Top 10 Scream Queens: Where Are They Now?

Script Written by Nathan Sharp

Top 10 Scream Queens: Where Are They Now?

These are some of horror’s most notable screen actresses. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top ten scream queens – where are they now?

For this list, we’ll be looking at various scream queens from throughout horror movie history and seeing what they’ve been up to as of late. We’ll be including both actresses who’ve had one major and notable role in a horror flick as well as those who are known primarily for their work in the horror genre.

#10: Vera Farmiga

Vera and her younger sister Taissa are some of the greatest and most prominent modern scream queens. They have both done work in film and television, as Vera has starred in “Bates Motel” and “The Conjuring” series, while Taissa has famously done “American Horror Story” and “The Conjuring” spin-off “The Nun.” 2019 was a fantastic year for Vera, as she starred in both “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Annabelle Comes Home.” 2020 looks to be another great year for the actress, as she will star as a young Livia Soprano in “The Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” and will reprise her iconic role as Lorraine Warren yet again in “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.”

#9: Marilyn Burns

Burns is a historic scream queen, having starred as Sally in the original “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” back in 1974. And scream she did; the climax of the film is almost entirely dedicated to her shrieking, squirming and running for her life. Burns went on to appear in a few more horror films throughout the years, including “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” “Eaten Alive,” and “Texas Chainsaw 3D” in 2013. Unfortunately, that proved to Burns’s last major role, as she passed away in 2014 at the age of 65. Her cause of death has never been specified, although it is believed to have been a heart attack.

#8: Danielle Harris

In 2012, Danielle Harris was inducted into the Fangoria Hall of Fame for her iconic work as a scream queen. Most of you know her from the “Halloween” series; she played Jamie in “Halloween 4” and “5”, as well as Annie Brackett in the Rob Zombie remakes. Harris remains a busy actress, having appeared in dozens of films and TV shows throughout the 2010s. Most of these are little known genre films, including the modern cult slasher film series, “Hatchet”. Harris also made her feature-length directorial debut in 2013 with a movie called “Among Friends.” In terms of more high profile films, you can actually spot her in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” playing Angel, a member of the Manson Family!

#7: Heather Langenkamp

Langenkamp was a popular scream queen throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s, having starred in “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3,” “Shocker,” and “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.” She has continued her work in horror, serving as narrator in the 2019 short film “Road Trash,” acting in the TV movie “Truth or Dare,” as well as appearing in two episodes of “American Horror Story: Freak Show” in 2014. She has also contributed to the horror genre behind the camera by serving as the co-owner of the makeup company AFX Studio. AFX provided the makeup and prosthetics work for movies including “Dawn of the Dead” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” as well as the non-horror films “Evan Almighty” and “Cinderella Man.”

#6: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar was a big name in horror in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, having starred or cameoed in the likes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Scream 2,” “The Grudge,” and of course “I Know What You Did Last Summer” alongside (xref) teen icon and novice scream queen Jennifer Love Hewitt. Gellar has focused primarily on television in the 2010s, landing a lead role alongside Robin Williams in the CBS comedy “The Crazy Ones” and voicing the Seventh Sister in “Star Wars Rebels.” As of 2019, she is currently producing a limited series titled “Sometimes I Lie” alongside Ellen DeGeneres. Her ventures have extended beyond the entertainment industry, as she co-founded an organic and non-GMO baking company called Foodstirs in 2015.

#5: Linnea Quigley

Quigley was never a major Hollywood star like Sarah Michelle Gellar, but she earned her reputation as a scream queen nonetheless thanks to her work in countless B movies throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. These included “Graduation Day,” “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” and “The Return of the Living Dead.” And while she hasn’t appeared in movies of that caliber as of late, her work has certainly not slowed down. She appeared in over thirty movies throughout the 2010s, though you likely haven’t heard of a single one of them unless you’re a genre enthusiast. In 2017, she starred in a movie called “Bonehill Road,” and 2019 saw her appearing in “The Best Laid Plans.” She has fully embraced her status as a B-movie icon.

#4: Linda Blair

Blair is not only a horror icon, but also holds an important place in film history. She made said history in 1973 when she starred as Regan in “The Exorcist,” a role that earned her an Academy Award nomination. She proceeded to star in various B movies and exploitation films, including 1981’s “Hell Night.” And with that movie, she went from Oscar-nominated actress to Razzie-nominated actress! Blair’s creative output has slowed in the 2010s, with her last major acting roles being an episode of “Supernatural” in 2006 and as Helen Harris in the 2016 action comedy “Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel”. She has mostly focused on reality TV work, appearing as herself in twelve episodes of “Pit Boss” from 2010 to 2012, one episode of “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” and an episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” appropriately titled “Scream Queens”.

#3: Janet Leigh

Janet Leigh is arguably the OG scream queen, having starred as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock’s landmark horror film, “Psycho.” That shower scene alone is enough to earn her a spot in the scream queen hall of fame! She proceeded to star in more horror movies throughout the years, including “The Fog,” “Halloween H20,” and that unfortunately meme-worthy movie “Night of the Lepus.” Her role as Norma in “Halloween H20” proved to be one of her last, as she passed away in 2004 from vasculitis, a fatal inflammation of the blood vessels. She was 77 years old at the time.

#2: Neve Campbell

Campbell has performed in a wide variety of movies and television shows, but among her most popular and iconic roles is that of Sidney Prescott in the “Scream” series. Between 1996-2011, the franchise spanned four movies and fifteen years. Her latest major movie role came in 2018 when she starred alongside Dwayne Johnson in “Skyscraper,” though she a few movies in the works for the 2020s. She has also become a more prolific television actress, starring in an episode of “Mad Men” in 2014 and two episodes of “Manhattan” in 2015. Her most substantial TV work can be found in “House of Cards,” where she played Claire’s political operative LeAnn Harvey for two seasons and 26 episodes.

#1: Jamie Lee Curtis

Janet Leigh passed the proverbial scream queen torch to her daughter, and she definitely hoisted it with pride. Curtis is well known for starring in the likes of “The Fog,” “Terror Train,” “Prom Night,” and of course the “Halloween” franchise. As is rarely the case with scream queens, Curtis’s career is arguably stronger NOW than it has ever been! The 2010s have been fantastic for Curtis, as she reprised her iconic role as Laurie Strode for 2018’s “Halloween” and starred as Cathy Munsch in “Scream Queens.” In 2019, she starred in the beloved murder mystery “Knives Out” and is set to reprise her role as Laurie yet again for 2020’s “Halloween Kills.” She is truly the reigning scream queen of our time.