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The horror genre has and always will stand on the shoulders of great women, from Tippi Hedren to Janet Leigh, Cassandra Peterson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Barbara Crampton, and countless more. With each generation, a boom of new leading ladies takes the genre to new heights, with the likes of Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Sydney Sweeney, and Maika Monroe leading the charge in the 2020s. One name hot on every genre fan’s lips is Kathryn Newton, who has graced two enormous horror franchises and done everything from fighting vampires to taking down hulking slasher villains and falling in love with the undead.
Newton’s career began at the age of four when she appeared in soap opera All My Children as Colby Marian Chandler. She then nabbed roles in short films Abbie Down East and Bun-Bun before appearing in Bad Teacher in 2011, her first feature film role. She was already holding two Young Artist Awards before pivoting to genre filmmaking, a move that would enrich the genre and introduce the world to a true horror comedy queen. Here, we look at how she captured the hearts of film fans while terrifying and delighting cinemagoers in equal measure.
Paranormal beginnings
Following her feature debut in the 2011 comedy film Bad Teacher, Newton dipped her toe into the horror pool with a role in one of the most famous genre franchises. She starred as Alex Nelson in Paranormal Activity 4 alongside Katie Featherston, Brady Allen, and Stephen Dunham. Set five years after the events of Paranormal Activity 2, Alex lived in a quiet suburban home in Nevada with her father Doug (Dunham), mother Holly (Alexondra Lee), and brother Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp).
Alex records various supernatural phenomena on her laptop around the home, prompting her and her boyfriend, Ben (Matt Shively), to set up cameras. The phenomena turn more sinister when the neighbor’s son Robbie (Allen) spends more time with Wyatt, telling him about his best friend Toby.
The project was kept top secret during filming, referred to as ‘Double Decker’ by those in the know. Speaking about the experience, Newton told USA Today: “My dad didn’t know I was working on Paranormal Activity until two months before the end of the project. I told him I was working on a movie called Double Decker, about a bus.”
But despite her gripping performance in the film, it should come as a huge surprise that the actor even plucked up the courage to work on a horror movie, given her recollection of her first big screen genre experience watching Jennifer’s Body (per Empire): “I was so scared that my popcorn was falling out of the bucket. I was shaking so much. And that movie is not even considered a horror film.” But the film put her on the map for horror fans, and there was far more where that came from.
Joining forces with the Winchesters
From one monster horror franchise to another, Newton joined the cast of Supernatural in 2014 as Claire Novak from season 10 to 15. Newton’s Claire, daughter of Castiel’s true vessel Jimmy (Misha Collins), is introduced as a tearaway teen running from various group homes after her grandmother’s death. She becomes resentful toward Jimmy but forgives him when he helps find her lost mother Amelia (Leisha Hailey). After avenging her mother, Claire becomes a hunter and goes to live with the Mills family, who she comes to see as her own.
Her outcast teen to beloved, fearless hunter connected with Supernatural fans, quickly seeing her become a fan favorite character before her departure in 2018. Speaking about the role to Collider, she shared the impact it had on her: “It was a really fun experience. That character is really badass. She made me feel badass because I’m not. I’m such a poodle, and Claire Novak would step on poodles, so it’s very different for me. That’s not to say I’m not Claire. I’m still trying to figure myself out, and I’m trying to start my own independence, and I’m always trying to get rid of the bad guys.”
While Newton may have still been trying to figure herself out back then, what her roles in Paranormal Activity 4 and Supernatural showed the world is that she can quickly adapt to very different characters, while her natural charm still shines through, endearing viewers.
She’s a giant!
Outside of TV work, after Paranormal Activity 4, Newtorn starred in two huge comedy films – Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and a raunchy laugh-out-loud flick called Blockers. She showcased her infectious charm and snappy wit to full effect, which is also visible when she played tenacious journalist Lucy Stevens in Detective Pikachu. Outside of comedy, Newton also appeared in drama movies Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Ben Is Back, allowing the actor to get to grips with grittier roles. Both ends of the spectrum were utilized when she appeared in the 2020 hit horror comedy Freaky alongside Vince Vaughn, which set her on course to become a genre legend.
Just like Freaky Friday but much more twisted, Freaky follows misfit teen Millie Kessler (Newton) who finds herself the target of her town’s infamous serial killer The Butcher (Vaughn). In a freak turn of events, when The Butcher stabs Millie, his mystical blade causes the duo to switch bodies, and they have just 24 hours to assume their identities or they’ll be stuck like that for good.
Wild and wacky in the best ways possible, Freaky breathed new life into the body-swapping narrative, juggling both its horror and comedy aspects effortlessly. Both Newton and Vaughn show remarkable talent as the film’s leads, believably switching their entire body language up to embody both teenage girls and middle-aged male serial killers in equal measure.
