‘Scream Queen’ is a fairly popular term in the horror community, especially lately when fans and sources debate how and when the title is actually earned. Hell, there’s even been two television shows with this title as their title. ‘Scream Queen’ is a term we attach to a horror actress that has made incredible contributions to the genre, an actress that has broken barriers and paved the way for other women, and maybe most importantly, an actress who is respectable and responsible in all aspects of her career. Fay Wray, Janet Leigh, Barbara Steele, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danielle Harris, Debbie Rochon and Tiffany Shepis are often referred to as some of the top tier ‘Scream Queens.’ However, the term has also been attributed to actresses who have had a memorable scene in an iconic movie a la Amanda Wyss in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Drew Barrymore in Scream and Hannah Fierman in V/H/S.
So, why doesn’t the term ‘Scream King’ exist in the same universe? Sure, it’s important that women in this category have a title that is unique only to them. As many of you know, the plight of women in film – and in any business in general – is still a battle being waged on the forefront, with equality and being seen as more than just a pretty face being of the biggest concern. The term ‘Scream Queen’ helps women to feel powerful, dominant and a step above the rest, something coveted. Would using the term ‘Scream King’ take away from that dominance, would using the term make women in horror less vibrant or less important? I don’t think so, especially because I’m reminded on a daily basis that women, in some form or anything, are helping to keep our genre alive. Without them, the demographics interested in blood and guts would plummet and women have been coming up with crazy, innovative ideas lately.
When we look at men who are repeat performers in the genre, men who possess star quality and command attention, we usually say, “horror star,” “one of the biggest names in horror” or “icon of fright.” These titles can, honestly, be used in tandem with the term ‘Scream Queen’ because they are gender-neutral. As there are queens among peasants, there must also been giants among men…and the guys kicking ass in our favorite type of film should have a title for themselves, too. Bill Moseley, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Sid Haig and Shawn C. Phillips immediately strike me as some of the dudes who are killing the game. Again, lower tier stars like Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th are given tremendous respect for their contributions to horror. I struggle to find nearly as many ‘Scream Kings’ as I do ‘Scream Queens,’ because – again – women are one of the most important driving forces keeping terror alive. So, if a ‘Scream King’ is so much more rare, why don’t we use the title more routinely?
This isn’t a man vs. woman ordeal. I’m literally posing a question to our fans, readers and subscribers here at HorrorSociety.com. Vincent Price gave so much of himself to the genre, we can’t we honor him as the king that he was? Why don’t we use the term ‘Scream King’ more frequently, if ever? Leave your comments on here and social media to voice your opinion.
