OMG Horror

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! 

Jennifer Aniston (Leprechaun, 1993) – Well before copping a cool million per episode of “Friends” and swapping public barbs with her ex-man’s new lady, Jen Aniston took a substantial role in the immortal Mark Jones film Leprechaun.  Surely it wasn’t Aniston’s first acting gig, she did play Jeannie Bueller in the ephemeral TV spin-off series of “Ferris Bueller,” but come on – how can you top trying to evade a sadistic little green ghoul as a way to seek super stardom.  It was Aniston’s first theatrical movie however, and proud of that she should be even if credited behind Warwick Davis, who trivially enough, also played the titular role in Willow.  Mind-blowing, right?!?        

Jaime Lee Curtis (Halloween, 1978) – This one is pretty obvious and maybe even superfluous mentioning it.  Yet Curtis has stated many times that she owes her entire career to John Carpenter for giving her the lead in Halloween, one of the most salient horror flicks to ever come about.  It was Curtis as Lorie Strode that would give way to her being dubbed the “scream queen”, where she’d appear in other horror entries such as Prom Night and Terror Train (how scary you consider those Actvia commercials is another topic).  Jaime Lee did about a years worth of TV before her first film, but her comedic chops are also evident in classics like Trading Places and A Fish Called Wanda.          

Kirsten Dunst (Interview With the Vampire, 1994) – Once my long time celebrity crush, and before she was cashing in box-office riches in the Spiderman franchise, Kirsten Dunst won a Saturn award (and a Golden Globe nod) for her turn as Claudia in Interview With the Vampire.  At the tender age of 11 or so, Dunst chewed up scenery opposite Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in the film, a range demonstrated that would eventually lead her to distinguish herself as one of the preeminent actors of her generation.  Sure she’s been romantically linked to a phalanx of clown-boys in the past, but I try not to hold that against her.  If it’s about the work, Dunst is a hell of an actress.           

Holly Hunter (The Burning - 1981) – As I’ll always remember Holly Hunter as Ed McDunnough in Raising Arizona, most of her accolades came in the form of Jane Campion’s high-brow art-house film The Piano (including the Academy Award).  Yet it was alongside Jason Alexander (see Part 1 of this feature) in the nearly forgotten slasher flick The Burning that gave Hunter her very first screen credit.  She played Sophie in the film, one of the hard to spot campers who does all she can to avert the violent mayhem that vengeful killer Cropsy is out to administer.  What’s cool about The Burning (wrong word perhaps) is that it’s a flick that holds up on its own, but spotting Hunter is extra fun.             

Angelina Jolie (Cyborg 2, 1993) – Okay, so maybe not a horror film proper, but anyone who stars in a Cyborg picture must be included on our list.  As it is, Oscar winner, top flight celebrity and diplomatic humanitarian Angie Jolie landed her first leading gig.  Not only that, she got to mix it up action style with Elias Koteas and Jack Palance of all people.  Not too shabby I’d say.  In the film, Angie plays Cash, a cyborg seductress sent to infiltrate a rival corporation and self-detonate – thereby foiling her foes.  Problem is, she falls in robot love with good old Colt Ricks (Koteas) and they must outsmart a cyborg hunter in order to consummate their true feelings.  Robot love, yo - nothing better!                     

Jessica Lange (King Kong, 1976) – Maybe King Kong isn’t your typical horror outing, this version in particular (the original Fay Wray version is pretty terrifying though), I couldn’t in good consciousness omit the stunning Jessica Lange from our list.  This 2-time Oscar winner (Tootsie and Blue Sky) snared her very first acting credit in John Guillermin’s simian adventure.  Rumor has it that Meryl Streep was snubbed for the role, Streisand was considered for the part and Bo Derek turned it down.  Also, Italian horror-head Mario Bava was offered a chance to helm the special effects for the film, but turned it down as well.  Master make-up man Rick Baker did work on the film however.         

Helen Mirren (Caligula. 1979) – Prior to mingling with English royalty and collecting a gold statuette in 2006, the sure fire (official) dame Helen Mirren was getting all kinds of lewd in this down and dirty “historical adult” film.  Foul, repulsive, grotesque – Caligula compares with Salo in its perverse nature and bouts of graphic violence.  Anyway, those who’ve witnessed this epic horror-porno might recall a young Mirren as Caesonia, a depraved young servant of sorts to the power-parched ruler Caligula (played by Malcolm McDowell).  And while it’s an anomaly to see Mirren in a horror flick, seeing her naked isn’t so much – she strips down in damn near half of her work.  Classy lady!

