The Top 10 Modern Scream Queens Ranked
Scream queens have been a huge part of horror movies for decades. Everyone knows the famous ones like Jamie Lee Curtis and Neve Campbell, but there are plenty of young scream queens who also deserve attention. Here are my top 10 modern scream queens ranked.
I’m defining “modern” as actresses who first became established in the horror genre within the past decade or so. Not surprisingly, there is overlap in many of these performers’ careers. I’ve made note of when multiple scream queens appear in the same films and shows. I also list what they are best known for within the horror genre.
What does it take to be a top scream queen? Acting skills, beauty, and the ability to SCREAM REALLY FREAKIN’ LOUD are all major factors. The ten ladies listed below have all of these attributes.
My rankings are mainly based on the types of roles they’ve had. Scream queens with starring roles in multiple major horror films rank the highest. I also consider loyalty to the genre. Does she mainly stick with horror, or are there lots of non-genre roles in her resume? Obviously, actors have the right to be in any genre they want, but a true scream queen should mostly be associated with horror.
10. Jasmin Savoy Brown
Best known for: Yellowjackets and Scream
Brown plays a major character in one of my favorite TV series, the deliciously demented Yellowjackets. She portrays a horror movie know-it-all in the fifth and sixth Scream movies. Brown is charismatic and brings a fiery intensity to her roles.
She ranks at the bottom because of her lack of protagonist parts. As far as I can tell, her only starring role has been in Sound of Silence, an obscure indie slasher that I haven’t seen. Central roles are still rare for Black women in horror movies. Us and Talk to Me are among the few prominent hits with Black female leads.
I don’t feel particularly qualified to analyze this issue, but I recommend watching the Shudder documentary Horror Noire, which takes a fascinating look at the evolution of how Black characters are portrayed in the genre. I would love to see Brown as a final girl in a great slasher movie.
9. Kiernan Shipka
Best known for: Totally Killer and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
To mainstream audiences, Shipka is undoubtedly best known for her childhood role as Sally Draper in Mad Men. As an adult, she has been part of numerous horror projects. She plays the main characters in Totally Killer and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and has major supporting roles in Longlegs and The Blackcoat’s Daughter.
She can play comedic and creepy roles equally well, which earns her a place among my top 10 scream queens. Her lack of a protagonist role in a major theatrically-released horror film keeps her from ranking higher.
She has range, too. People who haven’t seen Blackcoat’s Daughter may be surprised to discover that she is capable of believably playing a coldblooded psychopath.
8. Jenna Ortega
Best known for: Wednesday, You, and Scream
Ortega is easily the most famous of the modern scream queens. It’s cool that we live in an era where a horror actress can become a mainstream celebrity without abandoning the genre. Back in the old days, Jamie Lee Curtis wasn’t considered a major star until she appeared in the comedy Trading Places.
That said, Ortega ranks relatively low in this list because she tends to be relegated to supporting roles in horror movies. She’s great in X and Scream, but she plays second fiddle to Mia Goth and Melissa Barrera, respectively, in those movies. She is the star of Wednesday, but I don’t think Wednesday Addams is a “scream queen” type of character, per se. She’s more likely to be making other people scream!
Ortega also has appeared in a variety of roles outside the horror genre, most recently in Miller’s Girl. Considering how awful and creepy (in a bad way) that movie is, maybe she should just stick with horror.
7. Kathryn Newton
Best known for: Paranormal Activity 4, Freaky, Lisa Frankenstein
Kathryn Newton is the most underrated scream queen on this list. She’s played the lead in numerous horror works. Freaky is one of my favorite horror-comedies of recent years, but it made little money and tends to get overlooked. Most of her other movies haven’t gained widespread attention, either. She co-stars with Melissa Barrera in the vampire movie Abigail, but it failed to ignite the box office. She was also the protagonist of the short-lived Netflix series The Society.
