From screaming at an extraterrestrial to Michael Myers, these scream queens defined a generation
of beloved horror movies!
Winona Ryder made a name for herself in Tim Burton's quirky horror comedies "Beetlejuice"
and "Edward Scissorhands."
But the actress stepped into horror in the '90s as Mina Murray in Francis Ford Coppola's
star-studded adaptation of "Dracula."
Ryder portrays a Victorian bride who becomes drawn away from her reliable finacé Jonathan
Harker by the mysterious Count Dracula, who believes her to be the reincarnation of his
long-lost love.
The blood-soaked love story is a visual feast, as Coppola fills nearly every inch of the
screen with gothic imagery, and it remains one of the horror genre's most romantic films.
Ryder would later star in a monster movie of a different sort in "Alien: Resurrection,"
the fourth entry in the classic sci-fi franchise.
Set 200 years after "Alien 3," Sigourney Weaver's Ripley has been cloned to harvest the gestating
baby within her.
Ryder plays Call, a mysterious crew member determined to hijack the newborn aliens.
But the diminutive pixie may have an ulterior motive.
Written by Joss Whedon, the film carries the snark that defines '90s horror films.
Unfortunately, this of-the-moment banter feels out of place on the futuristic ship.
"Alien: Resurrection" is often ranked near the bottom of the franchise's six films.
This is Ryder's only appearance in the franchise, and the film marked Weaver's final on-screen
appearance as Ripley.
One of the most beloved killers to emerge from the early '90s era of horror is Tony
Todd's Candyman, a hook-handed killer who haunts the grounds of Chicago's infamous Cabrini-Green
Housing Project.
According to legend, Candyman can be summoned by saying his name five times in the mirror
and then turning out the light.
Those brave enough to complete the task will see him appear behind them, and his bloody
hook will kill them.
Virginia Madsen is the film's final girl, a grad student writing a thesis on urban legends,
who summons Candyman.
She quickly becomes entranced by the sympathetic villain and finds herself framed for Candyman's crimes.
"Candyman" has a complicated legacy and has since been reevaluated in recent years.
Despite its compassionate representation of the Cabrini-Green residents, many take issue
with Helen's savior arc and cavalier attitude around entering a community without permission
to study its members.
Nia DaCosta's 2021 sequel reclaims Candyman for the oppressed community he represents.
"Candyman's how we deal with the fact that these things happened!
That they're still happening!"
Madsen's portrayal of Helen is her most notable role of the decade.
However, she appeared in two more horror films before the turn of the century.
In "The Prophecy," Madsen joins Elias Koteas and Christopher Walken as an elementary school
teacher caught in a war between the angels.
In Jan de Bont's effects-heavy remake of "The Haunting," she portrays Nell's domineering
sister, Jane.
Heather Langenkamp is one of the most beloved Scream Queens of the '80s.
Her breakout role came in "A Nightmare on Elm Street," Wes Craven's imaginative slasher
about a child murderer named Freddy Krueger who hunts the teens of Elm Street and kills
them in their dreams.
Langenkamp is Nancy, the film's final girl who inspired generations of fans with her
refusal to give Freddy the power of her fear.
She also appears in the fan favorite "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors," helping
a new generation of teens battle Freddy with their collective strength.
Ten years after starring in the original film, Langenkamp returned to Elm Street in "Wes
Craven's New Nightmare," a precursor to the meta-horror films that would dominate the
rest of the decade.
Langenkamp plays herself, the famed actress from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise
who winds up hunted in reality by the fictional killer she fought on screen.
"Nightmare on Elm Street" co-stars John Saxon and Robert Englund portray themselves in the
film — even Craven has a cameo!
Langenkamp is arguably the first-ever returning final girl to headline a horror film.
When most think of horror movie monsters, they picture hairy wolfmen, demonic clowns,
or tentacled aliens dripping with goo.
They don't expect an alien to look like supermodel Natasha Henstridge.
In "Species," Henstridge is an alien-human hybrid called Sil: the result of a scientific
experiment to splice human cells with alien DNA.
