What is it about horror movies that we just love so much? They’re frightening. They certainly make us keep the light on at night. They might even force us to hold going to the bathroom in the middle of the night because it’s just reminiscent of way too many scary things that have happened in film. That’s the true power of horror movies, and for some reason we all love the feel of it. We love to hate it; we seek it eagerly. We like the rush that horror brings, and we’re glad in the end that it isn’t us running for our lives on the screen.
Horror in Hollywood has had a pretty impressive production history. We’ve seen a good share of horror films since its early beginnings at the turn of the 20th century. The genre has been around for that long, and it has given us quite a few nightmares along the way. One thing is for sure; a good horror film has to have a good story. Without a good story, there’s nothing to work with altogether. However, in order for a horror story to be great, you need to have the talent to back it up. Without the proper talent to bring it to life, a horror story could never be properly translated into a horror film. Many horror stars have graced the silver screen, but only a handful has made us truly scared out of our minds.
Here are the top 20 greatest horror movie stars of all time.
Boris Karloff
Whoever casted Karloff for the role of Frankenstein must’ve been a visionary because no one else could’ve embodied that character the way Karloff did. Karloff had actually been acting for a long time already before he starred in Frankenstein. That movie happened to be his 81st movie, and it was the very same one that propelled him to complete stardom. That was the role of a lifetime for Karloff, and he surely did not take it for granted. He played that role as if he was Frankenstein in the flesh, and it’s frightening to say the least. Some of his other prominent horror roles include the Mummy’s Imhotep, Cabman John Gray in The Body Snatcher, Byron Orlok in Targets, and of course, The Monster from the rest of the Frankenstein series.
Vincent Price
Price didn’t start off in the horror genre right away. He actually started off in Hollywood as a character actor. He played a few iconic films from 1938 to 1944, but it was ultimately the horror genre that would make him popular. In 1939, Price starred in a Boris Karloff movie, Tower London, and his horror movie career took off from there. He starred in quite a few horror films from the 40s to the 50s that were all well received, but it wasn’t until the 60s that he got his big horror breaks. Some of his biggest hits include House of Usher, The Raven, The Pit and The Pendulum, and a few other Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations. His scariest film was probably 1971’s The Abominable Dr. Phibes, where he played the horrific title character, Dr. Anton Phibes.
Christopher Lee
There’s something about the look of Christopher Lee that renders him naturally sinister. It isn’t an unfortunate thing because his look is probably one of the many reasons why he was cast in so many horror films. As many of those as he’s got under his belt, none was as prominent as his role as Count Dracula. He’s also played Frankenstein’s monster before alongside Peter Cushing who played Baron Frankenstein. Their partnership on screen would span for many years and for over 20 films. He had a successful run playing Dracula back in the days, but he did produce other horror films such as The Wickerman, The Devil Rides Out, and so on and so forth. We wouldn’t blame you though if you only remember Lee as Saruman from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He was pretty great in those also.
Bela Lugosi
Here’s another Count Dracula character, you may say. But Bela Lugosi was easily a favorite among all the other Count Draculas that have played the part before. Lugosi actually played Dracula on a Broadway stage before he played the character on screen. He starred alongside Karloff in a lot of films; however, due to his heavy accent, he mostly never played any of the major roles. He did manage to snag a few, and those were enough to mark his place in horror movie history. Some of these films include The Black Cat, The Raven, and Son of Frankenstein. Lugosi may not have gotten what he deserved as far as billing was concerned back in the day; however, we recognize him now as one of the best the industry ever had.
Lon Chaney
He was an excellent silent actor in the horror genre, such as evident in the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. However, Lon Chaney was even more effective after we were able to hear his voice. Chaney had a unique look about him that made him seem mysterious and unique on screen. He used this quality to make his film characters stand out. Long after his death 1930, Chaney became the subject of a biopic known as Man of a Thousand Faces. That was one of the nicknames that Chaney eventually became known as because of his talents in changing up the way he looked. You can see some of these looks from a number of his best horror films including London After Midnight, The Monster, The Penalty, and The Unknown.
Robert Englund
Englund is virtually unrecognizable as a famed Hollywood actor without his makeup from the best horror film of his career. It’s hard to imagine that the same guy was considered for the part of Han Solo at some point. Englund played mainly typecast roles early in his career before he decided to take the plunge and play a character that was completely opposite his norm. When he took the role of Freddy Kruger, Englund didn’t know how much he would affect the film culture, pop culture, horror culture, and all sorts of other things for years to come. Englund reprised his role as Kruger several times, and as great as Kruger was, it wasn’t Englund’s only role. He also starred in Wishmaster, and Masters of Horror: Dance of the Dead.
