Inside the Guide: Scream Queens of the 1980s
“Scream Queen” is a title bestowed upon actresses known and celebrated for horror movies. It can be for making a career in the genre, starring in a popular series, or for one memorable role. They can be the final girl, protagonist, a notable victim, and occasionally the killer.
The 1980s saw a boom in slasher movies and scream queens that established careers in horror. One of the most famous is Jamie Lee Curtis, who first became a scream queen in 1978’s Halloween. She cemented her horror chops by starring in The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, and Halloween II – all in 1980 and 1981. She would return to the Halloween franchise for Halloween: H20 in ’98 and a trilogy that began in 2018.
Heather Langenkamp gained the status in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street as the smart and resourceful Nancy Thompson. She returned to the series for the third installment, Dream Warriors, and the final entry, New Nightmare, when she played a version of herself being tormented by Freddy.
Adrienne Barbeau became a scream queen opposite Curtis in The Fog, then in Swamp Thing, Creepshow, The Convent, Ring of Darkness, and recently Tales of Halloween.
Brinke Stevens’ first onscreen role was in the 1972 horror flick, Necromancy, which was followed by ‘80s slashers like The Slumber Party Massacre, Sole Survivor, and Nightmare Sisters. Linnea Quigley gained popularity for horror roles in the ’80s like Silent Night, Deadly Night, The Return of the Living Dead, Creepozoids, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, and Night of the Demons. Both actresses have spent much of their careers in horror movies.
Ashley Laurence became a scream queen by starring in the Hellraiser series. As Kirsty Cotton she was tormented by the sadistic Pinhead and Cenobites, traumatized to the point of hospitalization.
Some actresses became scream queens when they were more accurately the age of scream princesses. Felissa Rose became one in the cult hit Sleepaway Camp when she was 13 and Danielle Harris was 10 when filming began on Halloween 4 in ’88.
Several actresses became scream queens for one role, like Adrienne King for Friday the 13th, and Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly as The Evil Dead girls.
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Inside the Guide: Scream Queens of the 1980s
“Scream Queen” is a title bestowed upon actresses known and celebrated for horror movies. It can be for making a career in the genre, starring in a popular series, or for one memorable role. They can be the final girl, protagonist, a notable victim, and occasionally the killer.
The 1980s saw a boom in slasher movies and scream queens that established careers in horror. One of the most famous is Jamie Lee Curtis, who first became a scream queen in 1978’s Halloween. She cemented her horror chops by starring in The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, and Halloween II – all in 1980 and 1981. She would return to the Halloween franchise for Halloween: H20 in ’98 and a trilogy that began in 2018.
Heather Langenkamp gained the status in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street as the smart and resourceful Nancy Thompson. She returned to the series for the third installment, Dream Warriors, and the final entry, New Nightmare, when she played a version of herself being tormented by Freddy.
Adrienne Barbeau became a scream queen opposite Curtis in The Fog, then in Swamp Thing, Creepshow, The Convent, Ring of Darkness, and recently Tales of Halloween.
Brinke Stevens’ first onscreen role was in the 1972 horror flick, Necromancy, which was followed by ‘80s slashers like The Slumber Party Massacre, Sole Survivor, and Nightmare Sisters. Linnea Quigley gained popularity for horror roles in the ’80s like Silent Night, Deadly Night, The Return of the Living Dead, Creepozoids, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, and Night of the Demons. Both actresses have spent much of their careers in horror movies.
Ashley Laurence became a scream queen by starring in the Hellraiser series. As Kirsty Cotton she was tormented by the sadistic Pinhead and Cenobites, traumatized to the point of hospitalization.
Some actresses became scream queens when they were more accurately the age of scream princesses. Felissa Rose became one in the cult hit Sleepaway Camp when she was 13 and Danielle Harris was 10 when filming began on Halloween 4 in ’88.
Several actresses became scream queens for one role, like Adrienne King for Friday the 13th, and Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly as The Evil Dead girls.
Popular Topics
Overstreet Access Quick Links
