# Scream queen

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. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable female examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Felissa Rose, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Isabelle Adjani, Sarah Paulson, Vera Farmiga, Jamie Lee Curtis, Taissa Farmiga, Maika Monroe, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Sophie Thatcher, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Melissa Barrera, Debbie Rochon, Tiffany Shepis, Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, Katharine Isabelle, 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 the "one of the most iconic" scream queens in horror film history.
Veronica Cartwright was also a prominent scream queen of the 1970s but found her beginnings as a scream queen in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds in the 60s. Later in the 70s she appeared in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as well as Alien in 1979.

### 1970s

Four actresses in the 1970s became seminal examples of a "scream queen" for the decade: Sandra Peabody, who portrayed Mari Collingwood in The Last House on the Left (1972) then went to appear in Voices of Desire (1972) and Legacy of Satan (1974). 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). Olivia Hussey, who portrayed Jess Bradford in Black Christmas (1974) then It (1990), and 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 Wes Craven's 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes before going on to establish herself as a scream queen in the 1980s by appearing in The Howling (1981), Cujo (1983) and Critters (1986). Daria Nicolodi played the role of the scream queen in most of her films directed by Dario Argento (Deep Red, Inferno, Phenomena, Terror at the Opera).

### 1980s

The success of Halloween revived slasher films during the late 1970s and 1980s. Examples include Terror Train and Prom Night, in which Jamie Lee Curtis would again play the scream queen; Friday the 13th, the first entry to have both a female antagonist (Betsy Palmer) and protagonist (Adrienne King); and A Nightmare on Elm Street, now considered a slasher classic, which introduced supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, and whose leading actress, Heather Langenkamp, was dubbed a scream queen, and went on to become one of the most influential.
Linnea Quigley was a scream queen during the 1980s, appearing specifically in low-budget and cult-classic films such as Graduation Day, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Return of the Living Dead and Night of the Demons. British actress Catriona MacColl became a scream queen after appearing in three Italian horror films directed by Lucio Fulci, City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981) and House by the Cemetery (1981).
Following her Saturn Award-nominated performance in Exorcist II: The Heretic, Oscar-nominee Linda Blair parlayed her classic 1973 The Exorcist role into a slew of 80s horror performances, including Hell Night. In 2008, at the Malaga Fantasy & Horror Film Festival, Blair received a lifetime achievement award for her work in the horror genre.

### 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 movies like Raaz (2002) and Raaz 3D (2012), as well as films like Aatma (2013), Creature 3D (2014), and Alone (2015).
In 2014, Maika Monroe achieved a career breakthrough with her leading role as Jay Height in the horror film It Follows. She continued making contributions to the genre with appearances in The Guest (2014), Villains (2019), Watcher and Significant Other (both 2022). A decade later, the release of Longlegs (2024) and its subsequent success further cemented her status as a scream queen. As of 2025, Monroe is set to star in a remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Brides and They Follow.
In 2016, Screen Rant listed the "15 Greatest Scream Queens in Horror History", which includes Linda Blair, Danielle Harris, Lisa Wilcox, Vera Farmiga, Janet Leigh, Marilyn Burns, Veronica Cartwright, Neve Campbell, Naomi Watts, Heather Langenkamp, Eva Green, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Barbara Steele and Jamie Lee Curtis.
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 began her contribution to the horror genre by starring in the first season of Ash vs Evil Dead (2015), before landing the lead role in the black comedy horror The Babysitter (2017). Weaving solidified her status as a scream queen with her performance in the commercially and critically successful Ready or Not (2019), and in 2023 served as the opening kill in Scream VI.

### 2020s

Melissa Barrera has starred in the slasher Scream (2022), the sequel Scream VI (2023), the horror thriller Bed Rest (2022), the horror comedy Abigail (2024), and the romantic comedy-horror Your Monster (2024), establishing herself as a scream queen. With Kathyrn Newton's roles in Abigail and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) both being praised, she has been highlighted as a modern scream queen. Mia Goth having started in several horror movies previously before her breakout roles in the X trilogy (2022–2024), cemented her as a scream queen to a wider audience. Jenna Ortega starred in the slasher films X and Scream (both 2022) is also known as a scream queen. Sophie Thatcher of cannibalistic TV series Yellowjackets fame, gained traction as a scream queen after her performances in The Boogeyman (2023) and Heretic (2024).

