Back in 2020, I threw together one of my very first big lists when I set out to rank the greatest female horror characters. I was pretty green at list-making back then, but after stumbling across it again recently, I figured it was prime time for an update. A ton of killer new entries have come along since then, while I also updated my catalog with some previously unseen classics.
This time around, I approached it fresh, like the original list didn’t even exist. I brainstormed and ranked every character I felt deserved a spot, without peeking at the old version. I wanted to see what ranking would happen naturally: Which newer ones would force their way in? How would the old favorites reshuffle in the rankings? Would any get the axe entirely?
Once I had my new list locked in, I finally compared the two side by side… and there were some real shake-ups. I ended up adding 18 new entries, which meant cutting 18 to make room, and a few of those cuts hurt.
For each entry now, you’ll see a “Previously Ranked” note at the bottom showing exactly what happened. Did it climb, drop, stay put, or get dropped altogether? Tracking the biggest risers, fallers, and cuts was honestly a blast.
Hope y’all enjoy this refreshed take on the baddest, most iconic women in horror! Drop your own thoughts in the comments!
60. Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) | Smile 2 (2024)
In Parker Finn’s Smile 2, global pop sensation Skye Riley is gearing up for a massive comeback tour after a brutal year of substance abuse issues, a horrific car crash that killed her actor boyfriend Paul, and the chronic pain from the accident. She’s glamorous on the surface, but underneath, we see how fragile and deeply haunted by guilt and depression from her previous actions. We witness her spiral as she begins to lose her grip on reality.
Naomi Scott absolutely carries this movie on her back with one of the most demanding horror performances in recent memory. She sings and dances her own original tracks with superstar charisma, then shatters into raw, physical breakdowns. You feel every part of her agony. She’s unlikable at times but vulnerable enough for you to feel for her, making Skye’s unraveling feel heartbreakingly real. Scott takes what could have been your average horror flick and elevates it solely based on her inspired performance.
Previous Ranking: New Entry
59. La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) | Inside (À l’intérieur) (2007)
In the savage French extreme gut-punch Inside (À l’intérieur), one of the most brutal and enigmatic villains in horror history stalks a grieving, heavily pregnant widow named Sarah on Christmas Eve. Le Femme is determined to carve out the baby still growing in Sarah’s womb, no matter how many throats she has to slit in the process. Dressed in black from head to toe, her single-minded obsession turns a peaceful night into a relentless, blood-drenched home-invasion nightmare, redefining bleakness in the New French Extremity wave of the 2000s.
Béatrice Dalle is sinister and primal as La Femme, delivering a chilling, near-silent performance that radiates feral menace. Dalle makes her both monstrous and disturbingly human, especially once the heartbreaking motive surfaces, turning what could be a faceless killer into one of horror’s most unforgettable forces. It’s impossible not to be gripped by her as she stalks the shadows, pushing the film to its graphic, unflinching extremes and proving the scariest horrors often come from broken women willing to rip the world apart to reclaim what was lost.
Previous Ranking: #64
58. Mina Harker (Various) | Dracula (Franchise)
Mina Harker is the perfect mix of elegance, bravery, and just the right amount of gothic drama. She starts as your classic Victorian lady: prim and proper, with an air of mystery about her. But let’s be real, she’s way more than just a damsel in distress.
From the moment she’s introduced, Mina feels like she’s got one foot in the world of buttoned-up society and the other in a swirling, supernatural romance. Her love story with Jonathan Harker? Sweet, but once Dracula shows up with his old-world charm and hypnotic eyes, things take a wild turn. And Mina? She’s not backing down. There’s something irresistible about the way she’s drawn to Dracula, even as she tries to fight off the darkness creeping into her life.
What makes Mina stand out is that, even though she’s caught in the middle of this love triangle from hell, she’s no shrinking violet. She navigates the horror around her with grace, never losing her composure, even when things get batty (see what I did there?). Her connection with Dracula is as haunting as it is romantic, and you can’t help but feel for her as she’s torn between her human heart and the pull of the undead.
Plus, Mina’s style? On point. Those Victorian gowns, the soft, wistful expressions, and the way she carries herself—she’s the gothic heroine you want on your side when things get bloody. She may not have fangs, but she’s got enough spirit to stand toe-to-toe with one of the most iconic villains of all time.
