From the carefully considered outline of a Final Girl to the intoxicating nebulousness of the Scream Queen moniker, women are the bloody, brooding, beating heart of the horror genre.
On screen and off, women have long proved an essential linchpin to the success of scary movies. Actresses have served as horror’s marquee-topping centerpieces since even before Elsa Lanchester became Universal’s “Bride of Frankenstein” in 1935, and the subjects of many women’s fears — abuse, stalking, subjection, birth, motherhood, the patriarchy, etc. — have inspired the works of countless creepy classics directed by men: take Brian de Palma’s “Carrie” or Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” just for starters.
And yet, it’s only been in the last few decades that women have more fully and frequently taken over telling their own nightmares: writing, directing, and producing contemporary masterpieces such as Mary Harron’s “American Psycho,” Karyn Kusama’s “Jennifer’s Body,” Julia Ducournau’s “Raw,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman,” and more. In the audience, critics have championed these films either by picking apart their layered lambasting of our sexist society or appreciating that woman can make some sensationally silly slashers too. (Here’s looking at you, Halina Reijn and “Bodies Bodies Bodies.”)
To honor and celebrate women in horror, we at IndieWire emailed some our favorite horror actresses, writers, and directors with one simple question (as made iconic by 1996’s “Scream”): What’s your favorite scary movie? Their answers at once reinforce the classics — “The Silence of the Lambs” tops the list as the most mentioned film — as well as illuminate lesser-known tales of these scream queens’ incredible careers. Read on for stories from living legend Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, and “Orphan” star Isabelle Fuhrman on the David Gordon Green “Suspiria” remake that almost was.
Listed alphabetically by last name, here are some of horror’s most beloved Scream Queens on their top picks for terrifying flicks.
This article was published as part of IndieWire’s Seven Days of Scream Queens. Visit the series’ schedule for more.
Well, this is going to be short because as much as I love doing horror films, I don’t like watching them. “Halloween” was the first I’d ever seen, and the last, until I had to watch the ones I’ve done. So I guess it’s John Carpenter’s “The Fog.” At least I can get through that without running for the exit. I do think John Krasinski and Emily Blunt did a fantastic job with “A Quiet Place.”
These are in no particular order. I know some of these might be debatable as true “horror,” but these films absolutely terrified me in one way or another:
1. “Funny Games” (both the ’97 and ’07 versions)
2. “The Last House on the Left” (’09 version)
3. “Misery”
4. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (’74; I worked with the director Tobe Hooper at one point in my career.)
5. “The Exorcist”
6. “Rosemary’s Baby”
7. “The Shining”
8. “Reservoir Dogs”
9. “Dark Corners” (yes, I’m in it if you can find it.)
10. “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola
11. “Hannibal” * (While these are technically psychological thrillers, there were so many horrifying moments that really scared the crap out of me!)
12. “Red Dragon” *
These are the cherries which lay upon my horror sundae.
“Perfect Blue” (1997) – This film initially terrorized my mind and beat my heart into a bloody pulp. Internalizing others’ limited vision of you breeds a dehumanizing havoc. To all of humanity, let’s steal back our spirits and never look back!
“A Cure For Wellness” (2016) – You can’t be aware of being unaware. Conscious of being unconscious.
“The Love Witch” (2016) – It was a great pleasure to walk through a magical tarot deck for 2 hours and 46 seconds. It felt like I too had a drink of organic berries, vodka, and hallucinogenic herbs.
“Scream” (1996) – No motive. How scary!
“It” (2017) – I believe it’s a wonderful thing to have middle school humor in times of distress.
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) – Movie tastes great with some Fava beans.
“Gremlins” (1984) – I too have sensitivity to bright light.
“The Prophecy” (1995) – “I have my soul. I have my faith. What do you have, Angel?”
