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#74 Donald Sutherland
as Matthew Bennell
in Invasion of The Body Snatchers '78
Sometimes a remake can be as good as the first, in the case of this 1978 retelling of the 50s classic.  This is thanks to a rock-solid performance from Donald Sutherland who is fantastic throughout the film, but it's his memorable final scene (which you can read more about by CLICKING HERE) that clinches the deal.  CLICK HERE to see the trailer.

#73 Klaus Kinski
as Nosferatu
in Nosferatu (1979)
Klaus Kinski did a phenomenal job of bringing Max Scheck's eerie and iconic work as the lead in the original 1922 silent masterpiece, into a full color flesh and blood character with depth and dimension.  He brings a tortured, lonely, and sad flavor to the character had never been seen in previous incarnations.

#72 Lon Chaney, Jr.
as Bruno
in Spider Baby
With the impossible shoes of his immortal father to fill, Lon Chaney, Jr. was relegated to acting behind makeup roles with little more to offer than pale replacement acting for parts Boris Karloff didn't want any more.  Even his starring role in Universal's The Wolf-Man was more of a special effects showcase, than a true use for his talents.  His alcohol ravaged voice and body proved to be perfect, however, for the fatherly Bruno in Jack Hill's '69 wacko-fest, Spider Baby.  Chaney even gets to sing the title song of the film!  Chaney agreed to play the part for $2500, and stayed off the sauce for the entire production, and it shows.  To read more about the production of this film, CLICK HERE and check out our interview with the film's director, Jack Hill.

#71 Yuya Ozeki
as Toshio
in Ju-On and The Grudge
Next to that girl who made the Pepsi commercials years ago, Yuya Ozeki may be the creepiest kid to have ever appeared on film.  But unlike the Pepsi girl, it was achieved through acting (CLICK HERE to see what a charming kid he is in real life). With those deep black eyes and that guttural groaning sound, I get chills even thinking about it as I write this.  Both Ju-On, and the American remake, The Grudge, are just a mess of goofy scare effects, but Yuya's presence in both make it far more eerie than the films deserved to be.

#70 Walt Gorney
as Crazy Ralph
in Friday The 13th I and II
Walt passed away in March 2004, leaving many poor teenagers free to wander into Camp Crystal Lake without the proper drunken warning of "You're all DOOOMED!"  Nobody did it better, and nobody ever will.  According to pitofhorror.com, "Walt Gorney was so devoted to the role that he was frequently overheard talking to himself on the set, presumably to remain in character."

#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.

#68 Daveigh Chase
as 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 PAGE for about 10 seconds.

#67 Donald Pleasance
as 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 Donohue
as 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 can CLICK HERE to watch the trailer.

#65 TIE: Dennis Hopper
as Simon Feck in River's Edge
and Frank Booth in Blue Velvet
and 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 Berryman
as 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 Cronenberg
as 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 Farrow
as 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 Railsback
as 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 Deneuve
as 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..."

#59 Tim Robbins
as Jacob Singer
in Jacob's Ladder
Robbins does an incredible job in this "head games" classic as a traumatized Vietnam vet losing his grip on reality.  Next to The Shawshank Redemption, I think this is the best thing that Robbins has ever done (well, maybe third if you count hooking up with Susan Sarandon).  I remember inbetween the theatrical and video release of this film, MaCaulay Culkin became a huge star with Home Alone, and although he's in Jacob's Ladder only sparingly, they reformatted the promotional posters so that Culkin was featured as the prominent star, much to the dismay of Robbins' fans.

#58 Roman Polanski
as Trelkovsky
in The Tenant
Polanski, who both directed and starred in The Tenant, did such an amazing job with the film that his close friend Stanley Kubrick was reportedly moved to make his own classic horror film, The Shining.  Polanski plays a man who moves in to an apartment, who's previous tenant committed suicide by jumping out of her window.  Paranoia kicks in as he slowly becomes convinced that his creepy neighbors are trying to get him to accept the same fate.  Polanski does an amazing job in a role as memorable as the guy who gets to cut open Jack Nicholson's nose in Chinatown.