## Scream Queens Illustrated magazine

Scream Queens Illustrated magazine (1993-2002) was published by Market Square Productions with 29 editions and 9 official poster books. It featured pictorials, interviews, reviews, and other content concerning such Hollywood scream queens as Barbara Bauer, Becky Sunshine, Tina Krause, Julia Hayes, Julie Strain, Monique Gabrielle, Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, Rhonda Shear, Xenia Gratsos ("Brioni Farrell"), Lorissa McComas, June Wilkinson, Debbie Rochon, Sherri Frazer, Melissa Wolf, and Cassandra Peterson ("Elvira").

## List

| Years active | Actor | First horror film (or series) | Notes |
| 1920–1980 | Fay Wray | King Kong (1933) | Sometimes referred to as the "very first scream queen" |
| 1939–1970 | Anne Gwynne | Black Friday (1940) | Her last known horror film: House of Frankenstein. She is the maternal grandmother of Chris Pine. |
| 1946–2004 | Janet Leigh | Psycho (1960) | Also known from The Fog, mother of Jamie Lee Curtis |
| 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 |
| 1959–present | Mia Farrow | Rosemary's Baby | Best known for Rosemary's Baby and as a model |
| 1962–present | Linda Blair | The Exorcist | Best known for The Exorcist franchise |
| 1965–2024 | Olivia Hussey | Black Christmas (1974) | Best known for Romeo and Juliet (1968) |
| 1968–present | Sissy Spacek | Carrie | Best known for Carrie, The Help |
| 1968–present | Adrienne Barbeau | The Fog | Best known as Catwoman |
| 1969–present | Kathy Bates | My Best Friend Is a Vampire | best known for Misery, several roles in the American Horror Story franchise |
| 1970–2014 | Marilyn Burns | Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Best known for her the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise |
| 1970–2020 | Daria Nicolodi | Deep Red | Best known for her work directed by Dario Argento |
| 1970–present | Isabelle Adjani | The Tenant | Best known for Possession (1981) |
| 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, Avatar franchise |
| 1974–present | Dee Wallace | The Hills Have Eyes (1977) | Best known for Cujo (1983) |
| 1976–present | Drew Barrymore | Altered States | Best known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial |
| 1977–present | Jamie Lee Curtis | Halloween (1978) | Best known for the Halloween franchise, daughter of Janet Leigh |
| 1978–present | Caitriona MacColl | City of the Living Dead | Best known for The Beyond |
| 1978–present | Linnea Quigley | Psycho from Texas | Best known for Return of the Living Dead |
| 1980–present | Connie Britton | The Last Winter | Best known for American Horror Story Murder House |
| 1980–present | Laurie Holden | Silent Hill | Best known for The Walking Dead television series |
| 1981–present | Sarah Michelle Gellar | I Know What You Did Last Summer | Best known for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television series |
| 1981–1988 | Heather O'Rourke | Poltergeist | Best known for the Poltergeist franchise |
| 1982–present | Debbie Rochon | Lurkers | Best known for Vampire's Kiss, 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, The Young and Restless television series |
| 1984–present | Courteney Cox | Scream | Best known from the Friends television sitcom, Scream franchise |
| 1984–present | Jennifer Tilly | Bride of Chucky | Best known for the Child's Play franchise |
| 1984–present | Alyssa Milano | The Canterville Ghost | Best known for the Charmed television series |
| 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 franchise |
| 1986–present | Asia Argento | Demons 2 | Best known for Land of the Dead |
| 1986–present | Miranda Otto | The 13th Floor | Best known for Annabelle: Creation |
| 1986–present | Naomi Watts | Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering | Best known for The Ring (2002) |
| 1986–present | Winona Ryder | Beetlejuice | Best known for Beetlejuice, the Stranger Things television series |
| 1987–present | Kirsten Dunst | Interview with the Vampire | Best known for the Spider-Man film 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 in 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 | Christina Ricci | The Addams Family | Best known for Sleepy Hollow, Yellowjackets television series |
| 1990–present | Lauren Ambrose | Psycho Beach Party | Best known for Servant television series, Yellowjackets television series |
| 1991–present | Neve Campbell | The Dark | Best known for the Scream franchise |
| 1991–2011 | Mercedes McNab | Hatchet | Best known for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, The Addams Family franchise |
| 1991–present | Jessica Biel | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Best known for 7th Heaven television series |
| 1991–present | Kate Beckinsale | Haunted | Best known for the Underworld franchise |
| 1991–present | Melissa McBride | The Mist | Best known for The Walking Dead television series |
| 1993–present | Michelle Williams | Species | Best known for the Dawson's Creek television series |
