Just in time for Halloween, we compiled a list of actors from Alabama who have earned the right to be called “scream queen.”
The “scream queen” title, a play on the old Hollywood term “screen queen,” is given to female actors known for their roles in horror films or TV series.
Keep in mind this is not meant to be an all-inclusive list, as there are surely actors, films and roles we are unaware of.
If you’d like to add one of your favorite Alabama scream queens to the list, email kkazek@al.com.
Courteney Cox in a publicity still for the series “Dirt.” (Ruven Afanador| FX)Ruven Afanador | FXCourteney Cox, born 1964 in Birmingham
Courteney Cox, one of our oldest “Friends,” has starred in only one horror-film series and one horror TV show. She earned a spot at the top of our list of scream queens because of the sheer box office power of the “Scream” franchise. Cox portrayed Gale Weathers – part journalist, part daredevil – in six “Scream” films and will appear in the seventh installment in February 2026. She also met, married and separated from co-star David Arquette, who played Dewey Riley, during the run of the series. She is the only actor to appear in every film in the series.
In 2022-2023, Cox produced and starred in the horror show “Shining Vale,” which streamed for two seasons in Max.
Octavia Spencer, an Alabama native and Oscar-winning actor(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)Octavia Spencer, born 1970 in Montgomery
Yes, Octavia Spencer, who won an Oscar for her performance in 2011’s “The Help,” qualifies as a “scream queen,” in large part thanks to her screams in 2009’s “Halloween II,” a sequel to the 2008 reboot of the Halloween series (also known as a “re-quel”).
She had a small role in 2009’s “Drag Me to Hell,” and, in 2019, she played the lead in the horror film “Ma.” In 2020, Spencer played the grandmother in “The Witches,” which is a family friendly fantasy that is sometimes categorized as horror. “The Witches,” a remake of the 1990 film, is set in Alabama.
Amber Benson in 2019. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)Getty Images
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Amber Benson, born 1977 in Birmingham
Amber Benson is best known for portraying a witch for three seasons on TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” but she has also appeared in horror films, including 2002’s “Taboo,” 2005’s “Intermedio,” 2018’s “House of Demons” and 2024’s “I Saw the TV Glow.”
Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”. bnLouise Fletcher, 1934-2022, born in Birmingham
While Louise Fletcher probably scared more than a few people with her Oscar-winning role as Nurse Ratched in 1975’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” that was not technically a horror role.
She has acted in a number of horror movies, but she earned her place on the scream queens list with one really fun role: She once portrayed the titular maternal vampire in 1980’s low-budget (and very campy) “Mama Dracula,” which has a rating of 2.9 of 10 stars on IMDb. Some of Fletcher’s other horror credits include: “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” 1977; “Firestarter,” 1984; “Shadowzone,” 1990; “Nightmare on the 13th Floor,” 1990; “Haunting of Seacliff Inn,” 1994; “The Stepford Husbands,” 1996.
Actor Kate Jackson was born in Birmingham, Ala.NBC |Birmingham News FileKate Jackson, born 1948 in Birmingham
Despite the fact that Kate Jackson helped spawn “jiggle TV” as Sabrina Duncan on “Charlie’s Angels,” she has some horror chops that go way back… all the way back to 1970, when she portrayed Daphne Harridge on the vampire/soap-opera series “Dark Shadows.”
In 1971, she portrayed Tracy Collins in the movie “Night of Dark Shadows.” She also had roles in campy horror films like 1973’s “Satan’s School for Girls,” 1974’s “Killer Bees” and 1976’s “Death at Love House.” In 2000, she appeared in the television remake of “Satan’s School for Girls.”
Actor Kim Dickens is a Huntsville native. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Kim Dickens, born 1965 in Huntsville
Kim Dickens earned a spot on this list because of her leading role from 2015-2023 as Madison Clark on “Fear the Walking Dead,” a prequel series to TV’s mega-hit “The Walking Dead.”
She has also had roles in the supernatural thrillers, “The Gift,” and “Hollow Man,” both released in 2000.
Sonequa Martin-Green of Russellville, Ala.(Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)Sonequa Martin-Green, born 1985 in Russellville
Known for roles on TV’s “The Good Wife” and “Army Wives,” Sonequa Martin-Green has had only one scream-queen role, but it happens to be in the most popular zombie series of all time, “The Walking Dead.” Martin-Green portrayed Sasha Williams on the AMC show.
Anna Grace Barlow, on right (Photo from Lionsgate)LionsgateAnna Grace Barlow, born 1994 in Birmingham
Anna Grace Barlow earned her title of “scream queen” by appearing in two on-topic TV series in 2015: “Scream Queens” and “Scream.” (The latter show was unrelated to the “Scream” film franchise.) Barlow also portrayed Lilith in the series “Supernatural.” In 2023, she starred in the horror film “Snow Falls.
Actor Tyner RushingSean RobertsonTyner Rushing, born 1992 in Semmes
Tyner Rushing made a name for herself by portraying Virginia Creel in the 2022 season of “Stranger Things, one of the most popular shows on Netflix. She also appeared on a 2021 episode of “Creepshow.” According to IMDb, she will appear in a 2025 episode of the horror series “IT: Welcome to Derry,” based on Stephen King’s novel, “IT.”
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