what’s a good horror movie without a
heroine to root for welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 horror
movie heroines come on get up
for this list we’ll be looking at the
women in horror films that fight on the
side of good
how far is the old highway you want to
go out there don’t you busted on
Arbogast the old lady makes a crook yes
they don’t need to survive the film in
question though with that in mind a
spoiler alert is probably called for
body eternity they usually do
number ten Sarah Carter the Descent this
film unfortunately flew under the radar
but should be necessary viewing for any
true horror fan Sarah’s story first
breaks your heart and then has it
beating a mile a minute
recently suffering the tragic loss of
her daughter and husband in a horrible
car accident she survived Sarah go
spelunking to forget her troubles as you
do I’m feeling about it it’s probably
jet lag or something so I’m just gonna
take a look around okay yeah okay sadly
this woman just can’t catch a break
dead animals hundreds of them met with
horribly deadly life forms that eat the
unlucky ones who come across them sarah
scrambles to survive as well as save her
compatriots number nine lila crane
psycho i don’t like you going to that
house alone I can handle a sick old
woman when Marion crane steals forty
thousand dollars from the bank she works
at her attempt to get out of Dodge
amounts to her untimely demise she stole
some money a lot forty thousand dollars
determined to find out what happened to
her sister Lyla is led to the Bates
Motel let’s find him one of us can keep
him occupied while the other gets to the
old woman she not only manages to
discover Marion’s fate and have her
sister’s killer arrested she also keeps
us invested when the film’s supposed
star dies early on a shocking is that
shower scene was Lila’s discovery of
mrs. Bates body chills us to the core
just as much
number eight Julie James the I know what
you did last summer franchise yeah I’m
in a lot of trouble during the late 90s
horror resurgence there were a lot of
films that lack the kind of detailed
storytelling that makes the Jean great
however the I know what you did last
summer films were no pretenders as they
crafted a killer with an imposing look
and at least one character whose
survival fans actually cared about you
did a lot of things last summer
yeah well only one murder comes to mind
part of a group of teens that runs over
a man and dumps his body to avoid
criminal charges oh my god this isn’t
happening
Julie is scared by the note the movie is
named for as well as the demise of her
friends I killed a man
but it was an accident a terrible
accident and I tried to past it okay
even in the face of death however she
stays strong and resilient just
number seven Rachel Keller the ring
franchisee a horror film the scary needs
a hero you can empathize with and Rachel
is just that that’s it a mother who
already dotes on her son this single
parent encounters troubles in the form
of death psychosis and a VHS tape she
told you about a videotape didn’t she
having unwittingly watched the cursed
MacGuffin Rachel must work to solve the
mystery of the Haunted tape before her
seven days are up as the day’s tick by
not only must Rachel work fast to save
her own life but soon that of her son as
well pushing her to the limits of her
resourcefulness and sanity thankfully
now me watts plays this multifaceted and
increasingly desperate character with
the complexity required to pull it off
and that was just the first time around
don’t worry sweetie you’re gonna be okay
number six Mia
Allen Evil Dead they stopped your song
this mother earth when Evil Dead was
remade / rebooted for a new generation
it was very clear that recasting ash was
a thankless job hail to the king baby
so the filmmakers crafted Mia a new
character to serve as the protagonist an
addict who chooses what should be a
peaceful cabin retreat to go cold turkey
mom would have hated seeing the cabin
like this mia has much worse things to
contend with than mere withdrawal baby
little baby it’s time to say goodbye
baby little Mia please I don’t thing you
need to sad memories in your head right
now when a demon begins possessing her
and her friends with tongue splitting
blood-curdling results she summons her
inner strength and becomes the only
character to survive the film
thus she confronts her inner demons and
actual demons all at once you shouldn’t
have touched anything from that basement
number five
Dana pulk the cabin in the woods let’s
get this party started
what is it with horror movies and
virginity the virgin me virgin we work
with what we have the cabin in the woods
may not be the only horror film to poke
fun at the genres tropes but it does it
with style as our designated virgin
serves as the principal heroine as one
member of a group of college students
who are tapped to die to ensure the
worlds continued existence dana is
unwilling to play along and all hell
breaks loose I think I can get down get
recorded go down though some may argue
that sacrificing yourself is the heroic
route we think that rebelling against
the system of torture and death earned
her place here I’m so sorry I’m less
shot you I probably wouldn’t have number
4 Laurie Strode the Halloween franchise
I’ll kill you if this is a joke in the
history of cinema there have only been a
handful of true scream queens Oh scare
there’s nothing to be scared of
I assure with her turn in this series of
films Jamie Lee Curtis ensured her
inclusion on that list
in fact she’s practically a founding
member when we do try to live the
biological sister of the murderous
madman Michael Myers Laurie Strode is a
paragon of virtue standing in defiance
of a force of death and destruction
we can only assume that a fragment of
what makes her brother such a lethal
adversary lives inside of her allowing
Laurie to survive several run-ins with
such a savage determination
because I’m not afraid of you
number three Nancy Thompson via
Nightmare on Elm Street franchise
whatever you do don’t fall asleep when
