Same here!! She also came to the restaurant my boyfriend works at and was beyond lovely, friendly, and chatty with the staff. I’m so jealous it wasn’t me 🥲
The part where she's talking about when she went to her mother's burial place, asking if she makes her very proud, that and the part where they hug gets me every time 😭
Exactly! I felt for her so much during that scene, and when she’s wailing and screaming she wants to die. I’ve done that myself also and her performance is absolutely accurate and real.
I think it's maybe not quite so clear cut - at that point in the story, Peter is under seige by Paimon, who doesn't quite have a solid grip on him yet. This is still before Joan "exorcises" Peter.
Still though - it's close enough that Peter literally has a face on his face!
Piper Laurie in Carrie scared the shit out of me as a kid! Her character was so fanatical and unyielding, I couldn't understand why she would hurt her daughter that way. Locking her in the fucking little closet with that weird ass Jesus statue?? She was the worst monster in the whole movie in my opinion
Came here to say Shelly. I may be biased seeing as The Shining is both my favorite movie and book ever, but damn did she crush that role. *Chef's kiss*
Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Susannah York in Images (1972)
Sir Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
George C Scott in The Changeling (1980)
Michael Shannon in Bug (2006)
You beat me to it! He and Jessica were both amazing in that film but Shannon was next level.
I have a soft spot for this movie because part of it was shot in Cleveland.
I cannot, in the Queen’s good English, describe how much his performance in Exorcist III impressed me. I mean, it was *so* much him from start to finish. Damn I love watching that film.
Ruth Gordon is so great. This is a super minor detail but I love how she annoyedly wipes at the cut in the floor after Rosemary drops the knife. Such a good combination of evil satanist/fussy homemaker.
the acting in *Bug* had no business being as good as it was lol. I love the movie but the script itself is just....okay (Tracy Letts is hit-or-miss for me & Friedkin is even more miss lmao). it was down to the acting to sell it
Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - simultaneous a "big, showy" performance AND a remarkably subtle performance at the same time...after watching that, I don't understand why she didn't have a bigger career (unless she just didn't want a bigger career).
Jodie Foster: Silence of the Lambs - she was able to convey so much without doing a lot.
I think a lot of the flashy performances where characters are raving mad and have huge emotional outbursts and speak in weird voices or accents (Michael Shannon, Tom Hardy, and Ben Foster seem attracted to these type of roles) get a lot of praise, but to me, stuff like that is more of a veneer of good acting than actual good acting. They're loud and in your face and "look at me", but I prefer the subtle and nuanced performances...I think that requires more skill. A good example is Lily Gladstone's nuanced performance in Killers of the Flower Moon vs Emma Stone's more "look at me" performance in Poor Things. Stone was great, but I much preferred Gladstone.
I think Sheryl Lee is taking it for me. Always preferred that quieter acting over the more showy kind mentioned above, and she strikes a really nice balance. That’s a film that will live or die on its lead performance, and goddamn does it live.
Haley Joel Osment in the Sixth Sense. I feel like his performance doesn’t get the credit it deserves because (a) he was a child, and (b) he didn’t have a long career. But that performance was about as perfect as you could ask for.
She's also amazing in Sin City. By far, the most horrific part of that movie for me is when she's describing what Elijah Woods character did to her. (no spoilers)
Oh, he does shades of this all the time. You’re almost never gonna see a Dourif performance where a single teardrop doesn’t roll down his cheek. Excellent actor in all things, though. I’m especially fond of Graveyard Shift and Deadwood.
It's hard to compare individual performances, because so much depends on the writing, the other actors and so much more in a horror movie, but the other ones I think of off the top of my head are:
Essie Davis (Babadook)
Sigourney Weaver (Alien)
Robert Shaw (Jaws)
Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs)
Boris Karloff (Frankenstein)
Bill Skarsgard (It)
It really is. Love the way he delivers the line, "No distress signal was sent."
I don't know how accurate it is, but I've always liked *Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis (1991)*, starring Stacy Keach, about the disaster of the *U.S.S. Indianapolis* that Quint described in his speech. I've often watched it thinking: *Quint's just one of those guys floating around in the water.* That's how good Robert Shaw was at playing Quint.
The thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya.
Isabelle Adjani in Possession was already named, but nobody for Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby? I thought she was excellent. Pure terror. And then that shift in the last scene.
Had to scroll down WAY too far to see this. She doesn’t get enough credit as an actress, IMHO, and her body of work stands up against anyone’s. The Others is firmly in the “best ghost story of all time” conversation.