–Ricky Ratt
Previous Ranking: New Entry
57. Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) | Doctor Sleep (2019)
When Stephen King announced he was working on a sequel to The Shining, no one could have predicted that it would involve psychic vampires. When the news finally broke, everyone mocked Doctor Sleep’s plot relentlessly before it came out. And of course, they all made fools of themselves for ever doubting the master. On paper, it’s a ridiculous idea for a sequel, but in execution? It’s terrifying. And that’s due to Rebecca Ferguson’s instantly iconic performance as Rose the Hat.
She is the leader of a group of quasi-immortal psychic vampires known as the “True Knot,” who feed on the psychic energy (“steam”) of children with “the shining” to prolong their lives. Ferguson imbues Rose with a combination of charm and menace, making her both alluring and terrifying. Her signature style — a bohemian hat, relaxed attire, and an almost whimsical demeanor — contrasts with her predatory nature. She may be dressed like your cool aunt, but in reality, she is deeply sadistic and enjoys manipulating and playing with her victims, which makes her even more unsettling. She’s a perfect foil for Danny and a worthy addition to The Shining universe.
–Sailor Monsoon
Previous Ranking: New Entry
56. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) and Sue (Margaret Qualley) | The Substance (2024)
How far would you go to be famous? How far would you go to stay famous? Once you get a taste of stardom, it ensnares you like a hungry vine. Elisabeth was famous. She was a star. But like most people in the entertainment industry, her fame had an expiration date. It was directly tied to her beauty, and she hasn’t been their definition of young for half of her career. She’s the host of a successful exercise program, but the numbers apparently aren’t good enough to justify keeping her around. It’s time to rebrand with someone younger and hotter. After receiving a flash drive for an experiential black market drug called The Substance from someone who has already used it and feeling the pressure of wanting to stay relevant, she decides to sign up for the procedure. The drug is meant to give you back your beauty, but there are very strict rules that have extreme consequences if broken.
To reveal any more would require getting into what the procedure is, how it works, and the uncooperative element that brings it all down, and the film is best enjoyed when going in cold. Without giving away too much, I’ll say it’s a unique spin on body horror that spins wildly out of control. Demi Moore, an actress famous for throwing herself into her work, has once again topped herself in terms of fearlessness; she really goes for it. It’s the type of performance an actor does after years of being forgotten that acts like a reminder to everyone that the spark never left; it was the material that wasn’t up to snuff. Her co-star and main antagonist is Margaret Qualley, who’s never been more wonderfully vindictive. The two of them make one hell of an unforgettable team.
–Sailor Monsoon
Previous Ranking: New Entry
55. Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) | Hellraiser (Franchise)
When Hellraiser crashed into the horror scene in the middle of slasher overload, Clive Barker flipped the script with something darker and more perverse: a puzzle box that opens doors to sadomasochistic Cenobites who promise ecstasy through agony. While Pinhead and his crew steal the spotlight, Kirsty Cotton stands as the franchise’s beating human heart and one of its toughest survivors. She’s not your typical scream queen; she’s a sharp, resourceful young woman who accidentally summons the Cenobites after her stepmother Julia resurrects her lover Frank with blood, then gets dragged into the nightmare herself. She solves the Lament Configuration to escape, bargaining with Pinhead, and ultimately outwitting the Lead Cenobite by turning his own rules against him in one of horror’s most satisfying “gotcha” moments.
Ashley Laurence brings Kirsty to life across four films with fierce vulnerability, quick thinking, and unbreakable grit. She’s terrified, grieving her father, betrayed by family, yet she never stops fighting, whether it’s trapping Frank in his own skin suit, facing down Leviathan’s labyrinth, or staring down Pinhead with defiance. Kirsty isn’t just a victim who survives; she’s one of the rare characters to repeatedly match wits with the infernal and walk away (mostly) intact.
Previous Ranking: #32
54. Jeryline (Jada Pinkett Smith) | Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)
Horror is packed with unlikely heroes, but they’re usually the pure-of-heart, virginal types shining like beacons of hope. Yet in Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, the savior of humanity turns out to be a wisecracking, no-nonsense convicted thief who’s just trying to stay out of trouble. Jeryline isn’t fodder for the big bad; she’s a reluctant survivor who gets dragged into the cosmic war when Brayker hands her the last of the seven ancient keys that can stop the apocalypse. While Billy Zane’s flamboyant and terrifying Collector wants those keys to unleash hell on Earth, Jeryline becomes the lone protector from the apocalypse.
Jada Pinkett Smith is electric as Jeryline as she brings a razor-sharp attitude with genuine fear, while fighting off demons. By the end, she’s not just surviving; she’s the one who seals the deal, proving that sometimes the world gets saved by the most unlikely of heroes.
