Looking Back At Scream Queens Through The Years
An influential actress. A damsel in distress. A resilient woman who, against all odds, makes it to the end credits. To commemorate the season of the scream queen, here’s a curated list of our favorite and unforgettable scream queens throughout the years.
Melissa Barrera
From Scream to Abigail, Melissa Barrera has proved she’s a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre. Barrera shows no signs of slowing down in the genre, with one blockbuster after another, making her one of this generations ultimate scream queens. Up next, she stars in the horror-comedy Your Monster.
Janet Leigh
If the term scream queen needed a prime example in the dictionary, I can guarantee Janet Leigh’s name would be there. Not only did she bless us with a scene that universally made people scared to get into the shower as Marion Crane in Psycho, but she also gifted us with the following generation’s scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis. Being a horror icon must run in her genes.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is arguably one of the most well known scream queens to date for her exhilarating performance as Laurie Strode in Halloween. Her performance is one that’s unrivaled — so much so that they had to bring her back onto the big screen to fight the infamous Michael Meyers again in 2018.
Curtis’ character was one that wasn’t often seen in horror films up to that point, as her role challenged the typical tropes of female victims in horror movies and forever changed the role of women in the horror genre.
Lauren Lavera
Most well known for her performances in the now wildly popular (and gory) Terrifier franchise, Lauren Lavera has established she is not one to be messed with. In films such as Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3, and The Well, Lavera dominates the evil presences after her. In fact, she’s a real life martial artist and stunt performer off screen as well. Her performances have won her the Fangoria Chainsaw Award — need I say more?
She’s a badass on and off screen.
Jenna Ortega
Where do I begin with Jenna Ortega? For a woman who just turned 22, Ortega has already left her mark in horror as this generation’s newest standout scream queen — quite literally too, with her momentous scream in X.
Ortega has been in demand within the genre, and rightfully so, as she has had unparalleled horror performances in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Wednesday, Scream, and Scream VI.
Mia Goth
Mia Goth has made a name for herself in the horror genre, most notably playing the unhinged characters of Maxine and Pearl in Ti West’s horror trilogy beginning with X. She’s taken the essentials of what it means to be a scream queen to a whole new level, bestowing a complexity and depth to her characters and performances that are unmatched.
It goes without saying, but tied with performances is her iconic voice, which adds another level to the films she’s in as she has delivered some of the most quotable and ingenious lines from a horror movie to date.
Samara Weaving
Ah, the woman that is Samara Weaving.
Weaving’s performance as Grace Le Domas in Ready or Not would be enough to solidify her spot as a scream queen on this list with her guttural scream, rage, and rebellious nature, but she has also impressively flexed her horror muscles in films such as The Babysitter, Scream VI, and Azrael.
Vera Farmiga
If there’s anyone who has truly earned the scream queen badge, it’s Vera Farmiga. Farmiga has starred in seven horror films over the course of her career, most famously playing the notorious Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring franchise. On top of her monumental horror film line-up, Farmiga has also lent her talents of playing dimensional women in the genre to the horror show Bates Motel.
Lupita Nyong'o
A scream queen who has earned the title without screaming? It is, of course, none other than Lupita Nyong'o. Nyong'o is skilled at delivering intense and frightening performances like as the tethered clone she plays in Jordan Peele’s chilling horror film Us.
Neve Campbell
Neve Campbell may be one of the most well known scream queens of the 90s for her portrayal as final girl Sidney Prescott in Scream. Campbell isn’t finished with Ghostface either. She’s officially coming back for Scream 7, which has an anticipated 2026 release.
Heather Langenkamp
Heather Langenkamp’s performance as Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street has long been described as subtle, but its effect on pop culture and the horror genre itself has been anything but. Langenkamp’s character redefined the role of teenage protagonists in horror. In 1995, she was inducted into the Fangoria Chainsaw Hall of Fame.
Shelley Duvall
The late Shelley Duvall’s unique ability to capture stress and paranoia in The Shining has yet to be matched. Misunderstood at the time of the film’s release in 1980, Duvall’s performance is now considered one of the best. Much like her character, the legacy of her performance took many twists and turns, but Duvall should forever be considered a scream queen for her brilliant performance as Wendy Torrance.
Brianne Tju
If Brianne Tju had a goal of becoming one of this generation’s prominent scream queens, I think she has successfully accomplished reached it. Tju started her career in horror at just 13 years old when she appeared on the R.L. Stine anthology series The Haunting Hour, which leads me to believe she’s always had a knack for being exceptional within the horror genre. Tju has further showed horror loving audiences that she was capable of frightening performances on more than one occasion in Scream: The TV Series, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, Gone in the Night, Light as a Feather, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Maika Monroe
If anyone was born to star in the horror genre, it’s Maika Monroe. Monroe’s presence is felt in every film she touches from Longlegs, The Watcher, It Follows, and more. She is an expert at portraying complex female characters, adding to the unease an audience should feel while watching horror, and commanding the screen.
Marilyn Burns
Marilyn Burns’ portrayal as Sally Hardesty in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre not only made her a scream queen, but established the archetype of the ‘final girl’ within the horror genre.
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer was first considered a scream queen making her mark in none other than, you guessed it, Scream Queens, but the actress has made waves since her notable role as Zayday, such as starring in Jordan Peele’s Nope.
Palmer’s influence and impact on the horror genre has been felt, with her even sharing her role in Scream Queens offers representation to other girls watching her.
Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett unleashed an extraordinary ferocity while portraying Marie Laveau, the legendary former Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, in American Horror Story: Coven.
Basset offered an otherworldly take on the Voodoo Queen and that isn’t singular to American Horror Story. Bassett also starred alongside Eddie Murphy in Wes Craven’s Vampire in Brooklyn as a bloodthirsty detective.
