The most powerful female performances in Horror Films
In the world of horrorfilms, there are good films and there are bad films. The tragic part for me is that it seems like the truly haunting, bold, and simply unnerving performances by some of its heroines are often overlooked. Just because a film is of the horror genre does not mean it cannot have solid acting. Here a list of the greatest perfomances in Horror Movie History.
List activity
8.3K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
30 titles
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsSissy SpacekPiper LaurieAmy IrvingCarrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie both did a truly magnificent job in this film. They were rightly rewarded by getting nominated for Oscars. Terrific acting if there ever was any.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsEllen BurstynMax von SydowLinda BlairWhen a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.Ellen Burstyn was robbed at the Academy Awards. It is truly a shame and pity that such a powerful perfomance did not win the Oscar in the 'Best Actress' category. A shame, but it certainly does not change the fact that Ellen Burstyn gave a truly remarkable performance.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSigourney WeaverMichael BiehnCarrie HennDecades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.Another widely recognized performance by Sigourney Weaver. Bold, strong and with very much onscreen presence she should have won the Oscar as well.
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.Clare Higgins as the cold and manipulating Julia gave a truly fantastic performance and brought an unquestionable layer to an otherwise 'flat' character. A very good job here.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsMargot KidderJennifer SaltCharles DurningA small-time reporter tries to convince the police she saw a murder in the apartment across from hers.Somewhat of a strange and confusing film, Margot Kidder does the best she can with a not-so-perfect script and gives a fine performance in this flawed but interesting thriller.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteA year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.Drew Barrymore gives the best performance of her entire career in the opening moments of this film. Although some might argue that acting in a horror film would not be very difficult, I find that Drew's performance in this film was nerve-wracking and added a terror and power to the film, which has not been recaptured in neither the rest of the film or any of its sequels.
- DirectorJoseph ZitoStarsErich AndersonJudie AronsonPeter BartonAfter being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake.Kimberly Beck is the main heroine Trish Jarvis gives a very good performance in this one. I will say that her character obviously did not have much depth, but in my opinion she gives the best and most convincing performance in the entire franchise.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.Although it is a well-known and infamous fact that in certain scenes, Shelley Duvall TRULY was scared of the impeccable Nicholson while shooting this classic film, it is undeniably a powerful and sympathetic performance which should have gotten more credit, from the Academy Awards perhaps.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsJulia RobertsJohn MalkovichGeorge ColeA housemaid falls in love with Dr. Henry Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Edward Hyde.I do not care for Julia Roberts as an actress in general, but in this film she proves to be a master of understated, subtle acting which does leave a lasting impression. A very good job from Ms Roberts.
- DirectorBernard RoseStarsVirginia MadsenXander BerkeleyTony ToddThe Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.Always an actress to rely on, Virginia Madsen gives a wonderful and well-rounded perfomance in Candyman. A terrifying film either way, the movie only benefits greatly from the acting skills of Madsen, who truly shines as our main heroine.
- DirectorDaniel MyrickEduardo SánchezStarsHeather DonahueMichael C. WilliamsJoshua LeonardThree film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.Even though all three main actors were astounding in this film, I found Heather Donahue's fearless and moving performance one to remember forever. It is astonishing to me how none of these gifted actors received more credit for the work they did in this simple, no-budget thriller. The film would have never been a critical or commercial succes without these fantastic performances.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróPaco PlazaStarsManuela VelascoFerran TerrazaJorge-Yamam SerranoA television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.Manuela Velasco did a great job in this tense horrorfilm. She was endearing, likeable and very convincing in the lead role.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsJoBeth WilliamsHeather O'RourkeCraig T. NelsonA family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.A very nice and classy performance from JoBeth Williams, who does a remarkable job is the matriarch of the films family. She gives a great performance and manages to seamlessly portray courage and fear at the same time.
- DirectorJim GillespieStarsJennifer Love HewittSarah Michelle GellarAnne HecheFour young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.I am certainly no fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I will be the first to admit that she gives the single best performance in this luke warm teen thriller. As the suspence builds, and we as an audience are slightly baffled with the casting of Love-Hewitt and particularly Prinze Jr., there comes along Gellar who actually makes the film work in her main moment as she is stalked by the killer. A very nice performance and the only good moment in the film.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsCécile de FranceMaïwennPhilippe NahonBest friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.A very fitting title for this flawed but certainly tense horrorfilm, in which our main heroines Cecile DeFrance and Maiwenn LeBesco give very fine performances which only add to the tension so brilliantly shot by the Director. very strong work from both actresses.
