Hollywood is mourning the tremendous loss of actress Hayden Panettiere, who passed away on August 16, 2026. The acclaimed actress, 36, was best known for her roles in such soap operas as “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light.” Later, she starred in the lead role in NBC’s “Heroes” and then “Nashville,” in which she played rising country starlet Juliette Barnes, opposite Connie Britton’s Rayna James.
Horror fans most remember her as Kirby Reed in the “Scream” franchise. She starred as the resident horror aficionado in “Scream 4” (2011) and reprised the role in Radio Silence’s outstanding “Scream VI” (2023). The scope of her talents will be remembered forever; she showed both command and subtlety in performance that cements her as a bonafide horror icon. In memoriam, let’s look at her five best horror movie moments.
Monologue in ‘Scream 4’
Kirby filled the Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) slot of being a horror trivia nerd. She could trivia her crush and “cinema boy” Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) under the table. When Ghostface ambushes Charlie in the film’s third act, the killer calls Kirby to test her knowledge. She first answers a question right about Jason Voorhees’ iconic weapon (machete) before delivering one of horror’s best monologues.
Ghostface doesn’t get the entire question out—it’s about a killer in a popular remake—when she launches into a spit-fire laundry list of every remake she can think of. She lists off “My Bloody Valentine,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Piranha” and “Black Christmas,” among countless others. Kirby fights for her life, and Panettiere draws out a highly emotional performance, something you rarely see in a slasher film. It’s not only a defining moment in modern horror, but it captures the sheer spirit of horror history and fan obsession.
Dream State in ‘Sleepwalker’
While Brandon Auman’s 2024 film “Sleepwalker” lacks punch, Panettiere’s performance does not. In fact, it’s among her best onscreen performances of all time. She plays Sarah Pangborn, an artist struggling after the death of her daughter in a tragic car accident. Her abusive husband falls into a deep coma. In one of the film’s most emotionally rich scenes, she’s sleepwalking and dreams of her husband.
“I have to wake up,” she cries. As in most dreams, the environment morphs from inside her home to the edge of a cliff. She hangs her right foot over the edge, but the visuals flicker between her dream state and reality. Her son yanks her back from the ledge, waking her up. Panettiere displays the fear and the relief in just two minutes, and that’s not even scratching the surface of her power in “Sleepwalker.” When fans discuss performances that deserve major industry hardware (i.e., the Oscars), this performance gets left out of the conversation. It deserves at least that much.
Final Showdown in ‘Scream VI’
Fans received quite the surprise when Kirby Reed popped up in a major role in “Scream VI.” The brilliant horror expert used her experience of being stabbed by Charlie Walker into a career in the FBI. “I take a special interest in Ghostface attacks,” she says in one of her early scenes. Her investigation, from tapping a Ghostface call to giving a breakdown of all previous killers, proved instrumental in figuring out the mastermind behind the latest string of murders.
The highlight of Panetterie’s appearance comes in the finale. She’s being framed as Ghostface by Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), and just when he’s convinced Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) that she is the killer, Kirby enters the frame with her gun pointed at Bailey. It’s a brief scene, but it sticks with you. The emotion the star can pack into the moment takes real grit, and no one could do it quite like Panettiere.
Camry in ‘Amber Alert’
In Kerry Bellessa’s horror-adjacent thriller “Amber Alert,” Panettiere portrays Jaq Dana. She plays opposite Tyler James Williams, and their chemistry is off the charts. Jaq has just missed her taxi, and she gets a lift from Shane (Williams), a rideshare driver. One of her standout, more subdued scenes comes when Jaq spots a dark Camry ahead of them. The description of the car matches that of a photograph obtained by the police.
Jaq convinces Shane to follow the mysterious vehicle while she calls in the tip. The subtlety of Panettiere’s can not, in fact, be overstated. She can command even the smallest moment with deep emotional texture, unlike most of her peers. The quiet scene packs an undeniable left hook.
Calvary of Hounds in ‘A Breed Apart’
Perhaps Panettiere’s most underrated appearance comes in Griff and Nathan Furst’s 2025 survival horror “A Breed Apart.” She plays Violet, a naive woman who heads to a remote island with a group of influencers. Things are never as they seem, and they are in for a rude awakening when it turns out to be a reality TV show.
Once again, Panettiere offers a layered and complex performance, particularly in a scene where she’s getting her makeup done. The director approaches her and walks her through the “role,” but she’s clearly distraught and disheveled. A dog snarls at her, teasing what’s to come when the group fights against a horde of dogs hellbent on consuming their flesh. The star does it like no other.
