As much as thehorror genreis appreciated around the world, it happens, from time to time, to underestimate the artistic value behind it. The immediate thrills in these movies;blood-curling plot twists, jump scares, and shocking finales - tend to overshadow other elements, one of these being the intense performances within them.
Nevertheless, a few powerful portrayals managed to steal the scenes and become career-defining moments for some horror movie actors.They earned the recognition they deserved. For instance, few would claim thatJack Nicholson’s unhinged performanceinThe Shiningis underrated. However, many others, for various reasons, have fallen victim to the genre’s tendency to overlook its quieter elements. These performances, despite being captivating and intense, have been buried either under the films' exterior spectacle or shock factors. As a consequence, they remain underrated gems of horror films.
10Emily Blunt
A Quiet Place (2018)
AlthoughA Quiet Placeis a widely recognized movie, praised by critics and audiences alike, it might be easy to ignore the shockingly good performance of Emily Blunt.Since the film emerged as an atypical horror movie exploring profound themes such as family bonds, disability, and what it means to be a parent, perhaps the portrayals of the actors ended up being less discussed.
A Quiet Place
Cast
A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski, follows a family navigating a post-apocalyptic world where they must live in silence to evade deadly creatures that hunt by sound.
The fact that, for the most part of the movie, the characters must force themselves to remain silent for their survival,the performances heavily rely on the actors' ability to express a wide range of emotions through their facial expressions and body language. Although all the interpreters did a marvelous job, Blunt, as a grieving mother pregnant with her fourth child, captured so many different feelings and thoughts with only the little opportunity she was given that the audience ended up feeling every ounce of her pain, fear, and resilience.
9Essie Davis
The Babadook (2014)
TheBabadookis not simply a horror story, but an in-depth exploration of grief from the perspective of a widowed woman and her son.As a consequence, the story required not simply hysterical screams and wide-eyed stares at the camera, but also a more subdued yet still emotionally charged performance that could both shock and move the audience.
10 Horror Actors & Their Most Unexpected Roles
As memorable as their horror roles are, these performers aren’t one-trick-ponies.
And this is what Essie Davis masterfully delivered.AlthoughThe Babadookis recognized nowadays asa classic psychological horror movieand praised for its empathetic depiction of loss through the use of a terrifying supernatural element, Davis' performance is slightly overlooked.
The Babadook
The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, explores the struggles of a single mother grieving her husband’s death while confronting her son’s fear of a lurking monster. As they contend with this unseen entity, the sinister presence grows increasingly pervasive in their lives.
The actress did not have an easy job. Her character is a woman who is so deeply burdened by the trauma she endured yet, as a mother, cannot afford to fall apart.Davis was able to capture the many layers of Amelia. Her performance is definitely a hidden gem in horror movies.
8Rebecca Hall
The Night House (2020)
As a high-school teacher who recently lost her husband to suicide, the role of Beth inThe Night Houserequired an emotional awareness and control that Rebecca Hall was able to achieve.Her portrayal was nothing short of mesmerizing. Between the unfiltered and hopeless intensity of grief and the paralyzing fear of the unknown, all of this while attempting to unravel the mysteries behind her husband’s death, Hall was given so much emotional baggage. Yet, she captured every single nuance of it.
The Night House
Beth grapples with grief after her husband Owen’s suicide. Haunted by Owen’s cryptic note and eerie occurrences, she delves into a disturbing revelation about her past. As she uncovers Owen’s dark secrets, Beth confronts supernatural forces and confronts her own mortality. With her sanity at stake, Beth faces a perilous journey to unravel the truth behind Owen’s actions and confront the entity known as “Nothing.” In a battle between life and death, Beth must find the strength to defy the sinister forces threatening her existence.
Beth’s dramatic journey as a skeptical woman, driven by anguish and an incessant need for closure, is as heartbreaking as it is captivating.Her performance gives the narrative a raw authenticity to the film’s supernatural elements, making the audience feel deeply immersed in a surreal story.Hall’s underrated performance in thisThe Conjuring-like horror moviedeserves more recognition.
