Born in February of 1992, Samara Weaving may not instantly come to mind when talking about Scream Queens. Why? Primarily because in Weaving’s short career she has amassed thirty-five acting credits and they range from comedy and horror to action and drama. She has no fear in taking on roles that don’t necessarily fit her “look” or “style.” That, in my opinion, is the mark of a great actor. I expect big things from Weaving as her career continues.
Weaving has multiple successful TV series under her belt including SMILF, Home And Away, and Out Of The Blue. She’s also appeared in a number of popular films such as Bill And Ted Face The Music (2020) and the cult action yarn Guns Akimbo (2019). She also starred in lesser films that, at least to me, deserve more recognition like the family flick Monster Trucks (2016).
So why have I chosen her as a future Scream Queen? For the simple fact that she had an amazing guest role on Ash Vs. Evil Dead, starred in and launched a Netflix franchise with The Babysitter (2017) and The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020), and starred in two off-kilter horror flicks, Mayhem (2017), and Ready Or Not (2019). She was also rumored to be in the latest Scream film released in 2022 but will instead appear in Scream 6 (2023). In other words, Ms. Weaving has plenty of horror chops and it looks like more are around the corner.
Weaving has done an excellent job of selecting roles. You can’t pigeonhole her as an actress. She can be funny, wicked, seductive, innocent, serious, or just plain goofy…..or any combination of those types of personas.
I really enjoyed her work in both of the The Babysitter films and highly recommend checking out those movies on Netflix. I also recommend watching Weaving in Mayhem and Ready Or Not. Outside of horror, check out Bill And Ted Face The Music. It’s not exactly what I hoped that it would be, but it’s still pretty good and Weaving does a fine job. I also recommend Monster Trucks. Sure, it bombed at theaters but my kids loved it and I really enjoyed how it combined action, comedy, and monsters in a family friendly package. My family liked it so much that we own it on Blu-ray.
Thanks for checking out my post. I see a bright future for Weaving and I hope that she does well in the future. Tomorrow I will have another Scream Queen post and on Friday I’ll have my regular Reign Of The Scream Queens post AND my latest Year of KISS post. See you then!
Olivia Hussey was born in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After appearing in stage productions, one television episode, and a couple of films, she was cast as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s wildly popular adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1968) at the ripe age of fifteen. Her performance in that film earned her a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer and the David di Donatello Golden Plate Award that she shared with the actor who portrayed Romeo, Leonard Whiting. By the mid 1970’s, Hussey was well on her way to a successful film and television career, alternating between the two mediums almost at will.
In 1974, Hussey was cast in the slasher film Black Christmas. It is considered to be one of the earliest slasher-styled films and heavily influenced popular slashers that would follow it including Halloween. The film not only starred Hussey, but slasher film Curtains star Lynne Griffin, The Amityville Horror and Superman star Margot Kidder, and none other than Nancy Thompson’s dad from A Nightmare on Elm Street, John Saxon.
Hussey cemented her Scream Queen status with films like The Cat And The Canary (1979), Ice Cream Man (1995), and Headspace (2005). Unlike a lot of the actresses on this list, Hussey also had a long career horror films made for television. She portrayed the demented mother of Norman Bates in the Showtime Original Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) opposite Henry Thomas as a young Norman. She also appeared in the highly successful It mini-series in 1990.
Hussey hasn’t focused on any one genre over the years, happy to work in comedy, drama, horror, science fiction, and religious films. Some of her most famous non-horror roles include portraying Mary in Jesus Of Nazereth (1977, TV Film), Mother Theresa in Mother Theresa of Calcutta (2003, TV Film), and Rosalie Otterbourne in 1978’s Death On The Nile. Hussey has also lent her voice to a number of animated productions, especially in the 2000’s. Some of her most notable voice roles include portraying Talia al Ghul in the DC Animated Universe and characters in a number of Star Wars video games. She has a total of fifty-four acting credits in all with her last credited role being in the 2015 film Social Suicide.
While she’s definitely a Scream Queen, Olivia Hussey can’t be defined by that title alone. She’s had such a long, varied, and successful career that you can’t really pin her to any single genre. She’s a great actress who has portrayed some pretty amazing and memorable characters.
