Is Mia Goth Horror’s New “It Girl”?

Viva Reimers ‘24 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Spoilers ahead.

Mia Goth, 29, has quickly gained popularity following her lead roles in X, Pearl, Infinity Pool, and soon MaXXXine. With this being said it leaves the question, is Mia Goth the new face of modern horror films?

Mia Goth, also known as Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth, was born on October 25, 1993 in Southwark, London. Goth is most commonly known for being associated with Shia LaBeouf. Goth met her future husband, Shia LaBeouf, while filming the movie Nymphomaniac: Vol II in 2013. In October of 2016, the two got married in Las Vegas officiated by an Elvis impersonator.

Goth has been in 6—soon to be 7—horror films; she is arguably a staple in our generation’s definition of what a “scream queen” actually is. Modern scream queens people typically think of are actors such as Vera and Taissa Farmiga, with horror films such as The Conjuring franchise under Vera’s belt, and American Horror Story for Taissa; and of course Jamie Lee Curtis who has been a scream queen since 80’s thanks to the horror franchise Halloween. Goth is unique compared to them because she plays both victims and villains in her horror films. To be a scream queen you need to be in multiple horror films, give a performance that is memorable, unique, and raw. Anyone can run away from the masked killer, but many cannot add the depth to the protagonist that makes us root for them and feel their fear. 

But what makes Mia Goth so different from these well established horror icons? The movie X– that Goth was a lead role in, was a movie that enticed the viewer to experience horror in a whole new way. Horror movies typically have a set pattern. First we get a backstory displaying the future victims, including the protagonist, the token minority, and sometimes the antagonist. Then, we have either some sort of conflict or event that takes place that causes things to not go completely as planned. The antagonist, which typically is people/beings such as the masked killer, or the poltergeist in the house you didn’t know about, starts causing havoc—while possibly killing a few of your friends or colleagues. Finally, with some final swoop you find out the killer was your jealous ex-boyfriend. X takes you completely out of this cycle and into a new viewing experience. Goth plays both the antagonist and protagonist in X–where she plays Maxine and Pearl– and in its prequel Pearl where she is the antagonist. But what makes her roles in these movies so special is the lack of predictability. Goth is able to perform in such a way where she can act insane without having to go through the motions.

During the end credits of Pearl, she is seen staring directly into the camera with a straining smile while tears eventually fall down her cheeks. This goes on for a minute and fifty five seconds. There is a difference in acting insane and being insane, and Mia Goth knows that difference. Goth simply stares into the camera and you can feel the insanity radiating off of her. Goth knows how to balance the displayed emotion in her acting with the real emotion her character feels. In the film, Infinity Pool, Goth played Gabi Bauer–a sex crazed local who enjoys mutilation, humiliation, and dominance. Goth plays Gabi in such a way where she not only manipulates the other characters into doing what she wants, but also manipulates the audience into thinking she isn’t the real villain. Mia Goth is an icon in the making. She has so many more roles that have yet to be written and explored.