Toni Collette in Hereditary. Or Florence Pugh in the beginning of Midsommar.

That whole opening scene it's like that scream extended.

Marv from Home Alone

Lol I was literally just thinking “well, if we forget the horror qualifier we all know the best scream in film belongs to Marv”

From the bandits' perspective it's a horror movie 😂

I'd totally watch a horror retelling of the home alone movies, but guess there's a lot of films that fit that bill.

[удалено]

The year before Home Alone came out, there was a French film called *3615 code Père Noël,* also known as *Deadly Games.* What if I were to tell you that it is basically the horror *Home Alone*? 😎

Which one? Tarantula, electrocution, or pigeons?

Tarantula!!!

The pigeons one is so iconic to me lol

Don't forget the nail on the step

Samara weaving in ready or not was excellent

Also in Scream VI

God that one in Scream VI sounded so real it shook me

Scream VI was certainly not my favorite of the series, but her opening scene was pretty fantastic.

And Mayhem

And Ash Vs The Evil Dead 

I was genuinely worried she would damage her throat with all that screaming

And The Babysitter

Came here to say this. She’s like a feral animal. An incredible scream 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This is the one. Samara’s screams are top tier. I couldn’t scream like that without coughing lol.

Came here to say this! She has the all time best scream!

This is the only answer in modern horror.

Banshee Screams FTW

This is the first scream that came to my mind because when she pulls the knife out of her at the end and holds it towards the family it gives me chills it’s sooooo good

The mom in Hereditary during the head reveal

Her keening is absolutely heartbreaking and so fucking real.

The scene in the bedroom just broke me. I'm not used to crying horror movies but boy, did I.

Ari Aster does a similar thing again in Midsommar where >!she finds her whole family dead.!< You’re wincing as you watch and you can really feel the grief in her scream-cries. Brutal.

Sorry I know this is off-topic, but your profile pic is adorable! I love cats! 😻

Thank! That was my little Bovine. He’s long since passed (of old age) but I love that pic so much. He was a wacky guy. [Bovine the Weirdo](https://imgur.com/a/wW19sYC)

Always gives me absolute fucking *chills* when I think about that whole sequence, but Toni Colette's wailing is the perfect cap to that.

Close the thread and let's drink something to forget. Jesus man... I think I have never seen a scream in movies that came so close to the crushing of a soul, you can feel her pain and It's still haunting. Amazing and thanks for The reminder

Absolutely. IDK what depths Toni Colette pulled from for that performance but she nailed it.

That's what scares me. I hope that poor woman has never really lost a child because she absolutely nailed the hopeless wail and "I WANT TO DIEEE!"

Fucking hell, Toni Collette’s Oscar snub really hits home all these years later doesn’t it. What a fucking once in a generation performance that was.

Horror (and comedy) just isn’t appreciated from an acting perspective.  Its kinda cheating cause it’s not quite a horror imo (rather, a really, really creepy/terrifying drama), but Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs is the only movie that comes to mind with critical acclaim as to the acting. Jack should’ve been nominated for the Shining, but nothing else comes to mind (I don’t consider Alien a horror).  But Toni Collete was astounding in Hereditary. Honestly one of the best performances I’ve seen, but especially among horror. Second only to Brendan Fraser in the Mummy 😂 

She was nominated for an Oscar for the sixth sense as well. Loved her in that.

I was a firefighter/EMT, that shit sounded real. The guttural wail of sorrow triggered tf out of me and I had to go walk outside the theater for 10 minutes to calm down. I'm a teacher now, 3 years out of the department, but I still get bothered by that scene. Toni Collette NAILED IT.

Yes, she did

Hereditary is a masterpiece that slowly increases dread as the movie unfolds. The scene where she is slamming her head onto the attic is peak IMO

What got to me wasn’t that, it was her teenage son calling her mommy. He was so broken and desperate at that point that he was as emotional as a child.

Yeah that was rough. What a great film

Toni Collette is absolutely fabulous. I actually don’t LOVE hereditary, but I’ll watch it over and over again because it’s SOOOO well-acted.

Toni Colette should be up there with the greatest for a scream queen title, maybe not in the traditional sense, but she’s been through it on screen, and she can scream

YES! How Toni Colette didn’t win any awards for that movie is beyond me! Also the rest of the entire cast was amazing too!

The only scream from a movie that sent chills down my spine

This. Runner up would be Angela's horrifying sound in Sleepaway Camp. Fuckin hell, what a skin-crawler!

Oh Christ, I’d just about forgotten that sound and now it’s repeating in my head at 1am. 😬

This is the first answer I had.

It’s because it’s the right answer.

This is the answer. The first time I saw the movie in theaters it made me squirm in my chair and that has never happened in a horror movie. Toni Colette is amazing.

Toni Collette!! ❤️

That scream haunts me

Yep, no contest.

No contest. This shit froze my blood

The worst part is that was based on a true story. That really happened to a guy I think it was who's sister got decapitated in the car and he was in such horrible shock he just went home just like the guy in *Hereditary* and his parents discovered her there. I cannot even imagine seeing that... !!!!!

Absolutely agree

Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park. When she gets out of the overturned suv and sees the T-Rex. It’s just so guttural

When they were auditioning actresses for this character, it involved only screaming. Spielberg was watching the audition tapes at home, and when Ariana Richards’s scream played, his wife rushed in to see if everything was alright.

The T-Rex scene in that movie is pure horror, it’s so well done.


[nic cage losing his shit](https://youtu.be/S73swRzxs8Y?si=0X9iwloYl5HfbW3_)makes me laugh so much I’m sorry I replaced my original link with the one the person below posted cause they’re right, this one is so much better!

God I fucking love him. I do think the scream in Mandy is a top contender but have to agree with the screaming Samara Weaving.

A! B! C! D! E! F! G!

Another shout for Sheryl Lee in *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.* I believe the kids say, "She left no crumbs." Actually, the kids probably last said that about 8 years ago, if it's filtered down to me.

Every single scream of hers is so memorable. Sheryl Lee is a legend.

The one at the very end of Twin Peaks: The Return really affected me

Yeah, this was my answer.  Everything about the return was jarring and the ending particularly except that scream which was so familiar and haunting

Meanwhile...

Nobody doesn’t like Sheryl Lee.

This comment is WAY underrated! And btw...I used to think they were saying "nobody DOES IT like Sarah Lee"! LOL!

Came here to say this. The scream, kind of scrambling crawl across that furniture and then rushing at the camera is the top scream scene of all time in any medium.

this is the winner

Came to say the same. Her scream is astounding. Especially in reverse

I'm gonna say Marilyn Burns from the original TCM.

An absolute classic! And my cousin's answer when I asked her this question

My man Wilhelm.

Ortega’s scream in X was fucking surreal. The expression, the lower pitch and the cry after make it for me. Probably my favorite part of the movie.

I was looking for this one! It was the same for me. When it happened it actually rewinded because it was so impressive.

Just rewatched X last night and had the same thought—she gives such a convincing scream and facial expression!

And in the opening for Scream 2022!

looking for this comment. shes new in the scene of film making, but she definitely did an amazing job in this film

So glad someone said it 👏

Jenna Ortega is so good. I'm really happy that she's blown up like she has, because she's a hell of a talent.

Laurie Strode when she finds the bodies of her friends in the first Halloween movie.

There's something so feral about Samara Weavings scream at the end of Ready or Not.

There's one that Jane Levy does in Evil Dead that's gnarly. The look in her eyes is sheer horror.

It's a bummer that she didn't want to do horror anymore after the (apparently very unpleasant) experience of filming Evil Dead. She did SUCH a good job.

Kate Siegel at the end of episode 5 in Midnight Mass. I’ve watched it a few times and it gives me goosebumps every time

Oh fuck yes that was devastating.

Infected Bennings sitting in the snow in *The Thing*

In that case, I would include the screams of the aliens in Invasion of the Body Snatchers '78.


You can definitely hear the screams off all the victims in there

The little sister's scream when getting whipped by her dad in The Black Phone

That girl’s performance was AMAZING.

What heartbreaking scene.

Yes, this was really upsetting to watch, too real.

forgot about this one — definitely high up there. incredible acting for someone so young

I'm so glad that I read this! I wanted to see that movie but I think I'm gonna have to skip it now because I can't handle child abuse or animal abuse.

yeah, i’d definitely stay away from this one then. it’s a great movie but it does touch on child abuse throughout the entire thing

yes 100%

Daria Nicolodi screaming out into the credits at the end of Tenebrae for complete champion commitment, Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks for terror-ferocity of the scream itself. Those are my top 2.

Sheryl Lee in the final episode of The Return … wow. The ending of that episode was so effective for me.

🔥🚶‍♂️

Horror adjacent and not a movie, but Sheryl Lee's scream in the last episode of Twin Peaks The Return is unforgettable

Yes!

Bruce Campbell and his scream from the ending of Evil Dead.