#57 Doug Bradley
as Pinhead
in Hellraiser
I'm not a big fan of the Hellraiser movies at all, as I find them dull, stodgy, and a bit too snobby feeling to truly enjoy.  But even with my dislike of the series, I can't deny the incredible job Doug Bradley does playing the lead baddie, Pinhead, in all eight of the Hellraiser films.  You can visit Doug's official website if you CLICK HERE.

#56 Roddy McDowall
as Benjamin Fisher
in The Legend of Hell House
Roddy McDowall was always fantastic in damn near any film he's ever made.  My favorite roll of them all was as Cornelius in the Planet of the Apes films, but since I have to choose a horror film, I'll pick The Haunting of Hell House.  McDowall has plenty of creepy lines in this film where a bunch of folks are forced to stay in a haunted house of evil.  Roddy had one of those great presences and voices that made it him perfectly watchable, and probably the best actor named Roddy to ever appear in a film, until Hell Comes To Frogtown was released.

#55 Julie Harris
as Eleanor Lance
in The Haunting (1963)
Julie Harris plays Eleanor Lance, who like many characters portrayed on this list, is living through a spooky hell that may either be real, or all in her head.  If you've only seen the awful modern remake, you owe it to yourself to check out the 1963 original.  Based on Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting is a great moody and scary piece, complimented perfectly by Julie's excellent performance.

#54 John Barrymore
as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
As one of the first great American films, not to mention one of the greatest and most underappreciated horror films made, John Barrymore's incredible performance as the title characters in this silent classic is incredible. As the first film adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, Barrymore's portrayal was the first real life look at the character and certainly set the tone for the legion of remakes that would follow for the next 85 years.  As a heart throb matinee idol of his day, he took quite a chance playing this horrific part, and we're glad he did.

#53 Tony Todd
as Candyman
in Candyman
I don't know how this guy gets swarms of bees to fly out of his mouth, but Tony Todd deserved an Oscar for his spooky ass performance in this film!  Armed with creepy Clive Barker dialogue and a scary visage that'd freak out anyone in a dark alley, Tony's portrayal of Candyman is incredibly frightening.  What's really cool, though, is that he makes everything that he bakes, satisfying and delicious.

#52 Fred Gwynne
as Jud Crandall
in Pet Sematary
Fred cut his horror teeth as Herman Munster in the ever popular Munsters TV show, but his work in Pet Sematary, one of his last films is great, making an otherwise "OK" film, a lot more special than it deserved to be.  With great lines like "Sometimes Dead is Better" and a really unique story about a special graveyard that brings things that are buried in it back to life, Gwynne shines.

#51 Michael Sarrazin
as The Creature
in Frankenstein The True Story (1973)
Next to The Bride of Frankenstein, this is the best version of Mary Shelly's novel that I've ever seen.  It was a made for TV movie back in 1973, and is a bit closer to the original story.  Michael Sarrazin's performance as "The Creature" is markedly different than any other portrayal.  In this take, Frankenstein's creation looks, moves, and talks just like a regular educated man.  He's even taken to social functions and passed off as a normal guy.  But he begins to rot and when the town turns against him, and tries to burn him, things go south.  I used to own a VHS copy of this film, but its long out of print and not available on DVD, which is a damn shame.  The film also features Jane Seymour as the creature's would be bride, only in this version, he rips her head off after she screams at his sight.  Though Karloff's take on the character is without equal, Serrazin's emotional and tortured work does a great job of evoking terror and sympathy at the same time.

#50 Rutger Hauer
as John Ryder
in The Hitcher (1986)
Rutger Hauer is one of the great underappreciated character actors in the world, primarily due to fantastic work like he's given in The Hitcher.  Hauer plays John Ryder, a seriously twisted serial killer who's ends up stalking C. Thomas Howell for making Soul Man.  In the process, he frames his murders on the poor guy, and even tricks him into almost eating a finger in a bunch of french fries!  This was nearly 20 years before the Wendy's finger in the chili fiasco, so one could really say Hauer was a Renaissance man with body parts in fast food. 

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