Horror movies always level up the fear when they make the viewers feel like the terrors are trickling into real life. One way to do this is to cast the movie with incredible actors whose performances simultaneously leave viewers exhilarated and terrified. From Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968) to Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out (2017), these actors killed it in their horror roles.
1- Toni Collette in Hereditary (2018)
While the premise of this personal and visceral tale of a family confronting their trauma and terrible past is scary in itself, Toni Collette's performance of the mother makes Hereditary stand out as one of the best horror movies released in recent years. She does a fantastic job of making the viewer feel like they're watching something they're not supposed to witness.
2- Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse (2019)
This surrealist period horror Film follows two lighthouse keepers as they become trapped on a remote island during a storm and struggle to cling to the little sanity they had before their isolation. While Robert Pattinson performs excellently, Willem Dafoe makes this film a masterpiece. His strange character's sailor accent and eccentric personality shine authentically both when he spits out a short phrase or delivers a booming monologue.
3- Piper Laurie in Carrie (1976)
Carrie is a supernatural horror film about a teen who doesn't fit in with her peers, and they bully her relentlessly. She can't seek refuge at home because her overbearing, religious mother refuses to give her peace. Piper Laurie plays Carrie's mother in this classic horror film, and she puts her sharp voice to good use by taking command of the screen and eliciting terror in viewers' hearts.
4- Rei Hance in The Blair Witch Project (1999)
This classic found footage horror film is typically applauded for its intense and realistic cinematography along with the lore behind the story, while the performance of the lead actress goes ignored. But Rei Hance's depiction of Heather Donahue's terror, confusion, and betrayal is what captures many fans of the film and keeps them hooked through until the very end.
5- Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Mia Farrow created such a believable image of a manipulated pregnant woman descending into madness that her role as Rosemary in Rosemary's Baby launched her career in film. This iconic psychological horror is about a pregnant woman who believes her neighbors are conspiring to use her baby in a satanic cult.
6- Mark Duplass in Creep (2014)
This unsettling found footage horror film follows a cameraman who takes a job from a newspaper to film a video diary for a man dying from a terminal illness. But he doesn't know that the man has sinister intentions for their day spent together. The creepy, uncomfortable vibes from this film can be credited to the extraordinary performance of Mark Duplass as the film's unique villain.
7- Matthew Lillard in Scream (1996)
As one of the most famous slasher films of all time, Scream holds a place in the hearts of many horror fans. Part of what makes this film so compelling is the build-up to the reveal of the villains behind the screaming mask. Matthew Lillard expertly depicts his character's fall from sadistic power to hurt and lonely high school boy in a pathetic, humorous, and slightly endearing way.
8- Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)
This epic Korean crime revenge thriller is about a man who gets bailed out of jail only to be abducted by mysterious captors who lock him in an isolated cell, where he remains for fifteen years. One day, he's randomly released with a mission to find and exact revenge on his kidnappers. Choi Min-sik provides a stunningly visceral and believable performance, making this film an international success.
9- Florence Pugh in Midsommar (2019)
You only have to watch the first ten minutes of Midsommar to understand just how harrowing and impactful Florence Pugh's lead performance is in this film. She makes her complex character loveable as she accidentally rises among the ranks of a cult she visits during a festival with her boyfriend and his friends.
10- Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out (2017)
This mind-bending horror film about the evils of covert racism features a life-changing performance by Daniel Kaluuya as he grows increasingly worried that his white girlfriend's family has sinister plans for him when he visits them at their remote manor. His rising panic is ingeniously executed throughout the film until it climaxes when he searches for his keys to escape his mysterious yet dire situation.
11- Essie Davis in The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook is an Australian psychological horror that gained attention for its allegorical take on depression as a monster that feeds on denial. When a mother and her son discover a creepy book in their home, the son begins to believe a monster is haunting the family. In contrast, the mother attempts to sweep his concerns under the rug. Essie Davis' performance as the mother who becomes more and more possessed by the monster as she tries to ignore its existence is hugely underrated.
12- Lupita Nyong'o in Us (2019)
When a woman and her family visit her family home in an oceanside town, they're horrified when late at night, a group of sinister foes who look exactly like them break into their home and hold them hostage for unknown reasons. Lupita Nyong'o plays the wife and mother in this terrifying doppelganger horror, and she does an excellent job portraying the deep-voiced monster that descends upon her lookalike.
13- Samara Weaving in Ready or Not (2019)
Samara Weaving stars in the survival horror Ready or Not, where a young bride marries into a family with a sick tradition where they attempt to hunt her down and kill her before dawn. Dubbed the latest Scream Queen by horror fans, Samara Weaving expertly portrays a young woman's fear and strength as she turns the table on her sadistic in-laws.
14- Robert Shaw in Jaws (1975)
The iconic creature feature Jaws strikes fear into the hearts of ocean lovers and keeps many of those who watched the movie as a kid from ever entering a body of water again. Part of the reason the movie was so successful at eliciting fear into the hearts of its audience was Robert Shaw's incredible delivery of what many call the Indianapolis Speech. How he describes men's bodies being torn apart by sharks with dead eyes gives even the most fearless viewer the chills.
