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6 actors that you Probably Didn’t know Appeared in Horror Movies

The list of horror movie actors is a long one. In such a popular genre, it’s common for actors to cut their teeth in a low-budget slasher flick, or even make their debut in a horror blockbuster, such as Johnny Depp in Nightmare on Elm Street.

Yet for every famous actor with a well-known horror credit under their belt, there’s another that most people forget. Who remembers the Friends actress in a flick about a miniature Irish demon, for example, or Stringer Bell getting worried about a prom?

Here are some of those actors with horror appearances that may have slipped through the net.

Scarlett Johansson – Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Some people might see this as a comedy, rather than a full-on horror. Try telling that to arachnophobes – and Scarlett Johansson’s character Ashley Parker, who is repeatedly chased by vicious spider hordes. The film is ludicrous, of course, but it does have its fair share of jump-out-your-seat moments, even if you are laughing at the same time.

Johansson isn’t known for horror roles, but she does well here as an innocent target of the giant tarantulas’ wrath. It’s not the last time she gets tangled up with spiders, either. Her recurring role as Marvel Universe’s Black Widow has entertained millions of fans, and a feature film is due to be released later this year, after an enforced delay.

Jennifer Aniston – Leprechaun (1990)

Famous for her role as the glamorous Rachel Green in Friends, Jennifer Aniston graced the horror world with her presence in Leprechaun several years beforehand. While the film was intended to be a straight-up horror flick, Warwick Davis skilfully injected humour into his role, and Aniston was perfectly cast as the spoiled teenage girl who feels the wrath of the Leprechaun.

Despite being hit with negative reviews, the film developed a cult following and went on to release several sequels, including Leprechaun 3 where the miniature monster terrorises a Las Vegas casino and leaves the punters there trying to survive rather than working out how to beat the slots.

Aniston had moved on to her new role before Leprechaun 2, but she’ll always have her early horror appearance among her career credits. 

Chris Hemsworth – The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Chris Hemsworth had just landed the role of Thor during the filming of this comedy horror, but his character here didn’t have quite the same superpowers to protect him and his friends from zombies in the woods.

The film attempts a satirical take on the ‘slasher’ and ‘torture porn’ genres and received praise for its dialogue and creative twists. It also features Sigourney Weaver as a crazed director who controls the zombies from a hideout.

While Hemsworth was also critically acclaimed for his performance, he hasn’t returned to the horror genre since, instead appearing in action and comedy flicks, as well as his success as Thor. Perhaps the praise for his showing in The Cabin in the Woods will lead him to consider another horror role in the future.

Octavia Spencer – Halloween II (2009)

Octavia Spencer’s cameo in this slasher movie was less than 60 seconds long, but it might have felt a lot longer to some viewers.

She pops up as a nurse at Haddonfield Hospital who is tending to Laurie, one of the main characters. Yet out of nowhere, up pops the maniac killer who murders Spencer’s character in a disturbing scene.

It wasn’t to be Spencer’s last role in a horror movie, of course. Her starring role in 2019’s Ma saw her nominated for Best Actress at the Saturn Awards, for a film in which she gets to play the role of the psychopath rather than the victim.

Idris Elba – Prom Night (2008)

Those familiar with Idris Elba’s famous role as gangster Stringer Bell in his series The Wire might find it strange to see him on the other side of the law – as Detective Winn in slasher flick Prom Night. In a remake of Paul Lynch’s 80s classic, Winn is tasked with finding a serial killer on the loose who is terrorising the local populace.

While the film was criticised for its lack of depth and originality, Elba does well as the studious cop who is just trying to do his job. The film also served as useful experience ahead of his upcoming role as DCI Luther, a successful psychological crime drama that has lasted for over a decade, and could even be made into a film itself.

Jon Stewart and Salma Hayek – The Faculty (1998)

How about a double whammy to finish off? First up, Jon Stewart has made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian and TV host, so a horror movie is perhaps the last place you’d expect to find him. Yet here he is, in 1998’s The Faculty, playing a possessed science teacher who poses a deadly threat to his students.

He wasn’t the only famous face in the school. Salma Hayek, already famous for her role in Tarantino’s From Dusk till Dawn, appears as a school nurse who’s one of many victims of supernatural forces.

Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett and Usher also appear in this title, which serves as further proof that if you look hard enough, you’ll often find a familiar face or two in your favourite horror flicks.

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