One 2020 horror movie on Amazon Prime Video, Modern-day scream queens currently practicing in Hollywood range from Mia Goth, of Suspiria, Pearl, and Infinity Pool, to Anya Taylor-Joy of The Menu and The Witch. While Janet Leigh, Naomi Watts, and Toni Colette have worked hard over the decades and heavily influenced horror, there is one up-and-coming actress who Hollywood can no longer ignore. That is Sydney Sweeney, whose role in Nocturne laid her talent in the genre bare for all to see.

Directed and written by Zu Quirke, Nocturne proves far more than Quirke's horror credentials - it is a major showcase for its lead actress. Sweeney's Juliet Lowe is a nuanced main character heading toward destruction and bringing the audience with her on her dark path. Nocturne isn't quite one of the best horror movies of all time, but there is more than enough originality in it to inspire even the most well-versed of horror fans. Nocturne serves horror with a musical theme, set in an important performing arts school where Juliet Lowe competes for prestige.

Nocturne Lets Sydney Sweeney Show Off Her Scream Queen Capabilities

Sydney Sweeney Is At Her Best In Nocturne

Sydney Sweeney proved, once and for all, that she has what it takes to be Hollywood's next great scream queen in Nocturne. Juliet vies with her sister for fame in the movie, exhibiting a wide range. From youthful naiveté to the heaviness of a horror far beyond her years, Lowe plays a young woman just as haunted by her own ambition as she is by generations of misogynistic pressure. In this sense, Nocturne really does feel like one of the great modern horror movies directed by women, fueled by a distinctly female rage.

Lowe plays a young woman just as haunted by her own ambition as she is by generations of misogynistic pressure.

Sydney Sweeney, who rose to fame on popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars, is more than capable of carrying Quirke's difficult, complex subject matter. Not just that, but she pulls off each consecutive scare with advancing drama and an increasingly traumatized and absent stare. Like some of the best slasher movies, Nocturne drives through deaths as it becomes darker, leaving its final girl free to confront her worst enemy - herself. This sharp and poignant twist ensures a thought-provoking end to its compelling narrative and meandering terror.

Sydney Sweeney Has Also Shined In Other Horror Movies

Nocturne Is Far From The Only Horror Movie In Sweeney's Repertoire

Sydney Sweeney is a dead ringer for the next big thing in horror, with many diverse movies in the genre in her back catalog already. The psychological thrills of Nocturne, with their satanic leanings, are a perfect complement to Sweeney's movies and past work in the genre. Even in Euphoria, the teen drama exploring sexuality and drug issues, Sweeney played an insecure youth with horrifying conflict and anxiety playing at the edges of her psyche. In 2021, she played Eva in Night Teeth, showing a more glamorous side to the sophisticated drama she can carry.

It may be one of the best horror movies on Netflix in the U.S. for those who like their horror on the more stylized side, choosing sexy shots and gripping interpersonal drama over looming melancholy. The fact that Sydney Sweeney can star in movies like this as well as movies like Nocturne and the 2024 picture, Immaculate, speaks to her ability to navigate diverse tones and atmospheres. She has come a long way since her time in Pretty Little Liars. Immaculate shows that Nocturne was just the start of Sydney Sweeney's time in the limelight as a leading woman in horror.