A scream queen (a wordplay on screen queen) is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. The title is a buzzword used by critics and has gained positive and negative responses. Scream King is the male version of the title. Notable scream queen examples include Fay Wray, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Neve Campbell, Jenna Ortega, Mia Goth, Melissa Barrera, Shawnee Smith, Bipasha Basu, Angela Bassett and Linnea Quigley.
Definition
The term "scream queen" is more specifically used to refer to the attractive young damsel-in-distress characters that have appeared in a number of films in the horror genre. Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma Entertainment, noted that being a scream queen is "more than just crying and having ketchup thrown on you. You not only have to be attractive, but you also have to have a big brain. You have to be frightened, you have to be sad, you have to be romantic."
Debbie Rochon, often described as a scream queen herself, wrote in an article originally published in GC Magazine that "a true Scream Queen isn't The Perfect Woman. She's sexy, seductive, but most importantly attainable to the average guy, or so it would seem." Although the earlier scream queens might be women that "just had to look pretty and shriek a lot until the hero of the film got around to save them." The later scream queens showcase women worrying about something other than a guy...unless said guy is the one trying to kill them, with some of them wreaking vengeance by defeating the villain.
History
Beginnings (1920s-60s)
The prominence of women in horror films dates back to the silent movie era, with notable examples including the productions The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922). George Feltenstein, film historian and senior vice president of theatrical catalog marketing at Warner Home Video, states, "Women screaming in terror has been a Hollywood mainstay – even when films were silent".Fay Wray, an actress starring in King Kong (1933), is sometimes referred to as the "very first scream queen".Anne Gwynne, Chris Pine's grandmother, is known for scream queen roles in the 1930s and 1940s.Janet Leigh, playing Marion in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), is regarded as "one of the most iconic" scream queens in horror film history.
Veronica Cartwright was also a prominent scream queen of the 1970s; however, she found her beginnings as a scream queen in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds in the 1960s. Later in the 1970s she appeared in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as well as Alien in 1979.
1970s
The 1970s became seminal examples of a "scream queen" for the decade. Marilyn Burns, who portrayed Sally Hardesty in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) would go onto appearing in Helter Skelter (1976) and Eaten Alive (1977).Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Psycho actress Janet Leigh, portrayed Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978). Curtis has been called the "ultimate 'scream queen'".
Dee Wallace appeared in the thriller The Stepford Wives (1975) before appearing in Wes Craven's 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes (1977).Daria Nicolodi played the role of the scream queen in most of her films directed by Dario Argento including Deep Red (1977) and Shock (1977) directed by Mario Bava.
1980s
The success of Halloween revived slasher films in the 1980s. Adrienne Barbeau is known for her roles a scream queen in The Fog (1980) and Escape from New York (1981).Linnea Quigley played a significant role as a scream queen during the rise of B Movie in The Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). Betsy Palmer had been praised for her role as a scream queen in the Friday the 13th franchise as Pamela Voorhees.Barbara Crampton is known as a scream queen for her roles in the Body Double (1984) and Re-Animator (1985).
1990s
During the 1990s, Debbie Rochon starred in dozens of Troma Production horror films and was voted by Draculina magazine as its "Scream Queen of the Decade". Sheryl Lee played murder victims Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson in the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–91) and spin-off film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) and has been described as a "scream queen", in particular for scenes in the otherworldly Black Lodge.
Neve Campbell's first American feature film was the cult horror classic The Craft (1996). She later starred as Sidney Prescott in the Scream film series. Jennifer Love Hewitt was labeled a scream queen after starring as Julie James in the I Know What You Did Last Summer films. The first film of that trilogy also had a starring role for Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers, who went on to appear in other horror films made during the 1990s and new millennium, including Scream 2 and The Grudge film series.
2000s
In 2005, Shauna Macdonald starred in The Descent, which established her as a scream queen and for which she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.Elisha Cuthbert starred in the horror film House of Wax (2005) and Captivity (2007), gaining the status by from films.Erica Leerhsen has been called a scream queen because of her roles in films like Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), and Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007).
