[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

SCREAM QUEENS

Using the definition from my first post of the "female protagonist, someone who is in peril and sometimes (but not always) is the 'final girl' in slasher films" means at least one of these might not be considered a Scream Queen, but I felt they fitted the definition – I may do a more 'conventional' list tomorrow.

1. Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode, Halloween) – probably my favourite 'final girl' and definitely my favourite in this category as well. Her character is so wonderfully written and I don't think her performance can't be faulted.
2. Heather Langenkamp (Nancy Thompson, A Nightmare on Elm Street) – smart and determined, she proves a match for Freddy Krueger time and time again.
3. Marilyn Burns (Sally Hardesty, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) – surviving the shoot was an achievement in itself, but even more impressive is conveying the sheer terror of some remarkably intense sequences.
4. Ellen Burstyn (Chris McNeil, The Exorcist) – perhaps an unconventional screen queen, but I feel her performance in William Friedkin's horror classic is one full of nuance, demonstrating vulnerability and strength, doubt and force of will, not to mention a capacity to scream extremely loudly!
5. Janet Leigh (Marion Crane, Psycho) – although she is only in the film for the first act, the impression she leaves on the viewer (and Norman) is indelible and more than just a shower scene! An honourable mention for Vera Miles, who could have made this list for the same film.
6. Fay Wray (Ann Darrow, King Kong) – perhaps the first scream queen in an American film, her interactions with 'the ninth wonder of the world' are extraordinary to watch today, so I've no idea how audiences in the 1930s would have reacted, and I don't think the film's final line would have such meaning if it wasn't for her performance.
7. Catriona MacColl (Liza Merrill, The Beyond) – there are so many films whether performance deserves a place on this list, but I prefer this to the other two from Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy and it's a shame actors in films like this aren't generally recognised like those in more mainstream films.
8. Linnea Quigley (Trash, The Return of the Living Dead) – there's something brilliant about dancing naked in a graveyard which elevates this performance above the memorable ones in Silent Night Deadly Night, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, or Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, and many others.
9. Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley, Alien) – even if the was originally written for a man, it's impossible to imagine anyone but Weaver in (what turns out to be) the main role, as she demonstrates a survival instinct which neglects (Jones the cat aside) her male counterparts. I could equally have chosen the performance in Aliens because I love the relationship with Newt and the fight against that the Alien Queen, but the first film remains my favourite.
10. Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott, Scream) – appearing in all four films in this franchise and impressing in all, Campbell's portrayal of Prescott and her interactions with her numerous friends and the different Ghostfaces along the way are all really good, but the first stands out because the film seemed something different at the time and, though I like how Scream plays with the sequel rules and how it affects Sidney, the third act in the original film elevates her above many other worthy contenders.