Raised in a lab, Sil is a beautiful woman with superhuman strength.
She uses her power to escape her glass cell and destroy anyone in her way.
Sil reaches adulthood at an astonishing speed and soon begins to hunt for a suitable mate.
The film follows a group of scientists who try to track her down before she can spawn
a life force that may destroy the human race.
Henstridge returns in "Species II" as Eve, a docile clone of Sil.
Eve was designed to be studied but finds that her services are needed when a male astronaut
becomes infected with the alien DNA on a trip to Mars.
Both films serve as hokey and gory sci-fiction horror fun while commenting on female sexuality
and gender norms.
Henstridge would return to the franchise one more time in 2004, but her most successful
outing as the gorgeous alien remains in the original film.
The franchise suffers from dated understandings of gender essentialism, but "Species" and
"Species II" stand out as interesting landmarks in feminist horror.
Drew Barrymore has been a scream queen practically since birth.
She first won attention with her screaming at the age of seven as the charming Gertie
in Steven Spielberg's "E.T.
the Extra-Terrestrial".
And then as the titular "Firestarter" in Mark L. Lester's adaptation of Stephen King's novel.
Barrymore is now mostly known for her roles in romantic comedies and her endearing talk
show, but she holds an essential place in the horror genre.
She signed on to play the lead role in Wes Craven's film, "Scream," a meta-slasher about
a serial killer who taunts his victims by quizzing them about scary movies over the phone.
Rather than play the film's heroine Sidney, Barrymore fought to play Casey Becker, a student
who dies in the opening scene.
She sacrificed the starring role, hoping to shake audience expectations that the pretty
blond would survive until the final frame.
Her early death disrupted genre norms, paving the way for a new leading lady and a revolution
in the horror landscape.
Before "Scream," Neve Campbell was known as Julia Salinger from "Party of Five."
Moments after Casey's death, Campbell's Sidney Prescott debuted on screen.
Sidney becomes the primary target of Ghostface, the masked killer who haunts the suburban
town of Woodsboro, California.
"Scream" represents a departure from traditional slashers, as its characters live in a world
where horror movies exist and the slasher formula is well known.
Its most famous scene involves film geek Randy standing in front of a TV showing "Halloween"
while explaining the rules to surviving a horror movie.
"I'll be right back!"
"OH!!!"
Sidney gives a similar speech to the killer, whom she believes to be a prank caller when
asked why she doesn't watch scary movies.
"They're all the same.
Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act and is always running up
the stairs when she should be running out the front door."
Craven's scary movie would turn the genre on its head and usher in a new wave of slasher
films that would dominate the rest of the decade.
Campbell had a role in "The Craft" released shortly before "Scream," but her role as Sidney
made her one of horror's most beloved final girls.
Campbell will not return in the upcoming Scream 6.
After twenty-five years of surviving the masked killer, Sidney may finally be able to live
her life in peace with her family.
Neve Campbell is not the only television star to appear in Wes Craven's game-changing meta-slasher,
"Scream."
Cox was known to audiences as the uptight but loveable Monica Geller on the NBC juggernaut
"Friends" when she portrayed the soulless reporter and true-crime author Gale Weathers.
At first, Sidney detests Gale, punching her in the face for her attempts to capitalize
on her mother's murder.
But Gale becomes determined to make a name for herself, reporting on a series of crimes
she coins the Woodsboro Murders.
As the two women survive countless attacks from different iterations of Ghostface, they
become lifelong friends and sister survivors.
Though she's delightful in every appearance as Gale, Cox's best film in the franchise
is "Scream 2."
Returning to investigate another masked killer, Gale reunites with uneasy ally Sidney and
former flame, Deputy Dewey Riley, whom she fell for in the original film.
Gale tugs at our heartstrings when she seemingly watches Dewey die on the other side of the
soundproof glass.
She also helps Sidney defeat the dual Ghostface killers.
However, Gale's refusal of the spotlight and insistence on riding with Dewey to the hospital
solidifies her as a beloved franchise star.
Her offscreen marriage to David Arquette made the on-screen pairing that much better.