I’m not really a horror movie buff, but I love a good scare this time of year. These are a few favorites, some (much) scarier than others! Vaguely in order of scariness…
1 – “The Descent”
2 – “The Silence of the Lambs”
3 – “Se7en”
4 – “Wait Until Dark”
5 – “Scream” (1996)
6 – “The Bad Seed” (1956)
7 – “Jaws”
8 – “The Witches”
9 – “So I Married An Axe Murderer”
10 – “Ghostbusters”
What makes a good or even great horror movie? There are some that collectively we all agree is a good film, well regarded by critics and audiences alike. Yet there are others that touch us because of other reasons, it may be that a film was your gateway introduction to horror.
Do you remember the first time you were scared by images on screen or the physical reactions you felt inside your body to a jump scare? I remember the person I was with the very first time I saw “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” at a young age and my memory of that film is linked with that person.
Watching films and loving them creates an imprint on your mind and psyche. Perhaps it is the scares that matter to you or the empathy of relating to the characters that means the most, or the people who watched the film with you. For everyone our favorites may be as different as our own personalities and private subjective experiences. That’s why in film there is something for everyone and favorites change and adjust as we grow older, wiser and collect new feelings and movie going encounters. These are my top three almost every year even though this has been a banner decade for horror with new favorites like “Barbarian,” “Smile,” “Hereditary,” “Host,” “Get Out,” “Raw,” “Goodnight Mommy,” “Train to Busan” and “The Sixth Sense.”
Here’s the ones the have made the most long lasting and continual impression on me…
“THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE”
Scariest movie I’ve ever seen and shot in 16 millimeter, it feels like a home movie or documentary. Nary a drop of blood but the gruesome sight of a girl, Pam as played by Teri McMinn being casually tossed onto a meat hook is unforgettable. I became friends with Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface) many years after first seeing the movie. I always found it remarkable how kind and smart and different he was than his iconic portrayal of a chainsaw wielding maniac. I know he was an ACTOR playing a part, but his characterization seemed so real! Marilyn Burns does more screaming in this film than almost any other horror film I can recall. We, as the audience are her- screaming at the constant terror we hope to escape from. Thank god it’s only a movie…
“THE SHINING”
Based on the amazing novel by Stephen King there are so many layers to the film, so many stories behind the scenes. My most watched horror movie of all time feels as familiar and comfy as a warm blanket. Nicholson is so present and yet so wildly unhinged in his performance as a failed writer descending into either madness or influence of a malevolent presence. Shelly Duvall filled with desperation, never gives in or gives up fighting for her life and that of her son Danny. The sense of frozen isolation and fear of a loved one threatening you, hits me at my core. The set of the icy hotel transforms and morphs into a dark reality and horrible memories of past happenings. Crimson blood gushes from it’s walls, a creepy lady baths in the tub of one of the vacant hotel rooms, murdered twin girls reappear and past murderer Grady eggs Jack on stating, “ I feel you will have to deal with this matter in the harshest possible way Mr. Torrance.” Will the past repeat itself? We know what’s coming and can only pray that the gift of “shining” which Dick Halloran and Danny Lloyd possess may save the day. The delicious minor roles Of Grady and Lloyd played by Philip Stone and Joe Turkel respectively, fill out the freakiness of what may happen to this next family who are the current winter caretakers.
“THE HAUNTING”
The film was based on Shirley Jackson’s novel “The Haunting of Hill House.” Directed by Robert Wise this 1963 black and white film remains to me, the most chilling haunted house movie ever made. The house lives and breathes and feels like another character in the story. Julie Harris’ fragile portrayal of Eleanor,who thinks coming to this house is her destiny, more than lives up to that promise at the end of the movie. With an unrelenting sense of mystery and dread and a chilling central performance, this oldie is a goodie.
Most of these I saw as an adult. I didn’t grow up watching horror so I still haven’t seen “The Exorcist”! I need someone to watch it with.
I say I didn’t grow up watching horror but that’s not really true. Many of my childhood nightmares came from catching snippets of replayed horror films on our 8-inch black-and-white TV from my parents laps when I couldn’t sleep. Like “The Omen.”
