In time for Halloween, we celebrate the screen sirens who make us howl in delight

By Kurt Geltz
MSN Movies

This time every year, we see little signs around us that the seasons are beginning to change and that fall has arrived. The air gets crisper, the leaves change color, and damsels in distress scream their lungs out. What's a Halloween without the Scream Queen? These gals are a hallmark of both good and bad (and sometimes very bad) horror movies.

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The Scream Queen has a long and storied history dating back to the start of the silent film era in Hollywood. Over time, the title of Scream Queen has become just as popular as vampires, zombies and werewolves in the late '70s and early '80s because of the rise of scare-masters like John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven. During the '80s and into the '90s, the Scream Queen became something more than just a beautiful, blond bimbo who had nothing to do but tremble and shriek, thanks to post-horror movies like "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Still, the Scream Queen persists in the new century in movies like the "Saw" films and Hollywood remakes of Asian horror films like "The Ring," "The Grudge" and "One Missed Call." What helps keep the Scream Queen alive is good casting. Finding the right actress to play the damsel in distress in a horror film can make or break the experience.

To celebrate this spooky season, we look at those actresses who helped to make the Scream Queen a top attraction during Halloween.

(Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection)