Ryan Murphy's New Series and the Evolution of the Movie Scream Queen

Written by Amanda Baltazar. Published: October 24 2014

If you’re on Ryan Murphy’s "American Horror Story" train, then you better sit down and hold on to your seat. Earlier this week, it was announced that Murphy will be given another straight-to-series order.

Hoping to replicate the success of the creeptastic "AHS", Murphy will be creating a 15-episode comedy/horror anthology series called "Scream Queens", which will take place on a college campus that has been plagued by mysterious murders. Not much is else known about the series at this point other than that it will feature two female leads and ten other supporting roles, which Murphy and the other series creators are already searching for.

Could this be an interesting mix of what goes on in the head of the unique and talented Murphy? A little "Glee" humor mixed with the horror-suspense of "AHS"? Hopefully!

With Halloween right around the corner, this news comes at a perfect time to honor some famous and fabulous scream queens whose performances still give us chills when we watch their movies today, so here's a quick look back at the evolution of the cinema scream queen!

Evelyn Ankers
For all you film buffs out there, Evelyn Ankers is one of the pioneers of Hollywood Scream Queens. She has been in classic Hollywood horror films like The Wolf Man, Son of Dracula, The Pearl of Death, and many others. Check out her groundbreaking screaming skills in the trailer for The Wolf Man below!

Janet Leigh

It took only one movie, one scene, and one fateful shower for this classic actress to earn her scream screen status: Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The role put scream queens on the map and set the standard for actresses to come!

Linda Blair

Two words: The Exorcist. Linda Blair was barely 14 years old when she starred in one of the scariest movies as all time, completely nailing her role as a young girl possessed by a demon. There were so many clips to choose from but this didn’t have her scary face that haunts me in my sleep even till today...

Jamie Lee Curtis

One of my faves, by far, she proves that being a scream queen can be passed down in the genes -- she is the daughter of Janet Leigh. Her film debut was her starring role in Halloween as Laurie Strode. She also went on to star in Halloween II, The Fog, Terror Train, Prom Night, and many others.

Adrienne Barbeau

She got her start in Broadway and other small acting roles, but it wasn’t until her appearances in John Carpenter (her husband at the time) films until she grew to become a scream queen. She’s been in films like The Fog, Creepshow, and Swamp Thing.

Heather Langenkamp
Her performance in Wes Craven’s original A Nightmare on Elm Street wins her a spot in the top scream queens of all time. Her role as Nancy brought life and spine-chilling screams to the now-iconic horror film!

Danielle Harris
This scream queen started acting at the ripe age of seven, but it wasn’t until she was ten tgat she found her talent in the art of screaming. She played Jamie Lloyd in the fourth installment of the Halloween franchise and also appeared in Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake as Annie Brackett.

Neve Campbell

This beautiful badass has claimed her scream queen status through her amazing performances in the Scream series. She starts out as a naïve and innocent girl and turns into a smart and cunning buttkicker as the movies progress. Check her out in action in Scream 3.

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sure, she was a badass vampire slayer, but let’s not forget her amazing performance -- and especially her screams -- in notable horror flics like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, and The Grudge.

Katherine Isabelle
This Canada native also found her niche in the horror genre. She’s been in Freddy vs. Jason, Insomnia, American Mary, See No Evil, and my favorite Ginger Snaps.

These screams queens will always be in our hearts and their screams will ring in our ears for decades to come. To those who gave their screams to the silver screen, we thank you.

I wonder if any of these ladies will be making appearances on Ryan Murphy's new series...!

(Photo via WENN)

- Amanda Baltazar, YH Staff