Movies
Which Character from the Scream Franchise Are You Based on Your Horoscope?
Do you ever wonder who you would be if the stars aligned (probably not in your favor) and you found yourself in the middle of Woodsboro? Madame Horror Press has chosen to emerge from her psychomanteum and impart upon us which character we are in the Scream franchise based on our astrological signs.
We at Horror Press recognize that, just as the Scream franchise has displayed many different personalities, the signs cannot simply be defined by only one character. To every yin, its yang. Which side of the coin you land on depends on your heart, dear horror fan. So, as you weigh your two options, ask yourself: are you the good guy or the villain?
Note: As of the creation of this article, Scream 6 is brand new. As such, for the sake of no spoilers, none of the new canon or characters will be referenced.
Aries 3/21-4/19
Sidney Prescott//Mrs. Loomis
With your determination to never back down from a challenge and bold personality, is it any wonder that you’d be the OG final girl Sidney Prescott? However, in the wrong hands (or right hands, depending on your POV on vengeance), you could find yourself as none other than Mrs. Loomis.
Taurus 4/20-5/20
Tatum Riley//Cotton Weary
Like Tatum Riley, you have a fun-loving nature, and you’re a great time to be around. Although this has its downturn, a constant fixation on cash, stubbornness, and envy of others can make you look a lot like Cotton Weary if you’re not careful. (Okay, so he’s not a murderer, but he’s certainly not #goals either.)
Gemini 5/21-6/20
Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin//Ghostface
Your many interests and desires can be personified in one of two ways, depending on you, dear Gemini. If you are endearing in your endeavors, then the playful Meeks-Martin twins are your reality. If not, then your nature can only be rightly captured by all the duplicitous madness lurking behind the Ghostface masks.
Cancer 6/21-7/22
Dewey Riley//Stu Macher
Your caring, devoted nature and inherent silliness are all trademarks of Dewey Riley. However, these qualities can quickly turn sour when you’re roped into a homicidal frenzy with your best pal, only for him to stab you and hit you with a phone – like Stu Macher.
Leo 7/23-8/22
Derek Feldman//Jill Roberts
Your adventurous and humorous nature and affinity for the spotlight could have you standing on a cafeteria table singing “I Think I Love You” like Derek Feldman. Be cautious, however. That desire to be the star-of-the-show forms the swirling depths from which the likes of Jill Roberts emerge.
Virgo 8/23-9/22
Randy Meeks//Roman Bridger
Your analytical nature and love of order and solving puzzles make you Randy Meeks, informing everyone of the rules of the horror movie. However, if you let the past haunt you and use your powers of analysis for evil, that makes you none other than Roman Bridger, a calculated killer to the nth degree and the most disliked in the franchise.
Libra 9/23-10/22
Principal Arthur Himbry//Amber Freeman
You thrive on justice and harmony and work tirelessly and thanklessly to preserve balance, much like Principal Arthur Himbry. Take caution, for if you become too rigid in your expectations, and let your bossy ways take the wheel without mercy, you may find yourself in the same position as Amber Freeman – on the business end of some hand sanitizer.
Scorpio 10/23-11/21
Sam Carpenter//Billy Loomis
You dark spirit, you. Like Sam Carpenter, you have a mysterious aura, are loyal to a fault, and derive great power from your emotions. Unfortunately, some are driven insane with that power, and then we’re left with Billy Loomis.
Sagittarius 11/22-12/21
Gale Weathers//Still Gale Weathers
You are funny, fair, and have an unquenchable thirst for information and will go to great lengths to get it – much like Gale Weathers. While this can be an admirable quality, tread carefully. That quest for knowledge can be dangerous, as before you know it, you’re interrogating a teenager on the anniversary of her mom’s death about being wrong about her mother’s killer. I’m not saying she was a villain pre-Ghostface trauma, but she was a villain pre-Ghostface trauma.
Capricorn 12/23-1/19
Kenny Brown//Mickey Altieri
Your hard work, sense of responsibility, ability to be a team player, and humility all amount to the undervalued (and undoubtedly underpaid) Kenny, the cameraman. Conversely, the desire to continuously take what you want right nowcan amount to hare-brained schemes where you team up in a murderous plot with a random grieving mother you met online.
