The title of Scream Queen may sound like a crown in horror circles, which is worn by Psycho’s Janet Leigh and Halloween’s Jamie Lee Curtis. Another of the most notable actresses helming the same title is Barbara Crampton, who has screamed and cried playing her roles in Re-Animator and Chopping Mall. However, there is much more to their performance in these horror flicks. 

And Crampton does not wish to be boxed into one label. She was candid while refusing to label her complex performance as a simple one.

Barbara Crampton, in a recent interview with Screen Rant, shared that she wants to have a long and lasting career in horror but does not wish to be called the ‘Scream Queen.’ The actress explained that performances in horror are far more layered and complex than they often appear. She added that the title, frequently used by journalists, tends to simplify her effort and talent.

“Being a horror actress is not just about screaming and running for your life, and we have to do a lot of the heavy lifting and ground it in some reality and humanize characters a lot,” she said. 

“I think, you know, that term, it's a little reductive and doesn't really explain the depth of what our characters and actors go through when they're in a horror movie,” she added further.

Crampton even revealed that she once wrote an article talking about her opinion and titled it ‘Don’t Call Me a Scream Queen.’ That kind of candid honesty is hardly surprising from an actress known for playing the sole survivor in several horror films. Perhaps that is why, when asked for a different title that she would like, Crampton seemed more comfortable with the term Final Girl.

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The screaming aspect is just one element that enhances a performance that already demands far greater complexity, and Mia Goth is a shining example of this.

Mia Goth has starred in several horror films, but her status as a ‘scream queen’ was made with movies such as Pearl. She played the titular role with impressive depth. While Goth, who recently appeared in Frankenstein, does scream in several scenes, it is her expressions and emotional intensity that truly bring the character and its horror to life.

The same can be said for the trilogy, including MaXXXine, where her screams enhance rather than define her performance. They work in tandem with her nuanced expressions, not as the sole focus. So while screaming may be a noticeable element, it is the layered, detailed acting that truly makes the horror feel real, which Barbara Crampton rightly pointed as well.

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