There was one who’s clawed finger poked through my mattress and lived under my bed all childhood from a few snippets viewed on tele as a little kid. I’ve never known what it was called but I finally found it, I don’t know if it’s good but it scared me for ever. It’s called “The Blood on Satan’s Claw.”
Mum was a huge Hitchcock fan and took me to a Festival of his work so amongst them, “Psycho,” the original.
“Rosemary’s Baby.”
“Carrie.” The original!
“Jaws.”
“Alien.” “Aliens.”
“The Vanishing.” 1988 original, far out.
“Funny Games.” 1997, the original, terrified me for years. Always the originals are the best.
“The Descent.” Had four adults in a dark room screaming.
“Pan’s Labyrinth.”
“Get Out.”
“A Quiet Place.” Brilliant.
“The Shining.” Genius.
In no particular order…
“Raw” – Julia Ducournau is possibly the number one horror/thriller director I’d love to work with. I think she is a twisted, romantic genius that makes the modern horror genre so much more interesting, sexy, clever and DISTURBING.
“Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” – I watched this movie in prep for the first “Orphan” movie when I was 10 as per Director Jaume Collet-Serra’s request – and re-watched before we filmed “First Kill.” Just as good as I remember. Bette Davis forever and ever!
“The Silence of the Lambs” – Classic. I used Hannibal Lecter as some of my Inspo for Esther in both “Orphan” movies.
“Suspiria” (the OG) – Dario Argento and his use of lighting made this a feast for the eyes. I was supposed to do a re-make with David Gordon Green years back and was so looking forward to it but the movie sadly fell apart. My “Suspiria” dreams were shattered.
“American Psycho” – CHRISTIAN BALE.
“A Clockwork Orange” – Gary Ross asked me, Alexander Ludwig, Jack Quaid and Leven Rambin to watch this movie in preparation for “The Hunger Games.” He wanted the “Career” to have this same playful, messed up, humor when it came to the horrible things they were doing.
“Midsommar” – I will never watch this movie again. It disturbed me THAT much. However, Florence Pugh sobbing in that room full of women will be forever seared into my mind… along with my friend Archie Madekwe being flayed open. Terrified me and I didn’t sleep for a week after.
1: “The Thing”
Non-stop insanity. Practical effects that make me scream. Best dog actor. And Kurt Russell being bossy. I love isolation movies where everyone is stuck together losing their shit like “The Abyss” and “Alien.”
2: “The Silence of the Lambs”
Favourite since too early in childhood, probably why I have an all consuming obsession with forensics. Foster and Hopkins. Buffalo Bill. FBI being dicks. The overwhelming tension and build up of dread. Creep level all time high. It puts the lotion on its skin.
3: “Audition”
I’ve been to so many auditions I just feel this one in my soul. Takashi Miike is a master. It’s gentle and quiet until it’s not and leaves you speechless.
4: “Scream” (1996)
What more could you ask for in a slasher, it’s the standard for me and a classic. So much fun, so many jump scares, and Officer Dewey.
5: “Toy Story 3”
All of it.
“28 Days Later”
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (the original!)
“The Fly” (Cronenberg’s!)
“Get Out”
“Halloween” (the original!)
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)
“Jaws”
“The Night of the Hunter”
“Psycho” (the original!)
“Rosemary’s Baby”
“Scream” (all of them, but especially the original!)
“The Silence of the Lambs”
“The Thing” (the original!)
“The Silence of the Lambs”
“Misery”
“Halloween” (1978)
“The Exorcist” (1973)
“Tigers Are Not Afraid”
“Don’t Look Under the Bed”
“Jennifer’s Body”
“Jurassic Park”
“Rosemary’s Baby”
“Birds”
“Possessor”
“Hereditary”
“Nightmare on Elm Street”
“Goodnight Mommy”
“The Silence of the Lambs”
“Misery”
“Suspiria”
“The Exorcist”
“Plan 9 from Outer Space”
My favorite horror films are the old ones, the cheesy ones. So for me, I’m not going to pick whatever just came out last week. I’m all about the old cheesy campy ones. My absolute number one would be “Plan 9 from Outer Space.” Sadly, this film marks Bela Lugosi’s last performance. Two days after the shoot, he died…of embarrassment. If you like grave robbers from outer space, terrible acting (including legendary horror hostess Vampira’s turn as a walking towel rack), and special effects that are anything but special, this flick’s for you! This is the worst movie ever made and I’d stake my reputation on it, if I had one.
“Manos the Hands of Fate”
The director’s daughter is so embarrassed by it too.
“Glen or Glenda”
It’s not a horror film but it is great to watch at Halloween because it is scary.
“Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter”
A typical boy meets ghoul romance. Dr. F’s little girl is a chip off the ol’ blockhead, as she does brain experiments on a new, improved monster. Jesse James is the gunslinger who rides into the wrong movie and nearly loses his mind, literally. This flick proves that the Old West and horror go together about as good as an eye and a sharp stick.
“House on Haunted Hill”
That was the movie I saw as a child that got me turned onto horror, and I think ultimately led me to this gig of being Elvira. I’ve seen it a million times over the years with my idol Vincent Price being in it.
“Dracula’s Daughter”
One of my all-time favorite movies ever was “Dracula’s Daughter.” Peterson told IndieWire It’s insane how gay it is. She is a powerful feminist vampire and has a really strong, strong presence in this film. It’s an incredible and very overlooked film that is made so long ago, it always shocks me how much gay innuendo is in it. That would be my number one pick.
“Hunger”
It’s a very, very sexy movie and very gay.
My most favorite GENRE films (which happen to be driven by women): Alphabetically
“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” 2014, Ana Lily Amirpour: This is a post-punk-Persian-grrrl-vampire-western shot in black and white. AGWHAaN is a cool and stylish film which set off a new movement of woman in genre which has been escalating since.
“American Psycho,” 2002, Mary Herron: Obsessively detailed portrait of a serial killer who is so STRAIGHT WHITE MALE that he is fantastically forgettable. This perpetrator is so desperate to be recognized but remains utterly invisible. One of this film’s most dramatic scenes is based on business cards rather than bludgeoning.
“Atlantics,” 2019, Mati Diop: By far the best film of 2019. This is a deeply moving love story and a harrowing possession story with broad reaching cultural and geographical implications.
“Candyman,” 2020, Nia DaCosta: A much needed update by the director of the utterly moving “Little Woods.”
“Censor,” 2021, Prano Bailey-Bond: This film is as scary as it is stylish and a kind of love letter to the UK’s Video Nasties.
“Headless Woman,” 2008, Lucretia Martel: This is a tense and slow-building thriller by a master storyteller which forces one to wonder what actually happened that one night.
“Nightingale,” 2018, Jennifer Kent: This is a fantastic follow up to Kent’s The Babadook. It’s a brutal revenge drama set in vintage down under. This film establishes Kent as a true master (mistress?) of horror.
“Saint Maud,” 2019, Rose Glass: Gut wrenching portrait of a young woman challenged and transformed by her devotion. This is a tense and visually stunning film that induces constant squirm, but you can’t look away.
“Titane,” 2021, Julia Ducournau: This is an absolute juggernaut of a film which grips from the go and does not let up. Advise to watch on an empty stomach.
“You Were Never Really Here,” 2017, Lynne Ramsay: This is a brutal portrait of a very particular kind of man which Ramsay gazes at with a decidedly feminine lens. This film will take your breath away over and over.
Special mention genre films I love about women but directed by men.
“Carrie,” 1976, Brian de Palma: This film features the most perfect ending to all films ever made. It’s a great example of why the “teen film” is a perfect nest for horror. Sissy Spacek is brilliant as both hero and villain.
“Rebecca,” 1940, Alfred Hitchcock (based on a book by Daphne de Maurier): This is a. wickedly morose telling of a lady love triangle between a newlywed, her maid, and a ghost. I saw this film for the first time when I was very young, and it’s been under my skin ever since. Its possibly one of the reasons I am a filmmaker working in genre.
