Scream Queens

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. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include Fay Wray, Barbara Steele, Tippi Hedren, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Felissa Rose, Mia Farrow, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Neve Campbell, Katie Cassidy, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, 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, Lin Shaye, 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

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 solidified her status as a scream queen with her performance in the commercially and critically successful '' Ready or Not'' (2019) and its sequel.

In 2018, Entertainment Tonight published an article, listing the "top 40 scream queens of the past 40 years", this article included Toni Collette, Naomi Watts, Jessica Biel, Carmen Ejogo, Debbie Rochon, Elisha Cuthbert, Bella Thorne, Marley Shelton, Kiele Sanchez, Ashley Laurence, Riley Keough, Betty Gabriel, Barbara Crampton, Tiffany Shepis, Milla Jovovich, Lili Taylor, Jane Levy, Lulu Wilson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Emma Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Katie Cassidy, Adrienne Barbeau, Ali Larter, Shawnee Smith, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anna Paquin, Katharine Isabelle, Linnea Quigley, Courteney Cox, Heather Langenkamp, Anya Taylor-Joy, Taissa Farmiga, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sarah Paulson, Danielle Harris, Vera Farmiga, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Neve Campbell, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

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'' (2021–) fame, gained traction as a scream queen after her performances in '' The Boogeyman'' (2023) and ''Heretic'' (2024).

Scream king

List

See also

* Final girl
* History of horror movies
* '' Invasion of the Scream Queens'', a 1992 documentary
* '' Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street'', a 2019 documentary

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scream Queen
Film and video terminology
Women in horror film
Female stock characters
Stereotypes of women
Tropes
Damsels in distress