When you think of Women in Horror Month, often times you think of recognizing women who have contributed to the world of horror in some shape or form. But do you ever think of women who have contributed to the empowerment of women in the horror genre? Joss Whedon’s right hand woman, Marti Noxon, lent her influence to one of the most iconic horror themed television shows of all time – “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” With her help, the show proved that blonde haired, somewhat comical women can be just as strong as their gender counterparts and they can be more than the damsel in distress or eye candy.
Marti Noxon was brought on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” during the show’s second season in 1998. She started as a story consultant, but Joss Whedon recognized her genius and bumped her up to a high level producer role for the remainder of the series. In that time, Noxon had the opportunity to write 24 episodes of the WB/UPN horror-comedy drama and even directed two of the best episodes in the series. She was also a major player in the spin off series, “Angel.”
Outside the world of vampire slaying, Noxon has found a niche for herself in the horror and science fiction categories while also concurring other genres and shows such as “Prison Break,” “Private Practice,” “Mad Men,” and “Glee.” Still, she is most known these days for executively producing “Point Pleasant,” a series about the Devil’s daughter coming into her powers, and writing the screenplays for I Am Number Four and the Fright Night remake in 2011. Plus, she got to serve as creative consultant on Toy Story of Terror in 2013 and I don’t think there’s any woman who could be more creative with a fantasy project.
