A surefire way to pave a notable path in cinema is landing a spot front and center of a horror/thriller film, and audiences love a good scream queen or king. Whether it be a veteran actress such as Jamie Lee Curtis, beloved for her titular role in Halloween, or an actress like Jenna Ortega who is making her name brilliantly in the horror genre. With Orphan: First Kill‘s release, fans will see scream queen Isabelle Fuhrman reprise her role as Esther.
Part of what makes a great scream queen flick is the character’s refusal to remain in a damsel in distress trope in the face of a killer. With the evolution of horror, and films such as Midsommar reinventing the modern scream queen through Florence Pugh, audiences are getting far more dynamic characters to flesh out relatable issues, display more variations of psychological horror, and a new level of excitement for fans of this genre.
Nope
The newest blockbuster from visionary director Jordan Peele, Nope, was released this July. It follows two ranch-owning siblings in California who discover something truly extraordinary. Battling against something strange and an exorbitant theme park owner who seeks to claim profits from the discovery, the siblings must keep their wits about them and stick together.
Regarded for its originality and cinematography, Jordan Peele has revealed that he wanted to create spectacle. Opening up to IndieWire, he said, “It’s a horror epic, but it has some points in it that are meant to elicit a very audible reaction in the theater.” The sci-fi horror flick boasts stellar performances from Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun, and Keke Palmer, introducing herself as a scream queen.
Scream
Set 25 years after a brutal killing streak in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, a new killer dons the Ghostface mask. He begins to target a new group of teens with the goal of resurrecting town secrets from the past. The fifth Scream solidifies a new era in the thriller franchise.
It is the first film in the series not to be directed by Wes Craven, the movie introduces new scream queens including Melissa Barerra, and brings back familiar ones such as Courteney Cox. The film is a great nod to the work of the late Craven while bringing in new scares and nail-biting plot twists.
Watcher
Written and directed by Chloe Okuno, the story is based on an original screenplay by Zack Ford. Watcher is a psychological thriller film starring familiar scream queen Maika Monroe, known for her award-winning act in It Follows. This film focuses on an actress and her boyfriend’s recent move to Romania. When Julia (Monroe) starts to notice she has a stalker across the street, things begin to become disturbingly worse.
Reminiscent of the stranger-stalker elements in Rear Window and Disturbia, Watcher exercises thrill seeking by exploring the horrors of never knowing what can happen just next door. Monroe propels the film into the category of classic physiological horror with her exceptional performance.
Fresh
It can be rare that audiences are instinctively drawn to watch a movie, whether it be the allure of the trailer, the synopsis, or recognizing the cast. Fresh was just that for many horror fans, as it explored a dark side to online dating. The film is seen through the eyes of a young woman who is navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend and his unusual appetites.
Up-and-coming scream queen star is Daisy Edgar-Jones, who has already paved her way as a notable actress with her BAFTA for Normal People. Now entering the realm of horror films, she brought originality and effortless poise to this thrilling twist on a not-so-classic rom-com. The film itself brings audiences to a scarily accurate portrayal of the dating world in today’s culture that echoes Julia Ducornau’s coming-of-age horror flick, Raw.
Umma
Haunted by her abusive past, the supernatural horror film Umma explores the psychological horror that came from the daughter of a Korean immigrant’s childhood trauma. It begins with Amanda and her daughter Chrissy, played respectively by Sandra Oh and Fivel Stewart, who live on a remote farm raising bees and chickens, sans technology.
Umma was praised for its classic use of gothic horror aspects, which, despite a screenplay that didn’t quite allow character arcs to fully flesh out, kept audiences who enjoy a good scare on the edge of their seats. The film’s cultural references run deep, and it is full of symbolic imagery. Sandra Oh’s performance was met with praise from fans, proving her talents demonstrate true scream queen promise.
You Won’t Be Alone
In his directional debut, Goran Stolevski gives horror fans You Won’t Be Alone. A cinematic rollercoaster that’s visually intriguing, Stolevski takes witch lore and gives it a twist with themes of family and love running through the plot. In 19th century Macedonia, a naive girl, Nevena, is turned into a shape-shifter by a tormented witch, only to discover humanity through the lives of others.
You Won’t Be Alone has more depth to its story than a typical horror film, with dream-like folklore elements reminiscent of similar stories like Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth. The line-up of talented actresses that portray the interchanging lives of Nevena are a part of what makes this film dynamic.
Firestarter
Fans of Stephen King novels love film adaptations of his adrenaline-racing stories. Firestarter, is directed by Keith Thomas and stars Zac Efron, Sydney Lemmon, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong. Armstrong is this sci-fi thriller’s scream queen, as her character Charlie has the supernatural ability to start fire with her mind. Unable to control it, she and her family struggle to find balance and must face authorities who seek to abuse her abilities.
The storyline of this modern remake is well executed, and Armstrong’s performance as Charlie is incredibly portrayed, with her anguish and rage etched onto the young actress’s face.
Hatching
Finnish body horror film Hatching, centers on Tinja, a young girl desperate for her mother’s approval in a family dynamic where everything must be perfect, or at least seem that way. Tinja finds an egg that she cares for, but comes to realize it is not at all the creature she thought she would nurture.
Exploring a Doppelgänger twist with impressive character development, Hatching is an original horror story wrapped in an overlay of magic-realism. Siri Solalinna is an aspiring actress and Hatching is her first film. While her career is short yet, her scream queen performance in this film keeps the audience’s eyes peeled for each new twist.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
When a group of friends gathers for vacation at a remote family mansion, a seemingly innocent game turns into a deadly night of horror. Bodies Bodies Bodies is a dark comedy slasher film that has a very modern and recognizable cast.
The film works in a way that sets it apart from usual horror films because it allows the characters to elicit concern, not as casualties of a stalker or supernatural force, but something more pernicious, which is their own stupidity. Though actors such as Pete Davidson and Amandla Stenberg are drama or comedy actors, their performances, especially Maria Bakalova and Stenberg as Bee and Sophie, put them in a scream queen spot.
Crimes of the Future
Written and directed by David Cronenberg, Crimes of the Future is another science fiction body horror film starring Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux, who prove they have the makings of substantial scream queens. In a time when the human species has adapted to a synthetic environment where bodies undergo mutations, celebrity performance artist Saul Tenser (played by Viggo Mortensen) showcases the metamorphosis of his own organs in a disturbing way.
Fans of Cronenberg know that the visionary director is a master the ghastly and gruesome. Like many of his films, the production design and cinematography are meant to let the audience explore a very different side of horror that teeters on the edge of a possibility.
