Part of a series on Horror films |
---|
By decade |
By continent |
Key topics |
A scream queen (a wordplay on screen queen) [1] 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, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Emma Roberts, Katharine Isabelle and Linnea Quigley. [2]
The term "scream queen" is more specifically used to refer to the attractive young damsel-in-distress [3] 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." [3]
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." [4] 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. [5]
The prominence of women in horror films dates back to the silent film era, with films such as 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". [3] Fay Wray, an actress starring in King Kong (1933), is sometimes referred to as the "very first scream queen". [6] Anne Gwynne, Chris Pine's grandmother, is known for scream queen roles in the 1930s and 1940s. [7] [8] [9] Janet Leigh, playing Marion in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), is regarded as the "one of the most iconic [10] " scream queens in horror film history. [11]
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), Marilyn Burns, who portrayed Sally Hardesty in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Olivia Hussey, who portrayed Jess Bradford in Black Christmas (1974), and Jamie Lee Curtis, who portrayed Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978). [12]
After The Last House on the Left, Peabody went on to appear in the horror films Voices of Desire (1972), Massage Parlor Murders (1973), Case of the Full Moon Murders (1973), and Legacy of Satan (1974). Burns followed her performance in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with roles in Helter Skelter (1976) and Eaten Alive (1977). In Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Psycho actress Janet Leigh, had her first film role. Portraying Laurie Strode in Halloween, Curtis has been called the "ultimate 'scream queen'". [13] Curtis went on to star in several other horror films after that, including The Fog , Prom Night , Terror Train , Halloween II , and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later . [14] [15]
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). [16]
Daria Nicolodi played the role of the scream queen in most of her films ( Deep Red , Inferno , Phenomena , Terror at the Opera ). Director Mario Bava also called on Nicolodi for Shock (1977). In 1982, Nicolodi played Anne in Dario Argento's Tenebrae . [16]
Veronica Cartwright was also a prominent scream queen of the 1970s, appearing in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as well as Alien in 1979. She began her career as a scream queen in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds .
The success of Halloween revived slasher films during the late 1970s and 1980s. [17] 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); [18] and A Nightmare on Elm Street , now considered a slasher classic, [19] 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. She would continue making horror films into the 1990s, with a cameo in Wes Craven's Scream. In 2008, at the Malaga Fantasy & Horror Film Festival, Blair received a lifetime achievement award for her work in the horror genre.
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. [20] [21] [22] [23]
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. [15] 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. [24]
In 2005, Shauna Macdonald starred in The Descent , which established her as a scream queen [25] [26] [27] and for which she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. [28] Elisha Cuthbert starred in the horror film House of Wax (2005) and Captivity (2007), gaining the status by from films. [29] [30] 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. [3] 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 . [31] 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). [32] [33]
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). [34]
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. [35]
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). [36] [37]
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). In 2023, Weaving played the iconic role of opening kill in Scream VI .
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. [38] [39] 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. [40] [41] Jenna Ortega starred in the slasher films X and Scream (both 2022) is also known as a scream queen. [22] [42] [43] Ortega reprised her Scream role for the sequel, Scream VI (2023). [44]
Scream Queens Illustrated magazine 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"). [45]
The term "scream king" has been used to refer to male leading actors who have made their name through taking on leading roles in horror movies as a "final guy" character. Rachel Roth defines the rise of the "scream kings" as a result of moving away from formulas where men are typically cast as monsters for a female character to fight off and female actresses being cast less as victims and sometimes as the monster or villain themselves. Roth cites Bruce Campbell as an early example of a scream king for his role in the Evil Dead franchise. [46] Campbell has also been referred to as "the definitive scream king." [47] Another notable early example of a scream king would be Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. [48] [49]
Other notable scream kings include Devon Sawa, known for Idle Hands , Final Destination , and the television series Chucky ; Patrick Wilson, who appeared in the Insidious and The Conjuring franchises; Evan Peters for his recurring roles in American Horror Story ; Bill Skarsgård, for his appearances in It , Barbarian and Nosferatu ; [50] Daniel Kaluuya, for his performances in Get Out and Nope ; Dan Stevens, who appeared in Dracula, The Turn of the Screw, The Rental, Apostle, Abigail, and the upcoming psychological horror film Cuckoo ; Kyle Gallner, whose appearances include The Haunting in Connecticut, Scream and Smile; [51] Finn Wolfhard, for his roles in It and the Netflix series Stranger Things; [52] [53] and Shawn Roberts, who has appeared in zombie films such as Land of the Dead , Diary of the Dead , and the Resident Evil franchise. [54] [55]
Mark Patton, star of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), has been touted at horror conventions as mainstream horror's first "male scream queen". [56]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(February 2022) |
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream queen, in addition to roles in comedies. Curtis has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award.
Neve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. She is known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, which have earned her recognition as a scream queen and in popular culture, and for playing roles in several comedy and drama projects. She is among the highest-grossing actresses and acclaimed heroines in horror, and has won two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Best Actress, a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actress, an MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance, and a Saturn Award for Best Actress, among other accolades.