I hope that you enjoyed today’s Scream Queen post. Hussey has been in so many different types of films and television shows that she is often overlooked for her contributions to the horror genre. See you again tomorrow!
Kelli Maroney quickly blazed a trail to the title of Scream Queen in the 1980’s. Born on December 30, 1965 in Minneapolis, MN, Maroney started her career on the small screen with a three year run on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope (1979-1982). Next, Maroney made the jump to the big screen with 1982’s cult classic Fast Times At Ridgemont High. She was next cast in Slayground (1983) and then the cult flick Night of the Comet (1984). Then came her starring role in the popular killer robot film Chopping Mall (1986). More big screen roles followed including parts in The Zero Boys (1986), Not Of This Earth (1988), and Jaded (1989).
While she was appearing in all of these films, Maroney continued to have an active career on television with starring and guest starring roles in shows like One Life To Live, Simon & Simon, and Celebrity. She continued finding work throughout the 90’s and 2000’s on both the big and small screens and in direct-to-video films. Some of the projects that she appeared in include FBI: The Untold Stories, True Blood, ThePretender, and Scream Queen Hot Tub Party.
Maroney continues working to this day. She currently has four active projects and over forty acting credits. I’m especially anxious to see her work in The Wild Man, which will be released very soon. She regularly makes appearances at film festivals and pop culture/horror/science fiction conventions as well, so keep an eye out for your chance to meet her!
While I’ve enjoyed all of Mrs. Maroney’s work, I have to say that her must-see performances are in Chopping Mall, Night of the Comet, and Fast Times At Ridgemont High. I really love Chopping Mall. The poster for the film convinces you that it’s just another slasher film……but it isn’t! It was a fresh take on a new type of killing machine and it was a blast.
Thanks for checking out today’s post! Who will be the next Scream Queen????? Find out tomorrow!
If you were alive in the 1990’s, especially if you were a teen, few women dominated the decade for you like Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. Campbell starred in the successful Fox series Party of Five for all six of its seasons and a number of popular films including The Craft (1996) and Wild Things (1998). Cox, of course, starred in the mega hit sitcom Friends, which ran for ten seasons, and in multiple films during the decade as well including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and Mr. Destiny (1990). Together, this dynamic duo starred in one of the most popular horror franchises of all time starting with 1996’s Scream and every single sequel that has followed for a total of five Scream films.
Ms. Campbell’s career had a modest beginning in television commercials, guest roles on TV series, and stage acting primarily in Canada. She also appeared on one episode of the hit Canadian sketch comedy The Kids In The Hall. As the 90’s rolled along, Campbell eventually landed the role of Julia Salinger on Party of Five. Soon enough she found herself cast in The Craft, caught the attention of Wes Craven, was asked to audition for the role of Sydney Prescott and, the rest is history. Campbell continued acting throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, appearing in independent films including the erotic drama When Will I Be Loved (2004) and studio films like 54 (1998).
Ms. Campbell is still active on the big and small screen, most recently appearing (perhaps for the final time) as Sydney Prescott in Scream (2022) and on the series The Lincoln Lawyer (2022). She also starred in the series House of Cards and guest starred or had recurring roles in shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, The Simpsons, and Sea Wolf.
A new Scream film is in the works, but as of this writing, Campbell has not signed on to the project. There was apparently a dispute over her contract. Specifically, Campbell was not happy with the amount of money that she was offered and refused to do the film. She stated that “I couldn’t walk on set feeling that…..feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, of that.” Social media blew up over the issue and many of Campbell’s Scream co-stars came to her defense. Matthew Lillard stated “Why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on?” He went on to say, “She is the female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises. Infuriating.” Jamie Kennedy said, “Sydney Prescott is the center of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her through the entire series…..Neve is the final girl. It’s crazy that people behind the scenes are not paying money literally to the face of the franchise.” Hopefully we will see her return to the franchise.