Aquarius 1/20-2/18
Kirby Reed//Hank Loomis
Like fan-favorite Kirby Reed, you are a dedicated innovator who knows how to have fun. Be wary; your rebellious side and recklessly pursuing your passions can amount to the likes of Hank Loomis, Billy Loomis’ father. When your son and your (ex) wife are driven to serial murder from the fruits of your desires, it may be time to begin looking inward.
Pisces 2/19-3/20
Tara Carpenter//Richie Kirsch
You are sensitive to the plights of others and respect intelligence, much like Tara Carpenter. Is it any wonder you’re such a fan of elevated horror like the Babadook? On the other hand, your deep thinking can get you into trouble – as being prone to fantasy can trick you into believing you would get to ride off into the sunset with your clearly sociopathic girlfriend (cough, cough, Richie.)
Do you agree with the Scream character Madame Horror Press has given you? Let us know in the comments!
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We are finally in the midst of Shudder’s 61 days of Halloween! There are so many horror movies to consume and 31 days simply isn’t enough. Use the long Labor Day weekend to kick off your horror movie countdown and add these movies to your Shudder queue. Here is a list of what I would recommend checking out to ease into the Halloween spirit right before going into full blown premature trick-or-treating mode.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
The Yeti (2026)
A large creature has captured people in a remote Alaskan town in the 1940s. The sheriff has put together a search-and-rescue monster hunting party to bring back the captives. It sounds like the premise of a Cold Iron Studios co-op video game in the same vein as Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The stylization from co-directors Gene Gallerano & William Pisciotta in the trailer makes me think they have cooked up a story that blends action, horror, and wilderness survival. Sign me up, sheriff!
Leave (2022)
Hunter was found as a baby abandoned in a cemetery wrapped in a cloth covered with satanic symbols. She has been searching for answers her whole life about where she came from. Her journey to find her parents takes her down a mysterious path, and she is being warned by something from the beyond to leave this mystery alone. Can she trust who this investigation is leading her towards? It’s a mysterious, supernatural, culty film that will give you chills.
Penny Lane is Dead (2026)
One crazy night in Australia with perhaps a dash of revenge. Shudder’s latest original looks to be packed with blood and violence in this story of girls just trying to have fun until the crazy cousin drugs the party and invites dangerous people to play. The trailer promises lots of body horror (trigger warning, there may be SA or threat of it). I’m not saying it will be Evil Dead level, but there’s definitely something in the Aussie water with Lee Cronin pumping out his gory deadites and mummy films, and now Mia Kate Russel with this one.
The Others (2001)
This is a PSA to the younger readers of Horror Press; stop what you’re doing and watch Nicole Kidman go 100 miles per hour in this classic ghost story with a twist. Dreary weather, massive estate, confusing corridors, creepy house servants you don’t know if you can trust, and sad British kids. The ending is an all-timer and spoilers should be avoided at all costs. It has exactly what you need to get right into the cozy, spooky mood for 61-days of Halloween.
Dark Harvest (2023)
If The Hunger Games and The Purge had a baby and raised it during Oktoberfest. Teenage boys are tasked with hunting and killing the entity known as Sawtooth Jack on Halloween night, or it could mean certain peril for their town. Of the movies I have listed here that I have not seen, this is going to be at the top of my watchlist. Teens fighting for survival on Halloween night and the battle setting is in a cornfield?! Say less. I am there with my Sam Adams seasonal in hand. Another perfect movie to cannonball me right into the Halloween spirit.
This list has been carefully curated to watch in a specific order to gear up for a Halloween marathon. Start with the wintry monster movie, move on to a macabre supernatural thriller, followed by a ramp-up in blood and gore, to then be lulled into a spooky, bump-in-the-night classic, all to end on a ritualistic hunt taking place on Halloween night. This is just getting things started for the first 30-days. Looking forward to sharing the next list to get you through October.
Anyone who follows legendary horror author Stephen King on social media or reads the back of books knows one thing. It’s harder to find something that King hasn’t blurbed than something that he has. The dude is a voracious consumer of genre media, and he finds a lot to love. It’s an admirable quality. But, speaking as someone who saw American Ultra after he praised it, you can’t always trust his recommendations. Today, I’ll cut some of the wheat from the chaff and break down the best modern horror movies he’s recommended.
