AITH Top 10 Favorite Female Horror Performances of 2017

December 23rd 2017, 2:08pm

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year people! Now I know that in terms of strong female performances within the genre, I’ve missed some this year. Am told that THE SHAPE OF WATER and RAW should be on my list, but hey, we do what we can. Hence out everything that I’ve tapped in 2017, here are the Top 10 female performances that stood out the most for yours truly. Scroll down and feel free to share your own picks via our comment section below.

4- Sophia Lillis (IT)

You got to hand it to Sophia Lillis. She was the only girl within the group of kids battling the balloon pimping Pennywise and she stole every single scene that she was in. She came off as a pro when it came to knowing the camera and her thoughtful performance hit me straight to the heart. I expect great things for Sophia’s career!

2- Jennifer Lawrence (Mother!)

Huge props to Jennifer Lawrence for her bold display in Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! The role was against type for her and it was obvious to me that she totally got lost in it, giving one hell of a gripping, fearless and visceral showcase. Love or hate the picture (I loved it), you can’t deny that Jen knocked it out of the park and into another stratosphere.

1- Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)

Millie Bobby Brown rocked my socks off (like the rest of the world) via her intense, likeable and moving performance as 11 on Stranger Things. In Season 1 her role didn’t have much dialogue but she conveyed all that we needed to know via her body language and her soulful eyes (all about that killer stare). She had more lines to play with and a different angle to explore in Season 2 as her character went from a young girl to a teenager and once again she handled the substance at hand masterfully. I anticipate that Millie Bobby Brown will have a very long career and may become one of the most respected actresses on the scene when she’s older. Shit, she already has an Emmy nomination under her belt. And to think that she never took an acting class in her life… wow…

3- Carla Gugino (Gerard’s Game)

What a dream role this must have been for Carla Gugino. Not to take anything away from Bruce Greenwood’s solid performance, but the bulk of the film rested on her shoulders in terms of it working or not. And she went for it with all that she had. The lady had countless emotional levels to hit here as an actress and and man did she nail them all down with gusto! She was the movie and was beyond up to the task. Props!

7- Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness)

Mia Goth stood out in A Cure for Wellness as the ethereal and always barefoot mystery gal. She handled her child-like to womanhood character arc and every varied emotions that came with that complex journey (organic humorous moments included) ideally. And she did so much within limited screen time to boot. Impressed.

8- Samara Weaving (The Babysitter)

I had never heard of Samara Weaving before clocking The Babysitter. And although the film did very little for me, Weaving stayed with me due to her sizzling looks and her sturdy performance that went from endearing to frightening but always charismatic. I also liked the shades of grey she injected in what could have been a black and white character. I heard that she owned it in Joe Lynch’s Mayhem too, but I haven’t seen that one yet. But her work in Babysitter alone earns her this mention.

9- Sofia Boutella (The Mummy)

Sofia Boutella was easily the best thing about the failed Mummy reboot for me. She managed to upstage Tom Cruise (no small feat) by way of her riveting body language and emotive eyes and successfully evoked conflicted feelings as to my view of her character. The Mummy won’t launch a franchise, but hopefully it elevates Boutella’s career to an all new echelon within the biz.

5- Elizabeth Olsen (Wind River)

Elizabeth Olsen reminded me of Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs in Wind River and that is a huge compliment. She pulled off the delicate juggling act of communicating toughness, courage and strong will, yet while still managing to be vulnerable and naive due to her character’s lack of experience. Aced it! And the fact that she played against an on-top-of-his-game Jeremy Renner resulted in quite the acting powerhouse duo.

6- Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher)

Amber Rose Revah didn’t do it for me at first as Medani on The Punisher Netflix series. But the more episodes rolled on, the more she found and got comfy with the role. By the time Season 1 was over, I was completely in love with everything about Medani. Her strength, her stubbornness, her vulnerability that randomly peered out from behind that wall she has up, her hypnotizing looks, the works! High-five and hit Amber Rose! I expect Medani to rock it even further in Season 2.

10- Fiona Dourif (Cult of Chucky)

Fiona Dourif blew me away in the Curse of Chucky in 2013 and she did it again in this year’s Cult of Chucky. She put out a rich and earnest performance. I must admit, that moment when she channeled Charles lee Ray (played by her dad Brad Dourif in the series) is what sealed the deal in terms of her being on my list. Tour de force!