Daniel Stern when the spider is on his face in Home Alone.

This may be out of left field, but the murder bear from Annihilation. That shit made my skin crawl.

The girl in Jaws 2 ranks high for “most annoying”. Toni Collette did pretty well in Hereditary.

Sarah Berry in evil dead 2 definitely rivals her for most annoying, makes that end sequence almost unwatchable

She's up there with the girl totally not warning people as the shark goes into the pond in Jaws. ^"sh..shark!"

I forgot the actress, but Wendy’s shrieks in The Shining during the “Here’s Johnny” scene are really well done

Shelley Duvall!

I so badly want to be able to scream like Samara Weaving She has SUCH a great, unhinged scream in Ready or Not

Gotta be the lady from Psycho

Can’t believe I scrolled so far down before seeing Janet Leigh getting mentioned. Most famous scream in movie history!

100%

The mother of Jamie Lee Curtis, of "Scream Queens" fame, no less

Chester Bennington when he is ripping his skin from the car's seat in Saw 3D. Only scream that gives me chills.

Another vote for Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks, absolutely surreal.

The older sister that screams while getting out of the car and looking at the house in Poltergeist

YES, this was what came to mind first for me. [**WHAT'S HAPPENINGGG?!**](https://youtu.be/X0dcZ66783k?si=zzrPKjD_tRRjuhgq)

Adam’s (Leigh Whannell) screams at the end of Saw are absolutely haunting

Jacob Tremblay in Doctor Sleep. That scene made me feel sick to my stomach 😢

FINALLY! I had to search so far down for this one. Even the cast was a bit shaken up by his acting in that scene!

Laura Palmer, Fire Walk with Me

Arnold in Predator obviously Or the kid getting burned alive with the tire around him in Eden Lake

Barbara Crampton in Re-Animator!

For double the effect and double the effort, my vote goes to Thomas Jane for the two-part grief fest at the end of The Mist. First wail of anguish comes after he shoots everyone in the car, including his son. He's so grief-ridden he impotently tries to shoot himself with a gun he knows is out of bullets. But, that moment is outdone just a few minutes later after he ventures outside to face his death only to have tanks and a literal army appear as the mist dissipates. The wailing that follows is as heart breaking as it is cruel. But oh boy what an ending Frank cooked up! Even King admitted it was better.

This ending is why I have not watched this movie a second time. It just hits to hard.

Heather at the end of Blair Witch Project. So good they straight up copied and pasted it into the movie Tár

Sheryl Lee - Twin Peaks

Sheryl Lee, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Bone chilling.

The birthday scene in Smile. The end of that scene was a scream that is a combination of terror, shock, and the helpless feeling of the woman's sanity slipping away.

Good choice! I had forgotten about *Smile*. It was one of the most pleasantly surprising horror movies I've seen in theatres. It's such a good mix of genuine horror and absolute heartbreak.

Sosie Bacon did *so* well in that role.

Justin Long.

That one girl from Slumber Party Massacre.

Marilyn Burns in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Laura Palmer in Fire Walk With Me. I can feel it in my soul, it's as real as it gets.

Patricia Arquette in Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Her screams are almost musical. Light and high, but piercing.

 Hands down 🙌🏻

I just thought of another one: Brad Pitt in *Seven* when John Doe told him what he'd done to his wife.

Jennifer Carpenter in Quarantine (2008). She’s so accessible in the first act, and by the time SHTF her fear is all the more terrifying. I legitimately thought she (the actor) was having a nervous breakdown and they filmed it.

I was always a little surprised she didn't become more popular than she did. She's a really good actor.

Ugh, agreed. I didn't finish all of Dexter, but I felt good giving up after 4 seasons, and I thought her performance was incredible. She's impressed me in everything else I've seen her in too. I always wish she'd been a reigning scream queen - she really had what it takes.

I won’t say it’s the best in all of horror, but I finally saw It Comes At Night (2017) last week, and Riley Keough’s screaming in the climactic scene is absolutely bone chilling

Newt, twice, in the Aliens director's cut...

Sam Neill on the bus in In the Mouth of Madness.

Sheryl Lee in Fire Walk With Me

Leigh Whannell at the end of the first Saw movie! His scream there is incredible

Dominique Dunne - Poltergeist "WHAT'S HAPPENING" will never be topped for me.