Previous Ranking: #83
53. Brigitte Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins) and Ginger Fitzgerald (Katharine Isabelle) | Ginger Snaps (2000)
Not since Carrie has there been a better depiction of the teenage outcast than Ginger Snaps. Brigitte and Ginger are death-obsessed teenagers who create fake suicide and murder scenes and have even taken a blood oath to die together, by any means necessary. Even though they’re dismissed by everyone but the school bullies, the two are completely inseparable. That is, until one of them gets bitten by a werewolf and needs to be put down before they commit another murder.
Since their inception, werewolves have often been used as a placeholder for something else. The Wolf Man made it a metaphor for the hunting and persecution of the Jews. Teen Wolf turned them into an analogy for puberty, and Ginger Snaps cleverly compared turning into a wolf with a woman having her period for the first time. It’s bloody, it’s awful, and whoever is going through it wants to kill everyone in the room. It’s an ingenious setup that is anchored by two of the most unique, relatable protagonists in horror.
–Sailor Monsoon
Previous Ranking: #66
52. Regina “Reggie” Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha “Sam” Belmont (Kelli Maroney) | Night of the Comet (1984)
When Joss Whedon was creating what would eventually become his most enduring character, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, his major inspiration was the happy-go-lucky cheerleader Samantha Belmont from the post-apocalyptic zombie flick Night of the Comet. Along with her arcade-obsessed older sister Regina, the Belmont sisters might be the most likable and capable protagonists of any zombie film since Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott H. Reiniger) from Dawn of the Dead.
Reggie is the older sister, portrayed as tough, resourceful, and self-reliant. She works at a movie theater and has a love for arcade games, which ties into her independent nature. Her survival instincts kick in quickly after the comet disaster, and she becomes a natural leader in the post-apocalyptic environment. Sam, on the other hand, is the younger sister, more playful and carefree compared to Reggie. She is a cheerleader, which aligns with her bubbly and energetic personality. Despite her more lighthearted and somewhat naive demeanor, Sam proves to be just as tough and resourceful as her sister when it comes to survival. Her character offers comedic relief but is also surprisingly capable of dealing with the chaos surrounding her. Together, they make an unstoppable and unforgettable team. It’s a shame we didn’t get sequels with this pair; they’re delightful.
–Sailor Monsoon
Previous Ranking: New Entry
51. Asa Vajda/Katia Vajda (Barbara Steele) | Black Sunday (1960)
Mario Bava’s classic Black Sunday would introduce the world to Britain’s first lady of horror, Barbara Steele. She would play Asa Vadja, who is tortured and burned at the stake for witchcraft and other nefarious crimes. Most notably, she would suffer the pain of enduring the mask of Satan punishment. A spiked metal mask that gets hammered onto her gorgeous face. Two centuries after her death, we meet Katia Vajda, who looks exactly like Asa. Steele’s beauty and fierceness shine in both characters as she would become a classic female horror icon.
Previous Ranking: #25
50. Woman in Bathtub (Lia Beldam/Billie Gibson) | The Shining (1980)
Few characters are able to rack up such massive cultural impact with barely any screen time, no name, and zero dialogue like the Woman in the Bathtub from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. With a bone-chilling cackle, this bathroom apparition is one of horror’s most instantly recognizable icons. Jack Torrance, already cracking under the Overlook’s influence, follows a seductive whisper into Room 237 and finds a stunning, naked young woman rising from the tub. All voluptuous and inviting with those slow curves and come-hither eyes as she steps toward him. He caresses her, kisses her, lost in the fantasy… until the illusion shatters, and we see she’s now a rotting, sagging crone with decayed flesh, wild gray hair, and that unforgettable, guttural, mocking laugh.
Kubrick’s brutal swerve from erotic temptation to grotesque horror is a pure genius gut-punch that lingers forever. It symbolizes the hotel’s deceptive evil, Jack’s descent into madness, and the price of surrendering to forbidden desire. Even without watching the film, most know the Woman in the Bathtub.
Previous Ranking: #50
49. Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) | The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Ever since The Exorcist redefined possession horror in 1973, countless films have tried to capture the terror of demonic takeover; however, Jennifer Carpenter’s performance as Emily Rose stands head and shoulders above the rest for her sheer physical commitment and raw intensity. Based on the real-life Anneliese Michel case, Emily starts as a sweet, devout, small-town college girl, innocent, soft-spoken, full of faith and quiet determination, until the possession takes hold and she becomes a battleground for six demons.
