If you searched for the Farmiga actress from American Horror Story or The Nun, you want Taissa Farmiga. She was born in New Jersey in 1994 and is the youngest sister of Vera Farmiga, which is why the two names get tangled in search results. Taissa built her own horror career playing haunted teenagers and doubting novices, and this guide walks you through every genre role worth your time, with honest scare ratings and where to find each one.
Which Farmiga actress are you looking for?
Two Farmiga sisters work in horror, and they are 21 years apart. Vera Farmiga plays Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring films and played Norma Bates in A&E’s Bates Motel, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Taissa is the younger sister, best known for Ryan Murphy’s anthology series and the Conjuring universe’s nun spin-offs.
| Taissa Farmiga | Vera Farmiga | |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 1994 | 1973 |
| Signature horror role | Sister Irene, The Nun (2018) | Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring (2013) |
| Horror TV | American Horror Story (FX) | Bates Motel (A&E) |
| Non-horror highlight | The Gilded Age (HBO) | The Departed, Up in the Air |
Vera’s résumé runs much longer and leans dramatic. Her independent breakthrough was Down to the Bone (2004), and she went on to Martin Scorsese’s The Departed (2006), Up in the Air (2009) and Apple TV+’s hospital drama Five Days at Memorial (2022). If you came for Taissa, everything below is hers.
How Taissa Farmiga got into acting
Taissa did not plan on acting, and her sister made the first move. Vera cast her in Higher Ground (2011), Vera’s own directing debut, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Classics. Taissa played the teenage version of Corinne, the role Vera took as an adult, so the two literally shared a part in her first film.
Higher Ground is a quiet faith drama, not a horror movie. It mattered because casting directors saw it, and within months Taissa had landed a lead role on a new FX series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. She was 17 when American Horror Story premiered in October 2011.
Taissa Farmiga horror roles at a glance
Streaming homes shift often, so treat the last column as a starting point and check your services before movie night.
| Title | Year | Subgenre | Scare level | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Horror Story: Murder House | 2011 | Haunted house series | 3/5 | Hulu (US), Disney+ (many regions) |
| American Horror Story: Coven | 2013 | Witch series | 2/5 | Hulu (US), Disney+ (many regions) |
| Mindscape (US title: Anna) | 2013 | Psychological thriller | 2/5 | Digital rental |
| The Final Girls | 2015 | Meta slasher comedy | 2/5 | Digital rental, rotating streamers |
| The Nun | 2018 | Supernatural, gothic | 3/5 | HBO Max, digital rental |
| The Nun II | 2023 | Supernatural, gothic | 3/5 | HBO Max, digital rental |
American Horror Story: Murder House (2011)
Taissa plays Violet Harmon, the sardonic teenage daughter of Ben (Dylan McDermott) and Vivien (Connie Britton), who move into a Los Angeles mansion with a long body count. Violet is the emotional centre of the season, and her storyline with Tate (Evan Peters) became one of the most discussed pairings in the show’s history. She plays alienation without overdoing it, which is harder than it looks in a series this loud.
Murder House is the best entry point if you want the first and most coherent AHS season. It suits viewers who like haunted house stories with a soap opera streak; it is less ideal if self-harm themes are a hard line for you, because Violet’s arc deals with them directly. Taissa returned as Violet in the 2018 season Apocalypse for the episode “Return to Murder House.”
American Horror Story: Coven (2013)
Coven moves the show to a New Orleans academy for young witches run against the will of Supreme Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange). Taissa plays Zoe Benson, a new student whose power makes physical intimacy fatal to her partners. Zoe works as the audience’s guide into the school’s politics, the same function Violet served in season one.
This is the campiest season in her run and the least frightening, so it is the one to put on with friends who want witchy fun rather than real dread. Zoe also returned in Apocalypse (2018), making Taissa one of the few cast members to reprise two separate characters in one season.
Mindscape (2013)
Directed by Jorge Dorado and produced by Jaume Collet-Serra’s Ombra Films, Mindscape casts Mark Strong as a detective who can enter people’s memories. Taissa plays Anna, a brilliant teenager on a hunger strike, and the film turns into a cat-and-mouse game about whether she is a victim or a manipulator. It was released in the United States in 2014 under the title Anna.
This is her most underrated genre performance and the one to watch if you prefer slow-burn psychological tension to anything supernatural. The film lives or dies on whether you believe two opposite readings of the same girl, and Taissa makes both convincing. Expect almost no gore.
The Final Girls (2015)
Todd Strauss-Schulson’s comedy premiered at SXSW in 2015 and has grown into a cult favourite. Taissa plays Max, whose late mother (Malin Akerman) was a scream queen in an ’80s summer camp slasher. Max and her friends get pulled inside that movie, where they have to survive by its rules, while Max gets a second chance with a version of her mom.
