Horror actors range from A-list celebrities to the very best that B-list has to offer. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, like Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Aniston, got their humble beginnings in the horror genre in films like Friday the 13th and Leprechaun. According to Bloody Disgusting, Aniston has mixed feelings about starring in the 1993 horror-comedy alongside Warwick Davis. Even still, horror actors have the innate ability to deliver comedy and deliver blatant terror.
Update October 6, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great horror actors in honor of Halloween.
It takes a special talent to be able to react to occurrences that seem obscure or absolutely disgusting. Not to mention the actors who undergo hours upon hours of make-up to portray the monster or villain that their character reflects. Although major award ceremonies often neglect the horror genre and the performances it has to offer, these actors come back time and time again to give it their absolute all. Here are some of the greatest horror actors of all time.
15 Tom Atkins
Tom Atkins' first film role was in a movie called The Detective, which also starred Frank Sinatra. Atkins played a police officer, a role he would go on to play fairly often. However, he is best known for his roles in cult classics like Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Fog, and Night of the Creeps. Atkins returned to horror in 2009 for the remake of My Bloody Valentine and again in 2019 for a film called Trick.
Jennifer Aniston's Leprechaun & Other Actors Who Did Horror Movies Before They Were Famous
Let's look at huge actors that made appearances in horror films before getting their big breaks, including Jennifer Aniston in 1993's Leprechaun.Yet, Atkins' most memorable role is as Doctor Daniel Challis in Halloween III, which is one of the most controversial films of the franchise. The third installment of the franchise was released a year after Halloween II, and to the audience's surprise, the film didn't feature Michael Myers. Halloween III stands alone as a great Halloween movie not only for its unique plot concept but also due to a charming performance by Atkins.
14 Daniel Kaluuya
Jordan Peele made his electrifying directorial debut with his critically acclaimed psychological horror masterpiece Get Out, enlisting the talented Daniel Kaluuya to star as a young photographer who makes horrific discoveries while visiting the family of his white girlfriend. The breakthrough performance rightfully earned Kaluuya an Academy Award nomination, with moviegoers all across the world blown away by the actor's ability to capture every ounce of terror, anger, and tension the hero experiences as it brilliantly builds up to its shockingly epic climax.
Kaluuya developed a strong relationship with Peele and was subsequently cast opposite Keke Palmer in the sci-fi horror Western Nope, this time facing off against a malevolent alien entity wreaking havoc on his family's California ranch. He has continuously demonstrated his ability to add depth and a raw complexity to his characters, giving audiences a worthy hero to root for in the face of unspeakable evils.
13 Linda Blair
Having to portray someone being terrorized and possessed by a demonic entity is no easy feat for an actor, and expertly doing so at just the age of 13 years old is one of the many reasons Linda Blair is one of the horror genre's most iconic performers. Blair beat out over 600 young hopefuls auditioning for the role of the disturbed Regan MacNeil and was absolutely fearless in her commitment to the character, impressively holding her own against seasoned Hollywood veteran Ellen Burstyn.
Blair managed to capture Regan's childlike innocence in one scene and then completely embrace the twisted and terrifying demon possessing her in another. She pushed the boundaries for what a young actor could deliver on screen and won a Golden Globe Award for her unforgettable performance in the William Friedkin horror classic. Though her appearance in the '70s juggernaut led to intense media scrutiny, Blair nonetheless remained resilient and went on to reprise the role in the 1977 sequel, establishing herself as an ultimate scream queen.
12 Barbara Crampton
Barbara Crampton has been a horror staple since the 1980s, during which she made her debut in a thriller called Body Double. However, Crampton's cementing role in the genre was in 1985's Re-Animator, the loosely based adaptation of HP Lovecraft's terrifying classic. Crampton has become as much of a cult classic to horror as the films that she has been in. Following Re-Animator, she was in Chopping Mall and Puppet Master. However, unlike some of her co-stars, Crampton has made a home in the horror genre with a lineage featuring some of her most iconic performances.
11 Robert Englund
Undeniably, one of the most distinct and unforgettable performances in the horror genre is, without a doubt, Robert Englund's delightfully terrifying role as the disfigured, claw-wielding supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the beloved Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Englund made audiences everywhere frightened to lay their heads down at night and sleep, with even the bravest of them needing a night light to combat the gruesome spirit that targets his prey in their dreams. He first appeared as Krueger in 1984 and starred in a whopping eight spine-tingling films, going down in cinematic history as one of the greatest horror villains of all time.
10 Vincent Price
Legendary silver screen star Vincent Price truly needs no introduction, as the horror legend is one of the genre's most recognizable and revered performers of the twentieth century. The often campy and wonderfully peculiar Price had a presence that was truly unparalleled, and the dynamic actor starred in countless spine-tingling hits, including House of Wax, The Fly, House on Haunted Hill, and The Pit and the Pendulum (to name just a few from his stellar repertoire).