Courteney Cox was a seasoned film and television veteran by the time that she portrayed Gale Weathers in the Scream franchise. Prior to both Scream and Friends, Cox appeared in a music video for Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 track Dancing In The Dark. She also had guest and recurring roles on a number of successful television shows, most notably on Family Ties, Murder, She Wrote, and Dream On. I remember her best on Misfits Of Science, a science fiction series that failed to catch on with audiences but Cox did manage to capture my heart in that show.
Cox also appeared in a number of my favorite films prior to her success in the 90’s. Although it bombed at the box office, I loved Masters of the Universe (1987), in which Cox starred alongside Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, and Chelsea Fields. She also starred opposite Jim Carrey in the ridiculous comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Cox continues to work in film to this day and has appeared in multiple successful films over the years including 3000 Miles To Graceland (2001), Barnyard (2006), and Bedtime Stories (2008). She has signed on to appear in the upcoming new Scream project anticipated to be released in 2023.
In 1994, Cox landed the role that made her a certified star. She portrayed Monica Gellar on Friends and shot to almost immediate stardom. After ten seasons on that series, Cox continued working in television as an actress, producer, and director. She guest starred on shows like Scrubs, Shameless, and Modern Family. She also appeared in, produced, and directed the popular series Cougar Town for all six of its seasons and starred in and produced the short-lived series Dirt. In addition to this work, Cox has been an executive producer on numerous projects.
Scream could have failed if it weren’t for the amazing acting abilities of both Campbell and Cox. The franchise is now knocking on thirty years and doesn’t seem to be losing any steam. I can’t wait for the next film in the series but I will be a bit sad that Campbell will not be in the film. In any case, both of these ladies have had amazing careers outside of horror and I highly recommend checking out their other work. See the Scream films and watch Campbell in Party of Five. As far as Courteney Cox goes, you can watch Friends (who hasn’t?), but I highly recommend looking up Cougar Town and seeking out an episode or two of Misfits of Science. You won’t regret it.
She’s been in tons of films over the years as both a star and as a major supporting cast member. She primarily appeared in comedies and horror films. She also had a long career as a guest star on multiple television shows. She’s P.J. Soles and, my goodness, she’s one of my favorite actresses and biggest film crushes of all time.
Although she’s best known for appearing in horror films like Halloween (1978), Carrie (1976), and The Devil’s Rejects (2005), Soles also cemented her place in film history by starring in comedies like Private Benjamin (1980), Stripes (1981), and Rock N’ Roll High School (1979). She also appeared in a personal comedy favorite of mine, Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. (1981). She also appeared as a guest star on popular shows in the 1980’s such as Airwolf, Knight Rider, Cheers, Simon and Simon, and Hardcastle and McCormick.
Ms. Soles featured in a flurry of films and television movies and series throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. She continued working in the 1990’s and 2000’s, making appearances in films like the dark comedy Jawbreaker (1999) and The Devil’s Rejects. Some of her most recent roles include a cameo in 2018’s Halloween, and appearances in Candy Corn (2019), Killer Therapy (2019), and Hanukkah (2019).She has a total of sixty-eight acting credits to her name.
Ms. Soles is on my short list of actors that I really want to meet but haven’t had the opportunity to see yet. If you haven’t seen any of her work, I highly recommend checking out any of her appearances from films in the 70’s and 80’s, especially Carrie, Halloween, and Stripes. I also recommend taking a deep dive on her IMDb page, where you can learn about her injury on the set of Carrie and tons of other cool trivia that I don’t have room to post here.
P.J. Soles is one of my favorite actresses of all time. She can play the good girl, the bad girl, the ditz, the rebel, or just about any role that you give her. She’s amazingly beautiful to boot, so she definitely deserves the title of 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 portrayed two characters in the film, the iconic Bride and Mary Shelley, the writer of the original Frankenstein book that is considered by many to be the first science fiction novel. Despite having ninety-nine film credits, Lanchester is best known for her brief appearance as the Bride.
Lanchester performed in cabaret and theater for years prior to beginning her film career. In fact, she got her start not long after World War I. Her first credited role was as Beatrice de Carolle in the 1925 short, The Scarlet Woman: An Ecclesiastical Melodrama. She continued working in short films until 1931 when she appeared in The Love Habit. From there she worked in a number of comedies, romance films, romantic comedies, and dramas, primarily in the United Kingdom.