In 2007, USA Today published an article listing on modern scream queens interviewing actresses Sheri Moon Zombie, Jaimie Alexander, Andrea Bogart, Mercedes McNab, Tiffany Shepis and Cerina Vincent. Since 2007 and her appearance in Halloween, Danielle Harris has increased her genre work, being subsequently called "horror's reigning scream queen" by the NY Daily News.
2010s
Bipasha Basu has been referred as "Bollywood's Scream Queen" due to her contributions to horror in India with her blockbuster horror movie franchise Raaz as well as the films Aatma (2013) and Creature 3D (2014).Maika Monroe achieved a career breakthrough with her leading role as Jay Height in the horror film It Follows (2014), she had solidified her growth as a scream queen through her appearances in The Guest (2014) and Villains (2019) and throughout the 2020s. Indonesian actress Tara Basro has been described as a "scream queen" for her roles in Joko Anwar's films Satan's Slaves (2017) and Impetigore (2019). Australian actress Samara Weaving solidified her status as a scream queen with her performance in the commercially and critically successful Ready or Not (2019) and its sequel.
2020s
Georgina Campbell has been dubbed a scream queen after starring in the horror films Barbarian (2022), and The Watchers (2024).Jenna Ortega starred in the slasher films X and Scream (both 2022), and is also known as a scream queen.Melissa Barrera has starred in the slasher franchise Scream, the horror comedy Abigail (2024), and the romantic comedy-horror Your Monster (2024), establishing herself as a scream queen. With Kathryn Newton's roles in Abigail and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) both being praised, she has been highlighted as a modern scream queen.
Mia Goth had starred in several horror movies previously before her breakout roles in the X trilogy (2022–2024), which cemented her as a scream queen to a wider audience.Sophie Thatcher of cannibalistic TV series Yellowjackets (2021–) fame gained traction as a scream queen after her performances in The Boogeyman (2023) and Heretic (2024).
List
| Years active | Actor | First horror film (or series) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1980 | Fay Wray | King Kong (1933) | Referred to as the "very first scream queen" |
| 1939–1970 | Anne Gwynne | Black Friday (1940) | Her last known horror film: House of Frankenstein. |
| 1946–2004 | Janet Leigh | Psycho (1960) | Also known from The Fog, mother of Jamie Lee Curtis |
| 1951–2007 | Betsy Palmer | Friday the 13th | Best known for Friday the 13th |
| 1951–present | Cassandra Peterson | Elvira's Movie Macabre (1981–1986) | Best known as a horror hostess and from Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) |
| 1958–present | Veronica Cartwright | The Birds | Best known for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) |
| 1958–present | Barbara Steele | Black Sunday | Best known for Dark Shadows |
| 1965–present | Jodie Foster | The Silence of the Lambs | Best known for The Silence of the Lambs |
| 1968–present | Sissy Spacek | Carrie | Best known for Carrie |
| 1968–present | Adrienne Barbeau | The Fog | Best known for Argo |
| 1969, 1987–2002 | Bridget Fonda | Frankenstein Unbound | Best known for Lake Placid and Single White Female |
| 1969–present | Kathy Bates | My Best Friend Is a Vampire | Best known for Misery and several roles in the American Horror Story franchise |
| 1970–present | Isabelle Adjani | The Tenant | Best known for Possession |
| 1970–2014 | Marilyn Burns | Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Best known for Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise |
| 1970–2020 | Daria Nicolodi | Deep Red | Best known for her work directed by Dario Argento |
| 1970–2002, 2022–2024 | Shelley Duvall | The Shining | Best known for The Shining |
| 1971–present | Sigourney Weaver | Alien (1979) | Best known for the Alien franchise |
| 1974–present | Dee Wallace | The Hills Have Eyes (1977) | Best known for Cujo (1983) |
| 1976–present | Jessica Lange | King Kong (1976) | Best known for Cape Fear and several roles in the American Horror Story franchise |
| 1977–present | Jamie Lee Curtis | Halloween (1978) | Best known for the Halloween franchise; daughter of Janet Leigh |