Once "Scream" became a massive hit, studio executives fell over themselves to greenlight
a teen slasher they could spin into a franchise.
The most popular of these attempts is "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
Loosely based on the novel by Lois Duncan, the film follows Julie James and her four
friends as they accidentally run over a man on the night of their high school graduation.
Fearing for their futures, the teens cover up the murder by dumping the body.
They agree to keep the secret and go their separate ways.
However, someone else witnessed the crime.
The film's title refers to a note Julie receives one year later from a mysterious stalker hellbent
on making them pay.
Penned by Kevin Williamson, who also wrote "Scream" and "Scream 2," the film is more
of an earnest murder mystery than a meta-slasher.
However, its witty banter, trendy characters, and lack of nudity and gore make it a quintessential
'90s horror film.
Hewitt starred alongside Neve Campbell in "Party of Five" when she made her horror movie debut.
She reprised her role as Julie James in the film's bizarre tropical sequel, "I Still Know
What You Did Last Summer."
But after the original film, her status as a '90s scream queen became cemented.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, HUH?"
Of all the '90s scream queens on this list, few have made as much of an impact as Sarah
Michelle Gellar.
After years of smaller roles and commercials, Gellar smashed onto the horror scene in 1997
as the titular slayer in Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Taking over for Kristy Swanson, who originated the role in the 1992 film of the same name,
Gellar developed a character that's vulnerable and strong and still inspires generations
of fearless women today.
The year also saw Gellar star in "I Know What You Did Last Summer" as Helen Shivers, Julie's
best friend whose plans to become a serious actress after high school go awry in the wake
of their clandestine hit and run.
Her tragic but thrilling death sequence during a Fourth of July parade is the film's highlight.
Gellar also appears in "Scream 2" as Cici, a film student and sorority sister who falls
victim to Ghostface while alone in her sorority house.
Gellar married her "I Know What You Did Last Summer" co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. and starred
with him in several live-action "Scooby Doo" movies, featuring "Scream" alum Matthew Lillard.
After taking a break from acting, Gellar returned as headmistress of a posh high school in the
Netflix film "Do Revenge," a role that sees her symbolically pass the torch to a new generation
of young starlets.
Jada Pinkett Smith was an established name in the film world, having starred in critically
acclaimed films like "Menace II Society" and "Jason's Lyric," before leaping into horror
with 1995's "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight."
A horror comedy spinoff from the late-night HBO horror anthology series, the film has
become a genre classic.
Pinkett Smith is the ex-con Jeryline, who teams up with a drifter to defend the human
race against an army of demons.
Pinkett Smith's other notable horror role is in the opening of "Scream 2," which doubles
as a fantastic short film.
As Maureen, Pinkett Smith criticizes horror for its lack of Black leads while on a date
with her boyfriend, lobbying to see a Sandra Bullock film.
Instead, they see "Stab," a cinematic retelling of the Woodsboro Murders.
In a packed theater filled with audience members wearing Ghostface costumes supplied by the
studio, the killer hides in plain sight and kills Maureen.
She wanders to the screen, begging for help before dying on stage in front of the film's
title card.
The audience finally realizes this isn't a publicity stunt, as the killer quietly slips
out of the theater.
Maureen's heartbreaking death perfectly sets the stage for a film that expertly examines
its predecessor and the concept of horror sequels.
Michelle Williams is now known for her dramatic roles including four Oscar Nominations and
a Primetime Emmy for "Fosse/Verdon."
Many may remember her as Jen Lindley, the bad girl with a heart of gold on The WB's
"Dawson's Creek."
But before she became a household name, Williams played a brief but pivotal role in 1990's horror.
Williams starred as a young Sil in the 1995 film "Species," breaking out of the lab prison
before rapidly aging and transforming into Natasha Henstridge.
Three years later, Williams played a supporting role in "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later."
The film is known as the return to the franchise for the original final girl Laurie Strode,
20 years after her iconic performance in 1978's "Halloween."
Going by Keri Tate, Laurie is the headmistress of an elite boarding school.
Williams plays Molly, a student who is dating Laurie's son.
