Reign of the Scream Queens: Elsa Lanchester

Scream Queen Icon Elsa Lanchester was born on October 28, 1902. Of all of the Scream Queens on this list, Mrs. Lanchester probably has the most iconic role with the least amount of screen time. That role, obviously, is the titular character of the Universal Monsters film, 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein. She actually portrayedContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Elsa Lanchester”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Heather Langenkamp

Scream Queen Impact Born in 1964, Heather Langenkamp wasted little time making an impact in horror. She had only two acting credits prior to starring as Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984). She appeared in cut scenes for the amazing 1983 film, The Outsiders, and in a 1984 television film called Passions.Continue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Heather Langenkamp”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Danielle Harris

Scream Queen Icon Born in 1977, Danielle Harris is something special in the horror world. Not only has she appeared in multiple horror franchises, she’s also appeared as two different characters within the same franchise, been both a killer and the final girl, and was both replaced and the replacement in different franchises. She alsoContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Danielle Harris”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Zita Johann

Scream Queen Icon Despite having only eight screen credits to her name, Zita Johann used her Broadway background, captivating beauty, and piercing eyes to steal the spotlight from Boris Karloff in the 1932 Universal Monsters classic, The Mummy. Her career began in small plays, eventually performing on Broadway in 1924. There are twelve credited BroadwayContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Zita Johann”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Barbara Steele

Scream Queen Icon There was absolutely no way that I could make this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror Reign of the Scream Queens list and not include Britain’s First Lady of Horror, Barbara Steele. Her first credited role was on a television show called Dial 999. After a few other small roles in films she wasContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Barbara Steele”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Scream Queen Now While many of the Scream Queens on my list started their careers in the 1970’s or earlier, a few younger ladies also made my list. One of those ladies is the surprisingly versatile Mary Elizabeth Winstead. While she doesn’t necessarily pop up on a lot of Scream Queen lists, Mrs. Winstead hasContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Mary Elizabeth Winstead”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Fay Wray

Scream Queen Legend Although she predates the term, Fay Wray is considered to be one of the earliest scream queens. Born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada in 1907, Ms. Wray found her way to Hollywood in 1919 via Salt Lake City, Utah. She made her screen debut in the film short Gasoline Love in 1923. MostContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Fay Wray”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Shawnee Smith

Scream Queen Impact Shawnee Smith finally “made it” as a star in the Saw franchise….at least according to Saw fans. The fact of the matter, though, is that Ms. Smith was not only already a popular actress, she was also a veteran of horror including appearances in two popular television series based upon Stephen KingContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Shawnee Smith”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Felissa Rose

Scream Queens Icon For horror fans, few scenes were as impactful or unsettling as the final scene in Sleepaway Camp (1983). If you’ve never watched that film, I highly recommend it. Also, have no fear of spoilers for that film in this post. Just know that Felissa Rose could have walked away from her filmContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Felissa Rose”

Reign of the Scream Queens: Adrienne King

Scream Queen Impact Adrienne King’s introduction to the horror world came in 1980 when she portrayed Alice Hardy in Friday The 13th. She would briefly reprise the role in the 1981 sequel and then seemingly vanished from film and television. Not long after the release of the first film, Mrs. King became the victim ofContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Adrienne King”