Eight Films That Cement Maika Monroe's Scream Queen Status

Maika Monroe has been making movies since 2012, moving up through supporting parts, misfires like Independence Day: Resurgence, and — in 2026 — her biggest role yet as the star of the wildly popular Reminders of Him. Horror has remained her sweet spot: she recently played the villain in Hulu’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle reboot, moved viewers with a short spot for Resident Evil Requiem: Evil Has Always Had a Name, and is set to star in Victorian Psycho.

Over the last decade-plus she has become a recognized scream queen, and these eight films are among her best, with two frequently cited among the top horror films of the 21st century. Standouts include It Follows (2014), which established Monroe as an iconic final girl in the role of Jay; Watcher (2022), where she plays Julia, a lonely wife who believes a neighbor is watching her; and Longlegs (2024), in which she portrays FBI agent Lee Harker opposite Nicolas Cage’s unsettling killer.

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