There may be a few gorehounds out there who would argue that the true stars of the best horror movies are the bad guys – like Michael Myers, Ghostface, or the Xenomorph from Alien, among other titans of terror. Of course, there are a few classic horror movie villains who definitely became the driving force of their own respective franchises, like Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th movies, or Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. However, excluding those kinds of killers, who are you really rooting for by the end of the film if not the female protagonist?
Scream Queens like Jamie Lee Curtis or Neve Campbell are essential to what keeps the genre trucking – that being said, which of these female horror acting icons of the big screen (and sometimes the small screen) prevail over all? I have compiled a list of 13 (how appropriate) ladies who are most deserving of the title and ranked them in ascending order, based on acting ability, prevalence in horror, inspiration to the genre, and career success overall. These, in my opinion, are the best Scream Queens of all time.
13. Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Shocker, The Midnight Club)
Until Mike Flanagan brought her into Netflix’s The Midnight Club cast, there was no role that people knew Heather Langenkamp from better than the lead of 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street cast – Nancy Thompson, who also faced off against Freddy Krueger in the third film, The Dream Warriors, in 1987. After working with the late Wes Craven again for 1989’s Shocker, the actor went up against a demon disguising itself as Robert Englund’s burned boogeyman, but as a fictionalized version of herself in 1994’s Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Adding a few uncredited appearances on American Horror Story into the mix, Langenkamp’s influential contribution to the genre’s legacy is undeniable.
12. Samara Weaving (Ash Vs. Evil Dead, Mayhem, The Babysitter, Ready Or Not)
Australian model and actor Samara Weaving (niece of Hugo Weaving) had her first taste of the macabre when she became part of the Evil Dead movies legacy with a brief, but memorable, recurring spot alongside the Ash Vs. Evil Dead cast in its first season. Soon after, her roles got bigger and bloodier – from the Shudder original movie Mayhem, the satanic The Babysitter franchise (among the best horror movies on Netflix), and her incredible lead performance in 2019’s instant horror-comedy classic, Ready or Not from Radio Silence, whom she reunited with for a small part in Scream VI. Horror is only a small chunk of Weaving’s filmography thus far, but the talent and dedication for it that she has shown easily makes her one of the best modern final girls of her time.
11. Neve Campbell (Scream, The Craft)
Most people may not realize that Neve Campbell’s horror experience really starts with a 1993 campy Canadian creature feature called The Dark. Of course, the role that made her an icon and redefined final girls for years (and in a movie that redefined the horror genre as we know with clever deconstruction) is Sidney Prescott from the original Scream cast in 1996. Save The Craft from the same year and subsequent Scream movies, Campbell’s contribution to horror would be scarce in more recent years, which is why many fans hope to see her in the upcoming Scream 7, following her heartbreaking absence from the sixth installment.
10. Dee Wallace (The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, Cujo, Critters, The Frighteners)
In a reversal of Neve Campbell’s career, campiness would define some of Dee Wallace’s later horror entries (particularly the Critters movies, the underrated 1991 slasher Popcorn, and Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners from 1996), but that is far from how one would describe her earliest movie credits: The Stepford Wives and Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes. She would follow those by enduring some vicious hellhounds in classic ‘80s movies The Howling in 1981 and the Stephen King-inspired Cujo from 1983. Of course, she is rarely mentioned for those freaky favorites as much as Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which is far from a horror movie, but apparently could have been in an alternate reality.
9. Lin Shaye (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Critters, Snakes On A Plane, Insidious, Tales Of Halloween, The Grudge)
Also starring in Critters, but in a much smaller role, was Lin Shaye, who previously played Nancy’s teacher in one scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street – thanks to a suggestion by her brother, New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye. She would appear in a few other bit parts (like Snakes on a Plane or, more famously, There’s Something About Mary), but her time to really shine came in her late ‘60s in James Wan’s Insidious cast as medium Elise Rainier – a role that would grow more prevalent with each sequel. Shaye’s prevalence as a Scream Queen only continues to grow as she has shown no sign to stop appearing in horror movies yet.
8. Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Creepshow, Swamp Thing, Tales Of Halloween)
Perhaps Lin Shaye would have made an even stronger impact on the genre if she had reached the same level of fame earlier, like her co-star from 2015’s great anthology horror movie, Tales of Halloween, Adrienne Barbeau. Her Scream Queen legacy began with her big screen debut in 1980’s The Fog – one of the best movies by John Carpenter – and continued in her collaborations with other legends like George A. Romero on Creepshow (which spawned a TV show on Shudder she also appeared on) and Wes Craven with Swamp Thing, before later appearing on the short-lived Swamp Thing series in 2019. Barbeau would follow with countless other film and TV projects of the creepy and geeky variety that have made her the cult icon she is today.
7. Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split, The Menu)
After breaking out in one of the best A24 horror movies, 2016’s The Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy went on to become a defining element of the genre’s ongoing renaissance period by starring in even more “sophisticated” thrillers like Split (one of M. Night Shyamalan’s best movies) and the diabolically dark comedy, Thoroughbreds. However, what I personally believe makes her the best modern Scream Queen of her time is how she has used her magnificent talent to venture beyond the genre – such as with her Golden Globe-winning turn in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit cast and by leading the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Luckily, she has not forgotten her roots, having given dynamite performances in more recent macabre favorites like Last Night in Soho and The Menu.
6. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Grudge)
In 1997, Sarah Michelle Gellar became a household name with roles in Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast. She would follow the hit fantasy dramedy series with the 2004 American update of The Grudge, its 2006 sequel, a supernatural thriller called The Return that same year, and also played a live-action Daphne in two Scooby-Doo movies. One could argue Gellar’s horror contributions have been hit or miss, but it is undeniable that she is a legend for them.
5. Janet Leigh (Psycho, The Fog, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later)
However, if we really want to start talking about legends, that category would be incomplete without a mention of Janet Leigh, who was already a big star when she gave an Oscar-nominated performance as Marion Crane in 1960’s Psycho. Of course, it is her famously traumatizing shower sequence from said Alfred Hitchcock classic – one of the scariest horror scenes ever – that she is remembered best for these days. It would also earn her the chance to appear in the aforementioned The Fog and the seventh installment of the Halloween movies, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later – both of which also starred her daughter, whom we will get to soon.
4. Linda Blair (The Exorcist, Scream)
It is rare for a performance in a horror movie to win an Oscar these days, but teenaged Linda Blair at least received a nomination for 1973’s The Exorcist – the scariest movie ever in many fans’ eyes, and one of the best horror movies based on a true story, allegedly. The majority of her subsequent career directly responded to the horror revolution she helped spark with the hit possession thriller, which involved reprising Regan MacNeil in two more Exorcist movies, making fun of it in the 1990 spoof Repossessed, and showing up in countless other thrillers – the best of which would be an uncredited appearance as a reporter in Scream. Most would agree Blair never really found another role to match the success of The Exorcist, but considering it made her one of the most iconic horror stars, it is not a bad thing to have as your peak within the genre.
3. Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, Chopping Mall, You’re Next)
There are many different possible titles one could justifiably choose as the career peak for Barbara Crampton, and for a variety of reasons, too. You could pick 1985’s Re-Animator for its Lovecraftian roots, Chopping Mall as a highlight of so-bad-it’s-good schlock cinema from the following year, or Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s brutal and cleverly plotted You’re Next from 2011. We can thankfully credit the home invasion thriller for rejuvenating the cult icon’s career, which would only continue to get busier with 2015’s We are Still Here (a great horror movie about grief), acclaimed vampire rom-com Jakob’s Wife, and Joe Lynch’s Suitable Flesh from 2023, to name just a few.
2. Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters, The Village, The Cabin In The Woods)
Sigourney Weaver proved that she still owns her Scream Queen status by reprising her role as haunting victim Dana Barrett for Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021. Of course, her most famous character would have to be Ellen Ripley, whom she played in four Alien movies – the second of which, 1986’s Aliens, made her a first-time Oscar-nominee and an inspiration to female actors who could only hope to play a role as brazenly badass. Despite additional roles in thrillers like The Village and her killer cameo in The Cabin in the Woods, Weaver’s career is not necessarily defined by horror, but the genre (particularly its crossover with sci-fi) is what jump-started her continued reign as one of Hollywood’s most powerful stars.
1. Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, Scream Queens)
The same can also be said about Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, with the exception of horror not being a definitive aspect of her prowess as the genre cannot get enough of her, and may not ever. Jamie Kennedy said it best in Scream when he boldly deemed the actress as “THE Scream Queen,” which I would argue she earned the minute she made her 1978 film debut in Halloween and became the definitive, modern female horror protagonist, essentially. Ironically, Curtis has openly stated she does not enjoy horror movies, but seems to enjoy acting in them and fans equally enjoy watching her in them, which is why her return as Laurie Strode in David Gordon Green’s reboot of her most beloved horror movie franchise was not only welcomed, but celebrated.
These women were the defining horror movie icons of their respective generations and have inspired many actors since. Therefore, we can bet that the upcoming horror movies on the horizon are bound to give us even more Scream Queens to bow down to.