It was a dream gig for Newton, who had grown up watching Vaughn’s movies: “I had seen so many Vince Vaughn movies growing up and I was a huge fan. He’s definitely one of my favorite actors ever. He’s iconic. It’s Vince Vaughn!” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “And when I got the call from Chris Landon to do this movie, I thought it was a brilliant idea and I was so excited to be a part of it. And then, Vince became attached and I couldn’t even believe it because the movie just went from being great to being unbelievable.”
While Vaughn is no doubt a film legend – having appeared in the likes of Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, and The Break-up – Newton shines in Freaky, nailing both the absurdist humor and the relatable gags surrounding those awkward teenage years trying to survive high school. She had already seemingly mastered balancing horror and comedy, but Newton was just getting started.
A camp masterpiece
Last year was a big one for the star, releasing not one but two iconic horror comedies in quick succession. Written by Diablo Cody, Lisa Frankenstein was the directorial debut of Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda Williams starring Newton alongside Cole Sprouse. The coming-of-rage love story puts a neon-soaked twist on Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein tale, following grieving teenager Lisa Swallows (Newton) struggling with the death of her mother and her father remarrying.
She spends much of her time at the local cemetery, where she comes across the grave of a young man who died in the 1800s. A bolt of lightning strikes his grave, and the man is brought back to life as a zombie, turning Lisa’s life into a warped rom-com perfect for fans of Heathers.
Paying homage to classic ’80s films such as Say Anything and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Lisa Frankenstein is a nostalgic love story made for the ghouls who enjoyed nothing more than losing themselves in Edgar Allan Poe while listening to The Cure. Like Frankenstein, much of the film’s focus isn’t on the monster, but on Lisa herself.
Newton brings the teen to life with an electric performance as weird and wonderful as the narrative itself. In fact, in an interview with FANGORIA, Newton was surprised she would be the film’s focus: “I read it like Creature was this big character, and my character was very small and quiet. It’s nothing like that.”
Horror romances can be tricky to pull off, but Lisa Frankenstein excels due to its comedy chops, but also its genuinely touching moments as we learn about Creature’s past and a very real romance emerges. Sprouse and Newton’s unexpected chemistry and tender care feel authentic – despite following a teenager and a re-animated corpse falling head over heels for each other – and its a testament to their respect for the genre.
A ballerina vampire
Just two months after Lisa Frankenstein hit our screens, Newton starred in her latest warped masterclass in horror and comedy. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Abigail follows a group of criminals who kidnap the titular daughter (Alisha Weir) of a wealthy, underground figure. They take her to a secluded manor and await her ransom, but what they don’t realize is that Abigail is not a helpful little girl and is, in fact, a vicious vampire who soon starts taking them out one by one.
Newton is joined by Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, and Giancarlo Esposito among others in the ensemble cast. It’s bloody great fun from start to finish, with Abigail serving a healthy dose of gore and comedy capers in equal measure.
Among the glowing reviews of the film, many commented on Newton’s performance as Sammy, a thrill-seeking hacker from a wealthy background. Her witty one-liners are one thing, but her vampire knowledge is crucial to the gang as they face off against the pint-sized menace – even when it seems like all hope is lost.
She is difficult to like at first, but Sammy quickly grows on the audience thanks to zinging one-liner after zinging one-liner, and Newton’s love for the picture oozes from the screen into the audience. It’s impossible not to watch her – or the whole cast, for that matter – without a smile on your face.
Speaking about what she brought to the role, Newton told Forbes: “I came in with a lot of ideas, and in a cool way, Matt and Tyler never told me no. That’s how the tattoos, the crazy outfit, and the dance were born. I’m not very good at asking for things, but they always come and ask me. I think that opened me up to a new experience. I’m grateful that they opened the door that way because I think everyone gives a better performance when they feel empowered to make decisions and supported to try things.”
Newton’s spin as Sammy cemented her status as the reigning horror comedy queen, a master of screams of laughter and terror in equal measure. She can command a scene drenched in blood or not, and the future looks bright for the versatile star – but what could she do next?
Building great things
Newton has two thrillers on the horizon for fans to look forward to. First, she is set to star alongside John C Reilly and Elizabeth Banks in DreamQuil, directed by Alex Prager. A synopsis for the film teases it will follow “a woman who attends a virtual wellness retreat that has terrifying consequences.” She will then appear in Lips Like Sugar, a coming-of-age flick set against the backdrop of West Los Angeles’ punk and skateboard culture in the 1980s. But when it comes to horror, where will we see her next?
With her expertise in horror comedy, she would be a valuable addition to the cast of the upcoming Scary Movie reboot, satirizing the very genre she has given so much to. With an Idle Hands remake coming from Sony at the hands of Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, Newton could easily step into the role of Molly – or maybe a gender swapped leading role as a lazy stoner causing chaos.
Newton is an avid golfer, and in an interview with Collider, floated her concept for a “golfing vampire” film for Blumhouse, so who knows, maybe we could see her in the directing chair sooner rather than later. Whatever she does next, we will be seated front row of our nearest theater on opening night.
