When we think of scream queens, our minds typically pinpoint the most obvious choices, i.e., Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode or Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. As franchises likeHalloweenandScreamcompete with modern-dayhorrormasterpieces, the scream queens of the twentieth century are being overshadowed by younger, more relevant talent.
As the horror genre evolves, we see fewer and fewer slashers and more psychological thrillers. Gone are the days of Jason Vorhees terrorizing counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. Nowadays, the best kind of horror movies are the ones with unexpected twist endings and convoluted plots. They also happen to have some of the most fascinating protagonists, who are far more complex than mere sex-crazed teens with an excess of angst and hormones.
But current scream queens aren’t as memorable asicons of the ’80s and ’90s. The corporations must be doing something wrong, but there are a number of reasons why Jenna Ortega simply can’t compare to Jamie Lee Curtis.
They Aren’t As Iconic As Old-School Queens
Many historians and filmmakers consider Jamie Lee Curtis' mother, Janet Leigh, to be the first-ever scream queen for her role as Marion Crane inPsycho. Her daughter followed in Leigh’s footsteps to become one of the most famous final girls in existence, Laurie Strode. Other examples include Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott and Marilyn Burns as Sally Hardesty. Many of these franchiseshave been remade in recent yearsor continued throughout the 2000s, which gives some hefty competition to the newer queens bursting onto the horror scene.
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Perhaps the adoration for the original scream queens is less credited to the actresses themselves and more to the universe built around them. Laurie Strode’s backstory with Michael Myers is far more engaging than that of – let’s say – Toni Collette’s Annie Graham inHereditary. Not only is her backstory vague, but there’s no franchise to expand upon the fundamentals, so it’s easy for her to fade into the background.
There Isn’t Enough Of Them
If we list off all the age-old scream queens, we find ourselves naming Heather Langenkamp, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Neve Campbell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Linda Blair, Courteney Cox, Dee Wallace, etc. It’s much harder to piece together a comprehensive list of modern-day queens who are just as – if not more – iconic than their counterparts. We can name a few, such as Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Emma Roberts, and Anya Taylor-Joy, but is that list substantial enough to rival the previously mentioned names?
Granted, the queens of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s had more time to make a name for themselves within theworld of horror, but theoretically, as technology improves and movie magic reaches an all-time high, the modern-day scream queens have all the necessary tools to succeed.
A hot-shot career from one big-time horror role is practically handed out on a silver platter. If there were more scream queens to name, maybe the sheer masses would grind the golden oldies into the dust, but unfortunately, there aren’t enough names to name.
Many of Them Aren’t Legacy Characters
Let’s consider Jessica Rothe inHappy Death Day;she starred in two movies that not many people would have seen, then effectively ditched the horror scene altogether. How could she possibly compete with the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, who returned fora whole trilogyofHalloweenmovies? And how about Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, the originalScreamtrio? They returned forScream Vand (aside from Campbell)Scream VIto help pass the mantle over to Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, and the rest of the all-newScreamteam.
Every franchise needs its legacy characters, but the issue with independent horror (as seen from A24) is that characters oftentimes appear for one movie and one movie only. We’re lucky to have seenMia Goth in multiple filmsdue to the ongoingXtrilogy. But when could we expect to see Toni Collette again?
There doesn’t appear to be aHereditarysequel in the works. Likewise, movies likeReady or Not(featuring Samara Weaving as Grace) aren’t necessarily fit for a sequel without changing the location, characters, and all-around story.
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All of a sudden, a franchise isn’t as consistent anymore, so people forget about it much more easily than they wouldHalloweenorScream. Bringing Samara Weaving back to mimic Drew Barrymore’s opening scene inScream VIestablishes her within that universe, so we aren’t as hasty to associate her with justReady or NotorThe Babysitteranymore — she’s branching out.
What horror movie hasJamie Lee Curtisbeen in that could ever rivalHalloween? How about Neve Campbell or Marilyn Burns? And that’s exactly the point. They become so iconic by taking one role and exploring it until there’s nothing left to explore. They don’t jump ship to a new franchise and spread themselves so thin that no one remembers their most iconic performance.
If there were more modern-day scream queens, more consistency, and less focus on the bigger and better, maybe Mia Goth and Jenna Ortega could be the next powerhouse duo in the horror realm.
If you’re interested in some fun facts from theHalloweenfranchise, check out MovieWeb’s video below.
