Scary starts: Big stars who launched their careers in bad horror films
Before they became A-listers and Oscar winners, actors like Jennifer Aniston, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Scarlett Johansson battled chainsaws, spiders, and ghosts
Film Features Films
There’s no such thing as an overnight success in Hollywood. Even iconic, Oscar-winning performers had to start somewhere. And it was probably somewhere not very good, like, say, a low-budget horror film. Plenty of actors whose greatness and popularity we take for granted today had bit parts in horror films early in their careers: Johnny Depp faced Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare On Elm Street, Kevin Bacon got impaled in Friday The 13th, and future Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis made her big-screen debut in Halloween.
We’re not sure how fellow Oscar-winner Russell Crowe will hold up in this week’s release The Pope’s Exorcist—in a twist, the A-list star is taking on a horror flick late in his career—but it got us thinking about great actors who made some scary career decisions by starring in dubious horror flicks. So here are 18 actors who punched the clock on a scary-bad horror movie. Be afraid … be very afraid.
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To be fair I am pretty sure Ryan Reynolds was in 2 Guys a Girl and a Pizza place before Amityville Horror though that may have been his movie debut.
Also in Van Wilder which I think was his 1st hit and before Amityville Horror.
Ah yeah that’s right and I loved Van Wilder lol, but got that was a long time ago. Funny enough, at least according to Burt Kreischer, Van Wilder was based, probably loosely, on his like 7 or 8 years in college in Florida.
Really? Shit I didn’t know that! I did love that his dad was the star of Animal House in the movie, such perfect casting.
lol well to be fair that comes from Bert, misspelled his name before, I think there was a Rolling Stone, linked below, article about Bert in college and supposedly Van Wilder was loosely based on said article, again according to Bert haha, but considering the main plot of Van Wilder was based around an article about a guy in his 7th year known for partying it could be true.https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/bert-kreischer-the-undergraduate-240847/Edit UGGGH paywalled
Correct. Also, while not the main star, Blade: Trinity
Not a movie but my roomie and I were obsessed with “Fifteen” on Nickelodeon, featuring Ryan as Billy.
Yeah he was already kind of a name by that point.
Reynolds was, and to tie it back to one of the regular commenter, so was Nathan Fillion in a supporting role.Which makes 2GsG&aPP Ground Zero for The Green Lantern Corps.
Never forget National Lampoon’s Van Wilder!!!
I believe George Clooney was in an Attack of the Killer Tomatoes sequel around that time also, not to mention Grizzly II.
you would be right. Still had that mullet.
Return of the Killer Tomatoes, the sequal to Attack. had Clooney and got to pull off one of the best brick joke gags when he tosses a pizza into the air , then moves away to answer the phone, only for the Pizza to fall back down in the final act as a Deus ex Machina.
Return also has the entire product placement gag years before Wayne’s World, and it’s somehow even more meta, with the characters in the movie actually knowing that they’ve run out of budget.
I remember a young blonde Viggo Mortensen from Witness (1985) – I’m not sure if he even had any lines, but it was more than a walk-on.
Pretty sure that was his debut film. Just a rock-solid movie with an incredible cast. Gotta love a well-deserved ass beating.
Yes, but what made that scene great was Weir cutting to the asshole Ford’s John Book punched out bleeding profusely from his nose and mouth, thus making the point that what Book did was far worse than harassing a bunch of Amish because he committed a violent act against another human.
It neither stars Mortensen, nor is it anywhere near his first movie, but god DAMN he tears it up for his 10 minutes or so of screentime in The Prophecy.
He was also in The Reflecting Skin, a bizarre magical realist movie about PTSD and child murder that sadly has kind of disappeared from the collective memory. Pretty sure in high school I watched that and Blue Velvet the same afternoon, which was a sound, normal choice.
Philip Ridley, Vicent Ward, all those surreal filmmakers that were well known in their circles and later absolutely abandoned by all the distributors because fuck cinema. The Reflecting Skin was on Shudder these years, with the usual complaints of many nerds that have never gone to Sitges Festival and have allergic reactions to Korean cinema that is not straightup horror. Rant off.
Good to know.
Very sound choice.
No mention of my favorite: Jason Alexander, Fischer Stevens, AND Holly Hunter in The Burning.
Tom Hanks in “He Knows You’re Alone” which I think was actually his first film appearance.
Yeah, but He Knows You’re Alone was a good horror movie, so it doesn’t belong on this list. One of the better Halloween rip-offs from that time period.
How have I never heard of this movie.
Cinemax played it a lot in the early 80’s, and I taped it, and watch it even more. It was right behind Halloween and Halloween 2 as my favorite slashers at the time. James Rebhorn and Paul Gleason are also in it. My local library has it in their DVD collection, you might check yours, or try to get it through inter library loan.