- DirectorAlexandre BustilloJulien MauryStarsAlysson ParadisJean-Baptiste TabourinClaude LuléFour months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.A simply terrifying turn from Beatrice Dalle is the villain in this very nasty French film. Our main heroine, Allyson Paradis also does a nice job in this movie, but in the end she is blown out of the water by Dalle who is truly one of the most frightening villains in horrorfilm history. Dalle is perhaps the sole reason this otherwise bleak and gritty film doesn't venture into ridiculousness by its over the top gore.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.In one of the most believable and truly astounding performances in a horror film ever, Marylin Burns gives us a performance that will haunt the viewer for a long time. We do not only feel sorry for her character in the film, we feel truly sorry for the actress whose panic, fear and sheer madness by the end of this film feel like anyting but an act.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsAsia ArgentoThomas KretschmannMarco LeonardiA young policewoman slowly goes insane while tracking down an elusive serial rapist/killer through Italy when she herself becomes a victim of the brutal man's obsession.In this interesting thriller from infamous director Dario Argento, his daughter Asia gives a powerful and severely overlooked performance. And I am sure this was not an easy task, because she portrays a character who has many layers, and Asia Argento somehow manages to go from vulnerable to tough, endearing and innocent to terrifying in a seamless blink of and eye.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeff GoldblumGeena DavisJohn GetzA brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.Geena Davis is very good in this special effects filled horror from master director Cronenberg. She has a very likeable quality, and towards the climax gives some of her best work and truly pulls off the emotional scenes with some believeable fear thrown in for good measure.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.Nanako Matsushima gives a very nice performance in this classic Japanese chiller. What starts of as a cool and very much in-control character, slowly but surely descends into pure terror, along with the audience.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsOlivia HusseyKeir DulleaMargot KidderDuring their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.A very subtle, but very good performance by charismatic lead actress Olivia Hussey. She starts of as a well grounded and tranquil character, so when in the end even she is screaming for her life, the audience is on the egde of their seats. Very well done.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsCillian MurphyNaomie HarrisChristopher EcclestonFour weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.Naomi Harris is pure power and presence in this haunting film from British director Danny Boyle. She represents the perfect horror heroine in her ability to be sensitive and strong at the same time. I very much liked her in this film and she should be doing more movies.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.In the classic among the classics, Jamie Lee Curtis gives a very likeable performance as Laurie Strode. The ill-fated main heroine has the audience rooting for her in a way that has not been experienced so greatly in any horror film. A very nice debut from Curtis, who thankfully garnered much recognition for being the wonderful actress that she is.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMia FarrowJohn CassavetesRuth GordonA young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.Mia Farrow does a subtle and haunting film more than a favor by giving a subtle and haunting performance to go with it. I cannot imagine any other actress in this role, and Farrow did very well.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBette DavisJoan CrawfordVictor BuonoA former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.Classis screen legends Joan Crawford and Bette Davis both do very well in this disturbing thriller. Davis is frightening as the villainess here, giving a film that is both scary and yet oddly funny a performance which is the same. The performace of Crawford however, has nothing to do with dark humour, and she gives the movie balance which makes it disturbing to watch.
- DirectorCharles E. Sellier Jr.StarsLilyan ChauvinGilmer McCormickToni NeroLittle Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.Lilyan Chauvin as mother superior does a remarkable job in this slasherfilm, even given her limited screentime. She manages to make the seemingly evil mother superior, who would have been a one-dimensional character on paper, a human side. Mother Superior is both cold and human at the same time, which I found very well done.
- DirectorTom SaviniStarsTony ToddPatricia TallmanTom TowlesWhen the unburied dead return to life and seek human victims, seven refugees shelter in a house in the Pennsylvanian countryside.Patricia Tallman does a very good job as Barbara in this remake of the classic Romero chiller. The film is not bad, but I do feel most of it is owed to a very good performance by our lead heroine.
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsDonald SutherlandBrooke AdamsJeff GoldblumWhen strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.Veroncia Cartwright is a master of hysteric, borderline over-the-top performances which somehow still work. Here she is effective as one of the lead characters, and in my opinion outshines some of the other actors in the film.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsNicole KidmanChristopher EcclestonFionnula FlanaganIn 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.Nicole Kidman steals the scenery in a powerhouse role from director Amenebar. A good suspense chiller in which Kidman does very good as the aloof, but caring and protective mother who ends up descending into madness. Very well done.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsOliver ReedSamantha EggarArt HindleA man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.This nightmarish film is done justice by the nightmarish performance from Samantha Eggar. In wich must be a very challenging role to play, Eggar fearlessly pulls it off to make the audience believe the bizarre and truly horrific turn of events of the shocking finale.