By 1935, Lanchester and her husband, Charles Laughton, were working in Hollywood. It was then that she was cast as Mary Shelley/The Bride. She continued to work steadily until 1980, when she received her final film credit in Die Laughing, a comedy-drama starring Robby Benson. In the 1960’s, Lanchester appeared in numerous Disney productions including Mary Poppins (1964), That Darn Cat! (1965), and Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968).
Outside of Bride Of Frankenstein, Lanchester’s horror roles included films like The Spiral Staircase (1945), Arnold (1973), and Terror In The Wax Museum (1973). Of all of the horror films that she made outside of Bride, 1971’s Willard is probably the best known of the bunch.
Thanks for visiting my page and joining me on a look back at the career of an actress who worked for over fifty years but is only remembered for one role. Check out Bride if you haven’t seen it and definitely take a look at Willard. It’s very different.
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. Her next role was that of Nancy. The film was made for just over one million dollars and ended up raking in nearly sixty million dollars at the box office. It also spawned a franchise that continues to this day and Nancy Thompson’s epic battle against the franchise’s villain, Freddy Krueger, made it all happen.
Langenkamp returned to the franchise twice. The first time was in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), where Nancy returned as a therapist that helps teens at a psychiatric hospital. The second time that Langenkamp returned to Elm Street was for the 1994 film, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, in which she plays a version of herself along with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, and John Saxon, as well as other producers, cast, and crew from prior Elm Street films. In that film, Craven is working on a new Elm Street film and Freddy manifests into reality, going on the hunt for Heather’s son in the film, Dylan (Miko Hughes).
Outside of A Nightmare On Elm Street, Mrs. Langenkamp had roles in numerous other horror films and horror franchises including Hellraiser: Judgment (2018), Shocker (1989), The Butterfly Room (2012), and Home (2016). Langenkamp has also appeared in films outside of horror including roles in films like Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and 1995’s The Demolitionist.
Mrs. Langenkamp also found quite a bit of success on the small screen. She starred in the popular sitcom Just The Ten Of Us (1988-1990) for its entire run and had guest starring roles on Growing Pains, The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, JAG, and other television programs. She also starred as Nancy Kerrigan in the television film Tony And Nancy: The Inside Story (1994).
Langenkamp is currently starring in the 2022 Netflix series, The Midnight Club. She is also the co-owner of AFX Studio, with her husband. The company has worked on numerous films including The Cabin In The Woods (2011). She also appeared in and executive produced the 2010 documentary, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy.
I definitely recommend checking out all of Langenkamp’s appearances in the Nightmare franchise. I also recommend her sitcom, Just The Ten Of Us. I haven’t personally seen The Midnight Club yet but it definitely looks like something that I would watch, so I’ll give it a look and recommend that you check it out as well!
Thanks for checking out my latest post. See you tomorrow!
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 also had a relatively late start on her Scream Queen journey but has managed to become an icon of horror.
Mrs. Harris started as a child actor in commercials and on the soap opera One Life To Live. In 1988 she took on the role of Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and reprised the role in 1989’s Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Despite initially accepting the same role in 1995’s Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, she backed out of the role and was replaced by J.C. Brandy.
After appearing in Halloween 4 and 5, Harris continued acting in both film and on television. She essentially grew up on television and in films. One of her most recognized roles outside of horror was as Molly Tilden on Roseanne. She was a recurring character on the series that made seven appearances. She also starred or guest starred in television shows like ER, Boy Meets World, The Wild Thornberrys, and Growing Pains. Some of the films that she had roles in included Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Free Willy, and Poor White Trash.
After almost nine years, Harris returned to the horror genre with 1998’s Urban Legend. This also marked her second horror franchise. She would continue working in both television and film and in multiple genres, but her horror cred continued to rise as she took on roles in films such as Left For Dead (2007) and The Black Waters Of Echo Pond (2009). She also continued to work in horror franchises adding films such as See No Evil 2 (2014) and the animated Night Of The Living Dead: Darkest Dawn (2015).
