
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. The title is a buzzword used by critics and has gained positive and negative responses. Scream king is the male version of the title. Notable scream queen examples include Fay Wray, Janet Leigh, Marilyn Burns, Edith González, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Neve Campbell, Vera Farmiga, Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, and Mia Goth.
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.
The first-ever titled scream queen was Paula Maxa, who was a stage-actress at the Paris theater Grand Guignol in 1916. She is known as "The Most Murdered Woman In The World".

American actresses rose to fame, in the 1920s during the prominence of the silent movie era. The prominence of women in horror films dates back to the 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 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 appeared in the horror scene with Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds in 1963. She would later rise as a prominent scream queen in the 1970s, thanks to her appearances in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Alien in 1979.
In 1968, Norma Lazareno set a precedent in regards of the Mexican scream queens after co-starring in Hasta el viento tiene miedo, where she had a memorable screaming scene that placed her as an early use of the term in Mexico, which was complemented by other of her appearances in horror films such as La endemoniada (1968), La horripilante bestia humana (1969), El Libro de piedra (1969) and La muñeca perversa (1969). Other relevant Mexican scream queens of her time included Lorena Velázquez, who before her had already appeared in horror films such as La nave de los monstruos (1960) and Santo vs. las Mujeres Vampiro (1962), and Rosita Arenas, who also appeared in films related to the genre, such as La Momia Azteca film series (1957–1958), El espejo de la bruja (1960) and La maldición de la llorona (1963).

The 1970s became seminal examples of a "scream queen" for the decade. 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). 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 the thriller The Stepford Wives (1975) before appearing in Wes Craven's 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Daria Nicolodi played the role of the scream queen in most of her films directed by Dario Argento including Deep Red (1975) and Shock (1977) directed by Mario Bava.
In 1977, Mexican child actress Edith González made her first horror film appearance in Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas, where she only had an small role as a village girl. One year later, she was cast in Cyclone, a 1978 survival horror that gave her more exposure for being an international production between Italy and Mexico. Later on, she had a more prominent role in Trampa Infernal from 1989, which was one of the first slasher films of Mexico.
The success of Halloween revived slasher films in the 1980s. Adrienne Barbeau is known for her roles a scream queen in The Fog (1980) and Escape from New York (1981). Linnea Quigley played a significant role as a scream queen during the rise of B Movie in The Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). Betsy Palmer had been praised for her role as a scream queen in the Friday the 13th franchise as Pamela Voorhees. Barbara Crampton is known as a scream queen for her roles in the Body Double (1984) and Re-Animator (1985).

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.
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.
Bipasha Basu has been referred as "Bollywood's Scream Queen" due to her contributions to horror in India with her blockbuster horror movie franchise Raaz as well as the films Aatma (2013) and Creature 3D (2014). Maika Monroe achieved a career breakthrough with her leading role as Jay Height in the horror film It Follows (2014), she had solidified her growth as a scream queen through her appearances in The Guest (2014) and Villains (2019) and throughout the 2020s. 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.

Georgina Campbell has been dubbed a scream queen after starring in the horror films Barbarian (2022), and The Watchers (2024). Jenna Ortega starred in the slasher films X and Scream (both 2022), and is also known as a scream queen. Melissa Barrera has starred in the slasher franchise Scream, the horror comedy Abigail (2024), and the romantic comedy-horror Your Monster (2024), establishing herself as a scream queen. With Kathryn Newton's roles in Abigail and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) both being praised, she has been highlighted as a modern scream queen.
Mia Goth had starred in several horror movies previously before her breakout roles in the X trilogy (2022–2024), which cemented her as a scream queen to a wider audience. 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).