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Toms Hanks in Mazes and Monsters. The movie is a horror.
I watched that a few weeks ago and only saw Jason Alexander. Damn.
Holly Hunter is unrecognizable in it.
The Burning’s been popping up in my recommended lists lately.I forget if I’ve actually seen it, or just read reviews, but I was wondering what such a forgettable derivative movie had going for it all of a sudden.
A number of future stars in early roles, for one thing.Oh, and it was Harvey Weinstein’s first film, though I’m not sure why that’s a recommendation….
Well, look at the credits. Look who wrote it! It is a reasonably famous slasher – technically it is above the average.
TCM: The Next GenerationAnd it was absolutely goddamned terrible.
Gee, you think a prestige channel like Turner Classic Movies would have done better.
Scarlett Johansson in Eight Legged Freaks? You literally say in your own write-up that she already had her breakout role in Ghost World. Plus, The Horse Whisperer was a few years before that.This article isn’t “big stars who launched their careers in bad horror films” as much as “actors who appeared in horror films at some point.”
“Famous actors who once lived hand-to-mouth like every other upstart”
Famous actors with belly-buttons.
I’d also like to point out that Eight-Legged Freaks is not an awful horror movie, it’s an awesome horror movie.
Yeah hadn’t Jennifer Lawrence already done Winters Bone?
The URL says “beloved actors who appeared in awful horror films,” so probably one of those things where the title got swapped. Though sometimes I think they’re doing the “influencer” trick of making obvious mistakes so people will comment to drive engagement.
Jack Black was in the dystopian horror flick Bio-Dome in 1996.
nice
Jack Black was in the so-bad-it’s-good teen rom com Airborne in 1993 and had also started Tenacious D before I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. He shouldn’t be on this list at all.
airborne had the best ever make over scene/montage
JB made a distinctly scary stalker impression in “Bob Roberts” in 1992
The first role I remember Jack Black from was the bully in The NeverEnding Story III.
Imagine how many folks will be out of a job once ChatGPT figures how to put this in slide show format:Horror films have always been a popular genre in Hollywood, with their ability to scare and thrill audiences. Many famous actors got their start in horror films before becoming household names in the industry. Here are some of the most notable examples of actors who began their careers with a role in a horror film.Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween (1978)Jamie Lee Curtis made her feature film debut in the classic horror film Halloween, which was directed by John Carpenter. She played the lead role of Laurie Strode, a teenager who becomes the target of a serial killer named Michael Myers. The film was a huge success and helped launch Curtis’ career as a scream queen.Jennifer Aniston – Leprechaun (1993)Before her breakout role in Friends, Jennifer Aniston appeared in the horror-comedy Leprechaun. She played the lead role of Tory Redding, a young woman who moves into a house that is being terrorized by a vengeful leprechaun. The film received mixed reviews but has since become a cult classic.Johnny Depp – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)Johnny Depp’s first film role was in the horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, directed by Wes Craven. He played the role of Glen Lantz, the boyfriend of the film’s protagonist, Nancy Thompson. The film was a huge success and helped launch Depp’s career in Hollywood.Bradley Cooper – My Little Eye (2002)Bradley Cooper’s first film role was in the British horror film My Little Eye. He played the role of Travis, one of five people who participate in a reality TV show to win a million dollars. The film received mixed reviews but helped launch Cooper’s career in Hollywood.George Clooney – Return to Horror High (1987)Before he became a Hollywood heartthrob, George Clooney appeared in the horror-comedy Return to Horror High. He played the role of Oliver, a police officer who investigates a series of murders at a high school. The film was a commercial failure but has since become a cult classic.Kevin Bacon – Friday the 13th (1980)Kevin Bacon made his film debut in the classic slasher film Friday the 13th. He played the role of Jack Burrell, one of the camp counselors who is killed by the film’s antagonist, Jason Voorhees. The film was a huge success and helped launch Bacon’s career in Hollywood.In conclusion, many famous actors got their start in horror films, which helped launch their careers in Hollywood. These actors proved that even a role in a low-budget horror film can lead to great things in the entertainment industry.
Need to work “bad” in there since Halloween’s the all-time GOAT, Nightmare was considered excellent and Friday was at least a groundbreaking slasher.
that is irrelevant to these lists. Any horror film can be said that it is bad because horror is a lesser genre in the film canon. Or if there is, then you can say something like “it scared people at the time, but now it is terribly dated with THOSE outfits and the hairspray!”, which is a more common line of filmic reviews I wish it was.
Except, Kevin Bacon made his debut in Animal House. Not a horror film, but he did get trampled and flattened by a panicked crowd.
There’s always the horror of date rape in Animal House!
