What is horror without the Scream Queen? And just what exactly makes a Scream Queen? It usually starts with the Final Girl – the girl who lives until the very end of the horror movie and usually ends up slaying the killer. If they’re iconic enough (or have survived enough sequels), they’re crowned as a Scream Queen.

But Scream Queens have gone way beyond just those who survive. Some of the ladies on this list didn’t survive their run-ins terror, but because their performances are so damn iconic and memorable (or simply because of how many horror movies they’ve been in), they still get to hold the title of Scream Queen. Here are the seven best Scream Queens in horror history, some you will already know, but a few you might not expect.

7. Jenna Ortega – Horror’s newest Scream Queen

Notable Films:Scream(2022),Scream VI, X, Studio 666, Insidious: Chapter 2

Currently starring in Netflix’sWednesdayand in upcoming spooky films likeBeetlejuice 2andScream 7, Jenna Ortega has become one of Hollywood’s hottest stars … and she’s created much of her fame through the horror genre. Her horror career began in 2013 when she landed a role inInsidious: Chapter 2at just 11 years old.

But Ortega would really become a horror icon in 2022 when she starred both in the highly-anticipatedScreamsequel and the Mia Goth-ledhorror movie,X. Both movies became hits. Later that same year she took on the iconic role of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’sWednesday, alongside another horror legend, Christina Ricci. At this rate, Ortega could be the next Jamie Lee Curtis and be Gen Z’s ultimate horror star, serving asa modern Scream Queenfor Hollywood’s future.

6. Meagan Good – The underappreciated Scream Queen

Notable films:Venom, One Missed Call, Saw V, The Unborn, The Intruder, Day Shift

Meagan Good is easily the most overlooked Scream Queen in horror history. Her first horror film came out in 2005 when she starred inVenom, which heavily leaned into the Southern Gothic style to create a scary supernatural slasher movie set in the bayou. While the indie film wasn’t a huge success, its vibe and style were heavily felt in another indie horror film the next year,Hatchet, which became a massive success.

Then, in just the span of one year, between January 2008 and January 2009, Good Starred inOne Missed Call,Saw V, andThe Unborn, all of which received major theatrical releases and became box office hits. WhileSaw Vhas gone down asone of the worstSawmoviesin the franchise, it still became a massive hit, grossing over $115 million. Plus, it had some absolutely brutal kills, with Good herself being used as a giant electrical conductor. In 2019 Good returned with another horror/thriller hit withThe Intruder, where she co-starred alongside Dennis Quaid, and starred in 2022’s vampire flick,Day Shift.

5. Danielle Harris – Horror’s child star

Notable films:Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Urban Legend,Halloween(2007),Halloween 2(2009),Hatchet II, Hatchet III, Victor Crowley

It could be argued that Danielle Harris is the ultimate Scream Queen. The actress has built her career on horror and starred inHalloween 4at just 11 years old. The following year she returned forHalloween 5.Throughout the 90s and early 2000s, Harris stepped away from horror to voice Debbie inThe Wild Thornberriesbut returned to her roots for Rob Zombie’sHalloweenremake, this time taking on the role of Annie Brackett.

When speaking toComicbook, Harris admitted she almost wasn’t in Zombie’s film, saying, “A fan came up to me at a convention in Boston and said, “I hear you’re going to be in the newHalloween.” And I was like, “I am?” Harris said the interaction actually inspired her to reach out to Zombie about appearing in the film, thinking she’d maybe snag a small cameo role. But Harris was eventually invited to audition for a full role. “I just went and auditioned for it like everybody else,” the actress said. “And then, I think once he [Zombie] found me on tape, it was like, “All right, we could maybe give this a shot.”

Since then, Harris has starred in the popularHatchetfranchise and is set to star in the upcoming horror filmStream, alongside other horror veterans like Dee Wallace (Cujo), Tony Todd (Candyman), and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp).

4. Sigourney Weaver – The Scream Queen in space

Notable Films:Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection, Ghostbusters, The Village, Cabin in the Woods

Sigourney Weaver has carved out a very unique career for herself. Whereas most horror stars are rarely seen as part of Hollywood’s high-brow inner circle, Weaver has somehow managed to create a career where she can do just about anything. From blockbuster action films likeAvatarto Oscar-nominated biopics likeGorillas in the Mist, and even terrifying sci-fi epics likeAlien.

