It’s not like we get that many women directed films so it is always baffling films — especially such high profile films like Kimberly Peirce’s remake of Carrie and Oscar winner Diablo Cody’s directorial debut Paradise — will open on the same weekend.  Granted they are different kinds of movies in different genres, but still, it’s hard enough to get people to see one women directed film on a weekend, let alone two.  

In previous interviews, Peirce has discussed how she considers Carrie a “feminist text” so it’ll be interesting how she reinterprets Stephen King’s famed novel and Brian DePalma’s Sissy Spacek helmed 1976 classic version. Judging from the trailer, with Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Moore as her crazily religious mother, Peirce has stocked up the scares both aesthetically and psychologically for the film.

Diablo Cody’s directorial debut, Paradise, also looks at religion albeit it in a much different fashion. Cody’s film (which she also wrote) follows Lamb (Julianne Hough) who has grown up in Montana with her overprotective parents in a closed community that is focused around their church. After she’s horribly injured in a plane crash, Lamb has a spiritual crisis and picks up and goes to Las Vegas to commit sins (cutting her hair, dancing, etc.) for the first time. 

Cody said that she wanted to make a film that was “non-cynical” and would inspire “positivity.” 

Be sure to keep the weekend of October 18th open to support both of these talented women at the box office.

Diablo Cody Sends Julianne Hough to Paradise (USA Today)