Peter Cushing
Cushing has already had a prolific acting career before he even ventured into what would be his most iconic role ever–at least in the horror genre. Cushing will always be remembered as Baron Victor Frankenstein in Hammer’s productions. He said that he liked to play the role because people liked seeing him in it. That was true enough because his most successful roles were his frightening ones. Aside from Frankenstein, Cushing also put in work as Dracula’s Van Helsing, Doctor Wells in Horror Express, and as John Banning in The Mummy. Cushing continued to appear in film and television up until just a few years before his death in 1994. At the time of his death, he’d have 131 acting credits to his name.
Lon Chaney Jr.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Creighton Tull Chaney took to horror as his vessel of success in Hollywood. Creighton Chaney had many films under his natural name before he decided to start calling himself Lon Chaney Jr. It’s important to remember, though, that Chaney Jr. might have taken his father’s name, but he was a successful actor in his own right. Starting with 1941’s The Wolfman, Chaney Jr. quickly became a career horror actor. He played Frankenstein’s monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein. In 1942, Chaney Jr. played the role of Kharis the Mummy in The Mummy’s Tomb. He also had the chance to play Dracula in 1943’s Son of Dracula. After that, he became (and still is) the only actor who has portrayed all four major horror characters for Universal: The Wolfman, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy, and Dracula.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Curtis began her career in horror, and that role remains to be one of her biggest and most successful. Perhaps Curtis will forever be remembered for the Halloween franchise, but it certainly does not limit the actress in any way. Curtis starred in 1978’s Halloween and 1981’s Halloween II. Curtis changed the way women were portrayed in horror, and she definitely made her screaming a trademark. Subsequently, she became known as the “scream queen” in mainstream horror. The films that followed in her career included The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, and Road Games. She had films in other genres, which were most notable as well, but her return to horror in 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later was a much welcome sight.
Peter Lorre
It must be chilling to be able to say that your best portrayal ever is that of a murderer, especially if it’s a role that you’ve done over and again in various films throughout your career. Lorre was certainly a serial murderer when it came to the roles that he played; no one else portrayed the “murderer” as well as he did. His first role came from his native Germany, where he played a serial killer in the movie called M. After transitioning to Hollywood via Great Britain, Lorre found himself playing a murderer again in both Mad Love and Crime and Punishment films. Since then, Lorre starred in many films from various genres. In his last years of acting, he returned to the horror genre, starring in a couple of Roger Corman horror films that adapted Edgar Allan Poe’s stories: Tales of Terror and The Raven.
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell’s name can be synonymous to The Evil Dead. That franchise was actually his creation alongside childhood friend and known filmmaker, Sam Raimi. It took a while before the two could get the film off the ground, including an endorsement from the king of horror himself–Stephen King. The movie was released in 1981 and eventually got two sequels: Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. Campbell appeared in a few low budget films after those and has maintained steady work in both film and television. He also worked as a voice actor in a few Evil Dead videogames. Campbell has been hosting his own film festival since 2014, the Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival, in Rosemont, Illinois’ Muvico Theater.
Kane Hodder
This actor might not be recognizable without his usual onset makeup, but he is known for one of the scariest characters in Hollywood horror history. Hodder played Friday the 13th’s villain Jason Voorhees in four out of twelve slasher films–from the 7th to the 10th film installments. That’s not all. He did the stunts for Leatherface in the Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Apart from those horrific films, Hodder also starred in the Hatchet series, playing the main character Victor Crowley. It was a role similar to that of Jason Voorhees, but it was perfect for Hodder nevertheless. Hodder received a Horror Jury Award for Best Actor for the Hatchet film; he eventually reprised the role for a second and third installment.
John Carradine
As the patriarch of the famous Carradine family, John Carradine started the Hollywood legacy that would be continued by his children and grandchildren. Carradine is known for quite a few films, but he’s own of horror’s favorite faces. He played Dracula in the 40s with the movies House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. He was also known for playing eccentric and even diabolical characters, and he became associated with horror quite easily. In his final role in television, Carradine starred in an episode of The Twilight Zone revival back in 1986. Carradine had quite a prolific career, having starred in over 225 films, not including films made for television, theatrical movies, and other television productions. Carradine has received an honor for all his achievements in film, a simple star with his name on it somewhere on Hollywood Boulevard.
