In horror films, more often than not it’s the lead actress who survives to the end, escaping the serial killers, paranormal activities and more using their wits.
Whether it’s most apt to call them final girls, femme fatales or scream queens is up to your discretion.
A recent film, “Obsession,” released in movie theaters on May 15, directed by comedian and actor Curry Baker. It’s a supernatural horror film that excitingly introduces a new scream queen into the horror canon.
“Obsession” is about Baron (Michael Johnston), a man working at a music store, who finds a vintage toy that grants one wish. Naturally, he wishes for his beautiful co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to love him more than anyone has loved anyone before.
Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in “Obsession,” a Focus Features release.
It worked. And it backfired. A little, anyways.
Nikki becomes downright obsessed with Baron through supernatural means, and the viewer sits nervously in their seats while things just degrade quickly.
Navarrette is a new actor to me, though she was in “Superman & Lois” from 2021-2024. Her performance, though, of becoming this obsessive girlfriend who stops at no length to celebrate and love Baron, was outstanding.
I love when modern-day horror films aren’t afraid to embrace when an actor can go a little crazy.
Mia Goth arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Goth is known for her role in the “X” horror trilogy.
It brings to mind performances from Mia Goth, a prolific actor perhaps best known for her performances in the “X” film series, which includes “X,” “Pearl” and “MaXXXine.” In those films, she’s an aspiring film star, but she’s also quite mentally unwell and violent.
Goth has always been impressive to me, as she’s never afraid to go big in her performances. It’s not uncommon to see her screaming or being completely unhinged.
Navarrette’s performance was a little more dialed in, though. Whereas Goth’s characters have this internal, almost primal, way of acting, it’s clear that Navarrette went for more of a take on being crazy through possession and obsession.
While I adore unhinged scream queens, I have a soft spot for the more tactical ones, too. The ones that don’t necessarily have bad intentions, but sometimes do bad things in the name of surviving or escaping.
Actor Maika Monroe, for instance, has had two huge horror roles as the protagonists in “It Follows” (2015) and “Longlegs” (2024).
In “Longlegs,” Monroe’s character is a careful FBI agent tasked with finding a serial killer in a new town. (The serial killer is Nicolas Cage, which is a fun time.) It’s always entertaining to watch an investigative-type film with a newbie detective working the case. It reinforces the trope of the scrappy, young person who’s able to see things that the seasoned veterans can’t.
For “It Follows,” Monroe is a college student who, after having sex, starts to be followed by a supernatural being that only she can see. Occasionally the being will transform into people who are familiar to her, like her dad, or a friend’s parent.
She’s crafty and subtle.
Actor Sophie Thatcher has made more of a name for herself in the past few years, with Showtime show “Yellowjackets” (still haven’t watched it fully, despite it being a show that I’d fully be interested in), as well as movies such as “Heretic” (2024) and “Companion” (2025).
Her performance in “Companion” is a blast. She’s at a lake house in the middle of nowhere, and the viewer realizes very early on that she’s actually an artificial intelligence being who her boyfriend (Jack Quaid) bought to be his companion.
Thatcher’s emotions are controlled by an app on her boyfriend’s phone. She doesn’t like that he’s so in control, and she finds a way to steal his phone and turn up her intelligence.
It’s a constant battle of control and autonomy.
Thatcher’s character is unhinged, but it’s not in the same way that Goth and Navarrette handle it. It’s done with more tact, less emotion.
But, the truth of the matter is, there’s no wrong way to be a modern-day scream queen. Women contain multitudes, so it only makes sense that that mentality extends to horror films, too.
And there I’ll be in the audience, with popcorn in hand, waiting to fall in love with a new performance.
Mickayla Miller is LNP | LancasterOnline’s entertainment reporter. “Unscripted” is a weekly entertainment column produced by a rotating team of writers.
