In this era’s new class of horror It Girls, one actress is flying under the radar but could challenge for the crown of #1 modern horror scream queen right now. Even though horror has never really struggled as a genre, it’s fair to say that it’s thriving like never before right now. With the explosion of streaming and a growing embrace of genre offerings, horror is weirder, more experimental, smarter, and in more formats than it ever has been. Horror anthologies and horror TV series abound, Neon and especially A24 offer inventive horror movies, and big horror franchises are coming back from the dead. It’s a great time to be a horror fan.
Still, a genre is only as strong as its actors, and horror is no different; horror movies live and die by their final girls. This resurgence has been fueled by smart writing and directing, but also by the excellent performances in the genre. Horror has always been a young person’s game, with most of the genre’s offerings aimed at younger audiences. It’s no surprise, then, that the best work in the genre is being offered up by new stars and up-and-coming actresses – and one, in particular, stands out.
Sophie Thatcher Has Been Flying Under The Radar As Horror’s #1 It Girl
She’s Quietly Putting Together A Really Impressive Horror Resume
While other horror ingenues have gotten more attention as of late, such as Scream‘s Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, there are plenty of other actresses putting their stamp on the genre in a quieter but equally compelling way. One of those is low-key the best modern scream queen of them all: Sophie Thatcher. Thatcher is still a relative newcomer to Hollywood, with her first acting credit coming in 2015, but her first major role not coming until five years later with 2020’s When the Streetlights Go On.
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Of the 15 projects Thatcher has appeared in to date, half of them have been rooted in horror, no matter the format. Her second non-short project was playing a young Regan in The Exorcist reboot series. When the Streetlights Go On, while not exactly horror, could be considered horror-adjacent as a crime thriller and murder mystery with sinister elements. Then came the horror short, Blink, and the acclaimed horror-thriller Yellowjackets. Immediately after that, Thatcher starred in three bangers in a row: The Boogeyman, MaXXXine, and, most recently, Heretic. She’s not slowing down, either, with more Yellowjackets and the upcoming thriller Companion in the works.
Yellowjackets really showed off Thatcher’s talent, with the young actress garnering lots of praise for her portrayal of the teenage Natalie. Natalie is a troubled character, full of layers and prickly complexity, and Thatcher is widely credited for being the beating heart of the show. Her portrayal of the younger version of Juliette Lewis’ character brings heart to the role, infusing the horror with warmth. Her turn in the box office milestone-setting Heretic as Sister Barnes has also been praised for its nuance and depth, another example of how Thatcher brings another level to every project she’s in, especially horror.
Modern Horror Has Benefited From A New Crop Of Young Scream Queens
They’ve Reinvigorated The Horror Genre
Whether one agrees Sophie Thatcher is the #1 scream queen right now, it can’t be argued that the horror genre is experiencing a renaissance thanks to a new crop of talented young actresses bringing new perspectives and lots of fresh talent to the game. The aforementioned Ortega and Barrera are two of the biggest names, but there’s also Anya Taylor-Joy, Samara Weaving, Maika Monroe, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mia Goth, and others. That’s an excellent lineup of young talent, with several of those names looking like future Emmy or Oscar winners.
|
Actress |
Notable Horror/Thriller Projects |
|---|---|
|
Sophie Thatcher |
The Exorcist, Yellowjackets, When The Streetlights Go On, Blink, The Boogeyman, MaXXXine, Heretic, Companion |
|
Jenna Ortega |
Insidious: Chapter 2, Deadtime Stories, You, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Scream, Studio 666, X, Wednesday, Scream VI, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Death of a Unicorn |
|
Melissa Barrera |
Scream, Scream VI, Abigail, Keep Breathing, Bed Rest, Your Monster, The One |
|
Samara Weaving |
Ash vs. Evil Dead, Ready or Not, Bad Girl, Mayhem, The Babysitter, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Last Moment of Clarity, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Scream VI, Azrael, The Trip, Ready or Not sequel |
|
Maika Monroe |
Bad Blood, The Guest, It Follows, Tau, Villains, How to Be Alone, The Stranger, Watcher, Significant Other, God Is a Bullet, Longlegs, They Follow, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Brides |
|
Anya Taylor-Joy |
The Witch, The Menu, Split, Glass, Marrowbone, Morgan, Last Night in Soho, The Gorge |
|
Jasmin Savoy Brown |
Scream, Scream VI, Yellowjackets, Missing, Sound of Violence |
|
Mia Goth |
X, MaXXXine, Pearl, Infinity Pool, Suspiria, Marrowbone, High Life |
Unlike most scream queens of generations past, these actresses have shown they are seriously talented, making the jump from horror to other genres with ease. They’re not doing horror because low-budget horror projects are the only ones they can land after being pigeonholed as a genre actress, like actresses of yore, but because they truly love it. This new class of scream queens is wielding their talent and power like never before in the industry, leaving their mark on the horror genre and Hollywood as a whole. The result is a golden age of horror; the genre is more interesting than it ever has been, and we’re all the luckier for it.
