Heather O'Neill

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Heather O'Neill is a novelist and essayist. Her works include Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Lonely Hearts Hotel, and When We Lost Our Heads. She lives in Montreal.

Stories

Cover Photo: A screenshot of Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tàr from the film Tàr. She is holding a conductor's baton and has her arms spread wide.
In Horror Films, the Newest Nightmare Is Getting Canceled

Men around me speak about cancel culture with such hyperbole and terror, you’d think it was a supernatural force.

Feb 09, 2023
Cover Photo: This photograph, in sepia, shows a scatter of pigeons flying against a city scape. The viewer is looking up toward a tall valley of buildings.
There Is No Modern Love Without Legal Abortion

Instead, pregnant people’s bodies are being turned into crime sites.

Dec 20, 2022
Cover Photo: A screenshot of a female android from the film EX MACHINA. She is standing next to a mirror and looking away from the camera. Her neck and scalp show exposed wiring around her face.
Do Female Androids Dream of Rebellion?

There is something revolutionary in their will to be free.

Nov 23, 2022
Cover Photo: A screenshot from the television show Yellowjackets, which depicts a group of teenage girls standing in the dark woods, wearing crowns of flowers and face coverings and staring threateningly at the camera.
Why Is Horror So Afraid of Female Friendship?

When girls begin to work in groups, their latent potential can be the stuff of horror films.

Oct 06, 2022
Cover Photo: A photograph of Sigourney Weaver in the Alien film franchise. She is carrying a young child and holding a large gun in her other hand.
Horror Films Understand the Terror of Pregnancy

We are told we will forget the pain, as though all the trauma of childbirth evaporates from our minds. But it did not for me.

Aug 08, 2022
Cover Photo: A still from Alex Garland's 2022 film MEN, featuring the actress Jessie Buckley standing outside of a remote cabin in the dark. She is wearing a nightgown and a worried expression.
A Woman Walks Home Alone At Night

In a horror film, the sight of a woman alone fills us with dread. We expect terrible things to happen to her. But she also fills us with a sense of supernatural expectation.

Jun 01, 2022