7Jessie Buckley
Men (2022)
There is so much to say about the artistic and political value ofMen,a modern body horror moviethat shines through the heartfelt performance of Jessie Buckley.The emotional journey of her character is indeed one of the highlights of the story.Harper, an abuse survivor and traumatized widow who decides to go on vacation to a countryside village, is a painfully intense character to bring to life.
Nevertheless, the actress is able to capture her tragic core in a beautifully haunting manner.
From a distressing past that keeps tormenting her to a present where she seeks solace and, instead, it takes her into a spiraling nightmare, Buckley plays a woman trapped in a never-ending cycle of violence and abuse.Despite the surreal elements and supernatural plot twists within the story, the character of Harper feels deeply real and grounded, thanks to Buckley’s ability to infuse her performance with an unsettling honesty.
6Isabelle Fuhrman
Orphan (2009)
It is easy to forget that Isabelle Fuhrman was barely 11 when she played one of the most terrifying characters in the history of horror. InOrphan,her portrayal as Esther is hauntingly chilling, and the age factor only makes her performance more impressive. Fuhrman perfectly captures the duality of a character who, behind a youthful appearance, conceals an obscure secret.
The Orphan
The Orphan is a psychological horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. Released in 2009, it follows the story of a couple, Kate and John, who adopt a mysterious nine-year-old girl named Esther after losing their infant child. As Esther integrates into the family, Kate begins to suspect that there is more to Esther than meets the eye, leading to increasingly sinister and alarming events.
Throughout the movie, both the character and her interpreter attempt to deceive the people who encounter and observe them.However, exactly as Eshter is aware of how to manipulate her surroundings and drop the innocent child’s mask when needed, Fuhrman also gives subtle hints of her inner darkness to the viewers, reminding them they are watching a horror. Between a sweet smile and an icy gaze, Fuhrman is able to terrify everyone in thistrue-story-based horror movie.
5Luis Tosar
Sleep Tight (2011)
Sleep Tightis a masterpiece of psychological suspense.The nature of the movie heavily relies on the exploration of its main character’s disturbed and unraveling psyche. As a consequence, the performance of the actor was one of the most significant contributing factors to the success of the film.
Sleep Tight
Sleep Tight is a Spanish psychological thriller that follows the story of César, a Barcelona apartment building concierge who secretly harbors a sinister obsession: making the tenants' lives miserable. The film delves deep into César’s psychopathy, particularly focusing on his obsession with Clara, a cheerful and unsuspecting resident. Directed by Jaume Balagueró, the film is a chilling exploration of a man who seeks happiness through the misery of others.
Fortunately, Luis Tosar perfectly nailed his role as Cesar, the troubled concierge driven by a highly questionable motive.What truly stands out about Tosar’s delivery is the subtlety of his acting.
His skill at hiding behind the mundane while very gradually showing glimpses of the brutality that characterizes him is as chilling as it is impressive.
His character does not look like a traditional horror villain, and there is almost a polite demeanor in him.His skill at hiding behind the mundane while very gradually showing glimpses of the brutality that characterizes him is as chilling as it is impressive. The silent intensity of Tosar’s performance perfectly adapts to the suspenseful tone of the movie, making his work an underrated gem of the horror genre.
4Sarah Paulson
Run (2020)
Sarah Paulson has proven many times to be an amazing scream queen.However, her widely recognized work with the immensely popular seriesAmerican Horror Storymight unfairly overshadow her performance inRun,the psychological horror that shocked the audience with its disturbing themes of parental control and obsessiveness. The movie owes its success partially to Paulson’s enigmatic performance as Diane.
Run
Run, released in March 2020, follows a former boy racer who now works at a fish factory. Confronting the stagnation in his life, he takes his son’s car for one last joyride, grappling with the impact on his family and the love that remains.