It needs to be ‘with a sarcastic tone’ – although I should warn you that ChatGPT’s understanding of sarcasm is still at the Zoolander “Earth to Matilda” level at this point. Maybe ‘with a sassy tone’ would be better, come to think of it. Not tried that.
I think my definition of “launch” is different.
HahahahaA bunch of famous people and… some guy named Bomer?
Ok Bomer.
Seriously, because I refuse to look it up…Who the hell is Matt Bomer??
No idea. I’m not looking that shit up either. hahaha
He was on AMERICAN HORROR STORY as the writeup said, and the Magic Mike movies as well. He was also the star of USA Network’s series WHITE COLLAR, as Negative Man on the DC Universe series DOOM PATROL, and has done a lot of voiceover work for the DCAU. He was also in The Normal Heart, The Boys in the Band remake, and a recurring character on the WILL AND GRACE 2018-2020 revamp because he’s gay, and he and his husband have three kids.
The dude who plays Negative Man in Doom Patrol?
He was in White Collar on USA, and also in the first Magic Mike movie (he might have been in the other Magics Mike, but I don’t recall the second and didn’t see the third).But also…why refuse to look it up? Surely it would have been faster than waiting for someone to answer.
Missed opportunity with Idris Elba who’s in 28 Weeks Later the year before Prom Night.
The UK TV series Ultraviolet (1998) was when I first heard of Idris Elba with definite horror overtones. Definitely would recommend.
Also featuring Jack Davenport from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Oh, ‘Ultraviolet’ was so fun. I lived in a state of denial thinking that would get another season for far too long.
That’s where I first saw him, his charisma just blew me away.
I just re-watched that for the first time in years. I’d forgotten the entire cast. Every few minutes it was like “holy shit, hawkeye/rose byrne/elba/michael from lost is in this?!”
Couldn’t get past the Jack Black slide because I accidentally watched it ten times.
Jack Black was in The Jackal, the year before I Still Know… He builds a machine for Bruce Willis then has a crazy death scene.
And in “Airborne” in 1993.
Come on…Jennifer Lawrence had been doing movies since 2006. Winter’s Bone was the film that made her a star, which was released in 2010, therefore most likely filmed in 2009. Even if Winter’s Bone was actually filmed in early 2010, it still would have been before the slasher flick.As far as ScarJo goes, you said in the write-up that she already had Ghost World out, so she doesn’t fit either, unless this article is really “Actors who did shitty horror films early in their careers”, instead of the title that was actually used.
Tony Goldwyn was in Friday the 13th: Part VI.I mean, ignoring his genealogy. He’s in that movie and if I recall correctly he drives a car for a bit.
Brad Pitt was in a high school slasher flick called Cutting Class in 1989. Much closer to the launch of his career than some of the others on the list.
John Ratzenberger is a member of a rock band that gets planted in the ground to become some of Farmer Vincent’s fritters in “Motel Hell”, which was released in fall of 1980, before he became Cliff in “Cheers” in 1982. He had been doing a bunch of small roles, so this wasn’t exactly a breakout, but it’s fun to see him show up!
He was in “Superman II” also, as one of the NASA personnel monitoring the moon mission as it was being attacked by Zod, Non and Ursa.
Kristin Davis in Doom Asylum is a big miss. Her first role and 4 years before her next.
My god these lists are so bad, why even bother? Scarlett Johansson most definitely didn’t get her start in Eight Legged Freaks.Also, those of us who were raised on HBO in the early to mid 90s know that Jack Black will forever be Augie in the 1993 rollerblading classic, Airborne.
I was mildly obsessed with Airborne for sure. The acting was SO BAD, but it was great.
I think most people would rate Two Guys and a Girl as Ryan Reynolds’ breakout vehicle, but his first starring film role was Van Wilder, AKA “National Lampoon’s Wow They’re Still Making National Lampoon Movies? The Movie.”
Jennifer Lawrence launched her career 2 years earlier than this with Winter’s Bone a highly accoladed mystery drama….
Yeah, this entry is so weird. Winter’s Bone, I don’t think it was like, some massive blockbuster, but it was a huge critical darling, and at least 50% of that acclaim was for Lawrence, specifically.
What, no Reb Brown in Sssssss?
Maybe I missed something about the time frame allowed, but two of the oldies but biggies are Jack Nicholson in Little Shop of Horrors.
And a teen(???) Steve McQueen in The Blob
Ava Gardner’s first credited film role was in “Ghosts on the Loose”, an East Side Kids vehicle.
It was?? THAT I didn’t know! And I read her memoir and everything.
Jack Nicholson had been acting in movies and television for half a decade by then—mostly for Roger Corman, but he’d also done a bit of episodic TV work as well.
I’d agree, BUT— “The Blob” isn’t a “bad horror film,” albeit largely because Steve McQueen is in it, actually acting in a cheap B&W 50’s monster movie.
