Who are the new horror film icons?

We all remember Marion Crane’s (Janet Leigh) scream in the shower in Psycho. With Hitchcock, she marked an era of horror that raised applause at awards shows and froze viewers in their seats with fear. Decades later, Hollywood has new faces of bloody horror that remind us that a good scream is as good as a good cry on screen

Halloween is the time to spotlight the best horror movies and, with them, the figures who are bleeding on screen right now and leaving us terrified.

Here we bring you those actors and creators of terror that we can’t stop watching, even when we want to close our eyes.

The queen of screams

Mia Goth is the true star of horror films today. Her filmography brings together disturbing characters with a prominent place in the genre.

She has earned the label of scream queen with explosive work, especially highlighted in Ti West’s X trilogy (X, Pearl and MaXXXine).

In addition to this trilogy, which has become a modern cult saga, Goth has held loyal to roles that explore the macabre, creepy and supernatural. Since the beginning of her career, she has immersed herself in dark stories that set an atmosphere of tension in films such as A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria, High Life and Infinity Pool.

Consequently, she is a distinctive figure on screen with great versatility and an ability to delve into complex emotions worthy of the best horror films.

From golden statuettes to silent screams

Lupita Nyong’o established herself in Hollywood with an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave and her solid performance has taken her to well-known franchises and big productions.

But one genre that has really clicked with her is horror.

In Jordan Peele’s Us, Nyong’o dazzles in a dual lead role as Adelaide Wilson and her malevolent doppelgänger, Red.

The film has been acclaimed for its haunting atmosphere, surprising twists, original narrative and brilliant performances.

On the other hand, in A Quiet Place: Day One, Nyong’o gives one of the best performances with silent screams and terrified gazes we will see in cinema today.

The disturbing smile

One of the creepy faces that will remain in our memory forever is the one of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in IT. That smile caused many nightmares on the film’s opening nights, but this is not the actor’s only horror film role.

Skarsgård has starred in the horror series Hemlock Grove and Castle Rock and worked in genre film productions such as Barbarians — with his performance as Count Orlok in Nosferatu being one of the most anticipated Gothic horror films of 2024.

The young face of horror movies

At her young age Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) has shown great versatility, although some of her roles in the horror genre are standing out. After all, she was chosen to continue the Scream saga — an established, famous and one of the most popular in the industry.

In addition to appearing in Studio 666 alongside Dave Grohl and her Foo Fighters bandmates, Ortega has starred in The Babysitter: Killer Queen and American Carnage, but one production that earned her great recognition was X (with Mia Goth), a pivotal point in her career to go after more mature roles. 

The creators of fear

The horror genre is alight right now with actors and filmmakers promising attention to detail to bring the viewer the most disturbing and chilling films.

Finding stories that shock and surprise is essential in horror cinema, which is why many viewers are keeping an eye on director Jordan Peele and his work. Nope, Get Out and Us are films that leave no one indifferent and are considered some of the best in the genre today.

Other big names currently known are Robert Eggers for The Witch, James Wan for The Conjuring, Ari Aster for Midsommar and Ti West who has directed some of the most memorable horror films today such as the X series.

The unique vision of some filmmakers is refreshing today. From France, a director who is demonstrating provocative creativity is Julia Ducournau with her horror films Titane and Grave.

She’s not alone, other female directors are diving into the mystery and darkness of horror films such as Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) and Natalie Erika James (Apartment 7 A).

Images: Gage Skidmore, MTV UK, Harald Krichel, and more Gage Skidmore