Most mainstream critics pan the horror genre as something insidious, profane, gratuitous, not to be taken seriously – you name it. It’s a genre that suffers from the perceived notion of inferior filmmaking, acting the particular facet in that viewpoint. And while it may be true to an extent, after all, every film genre has its own lot of dreck, if it weren’t for the horror genre, a lot of our most revered film and TV stars never would have gotten their chance to shine. In fact, the horror realm has long been a fecund breeding ground for actors to blossom, some into stars, granted some more luminous than others. Now, here is our alphabetic list of well known actors who more or less got their start in a horror flick. Enjoy!
Jason Alexander (The Burning, 1981) – Back when the man had hair, long before he was playing a neurotic bald schlep on one of the most successful TV series to come about, Jason Alexander displayed his sophomoric comic chops in the top flight slasher effort The Burning. The flick, which features Tom Savini’s self-described best work (with The Prowler) focuses on a vengeful burn victim who goes ballistic on a group of camp counselors who tormented him years before. Alexander plays one of the teens, spending the bulk of his time scamming on girls and clowning on the resident meat-neck Glazer. Stay tuned next time for another known thespian that shows up in The Burning.
Kevin Bacon (Friday the 13th, 1980) – Sure Kevin Bacon made an appearance as a kowtowing jock-strap in Animal House a couple years earlier, but it wasn’t until his prominent role in slasher classis Friday the 13th that really opened the doors for him to fulfill his potential. Well, at least the potential of believably taking an arrow clean through the throat! On a serious note, Bacon probably achieved leading man status after his work in Footloose, but that never discouraged the man from returning to the genre that more or less welcomed his talent. Remember, Bacon would do Flatliners and Tremors in the same year, Stir of Echoes near a decade later. The man has loyalty.
Jim Carrey (Once Bitten, 1985) – Long before Ace Ventura and In Living Color afforded Jim Carey a 20 million dollar price tag, the rubber faced funny man took a starring role in the teen horror-comedy Once Bitten. In the flick, Carrey’s character gets mixed up with an ancient vampire countess who fiends for virgin blood. Carrey, with his own teen angst and virginal torment, soon becomes the targeted prey of the countess. Problem is, he has his eye on a girl from school. The film is a nice showcase for what would eventually become a comedic powerhouse, though it’s Carrey’s work in more dramatic fare that really shows his chops. Jimmy can next be seen in A Christmas Carol.
George Clooney (Return to Horror High, 1987, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, ‘88) Sure, he’s got it all now. Oscar, directing gig, a foreign diplomat, 2 times the Sexiest Man (People), a swinging bachelor life – all of it. But way before all that, when Clooney was desperately trying to chew up scenery in The Facts of Life, a pair of super low budget horror schlock flicks came about. Clooney lasts all of about 4 minutes in Return to Horror High, which is a good thing, considering the absolutely filthy greased up mullet he was donning. Then a year later the man outdid himself with a small role in killer tomato picture. Really. A long way from mixing it up with the Coen Bros. hey Georgie?
Johnny Depp (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984) – Talk about striking gold! In Big John Stud’s very first acting credit, he landed a grade-A fatality in a Wes Craven picture. Not only that, the flick turned out to be a bona fide horror classic, one that would contribute to Depp mining that very same gold as a pirate in a Disney franchise two decades later. Anyway, on Elm Street Depp played Glen – the boyfriend of heroine Nancy who becomes gorily sucked into a bed and blended into a human paint palate. Quite a coup! I’m proud to say that easily one of my all time favorite actors earned his stripes in a legitimate horror effort and would dabble in them throughout his career.
Leo DiCaprio (Critters 3, 1991) – Well, everyone’s got to start somewhere. And only a half decade before taking part in the most successful movie in history (a hint, the boat sinks), Leonardo DiCaprio made his film debut in the immortal third Critters installment. The flick, shot back to back with the straight to video Critters 4, saw a horde of slimy ghouls chase a bunch of LA residents up a dilapidated tenement. There, Leo took part as Josh, a young kid who looked no more than 10 but was actually 16 or 17 during the time it was filmed. DiCaprio would then do an episode of Roseanne before becoming a mainstay on Growing Pains, finally breaking out opposite DeNiro in This Boy’s Life.
Michael Douglas (When Michael Calls, 1972) – The scariest thing about Mike Douglas is that he somehow married Catherine Zeta Jones, 25 years his junior. I mean, damn, what am I doing with my life? Seriously though, prior to Douglas barking about greed or cruising The Streets of San Francisco, or producing One Flew over the Cukoo’s Nest (yes, he did, and won best picture) – Michael starred opposite Ben Gazzara in a made for TV horror/thriller called When Michael Calls. The flick has a creepy premise: a woman keeps receiving phone calls from a child claiming to be her dead nephew. With each call, an acquaintance of hers dies, and she is soon to be the next victim. Find the flick on DVD!
