What makes a good 'Scream Queen'?

Fay Wray

Wray certainly gave her larynx a workout in the 1933 classic "King Kong" as Ann Darrow, the blond actress who was the girl of the big ape's dreams. Her finest scream moment: Kong takes her in hand and climbs the Empire State Building as planes try to shoot him down. When Wray died in 2004 at the age of 96, the Empire State Building shut down its lights for 15 minutes in her memory. Other classic Wray screamfests: 1932's "Dr. X" and "The Most Dangerous Game" and 1933's "The Vampire Bat" and "Mystery of the Wax Museum."

Decibel level: 10