The horror genre is home to some of the most iconic and famous female characters in cinema history. When you watch most horror movies, you are likely to experience at least one great performance from the many iconic women who have starred in such films.

Whether you are a horror buff, or you merely celebrate and appreciate all forms of cinema, you may want to know more about the most iconic female characters in horror films.

Below is a list that explores the top five horror movies that featured iconic female characters that will never be forgotten.

1. Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body

When Jennifer’s Body was first released, the movie received decent reviews but did not make big money at the box office. The film was perceived for its surface-level themes, but many viewers did not realize the deeper meaning until a few years after the release.

The film is a mix of classic, scary horror, and the type of cringe horror that has become very popular in the past decade or two.

Both Megan Fox, who plays Jennifer Check, and her co-star Amanda Seyfried do a great job in this movie.

2. Carrie White from Carrie

Given there is more than one adaptation of the classic horror story Carrie, it is a fitting inclusion in this list. The movie is an extremely sad story about the main character who never gets the chance to become a fully-fledged, empathetic human being.

Through a mixture of isolation and bullying, Carrie does not have the childhood most would want for their kids. As a result, she unleashes horror on her classmates and others in the town in this 1976 classic film.

Sissy Spacek gives one of her best performances as Carrie White, showing what important roles women can play in horror movies. She is joined in this film by Piper Laurie and John Travolta, who both play their parts very well.

If you are a fan of gore in horror movies, and you enjoy the slow buildup to the antagonist’s true self, then you will have a lot of fun with Carrie.

3. Samara Morgan from The Ring

There are very few people in their 30s and 40s in the United States who have not seen The Ring. Not only was the film a horror phenomenon in the states, but it also got a lot of play internationally.

All the characters from The Ring play their parts, but the star of the show is arguably Samara Morgan. She is the scary protagonist that haunts people’s nightmares each time they watch a specific video in The Ring.

Samara Morgan is an epic horror protagonist because she drives the film from the very first scene to the last. 

4. Pamela Voorhees from Friday the 13th

Whenever people think about Friday the 13th, they think about Freddy vs. Jason or other characters. However, Pamela Voorhees is one of the key protagonists of the series, and one who drives a lot of the plot forward.

Pamela is the one that kicked off the Friday the 13th franchise, making it the blockbuster that it is today. She was an extremely creepy character, played perfectly by Betsy Palmer in the 1980 version of the movie. 

There have also been other on-screen adaptations of Pamela, with actresses Marilyn Poucher, Paula Shaw, and Jen Burton all getting a chance to play the iconic character during their careers.

5. Annie Wilkes from Misery

The 1990 adaptation of Steven King’s novel, Misery, is a classic horror film that every fan should watch at least one time. Kathy Bates does an incredible job playing the role, giving it, even more, life and importance than it had in the novel.

Wilkes spends time at various hospitals around the United States in the movie before she settles in the Western Slope of Colorado. That is where she meets the film’s protagonist, Paul Sheldon. 

Misery made such an impression on audiences, and Kathy Bates did well enough with the role to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.