| 1978–present | Linnea Quigley | Psycho from Texas | Best known for Return of the Living Dead |
| 1981–present | Sarah Michelle Gellar | I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) | Best known for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television series and the Scooby Doo film series |
| 1981–present | Michelle Bauer | The Tomb | Best known for Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama |
| 1982–present | Geena Davis | Transylvania 6-5000 | Best known for The Fly and Beetlejuice |
| 1982–present | Debbie Rochon | Lurkers | Best known for Vampire's Kiss and several roles in Troma Entertainment films |
| 1983–present | Heather Langenkamp | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Best known for A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise |
| 1983–present | Virginia Madsen | Zombie High | Best known for the Candyman film series |
| 1983–present | Felissa Rose | Sleepaway Camp | Best known for the Sleepaway Camp series |
| 1984–present | Ashley Laurence | Hellraiser | Best known for the Hellraiser franchise |
| 1984–present | Barbara Crampton | Body Double | Best known for Re-Animator |
| 1984–present | Courteney Cox | Scream | Best known from the Scream franchise |
| 1984–present | Angela Bassett | Innocent Blood | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story television series |
| 1984–present | Jennifer Tilly | Bride of Chucky | Best known for the Child's Play franchise |
| 1985–present | Danielle Harris | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | Best known for the Halloween franchise |
| 1986–present | Sheryl Lee | Twin Peaks television series | Best known for the Twins Peaks television series |
| 1986–present | Asia Argento | Demons 2 | Best known for Land of the Dead |
| 1986–present | Naomi Watts | Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering | Best known for The Ring |
| 1986–present | Lili Taylor | The Addiction | Best known for The Haunting and The Conjuring |
| 1986–present | Winona Ryder | Beetlejuice | Best known for Beetlejuice and the Stranger Things television series |
| 1988–present | Shawnee Smith | The Blob | Best known for Saw (2004) |
| 1988–present | Milla Jovovich | Resident Evil | Best known for Resident Evil film series |
| 1989–present | Jennifer Love Hewitt | I Know What You Did Last Summer | Best known for the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise |
| 1989–present | Katharine Isabelle | Disturbing Behavior | Best known for Ginger Snaps |
| 1989–2019 | Emily Perkins | It (1990) | Best known for Ginger Snaps |
| 1990–present | Toni Collette | The Sixth Sense | Best known for Hereditary |
| 1990–present | Rose McGowan | Scream | Best known for Scream |
| 1990–present | Christina Ricci | The Addams Family | Best known for Sleepy Hollow and the Yellowjackets television series |
| 1991–2014 | Kris Aquino | Shake, Rattle & Roll III | Best known for Feng Shui and Sequel |
| 1991–present | Meagan Good | Venom (2005) | Best known for Saw V |
| 1991–present | Anna Faris | Lovers Lane | Best known for the Scary Movie franchise |
| 1991–present | Neve Campbell | The Dark | Best known for the Scream franchise |
| 1994–present | Sarah Paulson | American Horror Story Murder House | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story series and Run |
| 1995–2008 | Rei Hance | The Blair Witch Project | Best known for The Blair Witch Project film series |
| 1996–present | Bipasha Basu | Raaz (2002) | Best known for Raaz franchise |
| 1996–present | Elisha Cuthbert | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Best known for House of Wax |
| 1996–present | Vera Farmiga | Joshua | Best known for The Conjuring Universe franchise |
| 1996–present | Tiffany Shepis | Terror Firmer | Best known for Tromeo and Juliet |
| 1996–present | Sheri Moon Zombie | House of 1000 Corpses | Best known for the Firefly trilogy |
| 1997–present | Regina Hall | Scary Movie | Best known for the Scary Movie franchise |
| 1997–present | Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Wolf Lake | Best known for The Ring, Final Destination, and Cloverfield |
| 1999–present | Ali Larter | House on Haunted Hill (1999) | Best known for Final Destination and Resident Evil |