Even though she’s a three-time Oscar-nominated actress, she’s still best known for her work in horror films – especially theAlienfranchise. In 1979, when the first film was released, it caused an absolute sensation. Not only were the costumes and effects absolutely stunning (and still look fantastic to this day), it was the first sci-fi film that was actually scary. Previously, there had been sci-fi movies that definitely had tension and thrills, like2001: a Space OdysseyandSolaris, but there had never been a truly pants-pissing horror film set in space.

And leading it all was Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. No longer was our Final Girl some unfortunate young damsel who was thrust into a bad situation – Ripley was strong, courageous, and determined from the very start. She ushered in a new era of what women in horror looked and acted like.

3. Sarah Michelle Gellar – she’s Buffy, dammit!

Notable Films:I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, The Grudge, The Return

Before we even talk about her film credits, we need to state the obvious: Not only is Sarah Michelle Gellar in tons of horror movies, but she’s also Buffy fromBuffy the Vampire Slayer, which alone cements her place in horror history. But on top of her seven seasons as Buffy, Gellar also has a long career in horror films.

In the ’90s, she had two major supporting roles in horror movies, in bothScream 2andI Know What You Did Last Summer, both of which were box office hits. But it wasn’t until 2004, afterBuffyhad concluded its final season, that Gellar got her first starring horror role inThe Grudge. The movie was a huge success, and it, along withThe Ringa few years prior, ushered in the mid-2000s craze of J-Horror remakes.

In a 2004 interview withPopEntertainmentjust before the premiere ofThe Grudge, Gellar was asked why horror is so important to her. The actress responded, “Women can’t open a comedy the way Jim Carrey can or open an action film the way Tom Cruise can … the horror genre seems to be where women shine like Naomi Watts inThe Ring.”

2. Neve Campbell – The Scream Queen who redefined the rules

Notable Films:Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, Scream (2022), The Craft

Thanks to an endless number of sequels in theFriday the 13th,Halloween, andA Nightmare on Elm Streetfranchises throughout the ’80s, by the ’90s horror was virtually dead – and the slasher subgenre had completely vanished. People were bored, and rightfully so. The later films in all three franchises were absolutely awful. But in 1996,Screampremiered and changed everything.

Somehow, director Wes Craven managed to create a movie that was both smart and witty, often poking fun at the horror genre, while simultaneously being an actual scary horror movie. That is not an easy tightrope to walk on and it could have gone wrong, never finding the proper balance. One of the reasons it worked so well was because of our new Final Girl, Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell.

She was a true ’90s girl and even broke some of the traditional slasher rules, like needing to remain a virgin to survive the movie. What was even better though was watching Prescott’s character growthroughout the franchise. As the films go on, she becomes both more paranoid and isolated, but also stronger and more prepared to fight back, really embodying the impacts of trauma on a person.

1. Jamie Lee Curtis – The Original Scream Queen

Notable Films:Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween H20, Halloween(2018),Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends, Prom Night, Terror Train, The Fog

Yes, call it cliché or predictable, but Jamie Lee Curtis is the ultimate and the best Scream Queen. She’s also the original. Yes, her mom Janet Leigh had a small (but extremely iconic) role inPsycho, and yes, Marilyn Burns survived Leatherface four years prior, but neither had the impact on horror that Curtis did.

It also needs to be remembered that at the start of her career, Curtis was popping out horror movies like crazy. In just four years, from 1978 to 1981, Curtis starred inHalloween, its sequel,The Fog,Prom Night, andTerror Train. She was an unstoppable force who single-handedly carried tons of horror movies and played a massive role in creating the slasher subgenre.

When speaking toVariety, Curtis also opened up about how easy it was to make the originalHalloween. In an era before the slasher genre was even a thing, and before films created franchises, Curtis said that making the movie was surprisingly low-pressure. “We had nothing to lose,” the actress said. “We didn’t know that we had anything to gain. We were just so happy to have this gig. The originalHalloweenwas made in 17 days with like 12 people … Everybody was young. There was magic happening and none of us, not one person — I would dare say even John Carpenter and Debra Hill — I don’t think anybody knew.”