Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Horror movies are an essential part of enjoying the Spooky Season. As a self-proclaimed Spooky Season enthusiast, I have amassed a collection of favorite freaky films and Halloween features. A common trend in a lot of my favorite scary movies is the consistent casting and return of pop culture royalty. Many Halloween films and horror movies rely on the same actresses to portray victims of scary stories and sinister situations. These films often feature this actress as the heroine of the story, mainly because she survives until the end. While their valiant finish is notable, these lead actresses have gained a reputation for their infamous and iconic vocals. These women are the Scream Queens.
A Scream Queen is an actress who plays a prominent role in a horror film, either as a main character or through recurring roles. The term is often used to describe actresses who are known for being frightened or attacked in their roles, as their characters face scary situations. These women are often portrayed as attractive, smart, unassuming and naive girls, playing into the damsel in distress trope. Scream Queens are prominent and influential in horror films, often leaving iconic performances and unforgettable sounds.
Fay Wray was a Canadian American actress who gained prominence in the 1930s. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. Wray is best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong. This performance crowned her with the title of the original Scream Queen.
While there were several other designated Scream Queens between the 1930s and the 1950s, I’d like to give a special shout out to a true horror heroine, Janet Leigh. Janet Leigh was an American actress and author, with her most notable role as that of Marion Crane. Marion was the so-called damsel in distress in Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary horror film Psycho, released in 1960. The role scored her the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that year.
I guess the ability to release intense, blood curdling screams on command runs in the family because our next legendary scream queen is Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh’s daughter. Curtis took after her mother from the very start of her career. In 1978, Jamie starred in her first film, Halloween, portraying Laurie Strode. This performance declared her as “the ultimate Scream Queen,”. The mother-daughter duo of Scream Queens took their work to the next level by starring together in the 1980 horror film, The Fog, and the 1998 film, Halloween H20: 20 years later.
Our next Scream Queen dominates the scary screen from the early 2000s into the 2010s. Danielle Harris is an American actress that mastered the art of Returning Scream Queen in a plethora of films. Her roles are prominent 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. With her continued popularity and frequent role reprisals, Danielle was officially inducted into the internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, Fangoria.
To finish up our Scream Queen tribute, I’d like to recognize our current reigning Scream Queen, Jenna Ortega. A former Disney Channel actress, Ortega was announced as an official Scream Queen for her starring roles in the slasher films X and Scream, both of which premiered in 2022. Ortega’s Scream Queen status continues to stick as she reprised her Scream role for the sequel, Scream VI, released in 2023. Personally, I think Jenna Ortega could be the leading Scream Queen for the 2020s, and maybe into the 2030s, based on her range and immense level of talent.
Halloween films and scary movies would be incomplete without these extraordinary women, facing nightmarish situations. As pop culture continues to adapt, Scream Queens are beginning to be less damsel in distress, and more strong, independent woman fighting off monsters. Personally, I’m excited to see this transition and to witness the up-and-coming Scream Queens behind this new narrative.