Let’s get real—horror films wouldn’t be half as exciting without the scream queens who make them happen. These women don’t merely flee from murderers or battle evil—they reimagine the survival playbooks, fear dynamics, and sources of power on the screen. From cult icons to contemporary horror heroines, here’s a top 10 list of the most memorable scream queens in reverse order to maintain the suspense:
10. Eva Green – Dark Shadows
Eva Green’s Angelique Bouchard is gothic mayhem incarnate. In Dark Shadows, she rains curses, vendettas, and witchy drama with style that commands every scene. The film tips camp over terror, but Green’s work haunts—due in part to her Sephardic Jewish background bringing another richness, and due in part to her Angelique ensuring no one leaves unscathed.
9. P.J. Soles – Carrie
Before she was a horror staple, P.J. Soles appeared as Norma in Carrie. Norma is not the heroine, but she’s at the center of the notorious prom-night tragedy that tips Carrie into madness. Her catty teasing, nastiness, and ultimate bonfire death demonstrate that even secondary scream queens can make an indelible impression on horror history.
8. Jane Levy – Evil Dead (2013)
As Mia, Jane Levy propels the Evil Dead remake into darker, emotionally rawer waters. Battling addiction as much as demonic possession, Levy gives a performance that’s brutal, heartbreaking, and bold. Few horror roles today call for as much, and Levy more than answers, solidifying herself within scream queen legend.
7. Bex Taylor-Klaus – Scream (TV series)
Audrey Jensen, played by Bex Taylor-Klaus, was something new in the Scream legacy. Intelligent, cutting, and complex, Audrey is both victim and villain—dualities that make her one of the most multi-faceted scream queens to appear on this list. Factor in her LGBTQ+ representation, and Taylor-Klaus has carved out a scream queen persona that feels entirely contemporary.
6. Danielle Harris – Halloween 4 & Halloween 5
Danielle Harris initially won over audiences as young Jamie Lloyd, the niece of Michael Myers, in the late ’80s Halloween sequels. Vulnerable yet tough, Harris steered those movies with a balance of innocence and toughness. Born to a Jewish family and subsequently reprising her role in the franchise as an adult, she became a multigenerational horror icon.
5. Billie Lourd – American Horror Story: 1984
Billie Lourd’s Montana Duke is a scream queen with teeth. Vengeful, fashionable, and mercurial, Montana begins as an anti-hero and becomes so much more. In AHS tradition, her story is complicated, disturbing, and unforgettable—proving how the scream queen trope has evolved from straightforward victim to multidimensional survivor.
4. Sarah Michelle Gellar – I Know What You Did Last Summer
Sarah Michelle Gellar provided us with one of the most tragic chase scenes in horror through her performance as Helen Shivers. Gorgeous and vengeful but also sympathetic, Helen’s struggle to survive had viewers on her side until the last moment. Although Gellar ultimately became an icon through Buffy, her I Know What You Did Last Summer outing is still a seminal scream queen moment of the ’90s.
3. Lin Shaye – Insidious franchise
Lin Shaye turns the scream queen trope on its side as Elise Rainier, psychic force of the Insidious movies. Rather than fleeing, Elise faces evil head-on—demonstrating that scream queens don’t necessarily need to be young ingénues. Shaye’s intelligence, courage, and presence demonstrate that horror can (and ought to) include women of all ages.
2. Neve Campbell – Scream franchise
Sidney Prescott is the quintessential survivor. Throughout a series of Scream movies, Neve Campbell lends depth, realism, and strength to a character who refuses to be reduced by trauma. Sidney is all that a “final girl” can and should be: strong, intelligent, and relatable. Campbell’s performance—and her Jewish heritage—have established her as a lasting horror favorite.
1. Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween franchise
No one has held the scream queen crown longer—or with greater pride—than Jamie Lee Curtis. At 19, she redefined horror heroines playing Laurie Strode, and gave all the final girls who followed her a template to work from. Years later, her return to Halloween showed that age only enhances her power. Aside from terror, Curtis has succeeded as an author, activist, and Hollywood fixture, but to fans, she’ll always remain Laurie—the one who showed us what survival truly means.
From cult classics to billion-dollar franchises, scream queens make horror thrive. They’re not about fear, but about survival, change, and being able to overcome all odds. Whether they’re being hunted, haunted, or fighting back, they tell us why, at the end of the day, horror is as much about heart as it is about screams.