A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.
Danielle Harris is an American actress. She is known as a "scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the Halloween franchise: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) as Jamie Lloyd, and Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009) as Annie Brackett. Other such roles include Tosh in Urban Legend (1998), Belle in Stake Land (2010), and Marybeth Dunston in the Hatchet series (2010–17). In 2012, she was inducted into the Fangoria Hall of Fame.
Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later is a 1998 American slasher film directed by Steve Miner, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, LL Cool J, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, Janet Leigh, and Josh Hartnett in his film debut. It is the seventh installment in the Halloween franchise. H20 is a direct sequel to 1978's Halloween and 1981's Halloween II, ignoring the Jamie Lloyd story arc of the previous three installments. It follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode, who has faked her death in order to go into hiding from her murderous brother, Michael Myers, who finds her working at a private boarding school in California.
Jamie Lloyd is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the Halloween franchise. Introduced in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers as the series' new protagonist after Jamie Lee Curtis declined to return as Laurie Strode, the character also appears in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Jamie was created by Alan B. McElroy and portrayed by child actress Danielle Harris in the fourth and fifth films of the series, and J.C. Brandy in the sixth film of the series. Originally, the character was named Brittany "Britti" Lloyd, before her name was changed to Jamie, in an homage to Jamie Lee Curtis.
Nancy Kyes, known professionally as Nancy Loomis, is an American actress. A frequent collaborator of filmmaker John Carpenter, she portrayed Annie Brackett in Halloween (1978) and also appeared in his films Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) and The Fog (1980). She reprised her role as Annie in Halloween II (1981) and made an appearance as a different character in the stand-alone Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), her last film role until Hauntology in 2024.
Laurie Strode is a character from the Halloween series. She first appeared in Halloween (1978) as a high school student who becomes targeted by serial killer Michael Myers, in which she was portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis. Created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Laurie appeared in nine of thirteen films in the series. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, and comic books.
Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably, his sister Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.
Sally Hardesty is a fictional character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. She made her first appearance in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as a young woman investigating her grandfather's grave after local grave robberies—crossing paths with Leatherface and his cannibalistic family in the process. In this film and later in The Next Generation (1995), she was portrayed by Marilyn Burns. Olwen Fouéré was cast in the sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022). The character, renamed Erin Hardesty and played by Jessica Biel, also appeared in a remake of the original film in 2003.
Bradley Douglas Falchuk is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for co-creating with Ryan Murphy the television series Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Pose. He was also a writer and executive producer for Nip/Tuck and is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Maika Monroe is an American actress. She made her film debut in the drama At Any Price (2012). Her breakthrough came with the horror film It Follows (2014), which established her as a scream queen. Monroe has since starred in the thriller films The Guest (2014), Tau (2018), Greta (2018) and Watcher (2022), and the horror films Significant Other (2022) and Longlegs (2024).
Scream Queens is an American satirical dark comedy slasher television series that aired on Fox from September 22, 2015, to December 20, 2016. The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan and produced by Murphy, Falchuk, Brennan, and Alexis Martin Woodall, and by 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Productions, Brad Falchuk Teley-vision, and Prospect Films. The first season stars an ensemble cast consisting of Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Lea Michele, Glen Powell, Diego Boneta, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, Oliver Hudson, Nasim Pedrad, Lucien Laviscount, Billie Lourd, and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Niecy Nash, Ariana Grande, and Nick Jonas in supporting roles. It takes place at the fictional Wallace University, and was filmed at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. It follows sorority Kappa Kappa Tau (KKT) which is targeted by a serial killer using the university's Red Devil mascot as a disguise.
Melissa Barrera Martínez is a Mexican actress. She began her career in Mexico, playing roles in the telenovelas Siempre tuya Acapulco (2013) and Tanto amor (2015), and the Netflix series Club de Cuervos (2017).
"Pumpkin Patch" is the fifth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It first aired on October 13, 2015 on Fox. The episode was both directed and written by Brad Falchuk. In this episode, Dean Munsch makes an announcement that affects the campus, and mostly, Chanel 's plan to throw a pumpkin patch party in support of her Kappa presidential campaign. Grace and Pete lead a search for Zayday, who was kidnapped by the Red Devil.
Halloween is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. It is the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a sequel to the 1978 film of the same name, while disregarding all previous sequels. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis who reprises her role as Laurie Strode. James Jude Courtney portrays Michael Myers, with Nick Castle returning to the role for a cameo. Halloween also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Haluk Bilginer, and Virginia Gardner. Its plot follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode who prepares to face Michael Myers in a final showdown on Halloween night, forty years after she survived his killing spree.
Halloween Kills is a 2021 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. It is the sequel to 2018's Halloween and the twelfth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, and Anthony Michael Hall. The film begins on the same night where the previous film ended with James Jude Courtney reprising his role as Michael Myers whose presence has become apparent to the residents of Haddonfield.
Your Monster is a 2024 American romantic comedy-horror film written and directed by Caroline Lindy, based on her 2019 short film of the same name. The film stars Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, and Meghann Fahy.