Wes Craven created Freddy Krueger one of
film’s scariest serial killers was born
and every scary serial killer needs a
brave heroine to terrorize despite her
young age
Nancy uses her intelligence and bravery
to seemingly defeat Freddy at his own
game which unfortunately is not always
standard for the genre I’m okay
you go downstairs an important enough
figure in the series lore that Heather
Langenkamp was even tapped to play
herself in a meta sequel of sorts Nancy
set the standard for anyone hoping to
defy Freddie’s will this is still a
script we’re talking about right was
she’s the horror heroine of our dreams
man of my dreams
he’s real isn’t he
he’s real number two Sidney Prescott the
scream franchise he’s teaching 1/2
million nah said don’t you blame the
movies another character created by Wes
Craven Sidney again and again finds
herself in the crosshairs of the Ghost
Face killer but keeps her wits about her
discovers their identity and survives
what do you want I want you and Showtime
this has made all the more impressive
given the Jarrah obsessed nature of her
assailants who aren’t likely to fall for
the typical scary movie traps that beat
so many villains a killer called her
what when what do you say oh you know
usual small talk let’s know how you been
had I consistently tormented by people
she’s close to Sidney outmaneuvers them
all while remaining a kind hearted
person which may be her most courageous
act all now I’m special you’ll slip they
always do before we reveal our top pick
here are some honorable mentions
Chris was a tough guy no he’s no but
thanks thanks for the help by the way in
the lake though the one who attacked me
the one who pulled me underneath the
water ma’am we didn’t find any boy paint
be gone I will have no more
cherry cherry darling
sounds like a stripper no it sounds like
a go-go dancer there’s a difference
number one Ellen Ripley the Alien
franchise
for any of you that think the Alien
franchise doesn’t count as a horror
series we defy you to watch these films
and not be terrified beyond belief
beginning as a Warrant Officer Ellen
Ripley becomes a total badass in her own
right through her encounters with the
eponymous creature why should we put our
ass on the line but you your ass is
already on the line the only question is
what are you gonna do about it whether
it’s the heart-stopping tension of the
first film the high-octane action of the
second film or the insanity of the third
and fourth Ripley is at the heart of it
all what happens now
I don’t know
I’m a stranger here myself dispatching
xenomorphs left and right she stands
toe-to-toe with an alien queen and comes
out on top
if that doesn’t ensure her place atop
this list nothing will I thought you
were dead
yeah I get that a lot do you agree with
our list who’s your favorite horror
movie heroine something wrong with me
look somebody broke the window that
really happens girl in the ketchup for
more heroic top 10s published every day
be sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
heroine to root for welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 horror
movie heroines come on get up
for this list we’ll be looking at the
women in horror films that fight on the
side of good
how far is the old highway you want to
go out there don’t you busted on
Arbogast the old lady makes a crook yes
they don’t need to survive the film in
question though with that in mind a
spoiler alert is probably called for
body eternity they usually do
number ten Sarah Carter the Descent this
film unfortunately flew under the radar
but should be necessary viewing for any
true horror fan Sarah’s story first
breaks your heart and then has it
beating a mile a minute
recently suffering the tragic loss of
her daughter and husband in a horrible
car accident she survived Sarah go
spelunking to forget her troubles as you
do I’m feeling about it it’s probably
jet lag or something so I’m just gonna
take a look around okay yeah okay sadly
this woman just can’t catch a break
dead animals hundreds of them met with
horribly deadly life forms that eat the
unlucky ones who come across them sarah
scrambles to survive as well as save her
compatriots number nine lila crane
psycho i don’t like you going to that
house alone I can handle a sick old
woman when Marion crane steals forty
thousand dollars from the bank she works
at her attempt to get out of Dodge
amounts to her untimely demise she stole
some money a lot forty thousand dollars
determined to find out what happened to
her sister Lyla is led to the Bates
Motel let’s find him one of us can keep
him occupied while the other gets to the
old woman she not only manages to
discover Marion’s fate and have her
sister’s killer arrested she also keeps
us invested when the film’s supposed
star dies early on a shocking is that
shower scene was Lila’s discovery of
mrs. Bates body chills us to the core
just as much
number eight Julie James the I know what
you did last summer franchise yeah I’m
in a lot of trouble during the late 90s
horror resurgence there were a lot of
films that lack the kind of detailed
storytelling that makes the Jean great
however the I know what you did last
summer films were no pretenders as they
crafted a killer with an imposing look
and at least one character whose
survival fans actually cared about you
did a lot of things last summer
yeah well only one murder comes to mind
part of a group of teens that runs over
a man and dumps his body to avoid
criminal charges oh my god this isn’t
happening
Julie is scared by the note the movie is
named for as well as the demise of her
friends I killed a man
but it was an accident a terrible
accident and I tried to past it okay
even in the face of death however she
stays strong and resilient just
number seven Rachel Keller the ring
franchisee a horror film the scary needs
a hero you can empathize with and Rachel
is just that that’s it a mother who
already dotes on her son this single
parent encounters troubles in the form
of death psychosis and a VHS tape she
told you about a videotape didn’t she
