Top 10 Best Horror Movie Actors

Robert Englund

Robert Barton Englund is an American actor and director best known for playing the infamous serial killer Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He portrayed the character in eight films from 1984 to 2003. Englund has also appeared in numerous television shows and other horror films... read more

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)!

Kane Hodder

Kane Warren Hodder (born April 8, 1955) is an American actor, stuntman, and author. He is best known for portraying Jason Voorhees in four consecutive films in the Friday the 13th series, starting with Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Hodder also published a memoir detailing his career and personal... read more

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.

Vincent Price

Vincent Leonard Price Jr. was an American actor known for his distinctive voice and performances in horror films. His career spanned seven decades, and he appeared in classics such as House of Wax, The Fly, and The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Price was also a noted art collector and gourmet cook.

Donald Pleasance

Donald Henry Pleasence (5 October 1919-2 February 1995) was an English actor. Known for his bald head and intense, staring eyes, he played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. His iconic turn as the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film You... read more

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

Boris Karloff

William Henry Pratt (November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor who achieved lasting fame through his roles in classic horror films. He played Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein... read more

Richard Brooker

Richard Brooker was an English actor and stuntman, best known for portraying Jason Voorhees in the 1982 film Friday the 13th Part III. He was the first actor to wear Jason's iconic hockey mask. Brooker later worked as a director and producer before his death in 2013.

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.

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.

The great thing with Pinhead is that he didn't even have to harm you. He psyches you out just from his appearance and voice. He also had that Lovecraftian sense about him.
He really should be higher. At least he spoke and was disturbing rather than a mongoloid buffoon in a mask like two others.

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. He worked in film and television until his... read more

Linda Blair

Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. Her portrayal of Regan MacNeil in the horror film The Exorcist (1973) established her as a prominent figure in popular culture and as a scream queen. The role earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and... read more

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

Christopher Lee

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (1922-2015) was an English actor, singer, and author. He gained fame for villainous roles 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 The Hobbit trilogies... 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.

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Kristen Stewart

Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and filmmaker. The world's highest-paid actress in 2012, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award... read more

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Nicole Kidman

Nicole Mary Kidman is an Australian-American actress and film producer. Her breakthrough roles came in the 1989 thriller film Dead Calm and the television miniseries Bangkok Hilton. She has since become one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation.

Bela Lugosi

Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (October 20, 1882 - August 16, 1956), better known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor. He is best remembered for his iconic performance as Count Dracula in the 1931 Universal Pictures film Dracula. Lugosi also appeared in numerous other horror films during Hollywood's... read more

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!

Bruce Campbell

Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor, voice actor, director, writer, producer, comedian, and author of Scottish descent. He is best known for his role as Ash Williams in the Evil Dead franchise. Campbell has also starred in the television series Burn Notice and appeared in numerous cult films.

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. Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Misery (1990) and has received multiple... read more

I think she was great in Misery.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis, Lady Haden-Guest, is an American actress and author. She made her film debut in 1978, starring as Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's horror classic Halloween. Curtis has since had a diverse career in both comedy and drama, and she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2023... read more

Derek Mears

Derek Mears is an American actor and stuntman best known for his role as Jason Voorhees in the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th and as Hawes in Hatchet III. He has also appeared in various television series and films, often portraying physically imposing characters. Mears played the title role in the 2019... read more

Tobin Bell

Peter Cushing

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

Kevin Peter Hall

Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 - April 10, 1991) was an American actor. Hall stood 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall and frequently portrayed monster characters. He was best known as the original title monster in the science fiction Predator franchise, appearing in the first 1987 film (Predator) and its 1990 sequel... read more

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. He is best known for playing Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels... read more

Jack Nicholson

John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker whose career has spanned over 60 years. He is known for his wide range of roles, including satirical comedies, romantic dramas, and portrayals of antiheroes and psychopathic characters. In many of his films, Nicholson plays... read more

Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre, born László Löwenstein (June 26, 1904 - March 23, 1964), was an Austro-Hungarian-American actor. He began his stage career in Vienna before moving to Germany, where he became known for both stage and film performances in Berlin during the late 1920s and early 1930s.... 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.

Nick Castle

Nicholas John Castle Jr. is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor known for portraying Michael Myers in the 1978 horror classic Halloween, directed by John Carpenter. Castle also co-wrote Escape from New York with Carpenter. His contributions to the horror genre have made him a cult figure... read more

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

Gunnar Hansen

Gunnar Milton Hansen (March 4, 1947 to November 7, 2015) was an Icelandic-born American actor and author. He was best known for portraying the mentally impaired cannibal Leatherface in the original 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Hansen also wrote several books, including Islands at the Edge... read more

Tyler Mane

Daryl Karolat (born December 8, 1966) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Tyler Mane. He is widely recognized for portraying the supervillain Sabretooth in the film X-Men (2000) and its tie-in video game X-Men: The Official Game (2006). He reprised the... read more