SHARONVILLE, Ohio — Like heavy metal or Wall Street, horror can seem like a boys’ club. Men make the movies. Women play the victims.

But then you go to a fan gathering like HorrorHound Weekend in this working-class Cincinnati suburb, as I did last month, and it becomes clear: Do not mess with women who are into gore.

For these fans, devotion runs deep. At the convention, two women debated the John Carpenter catalog. One group of teenagers giddily ranked the final girls in the “Friday the 13th” franchise. A mom brought her young child dressed as a knife-wielding Chucky.