By Cara Sprunk
2:06am PDT, Nov 5, 2022
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Many extremely well-known actors and actresses scored their big breaks — or one of their earliest movie roles — in the horror genre. In honor of Halloween, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at A-listers who started out in scary movies, beginning with this actor… Early in his career, Brad Pitt starred in "Cutting Class." The 1989 horror-comedy centers around the students and faculty at a high school being targeted by a serial killer.
Keep reading for more…
RELATED: The best horror movie franchises of all time
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The horror movie "Leprechaun" has spawned many sequels, but it's not a film Jennifer Aniston is proud of. In 2014, she told a story on "The Graham Norton Show" about how then-fiancé Justin Theroux had discovered the flick when they were in the early stages of dating. "He was flipping through the channels and he stumbled upon that. And that was our next two hours much to my embarrassment," she admitted.
RELATED: Scary TV shows to revisit on Halloween
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Just after stealing hearts in 1995's "Clueless," Paul Rudd landed a role in the slasher film "Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers."
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While Paul Rudd was beloved as Tommy Doyle in the sixth installment in the "Halloween" film franchise, when approached to do 2021's "Halloween Kills," he wasn't up for it. He did, however, give his blessing to another actor to take on the character: Anthony Michael Hall. During an interview on the "FANTASM" podcast, the "Sixteen Candles" actor recalled a text he received from "Halloween Kills" director David Gordon Green: "So one day, David Gordon Green texts me when I'm off — I wasn't shooting — and goes, 'Yeah, I got a call from Paul Rudd, and he sends his best and he gave you his blessings — he's really excited that you're playing the part.' I never met Paul Rudd but I thought that was really nice."
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Elizabeth Olsen made her feature film debut in 2011's "Silent House." The psychological-horror film centers around a woman who's haunted by mysterious intruders in her family home.
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In "Silent House," the camera follows Elizabeth Olsen in what seems to be one single, continuous take during which she unravels the terrifying mystery surrounding her home. According to the actress, to achieve this effect, she had little time to rest in between takes. "It was difficult to go through so many times and record it at 100%," she said during a press event in 2012. "We would get through an 11- or 12-minute take and something would go wrong 10 minutes in, which would make every single thing you did completely unusable. That was the hardest. Because you would think, 'Can't you just use a little of that?' And it's like, 'No, we can't because that's not where our stitch is.' On a lucky day there were two usable takes."
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Before she became a member of the Brat Pack, appearing in films like "St. Elmo's Fire" and "About Last Night…," Demi Moore earned her second-ever acting credit for a role in 1982's "Parasite."
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During a 2019 appearance on "The Late Late Show With James Corden," Demi Moore was asked to name the worst movie in which she's appeared. "Actually that one is very easy. It's 'Parasite' in 3D," she said. The 1982 sci-fi horror flick also failed to impress critics: It scored a 17% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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In 2011, Matthew McConaughey recalled his time playing the villain in the horror movie "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation." Said the Oscar winner, "It was carnie, man, we were shooting in 115-degree weather, myself, Renee Zellweger, 16-hour days. … It was a lot of fun. It was like 'anything goes.'"
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Renee Zellweger has recalled that filming "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" was the best workout ever. "Live chainsaw — that's some motivation to get running! Fast!" she recalled to Yahoo! Movies in 2016. But she's appreciative of the role to this day. "I was so grateful and I was so excited. I had done a little bit here, a little bit there, but nobody had ever trusted me with a role before to carry a film."
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Scarlett Johansson's films may have grossed billions — but remember the days when she wasn't a major Hollywood actress? In 2002, for instance, the Marvel star appeared in the horror-comedy "Eight Legged Freaks."
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In "Eight Legged Freaks," a 16-year-old Scarlett Johansson portrayed teenager Ashley Parker, who valiantly fights off blood-sucking spiders. The film, which has been praised for its sheer ridiculousness, also stars David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra and Matt Czuchry.
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Tom Hanks' long, illustrious career in Hollywood started with the 1980 slasher movie "He Knows You're Alone."
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Tom Hanks was clueless before he landed a role in "He Knows You're Alone." "I didn't even know the process of being cast. I was in New York and I was just an actor who was trying to bounce around, and I went to some audition and it was by Lansbury-Beruh [Productions] — they were the guys that were producing, among other things, 'Godspell.' I went up to their office and they had all these posters for Broadway shows and I thought, 'Wow. These are really big heavy hitters,'" Tom told BuzzFeed decades later. "I did this kind of general audition and they said, 'OK, you'll be in the movie. We don't know who you're going to play, but you'll be in the movie.' And I said, 'Is that how it works? Just like that?' I ended up having two days on it — we shot it out in the wintertime in Staten Island — and we were all in one Winnebago and stuff like that."
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Naomi Watts had only appeared in a handful of projects before she landed a starring role in the 1996 horror movie "Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering."
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In "Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering," Naomi Watts portrayed Grace Rhodes, a medical student who returns to her hometown in Nebraska, where she soon comes to realize that several children have mysteriously fallen ill.