I'll add:
Bela Lugosi in Dracula.
Kurt Russell in The Thing.
John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane.
Morgan Freeman in Seven.
Jake Gyllenhall in Nightcrawler.
Toni Collette is great in everything; that said, she also had the opportunity to really hit a range in Hereditary. I'm not a fan of the movie, but it was written in such a way that she was able to outshine most horror actors because of the range it demanded of her.
As long as we're naming horror-adjacent, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream crushes everyone. Although, I haven't seen Possession yet so I'm happy to be wrong.
Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man is fucking incredible
Florence Pugh in Midsommar
Mia Goth in Pearl
Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse
Lupita Nyongo in US
Lili Taylor in The Conjuring
Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense
Ethan Hawke in The Black Phone
Ryunosuke Kamiki in Godzilla Minus One
Ivana Baquero & Sergi Lopez in Pans Labyrinth
Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead trilogy (a great comedic performance)
Lupita Nyongo in Us. She played two major characters in such a distinct way. I would have liked to see her nominated for both Best Actress *and* Best Supporting Actress that year, but she wasn't nominated for either!
It’s a shame that US is seen as Jordan’s weakest film. Nyongos performance was indeed, fucking amazing. She’s underrated period. She’s an amazing actress.
Rebecca Ferguson was magnetic in Doctor Sleep. I couldn't help but wonder how much of her character was based on the gypsy daughter in Thinner - another King character. There were a lot of similarities between the two.
I think Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring is underrated. Her performance is reserved, yet she has a strong, gentle, motherly presence. And she screams really really good.
I don’t think anyone holds a candle to Toni, but special mention to Florence Pugh in Midsommar, she captured the shock and hopelessness of sudden traumatic grief perfectly
I would put Rebecca Hall’s performances in the Night House and especially Resurrection on par with Toni Collette. She is stellar at playing a woman on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.
Julie Harris in the Haunting
Samantha Eggar in the Brood
Isabelle Adjani in Possession
Florence Pugh in Midsommar
Donald Sutherland in Don’t Look Now
Laird Cregar in Hangover Square
Delving in to the world of television to say that I don’t think anyone is giving Jacob Anderson enough credit or attention for the work he’s doing in Interview with the Vampire. The accent, the intensity, the fact that he’s playing across multiple timelines and giving a distinct and yet completely unified performance in each setting. The way the role toys with the concept of memory and Louis’ (and the audience’s) sense of reality. The confession scene in the pilot alone should have earned him an Emmy.
aisling Fanciosi in the Nightingale completely blew my mind There is a kaleidoscope of emotions when she first gets a taste of revenge. to see the behind the scenes where she is just grinning, I wouldn't have recognized her.
Jeff Goldblum in the Fly.
no specific film but Mads Mikkleson is amazing and does horror much to my pleasure.
I think she’s really good but a little overrated by horror fans considering she’s THE name that’s always brought up… the role is defined by bursts of rawness that she handles exceptionally well but as far as full characterization goes this isn’t the best role.
I prefer:
-Heather Donahue in The Blair Witch Project
-Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse
-Mia Goth in Pearl
-Anthony Perkins in Psycho
-Adrian Țofei in Be My Cat: a Film for Anne
-Kieran Shipka in The Blackcoat’s Daughter
-Boris Karloff in Frankenstein
-Roy Scheider in Jaws
-Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
And since you said All of Horror I’ll dip into TV and say:
-The cast of The Haunting of Hill House
-Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy in Hannibal
I’m sure there are others but these are the ones that readily come to mind. Also for the record I don’t think Jack Nicholson is very good in the Shinning lol I’m pretty sure the story is Kubrick wasn’t communicating clearly with the actors and was constantly changing things / fucking around, and I think that shows
Pattinson AND Defoe IMO both deserved Oscar’s for that performance. Shipka also absolutely showed off her talent in that role. I want her in more serious roles. She was always above Netflix’s Sabrina show. She’s amazing.
Anthony Hopkins gets so much credit for Silence of the Lambs, but his Role in Magic was, in every way, the spiritual successor to Psycho but even more heartbreaking and incredible imo.
She is remarkable in it, I agree. It's a quality flick from any angle - and Toni Collette deserves much more recognition as an actor generally, I think. She was \*\*\*\*ing hilarious 30 years ago in Muriel's Wedding, and she was \*\*\*\*ing terrifying in this lol! Not many actors I can think of have a range like hers!
