#69 Haruo Nakajima
as Godzilla in 12 Godzilla Films!
It may seem silly to give acting credit to a guy in a Godzilla suit, but the fact Haruo Nakajima played the true King of Monsters in a dozen films is an Olympian feat, to say the least. According to the Internet Movie Database, Nakajima suffered a ton of Godzilla style injuries while filming the role, including burns, electrical shock, and near-suffocation.
as Godzilla in 12 Godzilla Films!
It may seem silly to give acting credit to a guy in a Godzilla suit, but the fact Haruo Nakajima played the true King of Monsters in a dozen films is an Olympian feat, to say the least. According to the Internet Movie Database, Nakajima suffered a ton of Godzilla style injuries while filming the role, including burns, electrical shock, and near-suffocation.
#68 Daveigh Chaseas Samara
in The Ring
A part of few words, young Chase brought a creepier than hell grace to the part of the spectral Samara that easily made her one of the scarier movie monsters of all time. Aided by great makeup and camera trickery, Chase's portrayal gives me chills just thinking about it now. For a good scare, look at the picture on THIS PAGEfor about 10 seconds.
#67 Donald Pleasanceas Dr. Sam Loomis
in Halloween
The late Pleasance has been in nearly 200 films, but it's his role as the Captain Ahabesque Dr. Loomis, determined to hunt down Michael Myers, that he's most fondly remembered for. According to the IMDB, the role was originally turned down by both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, which gave Pleasance a chance to bring his reserved yet manic style to the part.
#66 Amanda Donohueas Lady Sylvia Marsh
in Lair of the White Worm
Based on a little known Bram Stoker tale, 1988's Lair of the White Worm is not particularly good, but Amanda Donohue's performance as the creepy Lady Sylvia Marsh makes it quite watchable. She's sexy as hell and owns every second the camera spends on her. Shame on the folks behind the DVD release for shrinking her picture down on the cover in favor of a giant head of Hugh Grant, instead. You canCLICK HERE to watch the trailer.
#65 TIE: Dennis Hopperas Simon Feck in River's Edgeand Frank Booth in Blue Velvetand Lt. Enright in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Though not a horror film in a supernatural sense, 1986's River's Edge is certainly a shocking and scary look at a bunch of disconnected teens who do absolutely nothing when they find out a friend murdered his girlfriend, and left her body by the river. The film is full of star performances, particularly by Crispin Glover as the twitchy broken inside Layne, but the movie is owned by Dennis Hopper in perhaps his craziest role of all time. He plays Simon Feck, a whiskery old drug dealer who lives with an inflatable woman. And not content to rest on his laurels, Hopper turned out a more over the top but equally masterful performance that same year in David Lynch's Blue Velvet. In Velvet, Hopper plays the nitrous oxide huffing sadistic bastard Frank Booth who shouts out gems like, "I'll FUCK ANYTHING THAT MOVES!" Add these performances to the hilarious job he did as Lt. Enright in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and you have a 1986 Triple Crown Victory in Horror film acting that few people have ever pulled off. You can catch Dennis returning to horror when Land of the Dead is released on DVD October 18th.
#64 Michael Berrymanas Pluto
in The Hills Have Eyes
Like Rondo Hatton and Lindsay Lohan, Michael Berryman has joined the ranks of actors with physical afflictions that have been used to their advantage. Resembling a bald hybrid between human and dinosaur, Berryman needs no special effects to bring the element of terror to the roles he plays. But it's too easy to talk about the physical appearance to Berryman and overlook the creepy misunderstood charm that shines underneath. He can bite off a chicken head one minute, and make you feel sorry for him the next. Berryman has found lots of work in the horror genre since this 1977 showpiece, and his work in 2005's The Devil's Rejects was a funny comedic departure from the creepy mutant roles he usually tackles. With Berryman being a similar root surname to my own, I'm honored at the possibility that we could be related. It would certainly explain my sister a lot more.
#63 David Cronenbergas Dr. Phillip K. Decker
in Nightbreed
As the director of The Fly, Scanners, The Brood, The Dead Zone, and Videodrome, David Cronenberg is clearly one of the greatest horror film creators of all time. So to see him do such a masterful job acting in Clive Barker's Nightbreed was an amazing feat. As the serial killer therapist Dr. Decker (a year before Anthony Hopkins portrayed Hannibal Lecter), Cronenberg shines as a deliciously evil and sleazy villain. It's too bad he hasn't had more of a chance to show off his acting skills, but as long as he keeps making wonderful movies, one can't complain.
#62 Mia Farrowas Rosemary Woodhouse
in Rosemary's Baby
I always thought this movie would be scarier if it were reworked with Rose Marie from The Dick Van Dyke show and it was just a 2 hours of graphic birth footage, but beggars can't be choosers. Mia is simply fantastic in this role, even though she had to cut her hair like a 10 year old boy and lose her Mrs. Sinatra status in the process. Mia plays the tormented mother of the title character with a class and skill that rarely come aboard on most horror films. Of course, having Roman Polanski direct you doesn't hurt, either. CLICK HERE to view the original trailer.
#61 Steve Railsbackas Charles Manson
in Helter Skelter
To many kids of the 70s, Steve Railsback, who played Charles Manson in the TV film Helter Skelter, was Charles Manson. With only still photos and news stories to go by of the real thing, Railsback's eerie portrayal of the cult leader was the only live action version people saw. It's a fantastic performance indeed, and according to the IMDB, the film was the highest rated film on TV until Roots was released. Of course, nothing can top the real Manson appearing on a cheezy TV interview with Geraldo Rivera in the 80s, in which he proclaimed to be god, and claimed to be able to have Geraldo's head cut off and delivered in a basket.
#60 Catherine Deneuveas Carole Ledoux
in Repulsion
As previously written in our 100 Greatest Movie Scenes feature (#44) "Roman Polanski's Repulsion is a great slow brooding look into madness and hallucination. Catherine Deneuve plays a mute woman who is freaking out inside of an apartment with visions and fantasies of rape and murder. With no dialogue to speak of in these scenes, you're completely sucked into the atmosphere of terror she's experiencing. There's a ton of creepy events, which you, along with the main character, often wonder if they're really happening, or not..."
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