Three notes: First, I have decided to define “modern” as “2001 or later.” Second, King practices good social media hygiene and has deleted many of his old posts. A lot of them are archived elsewhere. However, it’s more or less impossible to make a truly comprehensive list of his recommendations. I’ve synthesized multiple different sources and done my best to truly encapsulate the breadth of his recommendations. Third, I have not included any adaptations of his own work. He may be outspoken about the ones he doesn’t like, but he’s still obviously biased in that department.
#10 Snakes on a Plane (2006)
To quote King himself (defending putting 2012 among his top 2009 movies), “no filmgoing diet is complete without some cheese.” Snakes on a Plane is a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin movie, delivering high-flying serpentine thrills. However, it’s also a remarkably faithful resurrection of the atmosphere of old 1970s airplane thrillers.
#9 Final Destination 5 (2011)
In his Best of 2011 entry on Final Destination 5, King called it “the best since the first,” and he’s absolutely right. While the sequels probably peaked with the highway prologue in Final Destination 2, the fifth installment is pound-for-pound the most thrilling entry. Between the bridge collapse, the laser eye surgery, and the nail-biting sequence where a screw falls pointy-side-up on a balance beam, there’s no denying there’s real power here. And that’s not even mentioning the fun final twist!
#8 A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
In a since-deleted Tweet, King called Day One “the rare ‘big Hollywood film’ that is both intimate and textured.” It’s true. A Quiet Place: Day One is a mini miracle of horror filmmaking. An IP-drenched prequel to a duology of good-not-great post-apocalyptic popcorn blockbusters shouldn’t be this genuinely stirring. Plus, relative newcomer Joseph Quinn holds his own against the awe-inspiring Lupita Nyong’o, resulting in an all-timer two-hander.
#7 The Strangers (2008)
After watching The Strangers, King took to Entertainment Weekly to pontificate about what makes good horror. If you inspire someone who literally wrote the book on horror to think about it more, you’ve done something right. Bryan Bertino’s home invasion movie is one of the grimmest movies of the 2000s, but its desperate existential dread is terrifying and perfectly in line with King’s best works.
#6 Splice (2009)
King included Splice on his Top 10 list for 2010, particularly praising the “talented actors… who take the material seriously.” How did this grotesque genetic-experimentation horror movie directed by the guy who made Cube land Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley? Who knows. But they breathe life into some already super solid material. What Brody in particular gets up to feels even more twisted because it’s the guy from The Pianist doing it.
#5 Smile (2022)
In a since-deleted Tweet, King called Smile a “good, scary horror film.” He added that “the real surprise is Sosie Bacon as Rose. What a hell of a performance.” Bacon really was a revelation, but so was debut director Parker Finn. His control over tone and pacing leads to some of the best scare sequences of the 2020s.
#4 The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)
King’s not fucking around about the New Zealand horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen. It’s one of just two horror movies on his New York Times ballot for the best of the 21st century. The underseen movie is a real corker, too. It follows a judge (Geoffrey Rush) recovering in a care home after a stroke. However, his relaxation is ruined by a sadistic retiree (John Lithgow) who is obsessed with his baby doll puppet. Lithgow’s performance is stunning, and his thrillingly dark energy commands the screen every second he’s in front of the camera.
#3 Barbarian (2022)
In a since-deleted reply to a fan’s Tweet about Barbarian, King said “Yeah, that movie blew me away. It was crazy! Crazy GOOD!” This movie contributed what is perhaps the definitive scary basement in horror, which is no small feat. That’s all thanks to director Zach Cregger’s control over onscreen darkness (one of his many skills). The man must be a shadowmancer of some kind.
#2 Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan is the only other horror movie on King’s NYT ballot. It has received a lot of international recognition over the years. Perhaps more than any other non-Parasite movie from South Korea. That’s because it’s flipping amazing. Its crackling energy makes it one of the scariest fast-zombie movies in history. But it also marries that with a compelling father-daughter story. There’s really nothing Train to Busan can’t do.
#1 The Descent (2005)
King put The Descent on his 2006 best-of list, calling it “the best horror movie of the year.” Forget that. It’s one of the top horror movies of the century so far. It’s a bloody good monster movie nestled into a skin-crawlingly claustrophobic spelunking movie.
Honorable Mentions:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – I’ve never seen it, so I can’t in good faith recommend it
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – A masterpiece, but it’s not really “horror”
Obsession (2026) – We gotta let this one sit, in order to avoid recency bias