Clint Eastwood in Revenge of the Creature and Tarantula, both in 1955.Johnny Depp in Nightmare of Elm Street.
I actually liked House At The End Of The Street. Fight me. 🙂
Given the fact that the Crites from the Critters movies are a fugitive alien race being hunted by space-faring bounty hunters, it actually makes quite a lot of sense for that series to go into space. In fact it makes LESS sense that some of the sequels DON’T involve space in some way.
We’re not sure what Titus (or the filmmakers) were actually smoking, but this obnoxious, offensive, supporting character should have been left on the cutting-room floor.It’s Jack Black?They can leave him on the cutting room floor, period! I find him very hard to take most of the time—not quite as hard as James Corden, but he has the same general vibe….
I cast Eva Mendez (which is how she spelled it then) in COTC, at my first job in Hollywood, and I tailored 3 different and completely honest arguments to each of the 3 producers in charge to convince them: 1.“She’s drop-dead gorgeous”; 2. “She’s the best actress and was amazing and convincing in her audition”; and 3. “Dimension told me that this franchise is hugely popular with latinos – it would be really cool and smart of us to cast one, and repeat 1 & 2.”
I did not realise Eva Mendes had had children with Ryan Gosling. Those kids are inheriting some very good genes.
How can you not mention Alison Brie and her demon baby in BORN? It’s a classic in awful horror
Kevin Bacon – Friday the 13thJason Alexander – The BurningDemi Moore – ParasiteJeff Goldblum – Death WishChristoper Walken – The SentinelMichael Richards & Geena Davis – Transylvania 6-5000
How the heck could you manage to do 18 freaking slides of “Big stars who launched their careers in bad horror films” and not have Bruce Campbell?
He’s the prototype of the model, for Pete’s sake!
Because Evil Dead is legitimately great?
Because they would have messed up and said that he launched his career with Bubba Ho-Tep?
Clearly dudeman has never actually SEEN Critters, maybe one of the best sci-fi black comedies ever (nothing can unseat They Live, of course).
I was just coming here to say “Please stop shitting on the Critters franchise, thank you very much. You’re probably confusing it with Munchie.”
Clearly dudeman has never actually SEEN Critters, maybe one of the best
sci-fi black comedies ever (nothing can unseat They Live, of course). Also:“Although widely believed to have been inspired by the success of Joe Dante’s 1984 film Gremlins, Herek has refuted this in interviews, pointing out that the script was written by Muir long before Gremlins went into production and subsequently underwent rewrites to reduce the apparent similarities between the two films.[6] The film grossed $13.6 million during its release in the United States, and spawned a Critters consisting of three sequels and a web series titled Critters: A New Binge released on Shudder. The fifth entry Critters Attack! serves as a reboot of the series.”
I love Halloween and most Paul Rudd stuff but man, Halloween 6 was such a gigantic misfire. It doesn’t help that he plays Tommy Doyle as if Tommy was an alien who had been on earth for 2 days before the events of the movie. I know the cast and crew disowned that movie but damn…
Pet peeve, but Scream isn’t a spoof. It isn’t even all that meta. It’s a straightforward slasher film, except instead of the characters existing in a hazy fantasy world, it’s grounded in the real world, which means they’ve seen the same movies the audience has. The franchise has gotten a lot more meta as it’s gone on, but the first one isn’t really at all, except for some editing stuff like cutting from all the kids watching Halloween talking about the nude scene to Neve Campbell upstairs taking off her bra.The franchise has gotten a lot more meta as it’s gone on – *sort of spoiling one death from the latest Scream* – so much that a character runs up at the end asking if she missed the killer(s)’ monologue instead of being, say, concerned about friend(s) getting loaded into ambulances, wondering if anyone they know and care about has died, because she’s maybe just a little affected by having her girlfriend get brutally murdered right in front of her yesterday? But that’s the problem I have with the new ones. If the characters aren’t taking it seriously, why should I?
Idris Elba was in the British vampire mini-series Ultraviolet about a decade before Prom Night.
Ryan Reynolds was killed in the cold open before the opening credits in a 1996 episode of The X-Files. (Yes, it’s TV not a film but OK…)
Harrison Ford was a Biology professor set on fire and killed by an evil spirit in an Exorcist rip-off movie called The Possessed. Amazingly, he filmed this wretched, horrible movie after American Graffiti and The Conversation had been released; also after Star Wars had been filmed but before it was released.
AV CLUB: Hire some writers with basic knowledge of their topic. Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for Best Actress for Winter’s Bone, for fuck’s sake
The first thing I remember Jack Black from was The Cable Guy. Does that count?
If they ever make a crossover with children of the corn and critters – critters of the corn? – whoever stars in that will win every acting award ever made.