Demi Moore (Parasite, 1982) – In only her second screen credit, the once box-office powerhouse Demi Moore starred in a little 3-D horror flick called Parasite back in 1982.  Not only that, Moore played the female lead.  In the film, set in 1992, a fatal parasite is attached to a man’s stomach and he and his girlfriend (Moore) must do all they can to quell the damn thing all the while evading a twisted red-neck government.  The trajectory of Moore’s career has been a hard one to map in the last decade or so, mainly because she’s been helming mommy duties and sexually robbing cradles (still can’t believe Kutcher landed that), but there was an untouchable stretch in the ‘90s that Moore reveled in.   

Susan Sarandon (The Satan Murders [TV], 1974 - The Hunger 1983) – My perversion might show here, but at 62 years of age Susan Sarandon still looks smokin’.  I mean, damn!  And even prior to her iconic role in cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Academy Award winner appeared in a relic of a film called The Satan Murders in 1974.  Evidently she makes a pact with the devil to fell her letch of a husband, but good luck finding that film anywhere.  And prior to sailing off a cliff with Geena Davis or offering solace to Sean Penn’s death row convict, Susan shared the screen with David Bowie in Tony Scott’s gothic horror-romance The Hunger in 1983.  Quite a woman!

Sharon Stone (Deadly Blessing, 1981) – Anyone remember Wes Craven’s 1981 Amish-horror film Deadly Blessing? Well Sharon Stone does, despite how hard she may try not to.  Really though, long before slapping Arnie around in Total Recall or flashing beaver shots in Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone took a substantial part in Craven’s long-forgotten rural fright fest.  I’m a Stone fan, I really am – just look at her Golden Globe winning work in Scorsese’s Casino to see what she’s capable of.  And I don’t want to get PETA in a tizzy, but apparently Stone demanded a spider have its teeth removed in order for her to perform a scene as scripted.  She got her wish and filmed the scene.  I still love you Sharon! 

Charlize Theron (Children of the Corn III: The Urban Harvest, 1995) – Outside of Michelle Pfeiffer, I think Charlize Theron is my favorite physical specimen working in motion pictures today.  As shallow as that sounds, I have equal respect and admiration for acting ability.  I do.  Anyway, we can add another Oscar winning beauty to our list of thespians that got their start in what some would deem a lowly horror film.  Charlize’s initial screen appearance would be an uncredited one as a “young woman” in the straight to video release of the third Children of the Corn film.  It’s pretty astonishing that not even a full decade later Theron would mine Oscar gold in another quasi-horror role in Monster.     

Naomi Watts (Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, 1996) – Only a year after Ms. Theron wrapped her screen debut in a Corn picture, a young Aussie talent by the name of Naomi Watts took her first lead role in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering.  Until then, Watts had a good handful of screen credits; bit parts, the girlfriend role etc.  She even played “Shopping Cart Starlet” in Joe Dante’s horror comedy Matinee in 1993.  And what’s cool about Watts, aside from having a baby with Cotton Weary from Scream (Liev Schreiber), she has never turned her back on the horror genre.  She would star in the mega-successful Ring pictures as well as the disturbing 2007 remake of Funny Games. 

Kate Winslet (Heavenly Creatures, 1994) – Our most recent Oscar winner and 6-time nominee Kate Winslet actually got her film-acting debut in Peter Jackson’s grueling Heavenly Creatures.  Based on a true incident, Winslet was chosen over 175 other actresses due to her physical resemblance of the real person her character was based on.  For those who haven’t seen the movie, do so immediately.  It’s about a pair of inseparable friends in the 1950s who, after their parents do all they can to divide the girls from each other, go on a murderous revenge spree.  It’s a difficult, impressionable film that not only stays with you, but would foreshadow the true talent of both Winslet and Jackson.    

Renee Zellweger (Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1994) – In a hapless addendum to what I consider the best horror film of all, Oscar winner Renee Zellweger starred opposite Matthew “I think it’d be a good idea to take my shirt off” McConaughey.  With an impressive 2.6 imdb rating, The Return of the Chainsaw was the first major role for Zellweger, despite appearing in unconfirmed or uncredited bit parts in various TV and B-movies.  She also had a small role in the Ben Stiller directed Reality Bites in the same year as Massacre.  The funny thing is it would only be a couple years later that Zellweger would land a lead part in Jerry Maguire and more or less shoot to mega-stardom.