| 1999–present | Erica Leerhsen | Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 | Best known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) |
| 1999–present | Brandy Norwood | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) | Best known for The Front Room |
| 2001–present | Kathryn Newton | Paranormal Activity 4 | Best known for Abigail and Lisa Frankenstein |
| 2001–present | Emma Roberts | Scream 4 | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise and Scream Queens |
| 2002–present | Jodelle Ferland | Carrie (2002) | Best known for Case 39 and Silent Hill |
| 2003–present | Teresa Palmer | Wolf Creek | Best known for A Discovery of Witches |
| 2004–present | Riley Keough | Kiss of the Damned | Best known for The Lodge |
| 2004–present | Chloë Grace Moretz | The Amityville Horror (2005) | Best known for Dark Shadows (2013) |
| 2004–present | Samara Weaving | Ash vs Evil Dead (2015) series | Best known for Ready or Not |
| 2004–present | Allison Williams | Get Out | Best known for Get Out and M3GAN |
| 2006–present | Kiernan Shipka | Carriers | Best known for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina television series and Totally Killer |
| 2006–present | Kate Siegel | Oculus | Best known for Gerald's Game and The Haunting of Hill House television miniseries |
| 2007–present | Katie Douglas | Compulsion (2013) | Best known for Clown in a Cornfield |
| 2009–present | Georgina Campbell | All My Friends Hate Me (2021) | Best known for Barbarian |
| 2009–present | Olivia Holt | Totally Killer | Best known for the Heart Eyes |
| 2009–present | Sydney Sweeney | The Ward | Best known for Immaculate |
| 2010–present | Carla Abellana | Third Eye | Best known for the Shake, Rattle & Roll film series |
| 2010–present | Jessica Rothe | Happy Death Day | Best known for the Happy Death Day film series |
| 2011–present | Jane Levy | Evil Dead (2013) | Best known for Don't Breathe |
| 2011–present | Melissa Barrera | Scream (2022) | Best known for the Scream franchise |
| 2011–present | Taissa Farmiga | American Horror Story Murder House | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise and The Nun |
| 2011–present | Julia Garner | The Last Exorcism Part II | Best known for Weapons |
| 2011–present | Tara Basro | Satan's Slaves | Best known for Impetigore |
| 2012–present | Nell Tiger Free | The First Omen | Best known for the Servant television series |
| 2012–present | Sadie Sink | Fear Street Part Two: 1978 | Best known for the Stranger Things television series |
| 2012–present | Mckenna Grace | Suburban Gothic | Best known for Annabelle Comes Home |
| 2012–present | Olivia Cooke | The Secret of Crickley Hall television series | Best known for the Bates Motel television series |
| 2012–present | Maika Monroe | It Follows | Best known for It Follows and Longlegs |
| 2012–present | Jenna Ortega | Insidious: Chapter 2 | Best known for the Wednesday (2022) television series and the Scream franchise |
| 2012–present | Lulu Wilson | Ouija: Origin of Evil | Best known for Annabelle: Creation |
| 2013–present | Jasmin Savoy Brown | Yellowjackets television series | Best known for the Yellowjackets television series and the Scream franchise |
| 2013–present | Anya Taylor-Joy | The Witch | Best known for The Witch and The Menu |
| 2013–present | Mia Goth | A Cure For Wellness | Best known for the X film series |
| 2013–present | Lupita Nyong'o | Us | Best known for Us and A Quiet Place: Day One |
| 2014–present | Victoria Pedretti | The Haunting of Hill House | Best known for the You television series |
| 2014–present | Cailee Spaeny | The Craft: Legacy | Best known for Alien: Romulus |
| 2014–present | Madeleine McGraw | Mandela Effect | Best known for The Black Phone |
| 2016–present | Violet McGraw | Doctor Sleep | Best known for M3GAN |
| 2016–present | Lauren LaVera | Terrifier 2 | Best known for the Terrifier film series |
| 2016–present | Sophie Thatcher | The Boogeyman | Best known for the Yellowjackets television series and Heretic |
| 2017–present | Hunter Schafer | Cuckoo | Best known for Cuckoo |
See also
- Final girl
- Scream king
- History of horror movies
- Invasion of the Scream Queens, a 1992 documentary
- Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, a 2019 documentary