Jamie Lee Curtis, the actress whose name is synonymous with horror cinema, has made a surprising admission: she doesn't actually enjoy being scared. Despite her iconic status as a scream queen, Curtis revealed at a recent SXSW panel that horror "is just not my genre, not my thing."
"I don't really love it," Curtis stated bluntly. "I'm not joking; I'm not into it. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate it. I owe my life to the genre, but I don't have to pretend that I'm a genre girl and that I love it."
Curtis' connection to horror runs deep. Her mother, Janet Leigh, terrified audiences as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Curtis herself launched her career as Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's 1978 classic "Halloween," becoming the definitive final girl and appearing in six sequels plus 1980's "The Fog."
Jamie Lee Curtis in 'Halloween'. Mary Evans/COMPASS INTERNATIONAL PICTURES/FALCON INTERNATIONAL PRODUC/Ronald Grant/Courtesy Everett
Despite her personal preferences, Curtis expressed enthusiasm for horror's growing recognition. Speaking just before "Sinners" triumphed at the Academy Awards, she noted, "The fact that it's a genre that now is getting more understanding and appreciation, of course I'm happy. It's fantastic that the Academy is moving along with that and changing and growing."
Curtis has always been drawn to horror's independent filmmaking spirit rather than its scares. Her candid comments highlight the complex relationship between an actress and the genre that defined her career while never capturing her heart.
