These Actresses Are Legends in the Horror Genre

Fromjump scarestospecial effectsand evena few cheesy clichés, the horror genre is arguably one of the best movie genres out there. Sure, it’s not for everyone, especially those who don’t like to be scared, but those that can get past the fear can appreciate the cinematic art involved in making a successful horror movie.

An important aspect of a horror movie, besides the villain, is a woman character. Over the years, the horror genre has given birth to many strong, feminist leads. Whether their role stems from a franchise, like Jamie Lee Curtis in theHalloweenfilms, or a standalone film, such as Lupita Nyong’o’s phenomenal role in Jordan Peele’sUs, the women in horror films are not to be messed with. While the list is endless, thanks to the long history of horror films, these are the actresses who are absolute legends in the horror genre.

Related:Here Are Some of the Best Feminist Horror Movies of All Time

8Barbara Crampton

You will be hard-pressed to find someone who has starred in as many horror films as our first horror legend,Barbara Crampton. Her horror filmography has spanned decades, including many subgenres of horror films from sci-fi to comedy and slashers. While she is most known for her films from the 1980s, her horror career has seen a resurgence over the last decade. Some of her best performances are from the following films:From Beyond,Tales of Halloween,You’re Next,Re-Animator,We Are Still Here,Jakob’s Wife,Chopping Mall,andCastle Freak.

7Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellarearns a nod on this list thanks to a handful of horror-based films and TV shows that is in her filmography. From her role as Buffy in the hit TV showBuffy the Vampire Slayer,to her horror-adjacent role as Daphne in the live-actionScooby-Doofilms, Gellar has certainly earned her spot on the list. The same year thatBuffy the Vampire Slayerwas released, Gellar played Helen Shivers, a beauty queen, alongside her future husband Freddie Prinze Jr. in the classic film,I Know What You Did Last Summer.She later went on to play Karen, an American nurse living in Tokyo who encounters a vengeful supernatural spirit, inThe Grudge. In 2006, she reprised her role inThe Grudge 2.

6Betsy Palmer

Thanks to the success of the slasher filmHalloween, theFriday the 13thfranchise was born. In the first two films, American actressBetsy Palmerplays villain Jason Voorhees’s vengeful mother. The films center around a boy named Jason who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake in 1957. 20 years later, when a group of counselors tries to reopen the camp, they are hunted down by an unknown person. In perhaps one of the most shocking endings in horror history, it turns out Mrs. Voorhees may know more than she is letting on about the mysterious deaths. The franchise, which has reached over 12 films is not as highly praised as itsHalloweencounterpart, but Palmer’s portrayal in the series, as well as her role in the 2005 horror filmPenny Dreadful, makes Palmer a horror legend.

5Heather Langenkamp

One of the most popular villains, Freddy Kruger, haunted our next horror legend in theNightmare on Elm Streetfranchise.Heather Langenkampplays the teenager Nancy Thompson in three of the nine films in the franchise. In each of the three films she is in, Langenkamp portrays Nancy in a new role: as the haunted teenager, as a psychiatrist who helps save a new girl from Freddy, and as humanity’s last hope when Freddy tries to enter the land of the living for good. Thanks to those roles, Langenkamp is consideredone of the most progressive female representations in the teen horror genre.

4Sigourney Weaver

In theAlienfranchise,Sigourney Weaverplays Ellen Ripley who is part of a crew on a commercial spacecraft. After investing a distress signal, the crew unexpectedly comes in contact with an alien species that slowly kills off the members of Ripley’s crew. Weaver reprises her role as Ripley in four of the six films from this sci-fi horror franchise, paving her way as one our favorite sci-fi horror legends.

Related:Here’s Why Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is One of the Strongest Characters of All Time

3Neve Campbell

With its fifth installment having just been released and the sixth greenlit,Neve Campbell’s portrayal of Sidney Prescott in theScreamfranchise marks her as one of the legendary actresses of the horror genre. Throughout the films, Sidney Prescott is constantly taunted by Ghostface, a villain whose mask is worn by a new character in each film. Thankfully, Campbell’s Sidney Prescott appears in each of the films. It’s unknown at this time whether shewill appear in the sixth installment, but our fingers are crossed.

2Vera Farmiga

The Conjuringfranchisehas quickly become a new fan-favorite franchise. This eight-film supernatural horror franchise is loosely based on real-life cases investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren.Vera Farmigaplays Lorraine Warren, who is a professed clairvoyant and light trance medium. In five of the eight films, Farmiga expertly portrays some of these cases that the Warrens have investigated. In addition to her role inThe Conjuringfilms, Farming also stars alongside Freddie Highmore inBates Motel,a TV show based on the novel and bookPsycho.

1Jamie Lee Curtis

The Scream Queen herself,Jamie Lee Curtishas starred in countless horror movies since entering the spotlight in the 70s. Her most notable horror role comes from her role as Laurie Strode in theHalloweenseries. The franchise, which started in 1978, has reached 12 films produced to date with a13th installment,Halloween Ends,that will be released later this year. Curtis reprised her role in seven different films in the franchise, marking her claim as a horror movie legend.