Carpenter delivers one of the most extraordinary feats of physical acting in horror history. Even before heavy makeup or CGI kicks in, she contorts her body into impossible angles, arches her back until it looks ready to snap, twists her limbs in ways that defy anatomy. She gives Emily real depth, letting us see the frightened young woman fighting to hold on beneath the monstrous entity, making every seizure, every blasphemous outburst, and every whispered plea feel heartbreakingly human. Often overlooked next to more famous possession performances, Carpenter’s work here is a masterclass in commitment.
Previous Ranking: #53
48. Pearl (Mia Goth) | X & Pearl (2022)
Due to the recent influx of female characters surviving terrible shit that leads to the death of everyone around them, the “Good For Her” horror meme was created. The patron saint of this meme, either ironically or not, is Pearl. A crazy sociopath that just wants to be a star. According to IMDb trivia and articles I only read the headlines of, fans of the film often lovingly call it “Joker for girls”, because of how some of the female fans find Pearl relatable, similarly to how some male fans of the 2019 film relate to the titular character. The fact that either one became the face of a meme is insane, considering they’re both murderous psychos.
In the first film, she’s a rickety-ass old lady who becomes so consumed by the jealousy of youth that she goes kill crazy and almost singlehandedly wipes out an entire porn production in bloody fashion. When she isn’t dispatching professional bangers, she’s banging out her equally old partner in a scene that’ll stick with you forever. In Pearl, a prequel to X, we get a deeper look at Pearl’s backstory, set in 1918. The film focuses on her frustrated ambitions, delusional fantasies of fame, and repressed desires, which eventually boil over into violence.
Mia Goth delivers a mesmerizing performance, embodying Pearl’s vulnerability, isolation, and madness. Her climactic monologue, where she reveals her inner turmoil, is a standout moment, showing the extent of Pearl’s longing for a different life. Each film in the trilogy is tonally and stylistically different than the one before it, with this one being a bit more subtle in its influences.
The first and third are obviously inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Brian De Palma films, whereas Pearl is drawing from old-school Technicolor, The Wizard of Oz, and Douglas Sirk melodramas. It’s a unique shift that ties into the mental state of the character. The movie looks artificial because Pearl lives in a fantasy world where she’s going to be a star. By any means necessary.
–Sailor Monsoon
Previous Ranking: New Entry
47. Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) | Poltergeist (Franchise)
At some point in your life, you have either said or at least heard someone say, “This house is clean” or “Go to the light!” in some form. Tangina looks like a tiny grandma with her huge glasses, but ends up being a paranormal badass. She came in to help the Freeling family, and she did just that. In the middle of one of the best horror movies of all time, Zelda Rubenstein was able to create a memorable character in a short amount of time that stands up with the other iconic images and characters in Poltergeist.
Previous Ranking: #45
46. Heather (Heather Donahue) | The Blair Witch Project (1999)
In the groundbreaking found-footage nightmare, Heather Donahue starts as just another college kid, leading her friends Mike and Josh on a documentary expedition into the Maryland woods to investigate the legend of the Blair Witch. She tries her best to stay on task and remain professional even when things begin to get weird, but then everything collapses. After days of terror, being lost in the forest, hearing cries in the night, finding stick figures and bloody teeth, she delivers the iconic two-and-a-half-minute monologue in the dead of night, lit only by her own camera light, snot running, tears streaming, face half-hidden in shadow as she apologizes to her mom, confesses her fear, and breaks down completely. “I’m sorry to everyone… I just want to apologize to Mike’s mom and Josh’s mom… It was my fault… I just want to apologize to Mike’s mom, Josh’s mom, and my mom…”
Heather Donahue pours every ounce of real terror and remorse into those shaky, tear-soaked words, turning her from a bland protagonist into the ultimate everyperson in what feels like her final moments. That single, iconic shot, close-up, grainy, snot-bubbled, wide-eyed panic, became one of the most parodied and unforgettable images in horror history, cementing The Blair Witch Project as a cultural phenomenon and proving that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t a monster you see.
Previous Ranking: #39
45. Dani (Florence Pugh) | Midsommar (2019)
Dani has had it rough. She is in a not-so-great relationship with someone who has already checked out. She then suffers an unthinkable family tragedy, and her man is not able to offer any kind of emotional support. Because of all this, she suffers from anxiety but still wants to function as a “normal person” by experiencing an incredible trip with her boyfriend and his friends. From there, Dani witnesses unspeakable things while confronting her grief, and finally realizes what kind of tool her boyfriend has been. For better or worse, we see a transformation in Dani as she finally gets some support from unexpected places.