Jeffrey Combs
Herbert West was Combs’ ultimate role. He played the character from the 1985 movie Re-Animator, which was based on H.P. Lovecraft’s novel. Re-Animator got two sequels, where Combs reprised his role as West both times. From there, Combs actually portrayed the author himself, Lovecraft, in the film called Necronomicon: Book of the Dead. He has starred in a total of 8 Lovecraft adaptations, which was only fitting since Lovecraft has always been considered to be the father of weird and wonderful horror. Jeffrey Combs took to horror from his days portraying Lovecraft characters and went to star in other horror films including FeardotCom, House on Haunted Hill, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Frighteners. He has also portrayed famed horror author Edgar Allan Poe in a film called The Black Cat.
Donald Pleasence
English actor Donald Pleasence was one of the best villains in film. He didn’t always portray that in his roles, but his villainous roles were his best work. In 1959, he started his horror work with Circus of Horrors as Vanet, the circus’ owner. That same year, he also played the role of real-life murderer William Hare in the film The Flesh and the Fiends. It must’ve been his penetrating stare or his looming voice that made him so convincing as a villain. Maybe it was his baldness. Whatever it was, Pleasence knew what kind of roles fit him–insane, evil, and obsessive. Other horror films he starred him portrayed Pleasence just as such: Dr. Crippen, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and of course the Halloween franchise.
Lance Henriksen
Henriksen’s first horror role came in 1978 in Damien: Omen III. His most famous horror role would probably go to his portrayal of Bishop, the android from the first Alien movie and Alien III. He then played another character, Charles Bishop Weyland, in Alien vs. Predator. Weyland was the man whose appearance the android Bishop was based on. In his next horror film, Near Dark, Henriksen played Jesse Hooker, a vampire leader. As a testament to his talent, everyone should know that three roles in prominent franchises were written specifically with Henriksen in mind. James Cameron wrote The Terminator so Henriksen could play the title character. Victor Salva wrote Jeepers Creepers with hopes that Henriksen could be the Creeper. And Chris Carter created the TV series Millennium just for Henriksen. The other two roles didn’t quite pan out, but fortunately, Henriksen agreed to play the Millennium lead, Frank Black.
Tony Todd
He was the nightmare of the 90s; if kids thought of someone scary then, it was Tony Todd aka Candyman. The Candyman role alone, which he played from 1992 to 1999, should be enough to land him on this list. But being the true horror actor that Todd was, he had a few more horrors under his belt just because. Before Candyman, Todd was in Night of the Living Dead. He followed his Candyman success with his next horror film, Wishmaster. In the 2000s, he starred in the Final Destination series, Minotaur, Beg, and Hatchet II. That’s quite an impressively frightening resume; it’s difficult to imagine Todd act in other genres, but he actually did.
Bill Moseley
The cult classic horror films of our generation will never be the same if it weren’t for Bill Moseley and his penchant for scares. His third and most prominent role came in 1986 when he played the cannibalistic butcher Chop Top. Moseley reprised that role in the 2000 film All American Massacre; although the film never made it to the theaters. Other horror films he starred in include The Blob; Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out; Night of the Living Dead; Army of Darkness; Corpse Killer; and Evil Ed. In 2003, he rose to horror prominence yet again with the film House of 1000 Corpses. He played Otis B. Driftwood in that film and its sequel, The Devil’s Rejects. He’s also been in Halloween, Grindhouse, American Exorcist, and a few more films. Need we say more?
Anthony Hopkins
You might think it odd to see his name on this list, but Sir Anthony Hopkins has had quite a number of horror films throughout his remarkable career. First of all, we needn’t mention his most prominent role as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, the sequel Hannibal, and the prequel Red Dragon. He also starred in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and The Rite. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Sir Hopkins is the fact that no matter how much we associate him with Hannibal Lecter, he somehow makes us forget about him when he’s acting in other roles. That’s a notable skill that not many people have. Through all the horror films that he’s acted in, Sir Hopkins has been able to make each role unique and separate from any of his other roles–no matter how big it was.
Jack Nicholson
Another A-lister from our time makes it onto this list. We all remember The Shining. But Nicholson’s body of horror work started way before that when he starred in The Little Shop of Horrors. Since then, he starred in The Raven, and The Terror. However, there’s no other role that frightens us to this day apart from his role in The Shining. Nicholson played the main character Jack Torrance, who drove us all scared out of our wits when he started to act a little too crazy in the film. Also, we should mention that even though Batman was not a horror film, Nicholson’s portrayal of Joker was frightening enough to warrant it. Nicholson is an extremely talented actor that can give us crazy, scary, or even creepy any time he wants to. Let’s just hope he doesn’t decide to do a reboot of The Shining because we’re not sure if we can handle it.
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