| 1994–present | Sarah Paulson | American Horror Story Murder House | Best known for Run, and several roles in the American Horror Story series |
| 1995–2008 | Rei Hance | The Blair Witch Project | Best known for The Blair Witch Project film series |
| 1995–present | Lea Michele | Scream Queens | Best known for the Glee television series |
| 1995–present | Kim Dickens | Hollow Man | Best known for Fear The Walking Dead television series |
| 1996–present | Lauren Cohan | The Boy | Best known for The Walking Dead television series |
| 1996–present | Rose McGowan | Scream | Best known for the double-feature Grindhouse |
| 1996–present | Bipasha Basu | Raaz (2002) | Best known for No Entry |
| 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 | Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Wolf Lake | The Ring, Final Destination, Cloverfield |
| 1997–present | Katie Holmes | Disturbing Behavior | Best known for the Dawson's Creek television series |
| 1999–present | Ali Larter | House on Haunted Hill (1999) | Best known for Final Destination, Resident Evil |
| 1999–present | Brandy Norwood | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) | Titular character in the Moesha television series and better known as an artist |
| 1999–present | Cerina Vincent | Fear Runs Silent | Best known for Cabin Fever (2002) |
| 1999–present | Erica Leerhsen | Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 | Best known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) |
| 2001–present | Emma Roberts | Scream 4 | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise,Scream Queens |
| 2001–present | Kathryn Newton | Paranormal Activity 4 | Best known for Abigail, Lisa Frankenstein |
| 2001–present | Emily Blunt | Wind Chill | Best known for the A Quiet Place film series |
| 2001–present | Lily Rabe | The Veil | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise |
| 2002–present | Abigail Breslin | Signs | Best known for Scream Queens television series |
| 2002–present | Jodelle Ferland | Carrie (2002) | Best known for Case 39, Silent Hill |
| 2004–present | Chloë Grace Moretz | The Amityville Horror (2005) | Best known for Dark Shadows (2013) |
| 2004–present | Riley Keough | Kiss of the Damned | Best known for The Lodge, Daisy Jones & The Six television series |
| 2004–present | Allison Williams | Get Out | Best known for M3GAN, Girls television series |
| 2005–present | Isabelle Fuhrman | Orphan | Best known for Orphan film series |
| 2005–present | Katie Featherston | Paranormal Activity | Best known for the Paranormal Activity film series |
| 2005–present | Liana Liberato | Haunt | Best known for Scream VI, Totally Killer |
| 2005–present | Bailee Madison | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Best known for The Strangers: Prey at Night, Pretty Little Liars television series |
| 2006–present | Kate Siegel | Oculus | Best known for Gerald's Game, The Haunting of Hill House television miniseries |
| 2006–present | Joey King | Quarentine | Best known for Wish Upon, Slenderman |
| 2006–present | Kiernan Shipka | Carriers | Best known for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina television series, Totally Killer, Longlegs |
| 2008–present | Samara Weaving | Ash vs Evil Dead (2015) series | Best known for Ready or Not |
| 2009–present | Sydney Sweeney | The Ward | Best known for Immaculate, the Euphoria television series |
| 2010–present | Jessica Rothe | Happy Death Day | Best known for La La Land |
| 2010–present | Julia Garner | The Last Exorcism Part II | Best known for Wolf Man |
| 2011–present | Jane Levy | Evil Dead | Best known for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist television series, Suburgatory television sitcom |
| 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, The Nun |
| 2011–present | Melissa Roxburgh | Leprechaun: Origins | Best known for the Manifest television series |
| 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 House of The Dragon television series, Bates Motel television series |
| 2012–present | Maika Monroe | It Follows | Best known for Longlegs |
| 2012–present | Jenna Ortega | Insidious: Chapter 2 | Best known for the Wednesday (2022) television series |
| 2012–present | Lulu Wilson | Ouija: Origin of Evil | Best known for Annabelle: Creation |
| 2013–present | Anya Taylor-Joy | The Witch | Best known for the Queen's Gambit limited television series. |
| 2013–present | Mia Goth | A Cure For Wellness | Best known for the X series |
| 2013–present | Lupita Nyong'o | Us | Best known for A Quiet-Place: Day One, 12 Years a Slave |
| 2014–present | Victoria Pedretti | The Haunting of Hill House | Best known forthe You (2018) television series |
| 2014–present | Cailee Spaeny | The Craft: Legacy | Best known for Alien: Romulus |
| 2015–present | Billie Lourd | Scream Queens | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise |
| 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, Heretic |
| 2017–present | Hunter Schafer | Cuckoo | Best known for the Euphoria television series |