It is the warmest film in her filmography and the best gateway for anyone who can’t handle real gore. You will catch more of the jokes if you know Friday the 13th and the final girl tradition that runs through the films covered in our Jamie Lee Curtis horror movies piece. The Final Girls pairs well with Scream too, and if Matthew Lillard‘s Stu is your favourite kind of meta horror, this is in the same spirit. The mother-daughter thread will catch you off guard.
The Nun (2018)
Corin Hardy’s film for New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. sends Sister Irene, a novice who has not taken her final vows, to a remote Romanian abbey in 1952 with Father Burke (Demián Bichir). A local delivery man called Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) joins them, and the trio find the demon Valak waiting. The film grossed more than $360 million worldwide, a huge number for the Conjuring universe.
As a movie, The Nun works best as a gothic haunted house ride with fog, crypts and a jump scare every few minutes. Taissa grounds it, playing Irene as curious and steady rather than as a screaming victim. If you love atmosphere over story logic, this is a fun night; if you want the dread of the main Conjuring films, keep expectations modest.
The Nun II (2023)
Michael Chaves, who directed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, took over for the sequel. It is set in France in 1956, with Irene now a full nun and Storm Reid joining as Sister Debra, a young novice who questions her faith. The setting moves to a boarding school, which gives the film more varied set pieces than the first.
Most fans rate The Nun II as the stronger entry, and the newsstand sequence is one of the best single scares in the spin-offs. It is the better pick of the two if you only have time for one, though watching The Nun first makes Irene’s growth land harder. Where the films fall in story order matters too: both take place well before the Warrens’ cases in The Conjuring (2013), set in 1971.
The Irene and Lorraine question
Because one Farmiga sister plays Irene and the other plays Lorraine Warren, fans have long asked whether the characters are related. Neither The Nun nor The Nun II establishes a blood link on screen. The resemblance is a casting fact that the filmmakers have happily let fans debate, and you should treat any “Irene is Lorraine’s mother” claim as fan theory, not lore.
Spoiler warning
The next paragraph spoils the final scene of The Nun (2018) and how it connects to The Conjuring.
The real link in The Nun is Frenchie. In the closing scene, Irene does not notice that Valak has marked him, and the film jumps to 1971, where Ed and Lorraine Warren show a lecture audience footage of an exorcism. The man in the footage is Frenchie, whose real name is Maurice, and that same footage appears in The Conjuring. So the spin-off ties into the main series through him, not through Irene.
Beyond horror: the rest of her career
Taissa’s non-horror work explains why she reads so naturally as a period character. She plays Marian Brook in Julian Fellowes’ HBO drama The Gilded Age, opposite Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon and Carrie Coon. Earlier, she had a supporting part in Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring (2013) and played opposite Ethan Hawke in Ti West’s western In a Valley of Violence (2016).
That West credit is a fun detour for horror fans. He later directed X, Pearl and MaXXXine, which you can follow in our rundown of Mia Goth horror movies, and his lean, patient style suits Taissa well. In a Valley of Violence has violence but no horror, so file it under curiosities.
Where you should start
Your best first pick depends on your tolerance for scares:
- First horror outing or can’t handle gore: The Final Girls. Funny, heartfelt, light on blood.
- Want a binge: American Horror Story: Murder House, the tightest season she appears in.
- Big jump-scare night with friends: The Nun II, then The Nun if you want the backstory.
- Prefer mind games to monsters: Mindscape, her most underseen performance.
If you liked this
Jennifer’s Body (2009): another witty, female-led horror film that plays with genre expectations.
The Conjuring (2013): the James Wan film that launched the universe the Nun films live in, with Vera as Lorraine.
Wednesday (2022): if you liked Taissa’s deadpan teen in Murder House, Jenna Ortega’s take on Wednesday Addams scratches the same itch.
FAQ
Are Taissa Farmiga and Vera Farmiga sisters?
Yes. Taissa is the youngest of seven siblings in a Ukrainian-American family, and Vera is 21 years older. Vera directed Taissa in her first film, Higher Ground (2011).
Does Taissa Farmiga play Lorraine Warren?
No. Vera plays Lorraine Warren in the main Conjuring films. Taissa plays Sister Irene in The Nun (2018) and The Nun II (2023), and The Nun II reveals that Irene and Lorraine share a bloodline.
Which American Horror Story seasons is Taissa Farmiga in?
She stars in Murder House (2011) as Violet Harmon and Coven (2013) as Zoe Benson, and she returned as both characters in Apocalypse (2018).
What is Taissa Farmiga’s scariest role?
The Nun and The Nun II deliver the most jump scares, with constant atmosphere and Valak appearances. For sustained creepiness, Murder House edges them out because it builds dread over a whole season.
Is The Final Girls a horror movie or a comedy?
It is both, and it leans comedy. The kills are played for laughs, which makes it the best Taissa Farmiga pick for viewers who normally avoid horror.