The Scream Queen. In the same respect that Sandra Bullock will forever be associated with her roles in romantic-comedies, the horror genre is well recognized as a genre that keeps reusing the same actresses over and over again. Horror is a very peculiar genre in that it takes a very particular viewer to appreciate it. That being said, we're a diehard group of fans and love seeing our favorite actors/actresses over and over and over again. Witness, the Scream Queen. A title coined for Fay Wray and perfected by Hazel Court, the scream queen of the modern era is a creature entirely their own. Most notably, actresses like Linnea Quigley, and Jamie Lee Curtis have chosen horror as their mainstay. More recently, scream queens tend to be actresses that make their living performing in campy B-Movies for the majority of their career. While this isn't a bad thing in any facet, it would appear that the true, genuine scream queen is a dying breed. By definition, a scream queen is an actress that has starred in a large amount of horror films in sequence and seems to always return to said genre. So I ask, where have all the scream queens gone?
Now I must preface this by saying that I'm completely aware of the talents of Danielle Harris, Tiffany Shepis, and Debbie Rochon. True scream queens know they're scream queens and I don't need to justify their careers on my website. This is more so focused to the recent splurge of self-proclaimed scream queens. I'm sorry, but just because you screamed at a CGI monster in a push up bra in two films...you're not a scream queen (I'm looking at you Jaimie Alexander). It is true that a good load of aspiring actors/actresses get their start in horror films, but it seems as though up and coming talent is taking advantage of that concept. Bitches need to learn their roots and throw a bone to the genre that got them their start. I'm not saying that actresses shouldn't do other work outside of horror films, but they need to be deserving enough to call themselves a scream queen...and that includes doing more than just a handful of horror films. The title of "Scream Queen" isn't given out like Halloween candy, it's earned.
This leads me to quite possibly my biggest issue with the modern "scream queen". Reality television. The acting business is NOT an easy business to get into, and I can't help but turn into a green monster whenever I see these no-talent bimbos making a name for themselves when they have absolutely zero credibility to back it up. VH1's
Scream Queens infuriated me to absolutely no end. NONE of these girls knew anything about the genre they're trying to break into. In season 2, When Freddy Krueger fell from the ceiling, a girl referred to him as "the boogeyman". Let's be honest here, she called him the boogeyman because she had no flipping clue who he was. Don't you dare try to tell me she was referencing the "do you believe in the boogeyman?" line from
A Nightmare on Elm Street. I understand that this is an "acting" competition first and foremost,
but at least do your research before you show up to the set. I would bet my college tuition money that none of these girls had any clue who Tim Sullivan was. The first season's host, Shawnee Smith, didn't return for the second season and while I complained that Shawnee Smith had the same amount of presence as a turkey sandwich on the first season, I think she was more deserving of the host role than replacement host Jaime King. The show is about becoming a HORROR actress, a Scream Queen...and I can count the amount of prominent horror films Jaime King has performed in on one hand.
The only thing keeping me somewhat sane is the talented young actress, Jodelle Ferland. At only 17 years old, the not even legal actress has starred in more horror films than some of the women mentioned in this article combined. What I admire most about the actress is not only her ability to perform well despite poor scripts or bad direction, but she takes just about every horror role offered to her. While she's most easily recognized as Alessa in the
Silent Hill movie, she's also the one-armed zombie Buckner child from
The Cabin In The Woods, baby
Carrie in the made for TV remake, a favorite of Wes Craven's more recent films, and even lent her voice for the kid-friendly horror flick,
Paranorman. I said it on twitter and I'll say it here, I'm calling it now, Jodelle Ferland is the second coming of Danielle Harris. She made a name for herself in the horror genre as a little one, and the horror genre has been very kind to her through the years. I hate to say it, but this little one is holding my hope for the scream queen survival in her hands.
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