The Big Picture

• Kathryn Newton showcases her range in horror, from a haunted teenager in Paranormal Activity 4 to a sinister turn in Abigail.
• Newton shines in Freaky with her performance as Millie, setting up Vince Vaughn's body-swapped killer character.
• Lisa Frankenstein highlights Newton's eccentric yet warm presence, making her a compelling heroine in a bold, bizarre film.

The 2020s have seen a new wave of scream queens. From Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barerra with their roles in the Scream franchise; to Mia Goth, known for her performances in Ti West's X trilogy with MaXXXine premiering in July; to Samara Weaving, who led Radio Silence's Ready or Not and the highly anticipated Azrael. What is so compelling about this new group of horror scream queens is how each of them brings their own flair to their roles, pushing the boundaries of what women can do in horror movies. Following her successful 2024 roles in Lisa Frankenstein and, most recently, Abigail, Kathryn Newton has proven that she deserves to be considered amongst these names. She brings a palpable reliability to all of her characters, with her performance often being a source of comfort for the audience in amongst the bloody chaos. The 27-year-old actor exhibits great range in her horror roles, going from perfect comedic timing to truly terrifying scenes, and it's about time we gave Kathryn Newton her blood-stained flowers.

Kathryn Newton's Early Horror Roles Show Her Potential

Kathryn Newton first appeared in the horror genre when she was a teenager, playing Alex in Paranormal Activity 4. Alex is a fairly typical teenager, whose boyfriend Ben (Matt Shively) sets up cameras around the house following a number of strange events. The movie suffers from franchise fatigue, being the fourth in the series. It falls into predictable tropes, failing to add anything particularly groundbreaking to the horror series. However, Kathryn Newton is the best part of the film, giving a candid and empathetic performance as a terrified but curious teenager. Found footage as a genre relies heavily on believability, and the Paranormal Activity series has relied on the premise of terrifying, otherworldly things happening to regular people. Therefore, the cast has to feel like a genuine family and the illusion succeeds when, as an audience, you forget you are watching a movie and begin to feel like you are just watching real footage. As Newton leads this installment and spends a lot of time directly in front of her webcam, the success of it hinges on her making Alex believable as a regular teenager.

2020's Freaky was a major breakthrough in Newton's spooky career. A horror take on the classic Freaky Friday concept, it sees Newton begin the movie as the skittish and shy Millie Kessler before swapping bodies with the infamous killer known to the town as The Butcher (Vince Vaughn). Newton's role is crucial as her first few scenes set up the movie's hero, and she lays the groundwork for Vaughn's body-swapped performance. Vince Vaughn's exaggerated portrayal as a teenage girl stuck in the body of a towering killer only works because Newton uses the short screen time to fully establish Millie as a heroine. From timidly talking to figures of authority, such as her shop teacher Mr. Bernardi (Alan Ruck), and her insecurity present in her mannerisms, Newton fills Millie with small details that make her eventual character arc all the more satisfying. Her chemistry with love interest Booker (Uriah Shelton) in one short scene is essential to the payoff of their relationship later on and allows the audience to root for them even when Millie is played by Vaughn.

Despite her crucial role early on in the movie, Newton is most memorable in Freaky when she is possessed by the spirit of The Butcher and turns into a ruthless killer. Her tone immediately changes, and she walks with confidence and purpose. The total shift expertly highlights that Newton is playing a completely new character, and shows that she has all the abilities to be both the hunter and hunted.

'Lisa Frankenstein' Is Kathryn Newton's Most Ambitious Performance

2024 was Kathryn Newton's biggest year in horror, and cements her as an exciting name within the genre. Lisa Frankenstein saw her take on a similar role to Millie Kessler, but she pushes it to its extreme, playing the eccentric titular Lisa. The role feels lovingly satirical in its portrayal of the neon '80s aesthetic, and the contrast between this and the unnatural and dirty Creature (Cole Sprouse). The movie is bold and bizarre and relies on Newton's performance to pull off this tone, especially since Sprouse has practically no dialogue throughout the entire film. It is Newton's eccentric yet warm presence that gives Lisa a ton of charisma and makes her a heroine we root for.

Lisa Frankenstein is not a by-the-numbers slasher like Freaky, but its death sequences are important to the movie. The tone of these deaths is much more light-hearted and focuses on Lisa's feelings. Newton has to immerse the audience in Lisa's mind to help them understand the situation, and she does that exceptionally. This is most evident when she finds her stepsister in bed with her crush; the movie hones in on the frustration and confusion Lisa is feeling. Newton shows Lisa is a character whose life is laced with trauma and struggles to process what is happening around her. She is far from a usual audience surrogate, but Newton's complete control over Lisa's eccentric persona is what makes the world so immersive and drives the story. She takes the aspects of being a teenager that were so believable in Paranormal Activity 4 and Freaky and exaggerates them to make Lisa a hilarious character who is still earnest and compelling.

'Abigail' Uses The Audience's Familiarity With Kathryn Newton Against Them

There is a similar eccentricity to Newton's performance as Sammy in Abigail, where she stands out in a stacked cast that includes captivating performances from Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand, and Melissa Barrera. At first, Newton shines as the main source of humor in the movie relief of the movie. Her comedic timing is undeniable as she delivers some of the funniest lines in Abigail, particularly when she is on the hunt for garlic and brings back a bag of onions. The dramatic yet ditsy delivery makes Sammy endearing and a firm favorite among the group, returning to that familiarity that audiences have become accustomed to with Newton. Her character has clearly had a privileged upbringing, but rather than leaning into the spoilt child archetype, Newton shows Sammy as deeply intelligent but lacking common sense. Newton ensures that Sammy is never the one-dimensional "dumb blonde" that we've seen so often in the horror genre.

Just when we're confident that Sammy will be a fellow final girl who lives to mistake onions for garlic another day, she gets turned by a bite from Abigail. She manages to emulate the characteristics of Sammy but turns them from curious to sinister. Her delirium is less charming and is now deeply unsettling. The way her dance reflects Abigail shows how she has lost total control over her body, but she still manages to make it less polished than Weir. Her subsequent sudden death is surprising and takes the audience's comfort with Newton on screen and uses it against them. It proves Kathryn Newton's versatility and showcases the variety of her roles within the horror genre. She takes risks in her choices, and although she thrives in comedic and whimsical characters, she has shown that she's just as captivating in more sinister roles.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Newton's illustrious career in the horror genre.

Abigail is now available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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