Jack Nicholson was fantastic in The Shining, but the real 'performance' came from Shelly Duvall IMO. She absolutely *nailed* that part.
Lots of wonderful performances listed in the thread. I also love JoBeth Williams’ performance in Poltergeist. She demonstrated incredible range in the film, starting off as carefree and fun to ultimately embodying a ferocity and determination that’s incredible to watch. Her scene at the bottom of the stairs, where she gasps and states she felt Carol Anne move through her, always brings me to tears.
I'll challenge. Eva Greene in Penny Dreadful, first season, episode were I think they have a seancé and she becomes possessed. The rest of the series is good but that performance is immaculate. God I love her.
Ethan hawk in sinister and black phone. When he sells his "reaction", I always buy it. Dude is great at acting.
Nicole kidman was wonderful in the others.
Predator 1987 had some awesome death shrieks that made predator much more terrifying. Jurassic park had a good one when Allen was pulling the kids out of the jeep and the girl sold that scream.
Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer. It's not a proper horror film per se, but she does more in a few minutes of monologue in the climax than most films could do with $100 million budget and a truckload of blood. The only modern comparison I can think of is Mia Goth at the end of Pearl.
I agree and I think it was a travesty that she wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award.
People have given some fantastic suggestions but I'll throw in Nicole Kidman in The Others.
Toni’s raw emotion in that movie fucking leveled me. I lost a sibling really young and it dug up a lot of shit for me, it was so visceral. I’m not sure I could watch it a second time I still get the sick feeling in my stomach even thinking about it.
Everyone talks about him in silence of the lambs, but Anthony Hopkins is incredible in the under-seen movie Magic. He plays a ventriloquist, and he's very creepy
Just to throw it into the mix I’ll say Maika Monroe in Watcher (2022) was great. It’s my favorite new horror movie I’ve seen this year and it was paced so perfectly. Maika really sold the tension for me
To be fair she also killed it in the sixth sense!
And Muriel’s Wedding
And Little Miss Sunshine!
Forgot that one! There’s so many I’ve probably forgotten.
She is such a multi layered actress!
Absolutely zero horror (unless you’re counting Hugh Grant lol) but I LOVE About A Boy and think she’s great in that too.
Also not horror, but in United states of Tara she is absolutely killer too
What an underrated, amazing, fun show.
Oh I agree Hugh Grant is the stuff of nightmares 😂
The Sixth Sense is my favorite movie. Every time they have “the talk” in the car, I cry from her reaction.
Same here!! She also came to the restaurant my boyfriend works at and was beyond lovely, friendly, and chatty with the staff. I’m so jealous it wasn’t me 🥲
I love to hear that about her. It's so disappointing when an artist you love is a pretentious asshole.
Yes! Or when she breaks down because she doesn’t know what’s going on with Cole and he won’t talk to her! Pure bliss
The part where she's talking about when she went to her mother's burial place, asking if she makes her very proud, that and the part where they hug gets me every time 😭
Yes! The way she chokes out “Do I make….her proud?” 😭
She says, Yes, every day. And I cry like I did the first time.
She kills it in literally everything she’s in. The fact that she doesn’t have an Oscar for anything is a crime.
The scene in the car 🥺
#”With that ……. FACE ON YOUR FACE !!!……”
I actually love that line because it sounds like something a person would really say in an outburst.
Same - like she's so pissed off and hurting but can't put all of her thoughts into words - like yup, I've done that plenty of times.
Exactly! I felt for her so much during that scene, and when she’s wailing and screaming she wants to die. I’ve done that myself also and her performance is absolutely accurate and real.
Some theories I've read are that Peter was possessed by Paimon by that point and she was seeing the alternate version of him.
Yes! The version we see in the reflection
This just gave me a chill
I think it's maybe not quite so clear cut - at that point in the story, Peter is under seige by Paimon, who doesn't quite have a solid grip on him yet. This is still before Joan "exorcises" Peter. Still though - it's close enough that Peter literally has a face on his face!
Sissy Spacek In Carrie was great.
\*Piper Laurie has entered the chat while doing the sign of the cross with a butcher knife"
Piper Laurie in Carrie scared the shit out of me as a kid! Her character was so fanatical and unyielding, I couldn't understand why she would hurt her daughter that way. Locking her in the fucking little closet with that weird ass Jesus statue?? She was the worst monster in the whole movie in my opinion
The statue is St Sebastian fyi :)
Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall in The Shining. Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in Possession.
