Since the dawn of horror cinema, there have been Scream Queens. Women running around screaming are a staple of the genre - right alongside other tropes like the masked killer and the Final Girl. Horror just wouldn't be the same without the victims displaying raw, unfettered fear in its purest form: the scream.
When you think Scream Queen, your mind likely goes to Jamie Lee Curtis and her pivotal role as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise. But she's not the only one with remarkable lung power. Throughout history, there have been countless Scream Queens who've lit up the silver screen with their earth-shattering screams.
Below, Wide Open Country takes a look at the most iconic Scream Queens of each era, from the 1930s to today.
Fay Wray
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Before there was Jamie Lee Curtis (or anyone else on this list), Fay Wray wore the Scream Queen crown. Her turn as Ann Darrow in King Kong has influenced every generation that came after. Her screams were blood-curdling and could send goosebumps galloping down your spine. She also starred in Mystery of the Wax Museum, Doctor X, and The Most Dangerous Game, among others. She is and will forever be the benchmark for the Scream Queen.
Janet Leigh
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Janet Leigh may not have starred in many horror films, but one role solidified her legacy. Her turn as Marion Crane in the landmark 1960 film, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, is one for the ages. It's the iconic shower scene, which made people terrified of taking showers, that features Leigh's lung power, enough to sear into the brain. Leigh also starred in The Fog and Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later.
Barbara Steele
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Barbara Steele doesn't get enough credit. In the 1960s and '70s, her name was synonymous with horror. She counts Black Sunday, The Pit and the Pendulum and Shivers among her most well-known roles. Her credits go much further than that, from The Horrible Dr. Hichcock to The Crimson Cult. She may have done less screaming than most, but her status is nonetheless indisputable.
Marilyn Burns
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Marilyn Burns screams her heart out in 1974's grimy Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It's surprising she didn't burst a blood vessel. Whether it's the iconic dinner scene, or when she's in the woods running for her life, Burns cemented her Scream Queen title with one role. Of course, she also starred in Eaten Alive, Texas Chainsaw 3D, and countless others. But it'll forever be the '70s classic for which she'll always be remembered forever.
Jamie Lee Curtis
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Jamie Lee Curtis defines what it means to be a Scream Queen. In her debut film, John Carpenter's Halloween, she proved a worthy adversary to Michael Myers, while also showing off her impressive set of lungs. In her career, she screamed her way through numerous other '80s horror pictures, including Prom Night, Terror Train and Halloween II. She is the gold standard by which all others are compared.
Veronica Cartwright
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Veronica Cartwright got her start as a kid in The Birds. She would later go on to star in 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Alien. Like Barbara Steele, she is sorely underappreciated and overlooked when it comes to the Scream Queen conversation. But she more than holds her own against most others on this list.
Adrienne Barbeau
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Adrienne Barbeau rose to prominence as one of the 1980s elite horror stars. From The Fog to Escape from New York, and Swamp Thing, she certainly left a mark on the genre as one of its finest leading ladies. She may not have screamed her way to the top like most, yet she possesses all the other attributes that make a real Scream Queen, like a fierce spirit and determination in the face of every single monster. She's earned her spot.
Sigourney Weaver
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Sigourney Weaver is the most unconventional Scream Queen of the bunch. Predominantly known as the Ripley in the Alien franchise, she carved out her own unique place among the other titans in the genre. She also starred in The Village, The Cabin in the Woods and Snow White: A Tale of Terror. There is nothing she can't do, but she does take great care to pick out horror roles that speak deeply to her. That's truly admirable.
Linnea Quigley
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If you think 1980s horror, Linnea Quigley likely tops that list. She was everywhere. Graduation Day, Silent Night Deadly Night, The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama... and the list goes on and on. There was and is no one quite like her.
Barbara Crampton
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An '80s horror darling, Barbara Crampton didn't shy away from taking on monstrous roles. She's most known for Re-Animator, Chopping Mall, From Beyond and Castle Freak. But she also took superstar turns in everything from You're Next to We Are Still Here and Jakob's Wife. There's nothing she can't do, and her impact is still felt throughout the genre.
Dee Wallace
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With credits including Cujo, The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling and Halloween (2007), Dee Wallace knows a thing or two about screaming. She could rip her vocal cords with the best of them and strike fear instantly in the audience. Only a few from the '80s could match her scream-for-scream. It's no wonder she continues to work; she's a force.
Heather Langenkamp
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Heather Langenkamp fought a dream demon named Freddy Krueger in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street - and then again in 1987's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. She would later return to the franchise for Wes Craven's New Nightmare. To say she's more than earned her Scream Queen stripes is an understatement. While she's starred in countless other horror films, it's her Nightmare days that make her a top-tier Scream Queen.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
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"What are you waiting for, huh?!" is indelibly seared into our brains. It's the line heard around the world - or, at least, in the world of I Know What You Did Last Summer. She then returned to her role as Julie James in the sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. She may not have starred in any other horror movies, but her impact is undeniable.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
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When you think Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar instantly comes to mind. But she's far more than that. No one could possibly forget her iconic chase scene in I Know What You Did Last Summer, as well as her short-lived turn as CeCe in Scream 2. She's fierce - with a set of lungs that competes with the best of them.
Neve Campbell
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In the modern era, there are few Scream Queens that have reached the heights Neve Campbell has. With five Scream films under her belt, as well as The Craft, the actor defines what it means to be a woman in a horror film. She's strong, intuitive, and sharp-witted. Campbell commands the screen, leaving her scream behind wherever she goes. She might have passed the torch, so to speak, but she keeps her grasp around that crown.
Courteney Cox
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We don't talk about Courteney Cox as a Scream Queen nearly enough. Always standing in the shadow of the Scream franchise's lead (Neve Campbell), Cox's work shouldn't be ignored any longer. She does her fair share of screaming throughout Scream, from the 1996 original to the most recent Scream VI. She's just as much of a Scream Queen as anyone else on this list.
Naomi Watts
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Queen of remakes, Naomi Watts is the most underrated on this list. Her role in The Ring should be enough to earn her place here - but her work goes far and beyond this unsettling ghost story. She's starred in King Kong (2005), Funny Games (2007), Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, and many others. She's an indisputable Scream Queen. That's just a fact.
Danielle Harris
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Her work in the Halloween franchise more than affirms her place as genre royalty. She starred in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, as well as Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II. Additionally, she had notable roles in the Hatchet series, Urban Legend, and others. Her scream is immediately identifiable.
Samara Weaving
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Samara Weaving has a scream that can shatter mountains. It's the sort of guttural scream that is ungodly in its ability to strike fear in the audience. From her role as Grace in 2019's breakout hit Ready or Not or even her opening cameo performance as Laura in Scream VI, Weaving manages to stake her claim as a legitimate Scream Queen. She possesses the scream heard around the world.
Jenna Ortega
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2022 was the Year of Jenna Ortega. From her work in Scream (2022) to X, she demonstrated lung power that instantly made her a modern-day Scream Queen. In Scream VI, she maintained her top-tier status, proving also to be one of the genre's best Final Girls. With more horror in the works, including the upcoming Beetlejuice 2 and a second season of Wednesday, she won't be giving up that crown anytime soon.
