Hollywood has seen scream queens come and go, and a lot of them have been way too over the top while others haven’t really inspired us to believe that they were in mortal danger or even genuinely surprised by the killer or monster that they’re supposed to get chased or killed by. If not for her great performance in the first Halloween movie, which would be far from her last, Jamie Lee Curtis made it apparent that her star wasn’t bound to dim and fade, especially since people still look up to her as the great Laurie Strode, one of the few characters in a horror movie that can say that she survived her attacker. From the first time she let loose with an ear-rending scream, Curtis was impressing people left and right. It’s funny to say this since there have been great and phenomenal scream queens that came before her and after, but she was still pegged as one of the greatest and is still considered as such today. Some would consider it an honor to be thought of as such, and others might just laugh at it. But in all honesty, it’s a mark of respect for having been a part of show business for so long.
With Halloween just a month away it’s that time of year when we focus a little more on the horror aspects of the entertainment industry to give thanks to some of the greater actors, writers, directors, etc. since their contributions have gone a long way toward creating the legends we have now. While the character of Laurie hasn’t been in every Halloween movie, she’s been one of the most iconic characters since she was one of the first that survived Michael Myers, and as such, this made her an icon in the eyes of the fans. It’s kind of like Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street or Sydney Prescott from Scream. Those that manage to survive their attackers, especially when their attacker is someone that no one in their right mind should be able to survive, that they tend to become stuck in the public consciousness as a favored individual.
A lot of times these characters aren’t great fighters, nor are they particularly skilled in any way that could help them escape, but with a great deal of luck and some clever writing, they manage to be the last person standing at the end, even if it’s not entirely plausible. Curtis became a scream queen when she was only 19, and from that point on her legend started to build. Obviously, she didn’t stick with horror movies for a good deal of her career, but that didn’t dim her legend in any way since her title of scream queen managed to keep building as she cut loose with a scream every now and then in her other movies. As time has moved on, Curtis has been remembered by quite a few people even as younger actresses have come along, trying to make their mark on the business much as she did back in the day. There have been several that have taken great strides in advancing the idea of the final girl and the scream queen, but for a lot of fans, Curtis will always be one of the greatest to ever take on the mantle.
Throughout the length of her career, she’s done quite a bit that has nothing to do with horror, as she’s taken on many various roles that have seen her in positions of authority to a comedic character and even to a guest star on a few shows here and there. It’s easy to say that her popularity didn’t start and end at Halloween since, over the course of her time in the business, Curtis has done everything she could to maintain her distance from the character of Laurie Strode at times, while at others she’s embraced it to continue the story. The point is that no one role has ever defined Curtis over the decades, but depending on the individual fans she’s become an icon in a number of different ways that have been used to elevate her in a very notable way. The fact that she’s still considered to be one of the more popular actresses in Hollywood says a lot for the effort she’s put in and the love that the fans have shown her.
With Halloween Kills there are some people thinking that it might be the end of the saga, but while it will be the end of the most recent trilogy there’s no telling if it will continue or not. As far as Laurie Strode goes, this will be the last time that Curtis will be taking up the role, but it’s been stated that she won’t die at the end, though it’s worth checking it out when the time comes.
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