Best Horror Movie Actors

This list looks at the talent behind the disfigured faces.
The Top Ten
1 Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice actor, singer, and director, best known for playing the infamous serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series.

He talks, he can be funny and a real madman at the same time, and he can really act. All the silent killers don't need good actors. They're just being paid to walk around. Freddy in the movie was amazing. Robert Englund did a terrific job being Freddy (NOT FREDDIE, PEOPLE), and the new Nightmare movie, ugh, it sucked without Robert as Freddy!

One more thing. Is it just me, or in 'Freddy's Dead,' when Freddy's memories happen, doesn't he look like John Deacon a little bit? Please, I am serious. At one point.

Of course, the people who played the biggest a-hole ever (Jason) are above the greatest actor of all time. Robert has a way of making Freddy seem a little unreal yet real, and he's got a walk, a stance, and of course, he's just got style!

I also did some research. The only editing they do to make Freddy's voice is that they slow it down a bit. That is Robert's voice (not his normal voice, his Freddy voice)!

2 Kane Hodder

The most amazing horror actor I have ever seen in my life. The first time I saw "Friday the 13th Part 7" with my friend, I loved it. After the movie was over, I looked over to my friend Taylor and said, "I HAVE to find out who plays Jason in this movie! Whoever played him was amazing!"

Eventually, I found out it was Kane Hodder and still love his acting to this day!

Kane Hodder is so much more than a stuntman in a mask. Even in non-speaking roles (Jason, Victor Crowley), he brings emotion and real character to the role with his body language. I would drink the man's bathwater.

No contest. Kane Hodder is the BEST horror movie actor, period.

3 Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and performances in horror films.
4 Donald Pleasance

He basically told the story of Halloween through his pursuit of Michael Myers. Pleasance put his heart and soul into his five appearances.

5 Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939)... read more
6 Richard Brooker Richard Brooker was an English actor and stuntman, perhaps best known for his role in Friday the 13th Part III as Jason Voorhees.

Richard created what we know as Jason. To be talented enough to scare us to death without saying a word is truly the sign of an incredible actor who does not have to speak to express emotion.

Sorry guys, but I have followed him for years and think he is an awesome actor. Wish he would come back and do more. Richard, we miss you...

Richard is the best of the Jasons. Not only was he the first Jason to wear the mask, but he also created several of Jason's mannerisms that were seen in the later films. He was the first big man to play the role and served as the prototype that defined the character.

7 Doug Bradley

Doug Bradley's portrayal of Clive Barker's Lead Cenobite Pinhead was both monstrous and disturbing. Combined with Barker's sadomasochistic flair, the movie came to life, painted on a backdrop of lust, torture, and above all else, superb acting. Bradley's performance reached out and took your hand, only to immediately yank it off and beat you across the face with it. A truly iconic master of his character, who, armed with a sharp wit and a sharper filleting knife, can really make you cringe in fear.

8 Tony Todd Anthony Tiran "Tony" Todd was an American character actor, voice artist, and film producer. He was best known for his role as Candyman in the horror film series of the same name and his recurring role as William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise.
9 Linda Blair

Linda Blair deserves the number one spot. Has anyone here ever seen The Exorcist?

10 Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (1922-2015) was an English actor, singer, and author. He was best known for his villainous roles in films such as Dracula in the Hammer Horror films, Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit... read more

In 10th? Really? This man should be at the top with Karloff, Price, and Cushing. These men scared the life out of many fans. My favorite is The Wicker Man, but of course, he will be best remembered for Dracula.

Lee, along with Karloff, Cushing, and Price, are in a class of their own.

The Contenders
11 Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (20 October 1882 – 16 August 1956), better known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor, famous for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 film and for his roles in various other horror films.

This man should be in the top ten! He was the best Dracula I have ever seen!

I think he was a good movie actor and best at playing Dracula.

His chilling tones are unforgettable! I vant to drink your blood!

12 Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress. She began her career on the stage, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play in 1983 for her performance in 'night, Mother.

I think she was great in Misery.

13 Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor, voice artist, director, writer, producer, comedian and author of Scottish descent.
14 Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis, Lady Haden-Guest is an American actress and author. She made her film debut in 1978 by starring as Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's Halloween.
15 Jeffrey Combs
16 Derek Mears Derek Mears is an American actor and stuntman, best known for his role as Jason Voorhees in the reboot of Friday the 13th and Hawes in Hatchet III.
17 Tobin Bell
18 Kevin Peter Hall
19 Peter Cushing

Loved him in Tales from the Crypt, where he played Grimsdyke, and as Van Helsing, of course.

20 Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, who has performed for over 60 years. Nicholson is known for playing a wide range of starring or supporting roles, including satirical comedy, romance and dark portrayals of antiheroes and psychopathic characters. In many... read more
21 Nick Castle Nicholas Charles Castle Jr. is an American screenwriter, film director and actor known for his role as Michael Myers in Halloween, directed by John Carpenter. Castle also co-wrote Escape from New York with Carpenter.
22 Gunnar Hansen Gunnar Milton Hansen was an Icelandic-born American actor and author best known for playing the mentally impaired cannibal Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
23 Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor and singer. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his second film, Friendly Persuasion but is best known for playing Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels... read more
24 Peter Lorre Peter Lorre, born László Löwenstein (26 June 1904 – 23 March 1964) was an Austro-Hungarian-American actor. In Austria, he began his stage career in Vienna before moving to Germany where he had his breakthrough, first on the stage, then in film in Berlin in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Lorre... read more

Peter Lorre is one fantastic star in horror classics. He starred in M, Mad Love, Beast with Five Fingers, and other horror classics, and he is one of the top ten, in my opinion.

25 Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins CBE is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. He was born on December 31, 1937 in Margam, Wales. He is known for winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992, and was nominated three additional times. Hopkins has also won three BAFTAs, two Emmys, and the Cecil B. DeMille... read more
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