada has a lot to deal with in her community as she comes of age. She is expected to be married off to another family, but as she’s been having sex with her brother and is currently pregnant, this could cause a whole host of issues. The intense pressures to conform to the community’s way of living mean that Ada’s mother demands to inspect her to make sure she’s still a virgin and is punished when she is discovered to be pregnant out of wedlock.

7 - Fright Night (1985)

People so often dismiss stories that teenagers tell as fantasies or exaggerations, and that’s exactly what poor Charley faces when a vampire moves in next door to him. Not only that but his mistreatment of his girlfriend Amy as they both try to deal with their hormones sees her pushed into vampire Jerry’s arms.

6 - It Follows (2015)

Deciding to have sex with someone can be a big deal, and Jay is excited to take the next step with her new boyfriend Hugh in his car after a date one night. However, it turns out Hugh has passed a deadly curse onto Jay, which can only be passed on through sex. It Follows looks at the pressures put on people when it comes to sex and the risks that can be involved.

5- The Craft (1996)

If you were a teenage girl in high school, then The Craft sums up the experience on so many levels, whether you were a witch or not. There’s bullying, complicated relationships, boys spreading rumours about girls, high beauty standards, and peer pressure. The Craft also looks at how quickly friendships can form and fall apart in high school, and how little teenagers may consider the consequences of their actions.

4 - IT (1990)

Stephen King loves a coming-of-age story, and IT is perhaps one of the best examinations of growing up. IT looks at how easily parents and adults can dismiss the worries of young people, and how often they are left to deal with things themselves, and the Losers’ Club have to grow up quickly as they try to survive the perils of living in Derry.

3 - Teeth (2007)

Dawn is pretty steadfast in her approach to life as a member of a local teen abstinence society, but things get confusing for her when she starts having feelings for Tobey. Her friends are religious, her parents are proud of her decisions, and her school is actively putting stickers over the sex education books, so Dawn has to work through her feelings all by herself. And that’s even before she discovers the extra set of teeth she has in her vagina.

2- Carrie (1976)

Carrie starts with our titular character getting her period, having no idea what’s going on, and being left to the mercy of the cruel high school bullies. Her mother’s religious beliefs mean that Carrie has been made to feel shameful about her growing body and has been left to navigate the waters of high school alone.

1- Ginger Snaps (2000)

For me, Ginger Snaps is one of the best representations of the pain of periods and high school out there. Ginger and Brigitte are viewed as weirdos, desperately clinging to each other as they’re rejected by their peers. And then when Ginger gets her period, she has to deal with a number of growing urges, as Brigitte deals with being left behind by her older sister.

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