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A scream queen (a wordplay on screen queen)Borseti, Francesco. It Came from the 80s!: Interviews with 124 Cult Filmmakers. McFarland, 2016, p. 197 is an who is prominent and influential in , either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. The title is a used by critics and has gained positive and negative responses. is the male version of the title. Notable scream queen examples include , , Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Lee Curtis, , , , and .

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 genre. , 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."

, 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 .

History
Beginnings (1920s-60s)
The prominence of women in horror films dates back to the , with notable examples including the productions The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and (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". , an actress starring in King Kong (1933), is sometimes referred to as the "very first scream queen". , 's grandmother, is known for scream queen roles in the 1930s and 1940s. , playing Marion in '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 ’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: , who portrayed in The Last House on the Left (1972) then went to appear in Voices of Desire (1972) and Legacy of Satan (1974). , who portrayed in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) would go onto appearing in Helter Skelter (1976) and (1977). Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Psycho actress , portrayed in Halloween (1978). Curtis has been called the "ultimate 'scream queen'".

appeared in '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). played the role of the scream queen in most of her films directed by Dario Argento ( , Inferno, Phenomena, Terror at the Opera).

1980s
The success of Halloween revived during the late 1970s and 1980s. Examples include 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 () and protagonist (); and A Nightmare on Elm Street, now considered a slasher classic, which introduced , and whose leading actress, Heather Langenkamp, was dubbed a scream queen, and went on to become one of the most influential.

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 became a scream queen after appearing in three Italian horror films directed by , City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981) and House by the Cemetery (1981).

1990s
During the 1990s, starred in dozens of Troma Production horror films and was voted by Draculina magazine as its "Scream Queen of the Decade". played murder victims and in the TV series (1990–91) and spin-off film (1992) and has been described as a "scream queen", in particular for scenes in the otherworldly .

's first American feature film was the cult horror classic The Craft (1996). She later starred as 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 , who went on to appear in other horror films made during the 1990s and new millennium, including Scream 2 and The Grudge film series.

(2025). 9781554903139, ECW Press.

2000s
In 2005, Shauna Macdonald starred in , which established her as a scream queen and for which she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. starred in the horror film House of Wax (2005) and Captivity (2007), gaining the status by from films. has been called a scream queen because of her roles in films like (2000), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), and (2007).

In 2007, published an article listing on modern scream queens interviewing actresses Sheri Moon Zombie, , Andrea Bogart, , and . Since 2007 and her appearance in Halloween, has increased her genre work, being subsequently called "horror's reigning scream queen" by the NY Daily News.

2010s
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, achieved a career breakthrough with her leading role as Jay Height in the horror film . 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 (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.

Indonesian actress has been described as a "scream queen" for her roles in 's films Satan's Slaves (2017) and (2019). Australian actress solidified her status as a scream queen with her performance in the commercially and critically successful Ready or Not (2019) and .