After being replaced in the original Halloween film series, Harris herself replaced Tamara Feldman as Marybeth in Hatchet II (2010), Hatchet III (2013), and Victor Crowley (2017). Harris also returned to the Halloween franchise in Rob Zombie’s remake of the series in 2007 and its sequel in 2009. In this timeline, Harris portrayed Annie Brackett, best friend of Laurie Strode (portrayed by Scout Taylor-Compton). Harris and Taylor-Compton would go on to host the popular podcast, Talk Scary To Me.
Harris continues working in horror and other genres and is considered by many to be one of the top scream queens of all time. I highly recommend checking out all of her performances in the Halloween and Hatchet franchises. I’m particularly fond of her work as Annie Brackett. Her podcast with Scout Taylor-Compton is also very enjoyable, but it doesn’t necessarily stay horror-centric. The duo often spend a lot of time talking about sex on the podcast and shy away from absolutely zero topics, no matter how taboo. Don’t let your kids listen to this one!!!
Thanks for checking out my latest post. Sorry that it’s so late in the evening but I’ve been pretty busy. See you again tomorrow!
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 Broadway performances by Johann between 1924 and 1942.
She arrived on the big screen in 1931’s The Struggle. She was considered by many Hollywood directors to be “difficult” because she was a performer first and pretty face second. Some believe that this is due to her Broadway background. She may or may not have seen herself as a superior actor when compared to film actors depending on who you ask. In fact, she and The Mummy director, Karl Freund, locked horns on set numerous times. Freund would go out of his way to make her angry and/or uncomfortable. He went as far as telling her that he wanted her to perform “nude from the waist up” in the film’s climax. Calling his bluff, Johann agreed to do the scene topless if Freund could get the censors to allow it. Freund ultimately gave in, allowing Johann to perform the scene in a small top.
Johann despised Hollywood, seeing it as “no more than a personality and sex factory…..not interested in acting.” – NY Post1993. She knew her worth as an actress and stood up to the demands of directors, producers, and others that tried to control her and her performances. She ultimately left Hollywood in 1934 and only returned for a small role in 1986’s forgettable Raiders of the Living Dead.
Johann was a trailblazer for women in film. She stood up to the status quo and didn’t hesitate to protect herself. She’s definitely a Scream Queen for appearing in The Mummy, but she’s a legend for being true to her self.
Thanks for reading today’s post. Ms. Johann was an amazing actress. She died in 1993. She was eighty-nine years old. Despite her short film career, she will live on forever for her work in The Mummy.
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 was cast as Princess Asa Vajda and Katia Vajda in 1960’s Black Sunday. From there, Steele took on horror role after horror role with occasional comedy and drama roles thrown in for good measure.
Steele featured primarily in Italian films during the 60’s. Some of her most notable appearances were in films like The Pit And The Pendulum (1961) starring opposite Vincent Price, Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) with Boris Karloff, and the necrophilia horror film The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962). She became tired of being typecast in horror films by the early 1970’s but returned to the genre three times during that decade with Shivers (1975), the cult classic Piranha (1978), and Silent Scream (1979). Once the 1980’s came along, she began taking fewer roles, appearing in miniseries such as War and Remembrance (1988). She had only three credited roles in the 1990’s but eventually returned to acting in the 2000’s, racking up nine acting credits including a voice performance in 2020’s Castlevania and portraying Grandma in 2014’s Lost River.
Steele was born in 1937…..at least that is what most believe, as she has never given a true birth date to anyone. The one thing that is definitely true is that she is a Scream Queen Icon. She has been referred to as the Queen of the Scream Queens over the years and she definitely has the roles to prove it.
I recommend The Pit And The Pendulum, The Silent Scream, and Curse of the Crimson Altar if you haven’t seen any of Ms. Steele’s performances. While she appeared in a ton of horror films, most of them were of less than impressive production. She had a very unique look about her that was too dark and wicked for Hollywood but almost too pretty to be the bad girl in the Italian horror films. To me, she’s just perfect.
Thanks for reading today’s post. I’ll see you again tomorrow!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 