Mia Goth and Pearl are the modern scream queens

Since the inception of cinema, horror has been around. Because of its nature, the genre usually included a female lead, who became the de-facto prey for the story’s antagonist, be it a monster or a human killer. From Greta Schröder in 1922’s Nosferatu to Julie Adams in 1954’s Creature of the Black LagoonThe scream-queen was an ever-present character in this genre. She usually played a demure and weak character, entirely at the monster’s mercy. Even when she showed more agency, like Gloria Stuart’s Flora in The Invisible Man or Evelyn Ankers’ Gwen in The Wolf ManShe was however no match for this monster.

The scream queen evolved with the genre. Hitchcock allowed her more dynamism, even if she remained subdued to the story’s leading man. The scream-queen was often a partner, but not the star. She was there to support the protagonist and act as something he could lose. The scream queen was a sidekick to the protagonist, while the lead man could be the hero. Hitchcock’s scream queens — Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Joan Fontaine, Tippi Hedren, Janet Leigh — were always beautiful and glamorous, but the facades only covered the secrets within. Hitchcock gave the horror leader lady more complexity, even though she still remained in her place.

The ’70s and ’80s brought a new concept of what a leading lady in horror should be. Horror was surprisingly reserved, whereas other genres encouraged sexual experimentation. The final girl, the scream queen, rejected the revolution and remained pure and virginal. While other women around her might be promiscuous and experimental, they all paid dearly to their curiosity. The last girl was almost a prude and the slasher genre was her realm. Jamie Lee Curtis might be the final girl by excellence thanks to her now-iconic portrayal of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s Halloween.

The film’s success spawned countless pale imitations, few with the original’s sense of lingering dread. Indeed, the late ’80s and early ’90s nearly drove the slasher to self-implosion by seemingly stretching it past its breaking point. On the brink of non-relevance, the genre received a much-needed boost from Wes Craven’s subversive and ultra-meta 1996’s masterpiece, Scream, a film that redefined the scream queen’s role.

Sydney Prescott was the catalyst for the transformation of the scream-queen into an active participant in this story. The scream queen, no longer a victim of circumstances, was now capable and spirited, often taking on the killer on her terms. While she needed some help, and was still a bit prudish at times, she was not an innocuous wallflower. Characters like Buffy Summers and Sarah Bailey continued exploring the final girl’s limits, thus helping the scream queen achieve new and unprecedented heights.

The new millennium started with a bunch of cheap horror movies that did not advance the genre. The scream queen title became somewhat devaluated as ’90s icons like Neve Campbell, Jennifer Tilly, and Sarah Michelle Gellar ventured into other genres. The 2000s were, in all honesty, a difficult decade for the scream camp. There were few worthy additions. Poor Danielle Harris. Her title has been secured since childhood. Halloween 4 5, who was almost single-handedly responsible for the brand, was one of the few scream queens to work on the noughties.

But the 2010s were marked by interesting developments. The 2010s brought about a shift in views and the willingness of a number of filmmakers to take chances, which meant that scream queens were more experimental than ever. Robert Eggers’ 2015 supernatural horror The WitchAnya Taylor Joy, nineteen years of age, played Thomasin. Thomasin is an unnerving young woman and one of many groundbreaking female characters in horror.

Modern scream queen is actively involved in her salvation. Although brave and terrified by the threat, the modern screaming queen embraces tradition while welcoming change. She’ll scream and cry but won’t cower in dark corners, acknowledging the danger but still facing it head-on, preparing herself for the worst while hoping for the best. There have been many compelling examples in television and film, where actresses sacrificed their hearts and souls to perform their roles. Sara Paulson, for example. American Horror Story, Vera Farmiga in The Conjuringseries, Naomi Watts Funny Games, Toni Collette in Hereditary, Lupita Nyong’o in Contact Us, Mia Wasikowska in StokerBetty Gabriel and. Get out.

These actresses continuously deliver increasingly complex and modulated performances in a genre that doesn’t always allow nuance. They bring a sense of legitimacy to their work and, thus, their movies, surpassing their genre’s perceived limitations. The scream-queen label was once a unique label that kept it from being mainstreamed. It is now used to describe the bravest and most daring actresses of today.

It is not new to think of the female protagonist as the monster. Cinema has toyed with it as far back as 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein with Elsa Lanchester’s iconic portrayal of the titular character. Films like Dracula’s Daughter, The Invisible Woman?, and She-Wolf LondonTo capitalize on previous successes, they produced gender-bent versions many of their classics. The hagsploitation sub-genre of the ’60s and ’70s used older film icons of Hollywood’s Golden Age, denigrating them for audiences’ perverse pleasures.

However, the greatest and most important change for horror leading women came in the new millennium. Recent years have shown that actresses and filmmakers are more open to exploring the dark side of the final girls, pushing them to their limits. Modern cinema shows that the queen does not scream in fear, but in rage.