Laurie's decision to turn the tables on Michael and hunt him through the deserted campus is
the film's highlight.
But Williams is a surprisingly effective final girl.
She's the one who first notices Michael lurking around campus, and she shares the traditional
classroom exposition scene with Curtis.
Williams has only returned once to the horror genre in the 2010 film "Shutter Island," but
her fantastic '90s performances as heroine and monster keep hope alive that she will
one day return to reclaim her scream queen throne.
Previously known to teen audiences as the Noxzema Girl, Rebecca Gayheart made her horror
debut in a small but memorable role as ditzy sorority girl Lois in "Scream 2."
She followed this up with a career highlight — portraying Brenda Bates in "Urban Legend."
The slasher film follows college students plagued by a killer styling their murders
after modern mythology.
Brenda eventually reveals she's the killer and gives a deliciously unhinged monologue
explaining her crimes to the final girl Natalie, complete with a slide show explaining her
motivation and 1,000 candles.
With smeared eyeliner and increasingly curly hair, Brenda became one of the best on-screen
female killers.
Gayheart followed this killer role with the black comedy "Jawbreaker."
A spiritual successor to "Heathers," the film follows a group of popular high school girls
who accidentally kill the prom queen in a prank gone wrong.
"You gagged her with a jawbreaker?"
Gayheart is Julie, a mean girl who finds her conscience when the plot to cover up the murder
grows more elaborate.
Glasses and a newfound embrace of denim show her increasing virtue.
The stacked cast includes Rose McGowan, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as wallflower turned
queen bee.
Poorly received at the time, "Jawbreaker" shocked audiences with its biting satire and sexuality.
Now it has become a cult classic and is considered way ahead of its time.
It seems that every young TV starlet was getting in on the horror game in the late '90s.
The trend saw studios relying on bankable young actresses to draw in teen crowds who
might not ordinarily go to horror films.
The genre was steadily moving away from the nudity-filled '80s slasher, making it less
risky for well-known TV stars hoping to break into film.
During her tenure on "Dawson's Creek," Katie Holmes released two horror films at the tail
end of the era.
Holmes starred in the 1998 film "Disturbing Behavior," a fun nod to "The Stepford Wives"
and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
The film follows a group of misfit teens targeted by a group of model students known as the
Blue Ribbons.
Holmes plays against type as bad girl Rachel Wagner whose goth look and seductive demeanor
are a significant departure from the studious and conservative Joey Potter she was currently
playing on "Dawson's Creek."
Holmes followed this role with Kevin Williamson's directorial debut "Teaching Mrs. Tingle".
Holmes portrays Leigh Ann Watson, a top student who will do anything to be named valedictorian.
Premiering three months after the mass shooting at Columbine High School shocked the nation,
audiences had no appetite for murderous teenagers.
The film was a box office bomb, foreshadowing the end of the '90s teen horror era.
The final entry on this list is wildly different from anyone who comes before her.
Heather Donahue was an unknown actress when she signed up for an experimental film in
which she and two other actors would venture into the woods, film their material, and heavily
improvise scenes.
"The Blair Witch Project" is not the first found footage horror film, but its massive
success and terrifying premise made it one of the most profitable films of all time.
Heather is a film student who goes on a camping expedition with her two-man tech crew to make
a documentary about the Blair Witch, rumored to haunt the woods outside of Burkittsville, Maryland.
As they trek further into the woods, Heather Donahue, Josh Leonard, and Mike Williams become
targeted by a mysterious force as the scenery seemingly shifts around them.
"HELP!
PLEASE HELP US!"
Even though the film was a massive hit, the audience lambasted Donahue.
As an assertive woman in an unglamorous role, she was called misogynistic names and mocked
for a tear-filled monologue where she blames herself for the team's predicament.
Unfortunately, this heavy criticism caused the talented actress to abandon the film industry altogether.
Donahue told the Philadelphia Inquirer,
"I took all my stuff into the desert related to my acting career and burned it all."
Even still, her performance is a landmark in feminist cinema that will go down in history
as one of the bravest portrayals of all time.