Florence Pugh turned in a breakout performance here, becoming one of the best modern horror characters. The range of emotion and depths she was willing to go was astounding. Dani should be a character that is talked about for a long time to come in horror history, with the everlasting image of her face as she is crowned as the May Queen.
Previous Ranking: #48
44. Christine | Christine (1983)
Talk about a toxic relationship, amirite? In John Carpenter’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, this cherry-red 1958 Plymouth Fury isn’t just a car; she’s a full-on possessive, jealous, vengeful horror icon with more personality, rage, and sheer presence than most human slashers could ever muster. Christine starts as a rusted, neglected wreck bought cheap by awkward high-school nerd Arnie Cunningham, but the second he starts pouring love and blood into restoring her, she awakens with a mind of her own. She repairs herself overnight, playing old ’50s rock on her radio unprompted, and turning into a sleek predatory beast who’ll do anything to keep Arnie all to herself.
She crushes bullies under her chrome bumper, regenerates from total destruction like some demonic Transformer, and stalks her enemies with headlights glaring like a scorned woman’s eyes. Christine is not just a silent tool of evil; she’s the jealous lover who’ll run over anyone who threatens her man. One of the most unforgettable “characters” in movie history, proof that sometimes the scariest thing on screen isn’t a masked killer, but a car that loves too hard and kills without remorse.
Previous Ranking: #47
43. Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie) | The Firefly Trilogy
In Rob Zombie’s gritty, grindhouse-inspired Firefly Trilogy, Baby Firefly stands as one of the most unhinged, gleefully sadistic female killers horror has ever unleashed. She’s no brooding stalk in the shadows psycho here. She’s a seductive, trashy Southern belle who weaponizes her sex appeal to lure horny men into her family’s twisted games. Once they’re hooked, the mask drops as she taunts and humiliates while playing mind games with childlike glee to then literally rip out hearts while cackling in her signature high-pitched, unhinged laugh.
Sheri Moon Zombie owns Baby completely, turning her from the seemingly playful evil seductress in House of 100 Corpses into a full-blown cold-blooded slasher in The Devil’s Rejects. By 3 From Hell, she’s a battle-hardened survivor, still cracking wise and committing atrocities with the same manic joy. She delivers a magnetic and terrifying performance that makes Baby one of the most iconic psychos of modern horror. Viewers are both repulsed and mesmerized by her as she dances through blood and bodies, proving the Firefly family wouldn’t be half as legendary without her.
Previous Ranking: #52
42. Alice Hardy (Adrienne King) | Friday the 13th (1980)
In the original Friday the 13th, Alice Hardy became the very first final girl of the greatest horror franchises of all time. A quiet, innocent summer-camp counselor who just wanted to give kids a fun, safe experience at Crystal Lake. That is, until a knife-wielding maniac begins picking off counselors left and right. As her friends begin to drop, Alice stays one step ahead through quick thinking and desperation, piecing together the horror until the final showdown.
Adrienne King makes Alice the perfect everywoman hero. Wide-eyed, terrified, yet resourceful enough to survive the carnage. The real iconic kicker comes right after: exhausted and thinking it’s over, Alice drifts off in a canoe on the lake, only to be yanked underwater in a dream sequence by the rotting, vengeful child Jason bursting from the depths. This iconic jump-scare would launch the world’s most recognizable masked killer into legend. That moment alone cements Alice as not just a survivor, but the unwitting origin point for the entire Friday the 13th franchise, forever etched in horror history.
Previous Ranking: #42
41. Jess Bradford (Olivia Hussey) | Black Christmas (1974)
Black Christmas remains as one of the greatest holiday horrors ever made, and at the heart of it is Jess Bradford. She’s a very strong female lead for a 1970s slasher, showcasing her heavy stance towards her convictions, and does what is best for her, despite her controlling boyfriend’s input. Through every prank call, every scream from her sisters, every moment of escalating dread, Jess keeps her wits razor-sharp. She investigates strange noises while comforting her panicked friends. She’s not a screaming damsel or a virginal stereotype; she’s a thoughtful and fiercely independent woman who protects her chosen family and refuses to be diminished, even as the killer closes in. Olivia Hussey gives Jess layers of warmth and understated strength that make her endlessly relatable and admirable. It’s hard not to root for her as the emotional and moral core of this groundbreaking classic, the one who holds everything together until the very end.
Previous Ranking: #23
80-61 | 40-21
What do you think of the selection so far? Who are some of your favorite female horror characters? Perhaps they will appear later on the list.