| Years active | Actor | First horror film (or series) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916–1930 | Paula Maxa | Le Laboratoire des Hallucinations (1916) | Known as the "The Most Murdered Woman In The World" |
| 1920–1980 | Fay Wray | King Kong (1933) | Referred to as the "very first scream queen" |
| 1939–1970 | Anne Gwynne | Black Friday (1940) | Her last known horror film: House of Frankenstein (1944) |
| 1946–2004 | Janet Leigh | Psycho (1960) | Also known from The Fog (1980), mother of Jamie Lee Curtis |
| 1950–present | Rosita Arenas | La Momia Azteca (1957) | Also known for El espejo de la bruja (1960) and La maldición de la llorona (1963) |
| 1951–2007 | Betsy Palmer | Friday the 13th (1980) | Best known for Friday the 13th |
| 1951–present | Cassandra Peterson | Elvira's Movie Macabre (1981–1986) | Best known as a horror hostess and from Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) |
| 1954–present | Norma Lazareno | Hasta el viento tiene miedo (1968) | Also known for La horripilante bestia humana (1969) and El Libro de piedra (1969) |
| 1956–2024 | Lorena Velázquez | La nave de los monstruos (1960) | Best known for Santo vs. las Mujeres Vampiro (1962) |
| 1958–present | Veronica Cartwright | The Birds (1963) | Best known for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) |
| 1958–present | Barbara Steele | Black Sunday (1960) | Best known for Dark Shadows (1991) |
| 1964–2018 | Olivia Hussey | Black Christmas (1974) | Also known for It (1990) |
| 1965–present | Jodie Foster | The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | Best known for The Silence of the Lambs |
| 1968–present | Sissy Spacek | Carrie (1976) | Best known for Carrie |
| 1968–present | Adrienne Barbeau | The Fog (1980) | Best known for Argo (2012) |
| 1970–2014 | Marilyn Burns | Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) | Best known for Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise |
| 1970–2019 | Edith González | Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas (1977) | Best known for Cyclone (1978) and Trampa Infernal (1989) |
| 1970–2020 | Daria Nicolodi | Deep Red (1975) | Best known for her work directed by Dario Argento |
| 1970–2002, 2022–2024 | Shelley Duvall | The Shining (1980) | Best known for The Shining |
| 1971–present | Sigourney Weaver | Alien (1979) | Best known for the Alien franchise |
| 1974–present | Dee Wallace | The Hills Have Eyes (1977) | Best known for Cujo (1983) |
| 1976–present | Jessica Lange | King Kong (1976) | Best known for Cape Fear and several roles in the American Horror Story franchise |
| 1977–present | Jamie Lee Curtis | Halloween (1978) | Best known for the Halloween franchise; daughter of Janet Leigh |
| 1978–present | Linnea Quigley | Psycho from Texas (1975) | Best known for Return of the Living Dead (1985) |
| 1981–present | Sarah Michelle Gellar | I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) | Best known for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television series (1997–2003) and the Scooby Doo film series (2002–2004) |
| 1981–present | Michelle Bauer | The Tomb (1986) | Best known for Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988) |
| 1982–present | Debbie Rochon | Lurkers (1987) | Best known for Vampire's Kiss (1989) and several roles in Troma Entertainment films |
| 1983–present | Heather Langenkamp | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | Best known for A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise |
| 1983–present | Virginia Madsen | Zombie High (1987) | Best known for Candyman (1992) |
| 1983–present | Felissa Rose | Sleepaway Camp (1983) | Best known for the Sleepaway Camp series |
| 1984–present | Ashley Laurence | Hellraiser (1987) | Best known for the Hellraiser franchise |
| 1984–present | Barbara Crampton | Body Double (1984) | Best known for Re-Animator (1985) |
| 1984–present | Courteney Cox | Scream (1996) | Best known from the Scream franchise |
| 1984–present | Jennifer Tilly | Bride of Chucky (1998) | Best known for the Child's Play franchise |
| 1985–present | Danielle Harris | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) | Best known for the Halloween franchise |
| 1986–present | Sheryl Lee | Twin Peaks television series (1990) | Best known for the Twins Peaks television series |
| 1986–present | Naomi Watts | Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) | Best known for The Ring (2002) |
| 1988–present | Milla Jovovich | Resident Evil (2002) | Best known for Resident Evil film series |
| 1989–present | Jennifer Love Hewitt | I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) | Best known for the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise |
| 1989–present | Katharine Isabelle | Disturbing Behavior (1998) | Best known for Ginger Snaps (2000) |
| 1989–2019 | Emily Perkins | It (1990) | |
| 1990–present | Toni Collette | The Sixth Sense (1999) | Best known for Hereditary (2018) |
| 1990–present | Christina Ricci | The Addams Family (1991) | Best known for Sleepy Hollow (1999) and the Yellowjackets television series (2021–present) |
| 1991–2014 | Kris Aquino | Shake, Rattle & Roll III (1991) | Best known for Feng Shui (2004) and Sequel (2014) |
| 1991–present | Meagan Good | Venom (2005) | Best known for Saw V (2008) |
| 1991–present | Neve Campbell | The Dark (1993) | Best known for the Scream franchise |
| 1994–present | Sarah Paulson | American Horror Story Murder House (2011) | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story series and Run (2020) |
| 1995–2008 | Rei Hance | The Blair Witch Project (1999) | Best known for The Blair Witch Project film series |
| 1996–present | Bipasha Basu | Raaz (2002) | Best known for Raaz franchise |
| 1996–present | Elisha Cuthbert | Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1999–2000) | Best known for House of Wax (2005) |
| 1996–present | Vera Farmiga | Joshua (2007) | Best known for The Conjuring Universe franchise |
| 1996–present | Crystal Lowe | Sanctimony (2000) | Best known for Final Destination 3 (2006) |