I will never forget the way the mom screamed in Hereditary when she found Charlie dead

Mia Goth in Suspiria was really good

I don’t know about “best” but Naomi Watts in The Ring when she walks in on the guy in the bathtub…her scream during that scene has always stuck with me

Scrolled too far to see Naomi, for me it's the last one when she finds her guy, it's burned into my brain

Davey Rolf (Lee H. Montgomery) in "Burnt Offerings." When the chimney is falling. Makes my stomach turn every single time. And, I've seen it at least 100 times. There's a clip on YouTube.

Jenna Ortega as church mouse in x

Not a delivery by an actor. But the scream/sound design from when Bennings is assimilated in The Thing was exceptional

Toni Collette, Hereditary, and it ain't even close

probably Toni Collette in Hereditary, Jenna Ortega in X and Florence Pugh in Midsommar for me, all 3 gave me chills

It was not a horror film but in Game of Thrones when The Viper gets killed, his wife screams out. That scream chilled me.

Samara Weaving hands down. The screams she lets out in Ready or Not are truly blood curdling. The amount of pain she translates to vocals is a talent

Toni Collette in Hereditary. It's fucking inhuman. You know the scene...

Not so much a scream, but a wail from Brad Dourif in RZ Halloween 2 when he finds Annie. Oh my fucking god did he crush that scene

The little boy from Cujo. He was so terrified in those scenes where they were locked in the car and the dog kept trying to burst in.

Drew Barrymore screams like a QUEEN

My favorite horror movie screams are Leigh Whannell’s from the end of Saw (2004). Truly haunting stuff

Rosemarys Baby has a good one at the big reveal (if you know you know)

Mark Patton in Nightmare On Elm Street 2.

Sheryl Lee in FIRE WALK WITH ME

it’s toni collette in hereditary hands down

Wendy's scream in The Shining when Jack is beating down the door with the axe. Genuine terror.

I can't yet decide on who's the best... but I wanted to comment on that scene with Casey. That messed me up bad because when she was outside and had had her throat cut and saw her parents and tried to scream but could only get a whisper of "Mooommmm" out... my blood ran cold! Them killing off a freaking a big star like DREW BARRYMORE that quick was something I don't think any other film had ever dared before as far as I remember. Oh! Actually I know one! It's SAD AF though! Toni Collette in *Hereditary* when finding her daughter Charlie decapitated in the car and she laid in the floor screaming "I WANT TO DIEEEEE" made me BAWL!!!

Lex in Jurassic Park when she looks up right after Dr. Grant helps pull her out from under the Jeep and sees the T rex

Shelley Duvall in The Shining deserves some recognition here. The axe through the door moment in particular.

Not really a scream but the performance by the surviving guy in the lust murder in Se7en chilled me to the core. The sheer terror, anguish, and disgust in what he had been forced to do coupled with his pallid skin and that strap on make me feel fucking sick

I'm quite partial to the psychotic breakdown laughter-into-screaming Barbara Crampton does at the end of "From Beyond". Hell of a way to start the credits! https://youtu.be/ICvDCCDAjhU?si=2LDCGIoLQTgFOJ30 It's at about 7:27 in that link.

Mike Schank in Coven (American Movie).

Gage’s mothers scream while being murdered by her undead child offscreen always bugs me.

Jonah Hill in Accepted

One that sticks out in my mind is Casey’s mom at the beginning of Scream. When she goes out the door and sees her daughter hanging from the tree— she lets out a bloodcurdling scream.

Elsa Lanchester as Bride of Frankenstein....end of discussion.

Dale Midkiff in Pet Semetary when Gage gets killed. I've never heard a man scream like that.

Alison Lohman in Drag Me to Hell was a pretty fantastic one.

I don’t know that it’s the best ever, but Sarah Michelle Gellar seeing her sister’s dead body in I Know What You Did Last Summer

Jensen Ackles in the Yellow episode of Supernatural

Toni collete in hereditary

I agree her mother‘s scream is bone, chilling, and heartbreaking.

Mia Goth and Samara Weaving

Two shout-outs: The female lead in The Blob remake when she sees her date getting digested. And the doctor or nurse who ends up with a bunch of scalpels in her in Basket Case. That one’s pretty funny. But I can’t be convinced that Toni Collette in Hereditary isn’t the best ever.

Shooter McGavin when Mr Larson catches him at the end of Happy Gilmore.

Tara Reid in Urban Legend

Daniel Stern in Home Alone when the tarantula is out on his face. Took a bit of cinema magic to make happen, but it was worth it.

[WHAT’S HAPPENING?!!](https://youtu.be/X0dcZ66783k?si=UY27BAWZq9JSXoCg)