The shocking plot twists ofRunworked so well because of the actress' deceptive skills, both behind the screen and with the public.As the character deceives herself, Paulson tricks the audience into believing what Diane wants (and needs) her daughter and the viewer to believe.The sweetly manipulative and controlling nuances that emerge from the role build a terrifying combination that confuses the audience.Paulson’s underrated workin this horror is a stand-out performance.
3Megan Fox
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Although Megan Fox blamed herself for the flop of 2009’sJennifer’s Body,the problem was not her work, but the negative image the audience seemed to have of her at the time.Because, against all odds,her underrated performance in this creative horroris worth revisiting. Exactly like the character Jennifer, who conceals a dark truth behind her beautiful appearance, Fox reveals an unexpected inner depth throughout the film, a quality that her previous roles failed to explore since they focused more on her sexual allure.
Jennifer’s Body
Directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, Jennifer’s Body is a horror-comedy film starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. When a newly possessed high school cheerleader (Fox) turns into a succubus specializing in seducing and killing her male classmates, her best friend (Seyfried) is the only thing that stands in the way of her sultry killing spree.
As a typical high-school mean girl, Jennifer is a fun character to bring to the screen, and the actress' effortless wit perfectly nailed the comedic and snarky bits.However, as a male-eating monster with psychopathic tendencies, driven by insatiable hunger and on an ego trip throughout the whole movie, the portrayal assumes a blood-curling side that, once again, Fox can capture. Her multifaceted acting and ability to switch from superficial teen queen to bloodthirsty assassin to unlucky victim is a testament to Fox’s underrated yet magnetic performance in this horror cult.
2Anya Taylor-Joy
The Witch (2015)
After her international success withThe Queen’s Gambitand her exceptional acting in the more recentThe Menu,it might be easy to forget that, at the beginning of her career, Anya Taylor-Joy was no less talented (and mesmerizing).InThe Witch, the actress' performance as Thomasin, an apparently simple girl from the 17th century who lives on a farm with her conservative Puritan family, left the audience in shock.
The Witch
The Witch follows a 1630s family that relocates to a remote New England farm. Strange, unsettling events transpire, causing mounting suspicion and paranoia. This testing environment challenges the family’s faith, loyalty, and love amid isolation and tension as they confront the unknown forces lurking beyond their new home.
Anya Taylor-Joy is amazing at balancing her characterbetween her initial youthful innocence and the downward spiral of anger and moral degradation that she embarks on,depicting Thomasin’s tragic journey with meticulous attention to each stage she goes through.The way she can elicit such contrasting feelings, from pity to concern and from sympathy to sheer terror, is a testament to her impeccable talent. Her underrated performance in the horror movie still stands out.
1John Goodman
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
There is something deeply unsettling about an actor who delves into the unpredictability of his role so well that he ends up confusing the audience as much as the characters behind the scenes. John Goodman as Howard in10 Cloverfield Laneis an example of this. It is scarily ingenious the way Goodman leads the viewers to constantly second-guess themselves, caught in endless doubt about who is truly Howard.
10 Cloverfield Lane
From Dan Trachtenberg, 10 Cloverfield Lane follows Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young woman who awakens after a car crash in a bunker alongside two strangers. Howard (John Goodman) tells her that it’s not safe to leave, and that he saved her life, but Michelle becomes increasingly suspicious of Howard’s motives and his past and begins to plan a daring escape to see what exactly has happened to the outside world.
The actor’s role blurs the line between a completely deranged man who is prey to a dangerously paranoid breakdown and a good Samaritan trying to do the right thing.Goodman toys on the border, giving life to an incredibly multifaceted performance that is impossible to forget.The ambiguity behind Howard’s gazes is captured to perfection, leaving the audience constantly on edge.John Goodman delivered an underrated yet haunting performancein this horror movie.