Newton doesn’t rank higher because she hasn’t had a true breakthrough hit yet. Even her biggest mainstream film, Marvel’s Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was a box office disappointment. This is a shame because Newton is a skilled actress with a wicked sense of humor. She’s been part of many quality projects. Her day will come!
6. Samara Weaving
Best known for: Ready or Not, The Babysitter
Weaving became one of the world’s hottest scream queens in her breakthrough role, the surprise hit Ready or Not. She also plays the title character in Netflix’s The Babysitter and its sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen (which co-stars Jenna Ortega). Weaving also has a memorable cameo in Scream VI.
Like Ortega, Weaving tend to plays roles in many different genres. She appears in the acclaimed crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (Kathryn Newton also has a small role). Weaving’s not as closely associated with horror as some of the other gals on this list, but she’s still very active in the genre. She is expected to star in a planned sequel to Ready or Not. That will be fun to see!
5. Melissa Barrera
Best known for: Scream
How many actresses have had the opportunity to play the main protagonist in multiple installments of a major horror franchise? Not to mention being one of the first Latina final girls in a major American movie. Barrera’s acting style is tough, fiery, and sometimes sinister. She can believably play a heroine or a psychopath.
Barrera received criticism for her acting in her first Scream, but I think almost everyone can agree that she absolutely kicked ass in Scream VI. Unfortunately, she was dropped (unfairly in my view) from a third Scream film. She remains active in the genre and hopefully we’ll be seeing much more from her in the years to come.
4. Mia Goth
Best known for: The X trilogy
The X star would probably rank #1 on this list in terms of pure acting talent. Goth excels at playing weird antiheroes. She’s not a conventional scream queen, but that’s actually a plus. I really got a kick out of seeing a cocaine-loving porn star as the final girl in X. What a subversion of the classic trope!
This is an unusual attribute for a scream queen, but Goth is also great at playing villains. Pearl is awesome, and don’t forget Goth’s maniacal character in the Cronenberg body horror flick Infinity Pool. Shipka is the only other scream queen on this list who has shown a strong affinity for playing antagonist roles.
3. Sophie Thatcher
Best known for: Yellowjackets, The Boogeyman
Thatcher plays one of the main teen protagonists in the hit folk horror series Yellowjackets, in which she co-stars with Jasmin Savoy Brown. She also stars in The Boogeyman and additionally appears in the recent film Heretic. She’s set to star in the upcoming Companion.
Thatcher is a passionate actress who is able to draw from deep wells of emotional intensity. She is naturally likeable. Thatcher is excellent at playing characters who are suffering through grief and trauma, which makes her one of the best modern scream queens.
2. Maika Monroe
Best known for: Longlegs and It Follows
Monroe has starred in numerous horror movies over the past ten years. Her breakthrough role was in It Follows and she gained additional notoriety for starring in Longlegs. She’s also the protagonist in Significant Other and Watcher. Monroe has played lots of non-horror roles as well, but she’s definitely best-known for her genre work. She is effective at balancing vulnerability with toughness, which is a great strength for a modern scream queen.
Monroe is one of the most versatile actresses on this list. Some actors are only good at playing one type of person. Monroe has played characters with widely divergent personalities in her horror roles.
1. Lauren Lavera
Best known for: Terrifier
In a remarkably short period, Lavera has risen from obscurity to become one of the genre’s hottest scream queens. The stunning success of Terrifier 2, in which she plays final girl Sienna Shaw, earned her a significant fanbase. The even greater commercial success of Terrifier 3 has turned her into a minor celebrity. She was even offered the opportunity to ring the closing bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Lavera is, by all accounts, a true and dedicated horror fan. She will appear in Terrifier 4 eventually. In the meantime, she has numerous other upcoming projects. Lavera brings an authentic blue collar intensity to Sienna. She has the same raw genuineness in her other works, such as in The Well. Her multiple protagonist roles and dedication to horror puts her at the top of my list of modern scream queens.