Harrison Ford (The Possessed, 1977) – The very same year Han Solo was whacking space fascists in Star Wars, Harry Ford would also be seen in a made for TV ghost movie called The Possessed. By that time Ford already owned a number of credits, namely playing bit parts for Antonioni, Coppla and Lucas. But not of that would equal his mega-movie-star status to come in the 80s and 90s. The Possessed, while a difficult picture to track down (currently unavailable on DVD), is a taut little spook fest that’s definitely worth viewing. Sure it’s derivative of The Exorcist, what with the ex-priest fighting satanic forces at a girl’s school, but any horror flick that has P.J. Soles in it is a winner.
Tom Hanks (He Knows You’re Alone, 1980) – The same year Mr. Bosom Buddy landed his comedic TV gig, the man completed his first big screen credit in the slasher flick He Knows You’re Alone. In the flick he played a minor part as a bumbling boyfriend spouting wise and sporting an awfully sad jogging sweat-suit. Casting agents apparently took notice, as Hanks would go on to hash out 3 dozen our so TV episodes, then star in a string of romantic comedies and sissy roles before ultimately hitting his stride in the ‘90s. Now hailed as one of the greatest actors of a generation, Hanks is the only man to win back to back Oscars since Spencer Tracy in the late ‘30s.
Jack Nicholson (Little Shop of Horrors, 1960) – Before good old Jaaaack was winning multiple Oscars and playing everyone’s cool man onscreen, he was cutting his teeth in the renowned low-budget world of Roger Corman. Yep, that’s right. And while the original Little Shop of Horrors is technically codified as a comedy, the subject matter is pitch black enough to truly do its title justice. For those who’ve only seen the remake, Nicholson played the role of a dentist loving masochist that Bill Murray reprised in 1986. A sick man! Believe it or not, this was only Nicholson’s third feature film credit, having only acted on a few TV episodes up to that point. Corman sure knew how to pick’em.
Bill Paxton?? (Night Warning & Mortuary, 1983) – Pick your poison with this James Cameron favorite-turned-mega-TV-star-polygamist. You have either 1983 film Night Warning or Mortuary to try and identify yourself one Bill Paxton before he was the immortal Chet in Weird Science. The former film focuses on an overprotective psycho aunt from hell who’ll stop at nothing to keep her nephew in the house with her. The latter film deals with a mortician’s son who goes on a killing spree to the sounds of Mozart. But if you really want your head to spin, check out Braindead (1990) – there you’ll find both Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman starring in one flick together. Awesome!
Brad Pitt (Cutting Class, 1989) – Prior to growing younger, adopting kids and sporting one of the most popular actresses of his generation, Brad Pitt took a meaty role in a slasher parody called Cutting Class in 1989. Ah, you can smell the ‘80s in this picture: the high tops, the moose, the slick satin jackets – it’s all in effect with Pitt in this one, and he rocks it like a champ. When a stalk-and-slash murderer starts offing people in the high school halls, a nifty little whodunit plot springs into action. Pitt plays Dwight, a brash teen who spends most of the film wading in and out of suspect status. Sure he did a few episodes of
Mickey Rourke (Fade to Black, 1980) – Everyone’s favorite comeback kid (last year anyway), the brooding tough guy actor-turned-pugilist Mick Rourke has had a long road indeed. In the ‘80s Rourke had a 10 or so year run of triumph, leaving a smoldering thumbprint on the industry with his raw, natural talent. He’d mix it up with Coppola, Cimino, Alan Parker, Adrian Lynne etc. before taking a plunge off the deep end, torching the industry bridges from which he launched. But before all that, the man had a role in an odd, lesser known horror-esque flick called Fade to Black directed by Vernon Zimmerman. The film saw a nerdy film geek go on a savage rampage against his bullies.
Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys, 1987) – Eons before Jack Bower was flashing patriotic–messiah tactics in 24, Kiefer Sutherland was playing a straight up hard ass in the famed teen vampire flick The Lost Boys. Sure Keifer played a similar role two years prior in Stand By Me, sans the fangs – but it was no doubt his turn as a blood-sucking gang leader that solidified his status as a true star. What’s cool about Kiefer is that as time would go on, he never really shunned the horror genre. He’d appear in Flatliners, gritty sci-fi fare like
Billy Bob Thornton (Hunter’s Blood, ‘86 and Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, ‘89) – Chalk another Oscar winner to the list of start-outs in B-horror dreck. Only Billy Bob gets extra props for showing up in the best title of any on our list. His first horror appearance, Hunter’s Blood, was so miniscule he didn’t even bother taking a character name (he was simply Billy Bob). But Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, as if you even needed a decent movie after that title,