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Johnny Depp made his acting debut in 1984's "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
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Before nabbing a part in "A Nightmare on Elm Street," Johnny Depp was focused on music and his band. But then his pal Nicolas Cage introduced him to his agent, who sent him on an audition. "I read for 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and I was just totally not what Wes [Craven] had written for the story. He had written the part of a big blonde beach jock, football-player guy. And I was sort of emaciated with old hairspray and spiky hair, earrings, a little f****** catacomb dweller. And then five hours later, that agent called me and said, 'You're an actor,'" Johnny recalled to Interview in 2014. "It was amazing to me that someone wanted to pay me that much money, which was just union scale."
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Before Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the queen of comedy, she appeared in the 1986 film "Troll."
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To this day, Julia Louis-Dreyfus still cringes over "Troll," in which she appeared practically in her birthday suit. She actually cursed at Jay Leno during a 2013 appearance on his late-night show when he rolled a clip from the comedic horror flick. She then admitted the reason she did the movie: "They were going to fly us to Rome," she explained. "We didn't have a penny to our names."
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Justin Long scored a Saturn Award nomination for best performance by a younger actor for his work in 2001's "Jeepers Creepers," which was just his third acting credit.
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Justin Long was just 23 when he shot the 2001 horror film "Jeepers Creepers." According to the actor, things got dicey when he filmed a stunt featuring the movie's villain, the Creeper. "I was the only non-stunt person involved when we hit the Creeper with the car," he told Hollywood.com. "Something went wrong and the stunt creature came through my side of the windshield — he broke three ribs and I had cuts all over my face. That was pretty freaky."
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Before she landed a starring role on The WB's hit series "Roswell" and long before she portrayed Izzie Stevens on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," Katherine Heigl appeared in a notable horror flick: 1998's "Bride of Chucky."
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Katherine Heigl starred as Jade Kincaid — the niece of a controlling police officer — in 1998's "Bride of Chucky." In an effort to escape his overbearing ways, Jade runs off and marries her boyfriend, Jesse. The newlyweds are then kidnapped by Chucky and his murderous bride, Tiffany, who plan to possess them.
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Prior to landing his starring role in "Footloose," Kevin Bacon appeared in the classic 1980 film "Friday the 13th" as Jack Burrell.
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While Kevin Bacon (right) fondly recalls his role in the 1980 horror film "Friday the 13th," he hates signing autographs on a certain photo from the movie that depicts his character's grim fate. "I'm always horrified by the fact that, when it comes to autograph hounds, that's probably the No. 1 picture that I'm asked to sign," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Me, with blood coming out of my mouth and an arrow through my neck. You know, I'm a pretty easygoing guy. After a while, it just gets to you. You're like, really, do I have to sign another picture of me dead?" (See the pic he's talking about over on Screenrant.)
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Hilary Swank launched her career with 1992's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
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"I was 16 or 17 years old. And I was doing a TV show during the day and, thankfully, the movie was all nights, so I was able to do both. And, thankfully, I was also still young. I had the energy to do both. And I was so excited. As you may know, I started my career in comedy. So it's funny that now I'm seen as this really dramatic actress," Hilary Swank (center) recalled to CNN about her role in the 1992 horror-comedy film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
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In 1997 — the same year Sarah Michelle Gellar made her debut as Buffy Summers on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" — she also made her first major appearance in a feature film: the slasher flick "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
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It was on the set of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" that Sarah Michelle Gellar met her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., though the two didn't start dating for another three years.
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Freddie Prinze Jr. scored a major breakthrough when he was cast as Ray — the male lead — in 1997's "I Know What You Did Last Summer." It was his first time starring in a major feature film.
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"I Know What You Did Last Summer" star Freddie Prinze Jr. could have been the male lead in another quintessential horror film too. "In the ['IKWYDLS'] audition it was either me or Jeremy Sisto — and I was terrified I was going to lose that role to Jeremy because he'd beaten me out on every other role we'd auditioned for," Freddie recalled to Mic.com in 2017. "Of course I ended up getting it. But I didn't get 'Scream.' Kevin Williamson really wanted me for 'Scream.' But Wes [Craven] didn't — he wanted Skeet [Ulrich]. … Both films really helped change the landscape of horror films for that decade."
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Chloe Grace Moretz made her feature film debut with 2005's "The Amityville Horror," a remake of the 1979 supernatural horror film of the same name.
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Chloe Grace Moretz was only 6 when she starred in "The Amityville Horror" but she was already performing her own stunts. "You know the scene where [Chloe] falls off the edge? All for real, you guys. No green screen," co-star Melissa George told Radio Free Entertainment. "All that walking was for real. She had a crane with two pieces of skinny wire that was above her head, and she was balancing by herself. And then they just rubbed out the wire."
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Jon Stewart was already an established comedian when he made his feature film debut in the 1998 horror film "The Faculty" two years into hosting "The Daily Show."
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"The Faculty" follows a group of teachers who, while under the control of deadly alien parasites, set out to infect the students around them. In the film, Jon Stewart plays Mr. Furlong, a high school science teacher. The flick, which has garnered a cult following, has a star-studded cast that includes celebs like Jordana Brewster, Josh Hartnett, Usher and Elijah Wood.