2020s
has starred in the slasher Scream (2022), the sequel (2023), the Abigail (2024), and the -horror (2024), establishing herself as a scream queen. With 's roles in Abigail and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) both being praised, she has been highlighted as a modern scream queen. 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. starred in the slasher films X and Scream (both 2022), and is also known as a scream queen. 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
1920–1980King Kong (1933)Sometimes referred to as the "very first scream queen"
1939–1970Black Friday (1940)Her last known horror film : House of Frankenstein.
1946–2004Psycho (1960)Also known from , mother of Jamie Lee Curtis
1951–2007Friday the 13thBest known for Friday the 13th
1951–presentCassandra PetersonElvira's Movie Macabre (1981–1986)Best known as a and from (1988)
1958–presentVeronica CartwrightThe BirdsBest known for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
1958–presentBlack SundayBest known for Dark Shadows
1965–presentThe Silence of the LambsBest known for The Silence of the Lambs
1965–presentThe Last House on the LeftBest known for The Last House on the Left
1968–presentCarrieBest known for Carrie
1968–present
1969, 1987–2002Frankenstein UnboundBest known for Lake Placid and Single White Female
1969–presentMy Best Friend Is a VampireBest known for Misery and several roles in the American Horror Story franchise
1970–presentThe TenantBest known for Possession
1970–2014Texas Chainsaw MassacreBest known for Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise
1970–2020Best known for her work directed by
1970–2002, 2022–2024The ShiningBest known for The Shining
1971–presentAlien (1979)Best known for the Alien franchise
1974–presentPoltergeistBest known for the Poltergeist franchise
1974–2001Friday the 13th Part IIIBest known for Friday the 13th Part III
1974–presentThe Hills Have Eyes (1977)Best known for Cujo (1983)
1976–presentKing Kong (1976)Best known for Cape Fear and several roles in the American Horror Story franchise
1976–present
1977–presentJamie Lee CurtisHalloween (1978)Best known for the Halloween franchise; daughter of Janet Leigh
1978–presentCity of the Living DeadBest known for The Beyond
1978–presentPsycho from TexasBest known for Return of the Living Dead
1980–2004, 2021–presentFriday the 13th Part 2Best known for Friday the 13th Part 2
1980–presentSilent HillBest known for The Walking Dead television series
1981–presentSarah Michelle GellarI Know What You Did Last SummerBest known for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television series and the Scooby Doo film series
1981–1988Heather O'RourkePoltergeistBest known for the Poltergeist franchise
1982–presentTransylvania 6-5000Best known for The Fly and
1982–presentLurkersBest known for Vampire's Kiss and several roles in Troma Entertainment films
1983–presentHeather LangenkampA Nightmare on Elm StreetBest known for A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise
1983–presentBest known for the Candyman film series
1983–present
(2014). 9780786479863, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. .
Best known for the Sleepaway Camp series
1984–presentBest known for the Hellraiser franchise
1984–presentBest known for
1984–presentScreamBest known from the Scream franchise
1984–presentInnocent BloodBest known for several roles in the American Horror Story television series
1984–presentBride of ChuckyBest known for the Child's Play franchise
1985–presentBest known for the Halloween franchise
1986–present television seriesBest known for the Twins Peaks television series
1986–presentDemons 2Best known for Land of the Dead
1986–presentBest known for The Ring (2002)
1986–presentBest known for The Haunting and
1986–presentBest known for and the television series
1987–presentLeprechaun
1988–presentThe BlobBest known for Saw (2004)
1988–presentResident EvilBest known for Resident Evil film series
1989–presentJennifer Love HewittI Know What You Did Last SummerBest known for the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise
1989–presentKatharine IsabelleDisturbing BehaviorBest known for Ginger Snaps
1989–2019It (1990)Best known for Ginger Snaps
1990–presentThe Sixth SenseBest known for Hereditary
1990–presentScreamBest known for Scream
1990–presentThe Addams FamilyBest known for Sleepy Hollow and the Yellowjackets television series
1991–presentVenomBest known for
1991–presentLovers LaneBest known for the Scary Movie franchise
1991–presentThe DarkBest known for the Scream franchise
1991–presentThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1994–presentBest known for Run and several roles in the American Horror Story series
1995–2008The Blair Witch ProjectBest known for The Blair Witch Project film series
1996–presentRaaz (2002)Best known for
1996–presentAre You Afraid of the Dark?Best known for House of Wax
1996–presentJoshuaBest known for The Conjuring Universe franchise
1996–presentTerror FirmerBest known for Tromeo and Juliet
1996–presentSheri Moon ZombieHouse of 1000 CorpsesBest known for the Firefly trilogy
1997–presentBest known for the Scary Movie franchise
1997–presentMary Elizabeth WinsteadBest known for The Ring, Final Destination, and Cloverfield
1997–presentDisturbing Behavior
1999–presentHouse on Haunted Hill (1999)Best known for Final Destination and Resident Evil
1999–presentI Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
1999–presentBest known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
2001–presentScream 4Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise and Scream Queens
2001–presentParanormal Activity 4Best known for Abigail and Lisa Frankenstein
2002–presentCarrie (2002)Best known for Case 39 and Silent Hill
2003–presentWolf CreekBest known for A Discovery of Witches
2004–presentChloë Grace MoretzThe Amityville Horror (2005)Best known for Dark Shadows (2013)
2004–presentKiss of the DamnedBest known for The Lodge
2004–presentAllison WilliamsBest known for M3GAN
2006–presentOculusBest known for Gerald's Game and The Haunting of Hill House television miniseries
2006–presentCarriersBest known for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina television series and
2008–presentAsh vs Evil Dead (2015) seriesBest known for Ready or Not
2009–presentThe WardBest known for Immaculate
2010–presentHappy Death Day
2011–present
2011–presentScream (2022)Best known for the Scream franchise
2011–presentBest known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise and The Nun
2011–presentThe Last Exorcism Part II
2011-presentSatan's SlavesBest known for
2012–presentNell Tiger FreeThe First OmenBest known for the Servant television series
2012–presentBest known for the television series
2012–presentSuburban GothicBest known for Annabelle Comes Home
2012–presentThe Secret of Crickley Hall television seriesBest known for the Bates Motel television series
2012–presentBest known for
2012–presentBest known for the Wednesday (2022) television series
2012–presentBest known for
2013–presentJasmin Savoy BrownYellowjackets television seriesBest known for the Yellowjackets television series and the Scream franchise
2013–presentThe Witch
2013–presentA Cure For WellnessBest known for the X film series
2013–presentLupita Nyong'oUsBest known for
2014–presentVictoria PedrettiThe Haunting of Hill HouseBest known for the You television series
2014–presentBest known for
2016–presentThe BoogeymanBest known for the Yellowjackets television series and Heretic
2017–presentCuckoo

See also
  • History of horror movies
  • Invasion of the Scream Queens, a 1992 documentary
  • Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, a 2019 documentary

: , , , , ,
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