Meaning of scream queen | Babel Free

Definitions

An actress who appears in several horror films.

informal

Equivalents

Examples

“Her [Janet Leigh's] "scream⟳ queen" status also led to cameo roles in Jamie Lee Curtis' 1998 horror sequel Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and A Fate Totally Worse than Death in 2000.”

“What makes a good scream⟳ queen? Lloyd Kaufman, whose Troma Films has distributed more than 1,000 horror films since the mid-'70s, says, "It's more than just crying and having ketchup thrown on you. You not only have⟳ to be attractive, but you also have⟳ to have⟳ a big brain. You have⟳ to be frightened, you have⟳ to be sad, you have⟳ to be romantic."”

“In short order⟳, Friday the 13th (the first widely distributed major studio slasher flick), Terror Train⟳ and Prom Night – the latter two starring uber-scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis […]– led the charge into cinemas. With the formula nailed down – masked killer stalks and slays teenagers on a particular holiday or special event – everyone and their cousin could assemble their own⟳ cheapie horror flick and as a result⟳, quality slumped as quantity multiplied.”

“Confessions of a Scream⟳ Queen by Matt Beckoff (BearManor Media) is a series of interviews with actresses associated with horror films (using a very loose definition of the term "scream⟳ queen").”

“In this unique gallery of “Scream⟳ Queens,” you'll discover⟳ sixteen actresses who starred in bloodcurdling movies and TV shows […] The original Scream⟳ Queens were actresses in precarious, life-threatening situations—exemplified by the scene in King Kong in which the monstrous Kong "holds" [Fay] Wray in his hand while terrorizing Manhattan.”

CEFR level