5. Milton Dammers in The Frighteners (1996)
While some of the names on this list are newcomers who blew us away despite being previously unrecognized talents, others are performers whose brilliance had already been known. Jeffrey Combs was more than a decade on from his career-defining turn as Herbert West — body-defiler extraordinaire — when he appeared in Peter Jackson‘s mid 90s bomb. But he revealed there was far more to his genre range.
Milton Dammers sees Combs deliver a disturbingly hilarious portrayal of “an asshole with an Uzi,” a rogue FBI agent who specializes in cultish behaviors — because he himself was once victimized by a cult. It’s grim stuff, especially as the man’s physical and mental mutilations become clear. But good gravy is it also very, very funny. Combs invests this nutcase with such twisted charms that you both love his limited time onscreen and relish the comeuppance you know is headed his way. (Rob Hunter)
4. Georgina in Get Out (2017)
In Get Out, many moments elicit an intoxicating mix of excitement, fear, and outrage. But there’s a reason Betty Gabriel’s confrontation with Daniel Kaluuya is the scene they used in the trailer to sell this particular horror tale. Within every facial twitch Gabriel subtlety maneuvers, we see a war being waged internally. At this point in the movie, we may not know what is actually going on narratively.
But emotionally, we sense the mental imprisonment. Gabriel transforms a string of “No”s into a desperate plea for help. The pain in her voice is deep. And while it barely raises above a whisper, the effect is a deafening scream. Somewhere within that shell, a woman is drowning. And it’s a terrifying promise for what will happen to Kaluuya’s character if he remains on the premises much longer. Remove Gabriel from the sequence, and the film around her crumbles. Without her astonishing actualization of Get Out‘s Twilight Zone science, those in the audience could easily dismiss the plot with a giggle or an eye roll. Gabriel cements the film’s heinous reality. (Brad Gullickson)
3. The red-coated figure in Don’t Look Now (1973)
On one hand, the mysterious being that haunts Don’t Look Now is barely there, aside from a red coat occasionally glimpsed at the periphery. But on the other hand, whether real or imaginary, of this world or bound to somewhere else, friend or foe, the specter is ever-present. For Donald Sutherland’s John Baxter, it’s a reminder of the child he lost prior to moving to Venice. But as he chases what may be a figment of his imagination through the canals, it’s clear that whatever this is, and whatever it represents, John is caught up in something that extends far beyond the world as he understands it. And sooner or later, he’ll catch up to whatever it is that he’s chasing. God help him when he does. (Anna Swanson)
2. Casey Becker in Scream (1996)
As soon as director Wes Craven caught wind that established actress Drew Barrymore wanted to be involved in his low-budget slasher film, he immediately leveraged her star status and cast her as the film’s lead, Sidney Prescott. However, right before filming, Barrymore was staring down the barrel of new commitments and required a less demanding role. Enter: Casey Becker, a decidedly tiny part that nevertheless took full advantage of Barrymore’s stature as a Big Deal. How do you kick off your meta slasher flick? Why, with a reference to one of the most notorious early entries in the genre, that’s how! In a winking nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (which did away with its star Janet Leigh in the film’s first act, shocking audiences), Barrymore’s blonde-bobbed Casey is one of the first to fall victim to the wrong end of Ghostface’s knife.
Killing off its biggest star right out the gate, Scream makes its stakes plain: any of these teens can die at any moment. Though not long for this earth, Casey is a genre icon in her own right: the sweater-wearing, popcorn-loving casualty of the film’s giggling killer. Ah Casey, if only you’d boned up on your Friday the 13th trivia, perhaps you’d still be with us. Rest easy, sweet ditz. (Meg Shields)
1. Pinhead in Hellraiser (1987)
Once upon a time, when Hellraiser was but a gruesome directorial debut from Clive Barker rather than a multi-film franchise, Pinhead (Doug Bradley) was simply “Lead Cenobite,” a follower of flesh with very little screen time and even fewer lines. But he was destined for greatness. You know what they say: it’s easy to win over the hearts of audiences when you’re absolutely covered in pins. Newbies to the original Hellraiser film would be forgiven for showing up expecting Pinhead to be the star of the show. He’s an icon, after all; a colleague and peer to the likes of Freddy, Jason, Chucky, and Leatherface.
But lo and behold. Though his talents and charm (read: pins and more pins) are on full display right from the jump, Pinhead himself is barely in the film. “Oh, this is a film about a very horny lady trying to help her ex-lover claw his way back from BDSM hell? It’s not about a guy with pins all over his face?” No, it’s not. But despite his all-too-brief screen time, Pinhead is undeniably enigmatic and captivating. He had greatness thrust upon him, as it were. Ah, the indivisible pain and pleasure of being a star. You can’t describe tears as “a waste of good suffering” and not become a huge deal. (Meg Shields)
Related Topics: 31 Days of Horror Lists, Horror