having unwittingly watched the cursed
MacGuffin Rachel must work to solve the
mystery of the Haunted tape before her
seven days are up as the day’s tick by
not only must Rachel work fast to save
her own life but soon that of her son as
well pushing her to the limits of her
resourcefulness and sanity thankfully
now me watts plays this multifaceted and
increasingly desperate character with
the complexity required to pull it off
and that was just the first time around
don’t worry sweetie you’re gonna be okay
number six Mia
Allen Evil Dead they stopped your song
this mother earth when Evil Dead was
remade / rebooted for a new generation
it was very clear that recasting ash was
a thankless job hail to the king baby
so the filmmakers crafted Mia a new
character to serve as the protagonist an
addict who chooses what should be a
peaceful cabin retreat to go cold turkey
mom would have hated seeing the cabin
like this mia has much worse things to
contend with than mere withdrawal baby
little baby it’s time to say goodbye
baby little Mia please I don’t thing you
need to sad memories in your head right
now when a demon begins possessing her
and her friends with tongue splitting
blood-curdling results she summons her
inner strength and becomes the only
character to survive the film
thus she confronts her inner demons and
actual demons all at once you shouldn’t
have touched anything from that basement
number five
Dana pulk the cabin in the woods let’s
get this party started
what is it with horror movies and
virginity the virgin me virgin we work
with what we have the cabin in the woods
may not be the only horror film to poke
fun at the genres tropes but it does it
with style as our designated virgin
serves as the principal heroine as one
member of a group of college students
who are tapped to die to ensure the
worlds continued existence dana is
unwilling to play along and all hell
breaks loose I think I can get down get
recorded go down though some may argue
that sacrificing yourself is the heroic
route we think that rebelling against
the system of torture and death earned
her place here I’m so sorry I’m less
shot you I probably wouldn’t have number
4 Laurie Strode the Halloween franchise
I’ll kill you if this is a joke in the
history of cinema there have only been a
handful of true scream queens Oh scare
there’s nothing to be scared of
I assure with her turn in this series of
films Jamie Lee Curtis ensured her
inclusion on that list
in fact she’s practically a founding
member when we do try to live the
biological sister of the murderous
madman Michael Myers Laurie Strode is a
paragon of virtue standing in defiance
of a force of death and destruction
we can only assume that a fragment of
what makes her brother such a lethal
adversary lives inside of her allowing
Laurie to survive several run-ins with
such a savage determination
because I’m not afraid of you
number three Nancy Thompson via
Nightmare on Elm Street franchise
whatever you do don’t fall asleep when
Wes Craven created Freddy Krueger one of
film’s scariest serial killers was born
and every scary serial killer needs a
brave heroine to terrorize despite her
young age
Nancy uses her intelligence and bravery
to seemingly defeat Freddy at his own
game which unfortunately is not always
standard for the genre I’m okay
you go downstairs an important enough
figure in the series lore that Heather
Langenkamp was even tapped to play
herself in a meta sequel of sorts Nancy
set the standard for anyone hoping to
defy Freddie’s will this is still a
script we’re talking about right was
she’s the horror heroine of our dreams
man of my dreams
he’s real isn’t he
he’s real number two Sidney Prescott the
scream franchise he’s teaching 1/2
million nah said don’t you blame the
movies another character created by Wes
Craven Sidney again and again finds
herself in the crosshairs of the Ghost
Face killer but keeps her wits about her
discovers their identity and survives
what do you want I want you and Showtime
this has made all the more impressive
given the Jarrah obsessed nature of her
assailants who aren’t likely to fall for
the typical scary movie traps that beat
so many villains a killer called her
what when what do you say oh you know
usual small talk let’s know how you been
had I consistently tormented by people
she’s close to Sidney outmaneuvers them
all while remaining a kind hearted
person which may be her most courageous
act all now I’m special you’ll slip they
always do before we reveal our top pick
here are some honorable mentions
Chris was a tough guy no he’s no but
thanks thanks for the help by the way in
the lake though the one who attacked me
the one who pulled me underneath the
water ma’am we didn’t find any boy paint
be gone I will have no more
cherry cherry darling
sounds like a stripper no it sounds like
a go-go dancer there’s a difference
number one Ellen Ripley the Alien
franchise
for any of you that think the Alien
franchise doesn’t count as a horror
series we defy you to watch these films
and not be terrified beyond belief
beginning as a Warrant Officer Ellen
Ripley becomes a total badass in her own
right through her encounters with the
eponymous creature why should we put our
ass on the line but you your ass is
already on the line the only question is
what are you gonna do about it whether
it’s the heart-stopping tension of the
first film the high-octane action of the
second film or the insanity of the third
and fourth Ripley is at the heart of it
all what happens now
I don’t know
I’m a stranger here myself dispatching
xenomorphs left and right she stands
toe-to-toe with an alien queen and comes
out on top
if that doesn’t ensure her place atop
this list nothing will I thought you
were dead
yeah I get that a lot do you agree with
our list who’s your favorite horror
movie heroine something wrong with me
look somebody broke the window that
really happens girl in the ketchup for
more heroic top 10s published every day
be sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
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