10 Actors & Actresses Who Appeared In Multiple Horror Movie Franchises
Many horror movie actors are usually tied to just one movie or franchise. Being a part of that singular world is what defines and makes the series or film so special, tying everything together and giving the actors their own unique role. Of course, sometimes actors end up being in more than one world.
Given the nature of Hollywood, actors will usually jump around from franchise to franchise, and horror movies are not an exception. Leaping about from one series and movie to another, these actors end up leaving a larger mark on the world of horror.
10 Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Prom Night)
Every horror fan worth their salt knows what a scream queen is, but, for the uninitiated, a "scream queen' is generally an actress who is associated with horror movies, and a surprisingly good amount have crossed into multiple franchises over the years, like Jamie Lee Curtis, one of the more famous ones.
Starting her career with the now-iconic slasher classic Halloween, Curtis would go on star in other horror movies like The Fog and the series known as Prom Night. Her resume of horror became so extensive and well known that she even ended up staring in a show called Scream Queens, a riff on the genre.
9 Dee Wallace (Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, Critters)
Though Curtis is perhaps the most well-known, other notable scream queens include Neve Campbell and Heather Langenkamp. However, only a couple have crossed into multiple franchises like Dee Wallace, who, despite playing roles in movies like E.T, has quite the grotesque history.
With one of her first films being the gruesome Hills Have Eyes in 1977, Wallace's horror career would skyrocket. From sci-fi horror like Critters to dark fantasy series such as The Howling and even stand-alone like The Frighteners and Cujo, Wallace has left her mark as a grade-A Scream Queen.
8 Patrick Wilson (Insidious, The Conjuring)
While many protagonists in horror flicks end up being final girls or scream queens, sometimes the heroes can belong to ordinary people like a father or husband. Patrick Wilson portrayed both in two different series, those being Insidious and The Conjuring.
With Insidious, Wilson played a father trying to save his son from demonic possession, whereas, in The Conjuring franchise, he starred as Ed Warren, a paranormal investigator fighting against supernatural forces.
7 Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters)
So-called scream queens often earn the moniker by doing just that—screaming. Sometimes, though, characters end up being true badasses who face down the evil like Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in the classic sci-fi horror series Alien.
Making a mark for herself as a horror badass who faced down xenomorphs, Weaver would go onto taking on ghosts in the comedy horror series, Ghostbusters. Despite a switch up from the intense nature of Alien to the tame story of Ghostbusters, she had more than enough cool moments as Dana Barett.
6 Kate Beckinsale (Van Helsing, Underworld)
It is strange for a character to play more than one badass in two different franchises. Sometimes actors will play against their strengths and lean into comedy or drama, but that wasn't the case for Kate Beckinsale, who went from action horror to action horror.
Within the span of a year, Beckinsale started her run as the vampire known as Selene in Underworld, duking it out with werewolves before starring as a similar badass in Van Helsing, where she hashed it out with werewolves and vampires in the Universal monster series.
5 Tony Todd (Candyman, Final Destination)
A lot of horror actors are usually just seen as being the victims of the story, the protagonist who is constantly in peril. Yet, usually, the actors who portray the villains are more likely to leap between series, as was the case with horror legend Tony Todd.
Well known for playing the terrifying hook-swinging folklore creature in Candyman, Todd also leaped into the death-centric Final Destination franchise, playing the spooky coroner William Bludworth who tells the protagonists about the rules of life and death.
4 Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, The Mummy)
Despite most horror actors recurring in more modern or recent films, the trend goes back to the early days of cinema. While the Universal Monster series is a franchise of its own, Frankenstein and The Mummy are very much separate films regardless of their obvious similarities.
Boris Karloff was widely known as the hulking and menacing monster that became known as Frankenstein, and, a few years later, he became known as the undead priest Imhotep in The Mummy. Even though they were released under the same banner and universe, the movies themselves were different enough for Karloff to have made an impact in both roles.
3 Christopher Lee (Dracula, The Mummy)
Following Karloff's footsteps, renowned actor Christopher Lee would share a similar trait when he took on the iconic role of Dracula when Hammer films re-envisioned the series in the 50s, essentially setting a new standard for the role with the help of his friend Peter Cushing, who played Van Helsing.
A few years later, Lee and Cushing would share the screen once more, this time in a remake of The Mummy with Christopher Lee in the titular role. They would both also take part in George Lucas' epic Star Wars saga, though they would never appear on-screen together.
2 Derek Mears (Hills Have Eyes, Friday The 13th, Predators)
The sad truth of horror villains is that the silent-but-deadly types don't always get the most love or recognition. Coming across as menacing without uttering a single word can be tough, but Derek Mears showcased an incredible talent for doing just that.
Mears's filmography extends past movies like Hills Have Eyes, Friday The 13th, Predator, and so many more where he played iconic characters like Jason and The Predator. Mears's imposing and terrifying nature also made its way onto the small screen with shows like Swamp Thing.
1 Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th, Hatchet, Texas Chainsaw)
When it comes to underappreciated horror actors, Kane Hodder pretty much takes the cake. A stuntman and actor, Hodder's managed to get his hands around many iconic horror characters via acting and stunts.
From playing the iconic Jason Voorhees for most of the classic camp horror movies Friday The 13th to the brutal and menacing Victor Crowley in the Hatchet franchise, doubling as the cannibal Leatherface, and even Freddy Krueger, Hodder's legacy of horror is neverending.
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