| 1996–present | Tiffany Shepis | Terror Firmer (1998) | Best known for Tromeo and Juliet (1996) |
| 1997–present | Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Wolf Lake (2001–2002) | Best known for The Ring Two (2005), Final Destination 3 (2006), and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) |
| 1999–present | Ali Larter | House on Haunted Hill (1999) | Best known for Final Destination franchise (2000) and Resident Evil franchise |
| 1999–present | Erica Leerhsen | Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) | Best known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) |
| 1999–present | Brandy Norwood | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) | Best known for The Front Room (2024) |
| 2001–present | Kathryn Newton | Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) | Best known for Abigail (2024) and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) |
| 2001–present | Emma Roberts | Scream 4 (2011) | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise and Scream Queens (2015) |
| 2002–present | Jodelle Ferland | Carrie (2002) | Best known for Silent Hill (2006) and Case 39 (2009) |
| 2003–present | Teresa Palmer | Wolf Creek (2005) | Best known for A Discovery of Witches (2011) |
| 2004–present | Riley Keough | Kiss of the Damned (2012) | Best known for The Lodge (2019) |
| 2004–present | Chloë Grace Moretz | The Amityville Horror (2005) | Best known for Dark Shadows (2012) and Carrie (2013) |
| 2004–present | Samara Weaving | Ash vs Evil Dead series (2015) | Best known for the Ready or Not film series |
| 2004–present | Allison Williams | Get Out (2017) | Also known for the M3GAN film series |
| 2006–present | Kiernan Shipka | Carriers (2009) | Best known for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina television series (2018–2020) and Totally Killer (2023) |
| 2006–present | Kate Siegel | Oculus (2013) | Best known for Gerald's Game (2017) and The Haunting of Hill House television miniseries (2018) |
| 2007–present | Katie Douglas | Compulsion (2013) | Best known for Clown in a Cornfield (2025) |
| 2009–present | Georgina Campbell | All My Friends Hate Me (2021) | Best known for Barbarian (2022) |
| 2009–present | Olivia Holt | Totally Killer (2023) | Best known for Heart Eyes (2025) |
| 2010–present | Carla Abellana | Third Eye (2014) | Best known for the Shake, Rattle & Roll film series |
| 2010–present | Jessica Rothe | Happy Death Day (2017) | Best known for the Happy Death Day film series |
| 2011–present | Jane Levy | Evil Dead (2013) | Best known for Don't Breathe (2016) |
| 2011–present | Melissa Barrera | Scream (2022) | Best known for the Scream franchise |
| 2011–present | Taissa Farmiga | American Horror Story Murder House (2011) | Best known for several roles in the American Horror Story franchise and The Nun (2018) |
| 2011–present | Julia Garner | The Last Exorcism Part II (2013) | Best known for Weapons (2025) |
| 2011–present | Tara Basro | Satan's Slaves (2017) | Best known for Impetigore (2019) |
| 2012–present | Nell Tiger Free | The First Omen (2024) | Best known for the Servant television series (2019–2023) |
| 2012–present | Sadie Sink | Stranger Things (2017–2025) | Also known for Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021) |
| 2012–present | Mckenna Grace | Suburban Gothic (2014) | Best known for Annabelle Comes Home (2019) |
| 2012–present | Olivia Cooke | The Secret of Crickley Hall television series (2012) | Best known for the Bates Motel television series (2013–2017) |
| 2012–present | Maika Monroe | It Follows (2014) | Also known for Longlegs (2024) |
| 2012–present | Jenna Ortega | Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) | Best known for the Wednesday (2022–present) television series and the Scream franchise |
| 2012–present | Lulu Wilson | Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) | Best known for Annabelle: Creation (2017) |
| 2013–present | Jasmin Savoy Brown | Yellowjackets television series (2021–present) | Also known for the Scream franchise |
| 2013–present | Mia Goth | A Cure For Wellness (2016) | Best known for the X film series |
| 2013–present | Lupita Nyong'o | Us (2019) | Also known for A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) |
| 2014–present | Victoria Pedretti | The Haunting of Hill House (2018) | Best known for the You television series (2019–2021) |
| 2014–present | Cailee Spaeny | The Craft: Legacy (2020) | Best known for Alien: Romulus (2024) |
| 2014–present | Madeleine McGraw | Mandela Effect (2019) | Best known for The Black Phone (2021) |
| 2016–present | Violet McGraw | Doctor Sleep (2019) | Best known for the M3GAN film series |
| 2016–present | Lauren LaVera | Terrifier 2 (2022) | Best known for the Terrifier film series |
| 2018–present | Inde Navarrette | Obsession (2025) | Best known for Obsession (2025) |
Veronica Cartwright, Marilyn Burns, Sandra Peabody, Dee Wallace, and of course, James Lee Curtis are some of the forebears of the genre.
Rosita Arenas, la reina del cine de terror nacional que fue dirigida por Buñuel[Rosita Arenas, the queen of national horror cinema who was directed by Buñuel]
Pocos saben, pero Edith González fue nombrada Reina del Grito, tras participar como protagonista de películas de terror.[Few people know this, but Edith González was named "Queen of the Scream" after starring in horror movies.]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Una de las actrices con las que deseaba y logra trabajar es Norma Lazareno, a quien considera como la "scream queen" del cine mexicano.[One of the actresses with whom he wanted—and succeeded—to work is Norma Lazareno, whom he considers the “scream queen” of Mexican cinema.]
Ella quedó reconocida como una verdadera Scream Queen debido a sus diversas participaciones en películas del cine fantástico con El Santo, el enmascarado de plata.[She became recognized as a true Scream Queen thanks to her various roles in fantasy films alongside El Santo, the Silver-Masked Man.]