Price developed a lucrative professional relationship with trailblazing director Roger Corman, collaborating on four low-budget successful films that were inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe, all of which contributed to his status as a fan-favorite horror great.
9 Tony Todd
Tony Todd is most known in the horror community for his role as Daniel Robitaillie in Candyman, which, according to All That's Interesting, is loosely based on a true story. He would go on to reprise his role in the two sequels that followed, but before he was the iconic hook-handed slasher, Todd was in Tom Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead. One could say that Todd is a true staple within the genre when it comes to the master of doom and gloom, having been in the entire Final Destination franchise and 2018's Hellfest.
8 Keith David
Keith David has been placed in roles from horror to voice acting in animated films. However, his presence in two prominent 80s horror films cemented in the genre forever. They Live and The Thing are two of John Carpenter's best movies, and David's portrayal of his characters is a huge contributing factor. One of the most memorable scenes in horror to date is the often-debated interaction between David's character, Childs and Kurt Russell's MacReady in The Thing.
7 Lon Chaney Jr.
Lon Chaney Jr. was the son of prominent silent film actor Lon Chaney Sr., who was most well-known for his role in Phantom of the Opera. Following in his father's footsteps, Chaney would go on to be one of the biggest stars on Universal's lot. One of the best Univeral Monster Movies, The Wolf Man, was Chaney's breakout role. The monsters he went on to play during Universal's golden era all required a great deal of makeup and prosthetics.
6 Boris Karloff
As with his fellow Universal movie legends on this list, Boris Karloff completely changed the face of the horror genre and delivered one of the most acclaimed and iconic performances when he starred as mad scientist Frankenstein's Monster in the pop culture juggernaut Frankenstein. Karloff eagerly took on the physically demanding role after previously appearing in a mind-blowing 81 films and had to undergo extensive makeup to achieve the Monster's famous green hue and distinct flat head while also wearing 11-pound towering shoes.
Karloff's dynamic and epic portrayal of the wonderfully wicked Monster led to other prominent horror projects, including The Mummy, The Ghoul, The Black Cat, and The Walking Dead, as well as two Frankenstein sequels.
The 1931 classic is heavily regarded as one of the finest films of all time, with Karloff's The Monster being lauded as one of the cinema's greatest villains.
5 Bela Lugosi
Horror icons ripped from the page are often some of the very best. Bram Stoker's Dracula was published in 1897 and would be brought to life by Universal in 1931. Bela Lugosi, one of early horror's leading men, would portray the count himself. Lugosi found himself as one of Universal's most wanted when it came to horror, as he was in almost all the early productions ranging from the Edgar Allan Poe adaptations to the Abbott and Costello parodies.
4 Chris Sarandon
Chris Sarandon's acting credits stretch far beyond the horror genre. However, the characters he presented in certain films wouldn't be the same had another actor been in his place. 1985's Fright Night is one of the most underrated vampire films to come out of the 1980s. Sarandon played Detective Mike Norris in Child's Play, and also voiced the infamous Jack Skellington in A Nightmare Before Christmas. According to Looper, Sarandon was chosen for the role because his speaking voice was close enough to Danny Elfman's, the composer responsible for Jack's singing voice.
Evil Dead: The Best Moments in the Franchise, Ranked
It’s quite rare when bone-chilling horror and comedy combine to make you shake with laughter. Here's the best moments from the Evil Dead franchise.3 Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is the daughter of Janet Leigh, who was killed by Norman Bates in Hitchcock's infamous shower scene in Psycho. Curtis' first role was in Carpenter's horror classic Halloween, where she portrayed one of horror's favorite final girls, Laurie Strode. Halloween gave Curtis her big break, and she would go on to become a beloved character within the franchise, both the original and the reboot. Her acting credits reach far beyond the horror genre, but Curtis is an actress who is always quick to remind others where she found her cinema roots.
2 Toni Collette
Like most of the actors on this list, Toni Collette is not only a horror genre native but also a frequent flyer. Her diverse acting talents have allowed her to be cast in a variety of roles, and she's most noted for the films in which she has a dysfunctional family. Collette has been in horror films ranging from all-out comedies to heavy hitters like Hereditary. Her acting talents know no bounds, and there are no limitations to what kind of horror film she can appear in next.
1 Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell and his involvement in The Evil Dead franchise is one of the most fascinating pieces of horror history. According to Vocal Media, Campbell and Sam Raimi put together a prototype to attract investors that was titled Within the Woods. From there, the franchise took off and always delivered in its ability to portray terrifying practical effects. Campbell has returned for every installment of the franchise, either as an actor in the film or an executive producer, and that is part of the reason why these films are always delivered with a tremendous amount of care.