Inhorrormovies and shows, women often have unique parts to play and vantage points to offer. These roles are as different as women are in real life, bringing moviegoers into their complex worlds. Since horror first started to develop into its own genre, women have held different positions in these tales. As their autonomy grew and history continued, their attendance within these stories became more necessary over time. An article fromNo Film Schoolthat detailed the themes found via women in horror films stated, “From the start, horror allowed women to be more than damsels in distress.”
Horror has shown viewers exactly how subjective it can be, since different people find different aspects scary and have unique ways of defining the most striking portrayals. Film history, popularity over time, and audiences' lasting favoritism have given high regard to certain films that immediately come to mind when considering the genre’s excellence. These are the best horror performances of all time from women, ranked.
10Megan Fox - Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Jennifer’s Bodyhas become a cultural phenomenon among the queer community and horror fans now, as well asa cult classic. As Jennifer Check,Megan Foxbrings her enchanting aura to the halls of Devil’s Kettle High School, playing a popular girl who undergoes an unearthly event. Besides the physicality of her character’s appearance lending a hand to the iconic status of this role, her transition from normal girl to hungry beast to starving succubus emphasize Fox’s talents as an actress – plus, of course, the moments that allude to Jennifer’s sexual orientation.
9Isabelle Fuhrman - Orphan (2009)
Orphancontains one of horror’s most gasp-worthy gotcha moments, carried out by a youngIsabelle Fuhrmanin the antagonist’s role. Esther’s unassuming countenance suggests that she’s just a little girl experiencing the unfortunate hand dealt to her, but the film’s progression details just how much these looks can deceive and obscure the truth.As a 12-year-old,Fuhrman portrays pure evil, deliberate deviance, and the surface-level innocence of childhood, all within one complex character.Orphan: First Killcontinued Esther’s story in 2022.
8Mia Goth - Pearl (2022)
After the impact of A24’sX, the filmPearlserved as a welcome exploration of the film’s horrifying feminine force during her youth.Mia Goth’s excellence in the horror genre earns its laurels from fans in this performance, though unfortunatelycast aside by the Academy. Goth captures the character’s evolution from a farm girl to a fed-up, experienced killer through the trials she navigates that stand in the way of her future and freedom. She screams out a handful of angry feelings, right before she communicates them through despicable actions. Her deranged expression in the end credits scene leaves viewers feeling as uncomfortable as Howard probably was when he returned from war.
Related:9 Horror Movies That Deliver Important Messages About Society
7Florence Pugh - Midsommar (2019)
InMidsommar,Florence Pugh’s character Dani goes to Sweden following the nightmare that took the lives of her immediate family. Pugh’s exposition of anxiety, panic, and grief in Dani’s experiences appears painfully realistic. When the film reaches its last moments and the crowning of the cult’s May Queen, her character rises to a more controlled position from the screaming and crying viewers are used to seeing. It’s been stated thatMidsommarhelped to bring horror from typical physically dark settings into the sunlight and daytime, creating a set-apart setting.
6Piper Laurie - Carrie (1976)
Carrie’s first adaptation is one of the most significant interpretations of Stephen King’s books.Piper Laurie’s performance as Margaret White, Carrie’soverly religious mother, is one of the most realistically scary examples of how far devout belief can stretch. Carrie’s portrayal by Sissy Spacek is of course notable as well, but Margaret’s villainous ways appear to be the biggest threat within the story until Carrie fully comes into her own. Margaret’s voice possesses itself with the exact incantations of literally interpreted scripture, turning them towards her daughter as she quiets the supernatural potential making itself known.
5Toni Collette - Hereditary (2017)
Hereditaryis one of Ari Aster and A24’s most gut-wrenching horror creations,exploring a family’s mourningand their connection to an exceedingly darker realm.Toni Colletteplays Annie Graham, the mother of the family who loses more than she could ever imagine throughout the story’s progression. At the apex of her grief, her screams for a lost family member sound like the caterwaul of a pained and feral animal. When Annie herself goes further off the deep end, viewers become less horrified for her and more frightened of her and what she’s become.
4Janet Leigh - Psycho (1960)
Psychois an essential horror milestone, not because it’s often considered Hitchcock’s finest work, but also a genuinely shocking piece of cinema for its time period.Janet Leighas Marion Crane delivers one of the most recognizable performances in the entire genre, especially in the film’s shower scene, where Norman Bates expedites her demise. Marion’s overall character is exposed once the faucet starts running.The Independentcited this scene’s “queasy, voyeuristic intensity,” stating that it was “so powerful that it transcends the film in which it is lodged.”
Related:Why Is Psycho so Famous, and Is it That Great?
3Kathy Bates - Misery (1990)
Kathy Bates’Oscar-earning performanceinMiserymakes the film one of the finest among ’90s horror. Annie Wilkes is known as one of the most conniving horror figures, and her hideous treatment of her captor Paul Sheldon proves it. As a nurse and an especially dedicated fan of Paul’s writing, Annie can be both flattering and fear-inducing, and the richness of her character allows for both aspects of her personality to come out in her pursuit of the final say over the current situation. Bates' mastery as an actress speaks to the intensity she communicates through Annie’s character.
2Lupita Nyong’o - Us (2019)
Usis amasterpiece from Jordan Peelethat tackles social issues through the vehicle of an unexpectedly startling horror story. In two roles,Lupita Nyong’oplays both Adelaide from the upper world and Red, who rises up from the world inside the underground tunnels. Through Adelaide, she expresses the fear of a mother trying to defend the life she’s built for herself. Red’s character, in comparison, portrays the desperate measures that the Tethered must undertake to achieve a sense of equality after deprivation. When the film approaches its credits, Peele’s final twist shocks audiences, making these portrayals all the more powerful to stem from the same incomparable actress.
The Evil Deadcan be considered one of horror’s peaks in the ’80s, and the first film holds one of the most unsettling instances in the whole series. The transformation of Cheryl, Ash Williams’s sister, is illuminated byEllen Sandweiss, who makes Cheryl’s possession all the more petrifying. Disturbing in every aspect, viewers watch in horror as the character goes from a normal young woman into a demonic antagonist. The scene of her shriveled face and hands trying to peek through the chained door of the cellar complements her distorted voice perfectly, making audiences truly believe that there’s something otherworldly at play in her performance.
