This year may go down in cinematic history as one with the most Scream Queens. This regal cinematic bestowment isn’t to be taken lightly, it was great to see so many final girls this year. A final girl is usually the female lead in a horror movie who has a showdown with the villain by the film’s end.
We wanted to pay tribute to these wonderful actresses who graced us with their horror movie peril in 2024 by listing 11 of our favorites. That number could increase but to avoid spoilers for The Heretic we will just mention Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East.
Naomi Scott: Smile 2
Scott may have given us the most tortured character this year. Followed by a demon that feeds off trauma, her character – pop singer Skye Riley – is never sure what is real. It said that music soothes the savage beast, but if that beast comes from hell, it’s a lot tougher.
Samara Weaving: Azrael
Weaving is one of those actresses who holds great status in the horror world even though she isn’t really considered a genre heavyweight. Her single performance in Radio Silence’s Ready or Not gave her an honorary pass so much so that people were excited for her cameo in Scream VI, probably more than the movie itself.
Maika Monroe: Longlegs
Monroe’s horror card is full. From her star turn in It Follows and then The Guest and The Watcher, she knows where she’s needed. Oz Perkins saw this talent and gave her the lead in his Longlegs and now she might be considered the woman who put Neon Pictures on the map.
Lauren LaVera: Terrifier 3
The scripts will be pouring in for Lauren after her stand-out performance in this year’s Terrifier 3. She’s put a little polish on her acting skills since the last film and elevated part three into more than just a gimmicky slasher. From our standpoint, she is 2024’s ultimate final girl.
Hunter Schafer: Cuckoo
One thing we love about Schafer is that she is willing to take risks. We are sure she took one look at the script for Cuckoo and said, “WTF? I’ll do it!” With all of its craziness, Schafer kept it together and gave one of this year’s best performances.
Lily-Rose Depp: Nosferatu
We will have to see how Depp does in Nosferatu which opens on December 13, but those familiar with the source material already know how it works out. That gives us hope not only for the film but maybe an Oscar nod.
Mia Goth: MaXXXine
Of all the actresses on this list, Goth is an official scream queen; just her last name is an indication of that. Goth gave us what might be the last chapter in Ti West’s X franchise and she just got done filming the ultimate horror movie, a Frankenstein remake.
Sydney Sweeney: Immaculate
No one saw Sweeney coming as a scream queen until this year in the religious horror movie Immaculate. She had just come off the success of the rom-com, Anyone But You, and that kind of film seemed like the trajectory her fame would take in Tinseltown. But lo and behold she sideswiped us with this genre shocker and now we want to see her do more.
Nell Tiger Free: The First Omen
The other religious horror film of 2024 starred Free as a novice sister entering a convent where sinister things are happening. This movie had so many delays and is tied to a popular franchise that people predicted it would be a flop. But no, Free saved the day – and the franchise – with her performance.
Cailee Spaeny: Alien: Romulus
Spaeny had some pretty big shoes to fill as a final girl. She stepped into a role that is figuratively a character originated by Sigourney Weaver in 1979. While not considered a remake, Romulus was definitely an homage to the original Alien (and Aliens) which came out 45 years ago. Spaeny understood the assignment and gave us a final girl to root for.
Andrea Pavlovic: In a Violent Nature
Pavlovic isn’t really a final girl in the traditional sense; she doesn’t become relevant in In a Violent Nature until the third act. But, she ticks all the boxes, and having to endure that odd and extended monologue by Lauren-Marie Taylor at the end gives her an honorary place on this list.
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