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Early in his career, Ted Danson booked a role in the 1992 horror-comedy anthology flick "Creepshow." It was just his third time appearing in a feature film.
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Ted Dason's segment in "Creepshow" — which Stephen King wrote and horror master George A. Romero directed — centers around a man who's buried up to his neck at high tide by his lover's psychopathic husband.
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In 1998 — the same year she made her debut as Jen Lindley on "Dawson's Creek" — Michelle Williams starred in the slasher flick "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later." It was one of her earliest film roles.
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Michelle Williams starred as Josh Hartnett's on-screen love in the seventh installment in the "Halloween" film franchise: "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later," which "Dawson's Creek" creator Kevin Williamson had a hand in writing. Michelle wasn't the only up-and-coming star to land a role in the slasher flick: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe also appeared in "H20."
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When she was just a teenager, Jennifer Connelly starred in the 1985 Italian horror film "Phenomena," which horror master Dario Argento directed.
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"They're all really difficult [to go back and watch]," Jennifer Connelly mused to MovieWeb in 2005 when asked if she can watch her own films. "I thought, not too long ago, 'OK, what could I watch with a friend? Or with [husband] Paul [Bettany], for example.' I thought, maybe, something like 'Phenomena,' because I was 13, and it's a horror film. Paul, early in our relationship, really wanted to see it. But I couldn't. As soon as it came on, I just went over the top of his head trying to cover it, 'No, no, no, shut it off!' I couldn't handle it."
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Before Jim Carrey became a household name thanks to his work in comedic roles, he showed off his acting chops in the comedy-horror-fantasy film "Once Bitten," which debuted in 1985.
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In "Once Bitten," a young Jim Carrey stars as a high school kid who's desperate to lose his virginity. He becomes the prey of a 400-year-old vampire — played by Lauren Hutton — who must drink the blood of a virgin to remain eternally young and beautiful.
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Before "Twilight," Kristen Stewart was a child actress who notably played Jodie Foster's daughter in 2002's "Panic Room."
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Kristen Stewart, who was 12 when "Panic Room" debuted, was well-received in her first major movie role. She earned a Young Artist Award nomination for best leading actress in a feature film for her work in the David Fincher-directed thriller.
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In 1991, Leonardo DiCaprio scored his first big break with "Critters 3" — his first movie. While Leo only appeared in one of four "Critters" flicks, his choice paid off. Robert De Niro reportedly spotted him in the film, which led to Leo being cast in "This Boy's Life," which had a far more successful debut in 1993.
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Long before winning an Oscar, two Emmys and three Golden Globes, Patricia Arquette was a little-known actress who landed a starring role in 1987's "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" as troubled teenager Kristen Parker. "Honestly it was my second film and I basically felt pretty underwater just learning how to not get distracted by the technical aspects of filmmaking," Patricia told Bloody Flicks in 2017. "Hitting the mark and in that case acting to nothing where a special effect would later be added."
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After playing burnout Ken Miller on TV's "Freaks and Geeks" from 1999 to 2000, Seth Rogen landed his first feature film role in 2001's "Donnie Darko." Seth had a little screen time as stereotypical high school bully Ricky Danforth in the cult classic.
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The second movie Amy Adams appeared in was the comedy-horror film "Psycho Beach Party" in 2000. While the movie is a far cry from her Oscar-nominated work in movies like "American Hustle" and "The Master," she remembers her early days fondly. "I love 'Psycho Beach Party' — I got to do an homage to Ann-Margret in it," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2006.
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While he's now known for his portrayal of Superman in the DC Extended Universe, earlier in his career, Henry Cavill appeared in 2005's "Hellraiser: Hellworld."
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Before George Clooney was, well, George Clooney, he starred alongside Maureen McCormick (aka Marsha Brady) in 1987's "Return to Horror High." In the movie, George plays Oliver, who's murdered in an empty corridor in the high school.
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In 1996, Adam Scott appeared in the horror movie "Hellraiser: Bloodline" as Jacques, the Duc de L'Isle's assistant. Unfortunately, the film didn't receive much, if any, praise: On top of grossing just $9 million, it wasn't screened for critics and later garnered negative reviews.
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Just one year before landing a starring role in "Back to the Future," Crispin Glover appeared in 1984's "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter." In the franchise's fourth installment, a young Crispin played Jimmy Mortimer, a heartbroken teen who meets a gruesome demise after encountering Jason Voorhees while searching for a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine.
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Amber Heard's first movie role was in 2005's "Side FX." The movie had a pretty ridiculous plot line — even for a horror movie: a medieval sex drug makes a deadly comeback amongst college students. The drug's side effect is that it gives its users an unquenchable thirst for blood, turning them into killing machines.
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Before she starred on "Pretty Little Liars," Lucy Hale gave the horror genre a try in the 2005 movie "Fear Island." Starring alongside Haylie Duff, Lucy played one of five students who, while partying on a remote island, finds a body and a killer who wants all the students dead.
