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Modern-Day Scream Queens

Written by Mariah Sturdivant

October 16th, 2022


 

According to Wikipedia, a scream queen is, "A scream queen (a wordplay on-screen queen) is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. There were many iconic scream queens throughout the years. However, the scream queens today are already cementing themselves into Hollywood. Here is a list of the modern-day scream queens.


  1. Florence Pugh


Looper.com

Florence Pugh is having a very successful year so far. With an Oscar nomination and earning a role in the Marvel Universe, she has a lot to be proud of. One of Pugh's prominent, and iconic, role was in the 2019 horror film Midsommer. From the studio that brought the chilling flick Hereditary, Midsommer is truly going down as a horror classic. But, it doesn't stop there for Pugh. Recently, Pugh played the role of Alice in Don't Worry Darling directed by Olivia Wilde. The British actress is truly making a name for herself by stepping outside her usual genres. The success of Pugh is well deserved and her acting range is truly amazing.


2. Sadie Sink


Neflix

If you look at Sadie Sink's filmography, you will find that almost all the films that she starred in are in the horror genre. In 2016, Sink joined the cast of Stranger Things as Max Mayfield and her career went up from there. Her performance in the horror show is getting a lot of well-deserved praise. Sink also starred in a Netflix Original Horror film trilogy called Fear Street. At the age of 20, Sadie Sink is already putting on an impressive performance as a scream queen.


3. Mia Goth

Making a big splash in the horror genre, Mia Goth quickly became universally loved.


A24

Goth's breakout role in the 2022 film X became an instant sensation. Mia portrayed both Maxine and Pearl in this film giving horror fans double the treat. Critics and fans alike wanted more from Goth. And more is what they got! In the same year, the second film in the X trilogy was released, Pearl. Once again, Goth's performance was amazing and fans just cannot get enough of Mia Goth. The third film of the trilogy Maxxine is in the works and the hype for this scream queen is real.

4. Jenna Ortega


Netflix/ Youtube

Another up-and-coming scream queen is an actress who also starred in the horror film X. This scream queen is one to look out for. Jenna Ortega first became popular on Disney Channel. That all changed when she starred in season two of the Netflix Series You. Ortega made that transition look easy by showing off her more mature acting skills. Ortega also starred in Studio 666 and the horror-slasher film Scream (2022) She recently got the role of Wednesday Addams series coming to Netflix. If this doesn't show that Ortega is a solidified scream queen, then what else will?

5. Victoria Pedretti

Pedretti is a special kind of scream queen. She is special because she managed to play both the victim and antagonist. Her role as Elenor 'Nell' in Haunting of Hill House and Dani Clayton in Haunting of Bly Manor, really showed Pedretti's soft and emotional side. You couldn't help but feel bad for Nell and Dani as their stories unfolded into their tragic endings. However, that all changed when Pedretti portrayed the role of Love Quinn on Netflix's You. The victim role was almost forgotten about when she turned into an antagonist. Victoria is really showing that she can do it all. Her scream queendom is slowly starting to form.

PopBuzz

6. Anna Taylor- Joy

Anya Taylor- Joy is one of the scream queens that puts her own charm in the horror movie franchise. She is very charismatic with her acting skills. Her breakout role was in The Witch. After earning near universal acclaim, Taylor-Joy's garnered more success. Her talents then seen in the N. NIght Shamaylan film Split and the sequel Glass. Both films are very different in terms of plot in the horror genre, but they nonetheless gave the spotlight to Taylor-Joy. In 2021, Taylor-Joy starred in Last Night In Soho, a psychological horror film. Her charms and humor proves why she is a Golden Globe winning actress. If Taylor-joy continues down this path her future will surely be great as a scream queen.


A24

7. Taylor Russell


imbD

After appearing in the 2019 Escaoe Room and its sequel, Russell has became a fresh and new face of the genre. Taylor Russell have proven that her acting skills are more than capable of propelling in this genre. After the recent praise in her role of Maren Yaerly in the 2022 film Bones and All, Russell is really on a come up. Let's hope that this shining star continues on er scream queen journey.


8. Toni Collete

Collete first made her horror movie debut when she started in the Sixth Sense. She played Lynn Spear, mother of Cole Spears, which is the boy that posses the power of seeing dead people. Now, Collette has made another powerhouse performance in the 2018 film Hereditary. She once again plays a mother dealing with the death of one of her children. The movie had a lot if intense scenes which was well performed by the actors. We can only imagine where Toni Collete can go next.

A24









9. Betty Gabriel

In such a short amount of time, Betty Gabriel have racked up a lot of roles in the horror genre. Alot of attention came to her when she played Laney Rucker in The Purge: Election Year. Soon after, she landed a role in Get Out, in which she played a maid that was being ran by another person. One can only imagine how hard that role must have been, yet Gabriel made it look easy. Other horror films that she starred in is Unfriended: The Dark Web and Upgrade. Betty Graiel sais that she loved being in horror films, so hopefully we see more screen time for this scream queen.


Warner Bros Pictures

10. Bailee Madison

From a young age Bailee Madison was destined to be in horror films. Her first horror film was in 2010 Don't Be Afraid of The Dark. Years laster. Bailee starred in The Strangers: Pray At Night. Her horror legacy have gone untouched as she has become olde. Recently, Bailee has leanded the lead role in Pretty Little Liars: Orginal Sin, a spinoff of the hit show Prettly Little Liars. Bailee plays a teen mom name Imogen Adams. Imogen and her friends are being tormanted with a mysteryious figure named A and they muts find out who A is before they're lives are completelt ruined. Bailee Madison is doing a good job with leading that show. This scram queen's legacy is going unnoticed.


I hope that you enjoyed this week's article! Is there a scream queen that I missed? Who's your favorite scram queen on the list? Let me know in the comments below!

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