‘Scream queen’ is an epithet for actresses who have become iconic for portraying roles in horror movies. One of the biggest scream queens (who some might call the GOAT), of all time is Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis has had a lot of big roles in scary movies, including the franchise that some say started the golden age of the slasher movies, Halloween. Her mom, Janet Leigh, is also considered a scream queen for her role (especially in one of the most memorable scenes in cinema history) in Psycho.

The ’90s movies created a lot of scream queens, such as Neve Campbell in the Scream movies. The actress has confirmed she will not be in the new installment of the franchise, Scream 6, though, and the baton has been passed to new scream queens. For a woman to be considered a scream queen, she should be in more than one horror movie. However, there are some actresses who did such a great job that they could also be considered scream queens after only starring in one. A few recent examples are Toni Collette for her amazing portrayal of a mother in grief in Hereditary and Florence Pugh in the brightly colored Midsommar.

Scream queens are an inherent part of the horror genre, and in the past couple of years, there have been some actresses who have earned the title and therefore made up a new, more modern part of this group. Here are some of the best modern scream queens.

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8 Maika Monroe

     RADIUS-TWC

Maika Monroe started in the horror genre with her role in The Guest. It Follows, her most famous horror movie so far, was released quickly after her first appearance in a scary movie. The movie is about an evil entity that is transmitted only through sex, and was so successful that she was quickly called a scream queen and has been in more horror movies since, including Watcher. The actress said that it wasn’t intentional at first, but she has been a fan of the genre since she was little, and even wants to do It Follows 2.

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7 Anya Taylor-Joy

     A24

Anya Taylor-Joy’s first movie was The Witch, and since then has been playing award-winning roles almost every year. She came back to horror in 2021 with her role as a wannabe singer that has her life turned upside down in Last Night in Soho. She has a quality of being extremely unique, from how she looks to the depth she gives in all of Anya Taylor-Joy’s performances; she is always a delight to watch, even if you are terrified.

6 Emma Roberts

     20th Television

Emma Roberts has been in the film industry spotlight for quite some time. She has done multiple projects in various genres, but her roles in scary movies and series have become a trademark for her. She has been a part of the cast of AHS, or American Horror Story, for a few seasons, as well as literally being in a series called Scream Queens, both produced and created by Ryan Murphy. Her role in Scream 4 is one of the main reasons why she quickly became a part of this iconic group of women in film.

5 Victoria Pedretti

     Netflix

Victoria Pedretti is a relatively new name in the industry, but the actress has already become known for the intricate characters she portrays in thrillers and supernatural horror stories. Pedretti was in two seasons of Mike Flanagan’s anthology series The Haunting, playing very different roles in both. She also became a fan favorite in You, playing Love, a psychopath who just wants to be loved. She hasn’t yet made a horror movie, but her roles in these series make her a scream queen nonetheless.

4 Vera Farmiga

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Vera Farmiga had to be on this list. She has portrayed the real-life Lorainne Warren for the The Conjuring cinematic universe. Farmiga is a phenomenal actress who does not only do horror movies, but in the ones she is in, her screams and performances are spectacular. Another role that helped her secure the title was as the famous Norma Bates in the television series Bates Motel. The actress already stated that she would love to come back for a fourth Conjuring movie and be able to play Lorraine once again.

3 Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson is known for being one of the original actresses in the cast of the television sensation American Horror Story. She has played a lot of different characters over the years and was Emmy-nominated five times because of her roles in the show, including two twins that shared a body and had divergent personalities. She has an extensive list of projects alongside creator and filmmaker Ryan Murphy, including another quasi-horror series called Ratched.

2 Jenna Ortega

     Paramount Pictures

Jenna Ortega has been one of the newest upcoming scream queens. Her roles in the movies Scream (2022), Studio 666, and Ti West’s X, all released in 2022, have solidified her as a scream queen. It appears she wants to act in more horror projects, as she will star as Wednesday Addams in the new Netflix and Tim Burton series. Jenna is quite young, only 19 years old, but some already named her the next generation’s scream queen. The actress has said that she feels like she doesn’t have enough horror roles to earn the title, but fans explicitly disagree.

1 Mckenna Grace

Mckenna Grace is only 16 years old and already has an extensive acting portfolio. She actually played the younger version of a few of the scream queens on this list. Annabelle 3, The Haunting of Hill House, and Malignant are only a few big recent horror hits that Grace was a part of. The young actress is excellent at portraying disturbed characters and has a long career ahead of her if she wants to continue working on projects that are a part of the horror genre.