“Possessor,” 2020, Brandon Cronenberg: This is a pretty perfect film about a lady assassin….sort of…from the spawn of the brilliant David Cronenberg.
1. “The Cabin in the Woods”
2. “Bodies Bodies Bodies”
3. “Black Phone”
4. “Scream”
5. “The Conjuring”
My favorite horror film is “The Shining.“ The sense of foreboding as they approach that brooding hotel crouched on the hill, the fact that Danny has the second sight, and creepiness of the idea that they are going to spend the entire winter sequestered in the middle of nowhere with a rapidly unraveling Jack Nicholson…
These are all elements that create the perfect backdrop for the story that is about to unfold. I always love movies where the horror is mostly psychological, where you just get flashes of the supernatural element, and what you create in your mind is much worse than a raft of special effects. The most horrifying scene in that movie is when Shelley Duvall walks into the empty room where Jack Nicholson has been pounding away on his “novel” for the past month and realizes that her husband is insane. The scene is very simple: just cross cutting between the pages of that childish typewriting exercise repeating over and over again, to Shelly’s terrified face. It gave me chills.
Also I love films where the past intersects with the present. In “The Shining” as Jack Nicholson descended into madness he was interacting more and more with the denizens of the hotel from the past, until finally he becomes one of them. That final shot where they zoom into the black-and-white photograph of the party from the ’20s and Jack is in the center of the picture is so masterfully done.
Another film that I love is “The Others.” I think it’s one of Nicole Kidman‘s best performances. In this film Nicole and her family are living in a house full of ghosts. The idea that sometimes the past and the present coexist on equal planes and occasionally overlap is always fascinating to me. We are with Nicole as she tries to unravel the secrets of the creepy house. When she finds that post-mortem photograph of herself and her family, it is such a bone chilling moment. Because we identify with her we share her horror as she slowly realizes that they are “The Others.” And the family they saw as interlopers, are actually alive, and they are the ghosts.
The third movie that really scared me was “Paranormal Activity.” The idea that a demon can crawl into your body while you sleep, really never occurred to me before. But this movie made it seem very realistic. And it was especially creepy because it was shot in documentary style. Like… “Let’s set up a camera and see what happens during the night!” That moment when the demon climbs into the girlfriend’s body and is standing for hours looking at her sleeping boyfriend is so unsettling. I couldn’t sleep for almost a week after seeing that.
The best horror films really crawl into your psyche and don’t easily leave you. They crystallize things you’re afraid of when you hear noises in the night. Also there’s somethings so great about being terrified in a movie and then as you leave the theater the cold chills start to subside and you walk around and you realize that you are safe, and it wasn’t real. That’s why we love horror. It takes you to dark places, and then releases you.
“Alien”: Hands down my favorite monster movie. Perfectly terrifying monster in all its stages. Also one of the most iconic woman leads of all time.
“Don’t Look Now”: This movie is a current of beautiful and dreadful imagery that pulls you in and thrusts you toward its pitch-perfect ending.
“Silver Bullet”: Feel good werewolf movie. So many things that shouldn’t work, really work in this movie.
“Ghost in the Shell” (1995): Some may argue this isn’t a horror movie but its horror-adjacent sci-fi moodiness really gets under my skin. The ending haunts me!
“Attack the Block”: The scares, jokes, and action all land for me in this movie. It’s so much fun and I love the alien design so much!
“Solaris” (1972): This movie is beautifully shot and every frame is filled with unrelenting dread. Just thinking about this film makes my concept of reality start to slip.
“Let’s Scare Jessica to Death”: Just watch it!
“Kwaidan”: I love watching horror anthologies around Halloween and I love the stylized ghost story vibe of these segments.
“Dead of Night” (1945): Another horror anthology. The wraparound is so so good.
“Barbarian”: If it’s still in theaters go see it again!
