Is Maika Monroe the first feminist scream queen?
The 'Longlegs' star has blazed a unique trail for herself in horror


Horror has not traditionally been a genre known for its feminist bonafides. From the "final girl" trope to the very concept of the scream queen, horror films have rarely strayed outside of genre conventions long enough to challenge male-centric narratives and conventions.
But actress Maika Monroe, the star of the new viral marketing hit "Longlegs," is carving a unique Hollywood career path. Unlike many stars who put the critically unloved horror universe behind them when they hit it big, the California-born Monroe is an avowed fan of the genre, and she continues to choose roles that critique gender hierarchies, violence against women and male privilege. In doing so, she has perhaps become Hollywood's first feminist scream queen.
Monroe and the rise of feminist horror
Monroe's breakout turn came in the cult horror hit "It Follows." Marketed as yet another teens-in-jeopardy slasher, the director David Robert Mitchell's film was actually a sly coming-of-age meditation on how hard it is to shake the trauma of sexual assault. She plays Jay, a high school student whose date ties her to a chair after they sleep together in a car and tells her that he has made her the target of a demon — one that can take the form of any person. To get rid of it, she has to give it to someone else by sleeping with them, and if the demon kills her victim, it will come back after her. The movie was "unsettling and deservedly celebrated," said Roger Ebert critic Simon Abrams.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the little-known 2017 apocalypse thriller "Bokeh," Monroe played Jenai, who wakes up with her boyfriend Riley (Matt O'Leary) on a trip to Iceland to discover that everyone on Earth has vanished. This quiet character study sees Riley more or less ecstatic about having the run of the world to themselves and incapable of noticing or responding to Jenai's emotional cues about missing her home and family. Monroe's performance caused critics to dub her a "breakout actress" who is "destined for a significant career if she keeps believing in such ambitious, sharp scripts," said Roger Ebert's Nick Allen.
From undertones to overtones
The feminist undertones were less subtle in other projects. In 2020's "The Stranger" — originally a 13-part series for the ill-fated short-form streamer Quibi that was recut in 2024 into a feature film by Hulu — Monroe plays Clara, a rideshare driver who picks up a killer (Dane DeHaan). Though she escapes the initial encounter, he continues to pursue her. She has trouble convincing anyone, from her employer to the police, that the threat is real. Monroe is "well-suited to this kind of role without feeling limited by," said Variety's Michael Nordine.
Similarly, in director Chloe Okuno's widely praised 2022 horror film "Watcher," Monroe plays Julia, who moves to the Romanian capital of Bucharest so her husband Francis (Karl Glusman) can take a high-paying job. A serial killer is on the loose there, and Monroe becomes convinced that she's being stalked; Francis and virtually everyone else in the film treat her fears first with condescending indulgence and then dismissive gaslighting. The film was a "cathartic expression of feminist rage," said Collider's Molly Kusilka. The "atmospheres of utter terror in public places" highlight "the unfortunate fear and paranoia that often comes with navigating them as a woman," said Kusilka.
"Longlegs," in theaters now, is receiving accolades as one of the scariest movies in years. "Longlegs" is "impressively scary stuff," said The Atlantic's David Sims. Monroe plays Lee Harker, an FBI agent on the tail of a serial killer, and the film addresses head-on the danger of being a woman hunting a serial killer who murders women. Asked by a child if it's scary being a "lady FBI agent," Lee replies "Yes." Monroe also said that she found the script's feminist themes "very intriguing," which contributed to her decision to take the role. She's "the queen of modern horror," said GQ's Jesse Hassenger. And she's got more to come with "They Follow," currently in pre-production, the sequel to her 2014 breakout film.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building material
Under the radar Building CO2 into the buildings
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 1, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
7 ways to drink spectacularly across the United States this spring
The Week Recommends A bar for every springtime occasion
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Adolescence and the toxic online world: what's the solution?
Talking Point The hit Netflix show is a window into the manosphere, red pills and incels
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 welcoming recipes for cooking and baking during your spring days
The Week Recommends You want it flavorful, and you want it exciting
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Spring's best new cookbooks, from pizza to pastries
The Week Recommends Pizza, an array of brownies and Cantonese-American mash-ups are on the menu
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
10 upcoming albums to stream in the hazy spring
The Week Recommends Ring in the end of the cold weather with some new music
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Video games to play this spring, including 'Split Fiction' and 'South of Midnight'
The Week Recommends A meta co-op game puts you in a game within a game, and a life simulator that can compete with the 'Sims' franchise
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Stephen Graham's best TV and film roles
The Week Recommends From Line of Duty to Adolescence, these are the prolific actor's must-watch projects
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published