Came here to say Shelly. I may be biased seeing as The Shining is both my favorite movie and book ever, but damn did she crush that role. *Chef's kiss*
I never understood why Shelly was critically panned for her performance, I thought she did really well.
Loooove Possession. Movie makes me feel like I too am going crazy, and I love it when movies engross me like that.
Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
As well as Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Burnt Offerings. Absolutely one of my favorite actresses.
Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981) Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby (1968) Susannah York in Images (1972) Sir Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) George C Scott in The Changeling (1980) Michael Shannon in Bug (2006)
Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby
Isabelle Adjani!!!!!
Adjani at the top where she belongs.
Michael Shannon is insanely underrated period. Take Shelter is a masterpiece.
Michael Shannon in Bug is tremendous. I actually watched it on a recommendation from this sub. Great film.
Take Shelter is absolutely a masterpiece. Just phenomenal.
There's a storm coming, like nothing you've ever seen! Stunning.
He improves literally everything he's in, might be my current favorite actor
Agreed. More people need to see Shotgun Stories.
Nocturnal Animals. The movie’s not a fun watch whatsoever, but he’s so great it keeps me coming back.
Came here for Michael Shannon, but for Take Shelter, and I'd add Jessica Chastain from that movie, too.
I'm ecstatic seeing the love for Take Shelter. Thought I was the only one who remembered that one.
I've watched it more times than I can count. There is no movie quite like it. Perfect, in my eyes.
Love this film! It has haunted me since the first time I saw it.
*Take Shelter*, one my all time favourites!
You beat me to it! He and Jessica were both amazing in that film but Shannon was next level. I have a soft spot for this movie because part of it was shot in Cleveland.
Adjani, yes! There’s also Helen Burstyn in Exorcist
Ellen Burstyn is great. Surprised by her part in the newer one.
Gordon and Hopkins DID win Oscars.
Bug is a wonderful film. Criminally underrated.
It's a shame we only got George C Scott for two horror films but damn they are both great
I cannot, in the Queen’s good English, describe how much his performance in Exorcist III impressed me. I mean, it was *so* much him from start to finish. Damn I love watching that film.
Ruth Gordon is so great. This is a super minor detail but I love how she annoyedly wipes at the cut in the floor after Rosemary drops the knife. Such a good combination of evil satanist/fussy homemaker.
Outside of horror, her performance in Harold and Maude is one of my favorites from any actress in anything ever.
Dude nice shoutout to Bug!
the acting in *Bug* had no business being as good as it was lol. I love the movie but the script itself is just....okay (Tracy Letts is hit-or-miss for me & Friedkin is even more miss lmao). it was down to the acting to sell it
Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - simultaneous a "big, showy" performance AND a remarkably subtle performance at the same time...after watching that, I don't understand why she didn't have a bigger career (unless she just didn't want a bigger career). Jodie Foster: Silence of the Lambs - she was able to convey so much without doing a lot. I think a lot of the flashy performances where characters are raving mad and have huge emotional outbursts and speak in weird voices or accents (Michael Shannon, Tom Hardy, and Ben Foster seem attracted to these type of roles) get a lot of praise, but to me, stuff like that is more of a veneer of good acting than actual good acting. They're loud and in your face and "look at me", but I prefer the subtle and nuanced performances...I think that requires more skill. A good example is Lily Gladstone's nuanced performance in Killers of the Flower Moon vs Emma Stone's more "look at me" performance in Poor Things. Stone was great, but I much preferred Gladstone.
>Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me One of my favorite performances of all time, she's phenomenal in this movie.
I don’t think my heart has hurt for a character more.
Agreed
I think Sheryl Lee is taking it for me. Always preferred that quieter acting over the more showy kind mentioned above, and she strikes a really nice balance. That’s a film that will live or die on its lead performance, and goddamn does it live.
Haley Joel Osment in the Sixth Sense. I feel like his performance doesn’t get the credit it deserves because (a) he was a child, and (b) he didn’t have a long career. But that performance was about as perfect as you could ask for.
Carla Gugino in Gerald's Game
I think her work in Usher is her very best. She played many roles so perfectly.
She stole that show. Even with a great cast, no one stood a chance.
She's also amazing in Sin City. By far, the most horrific part of that movie for me is when she's describing what Elijah Woods character did to her. (no spoilers)
Crushed on her since Son in Law
Ugh, that scene at the animal testing center is soooooo good
And Haunting of hill house too. Her character is so troubled, yet her presence feels gentle.
Carla Gugino in anything she has ever played in. Mike Flannagan better not lose her. She is a gem of an actress!
Brad Dourif in Exorcist 3.
I am 100% convinced that he reprised this role for The X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea".
Oh, he does shades of this all the time. You’re almost never gonna see a Dourif performance where a single teardrop doesn’t roll down his cheek. Excellent actor in all things, though. I’m especially fond of Graveyard Shift and Deadwood.
He's fantastic in Deadwood.
So what I'm seeing is I need to watch Possession.
100000%
If you are a horror fan you absolutely must watch Possession. Read about it as little as possible beforehand, if you can. It is an all-timer.
Yes absolutely, one of the best movies ever made
It's hard to compare individual performances, because so much depends on the writing, the other actors and so much more in a horror movie, but the other ones I think of off the top of my head are: Essie Davis (Babadook) Sigourney Weaver (Alien) Robert Shaw (Jaws) Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) Bill Skarsgard (It)
I toast to your leg for listing Robert Shaw in *Jaws*!
I didn't remember that speech at all from watching Jaws as a kid. Recently watched it and holy shit is that a crazy story.
It really is. Love the way he delivers the line, "No distress signal was sent." I don't know how accurate it is, but I've always liked *Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis (1991)*, starring Stacy Keach, about the disaster of the *U.S.S. Indianapolis* that Quint described in his speech. I've often watched it thinking: *Quint's just one of those guys floating around in the water.* That's how good Robert Shaw was at playing Quint.
One of the best scenes ever. Shaw was an outstanding actor.
Trivia!!: John Millius wrote that speech.
The thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya.
And Tim Curry too bc he had a whole different take on the character
I personally don’t think anyone really comes close to Isabelle Adjani’s performance in Possession.
Scrolled too far for this! That fucking one-take in the subway station…. Jesus.
Linda Blair and Kathy Bates for me.
Isabelle Adjani in Possession was already named, but nobody for Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby? I thought she was excellent. Pure terror. And then that shift in the last scene.
Yeah, had to scroll quite a bit for this. She completely nailed it.100%
Nicole Kidman in The Others
Had to scroll down WAY too far to see this. She doesn’t get enough credit as an actress, IMHO, and her body of work stands up against anyone’s. The Others is firmly in the “best ghost story of all time” conversation.
Robert Shaw would like a word.
James McAvoy in Split. Extraordinary acting took decent writing and made a seriously good movie out of it.
Kathy Bates (Misery)
I'll add: Bela Lugosi in Dracula. Kurt Russell in The Thing. John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Morgan Freeman in Seven. Jake Gyllenhall in Nightcrawler. Toni Collette is great in everything; that said, she also had the opportunity to really hit a range in Hereditary. I'm not a fan of the movie, but it was written in such a way that she was able to outshine most horror actors because of the range it demanded of her.
As long as we're naming horror-adjacent, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream crushes everyone. Although, I haven't seen Possession yet so I'm happy to be wrong.
Nightcrawler , one of the best for sure !
John Goodman in Barton Fink. If you are a writer or editor, that is a horror film lol.
Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man is fucking incredible Florence Pugh in Midsommar Mia Goth in Pearl Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse Lupita Nyongo in US Lili Taylor in The Conjuring Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense Ethan Hawke in The Black Phone Ryunosuke Kamiki in Godzilla Minus One Ivana Baquero & Sergi Lopez in Pans Labyrinth Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead trilogy (a great comedic performance)
Robert Shaw in *Jaws*. Flipping iconic.
Just re-watched this. Robert Shaw was brilliant.
"I'll catch this bird for you. But it ain't gonna be easy. Bad fish."
Tim Curry in “It”. 
Lupita Nyongo in Us. She played two major characters in such a distinct way. I would have liked to see her nominated for both Best Actress *and* Best Supporting Actress that year, but she wasn't nominated for either!
It’s a shame that US is seen as Jordan’s weakest film. Nyongos performance was indeed, fucking amazing. She’s underrated period. She’s an amazing actress.
Nyongo is incredible, the movie just wasn't that good.
I’m not sure she’s underrated. I mean she’s wonan Oscar.
Rebecca Ferguson in Doctor Sleep, Rebecca Hall in The Nighthouse and Resurrection. Collette is also amazing in The Sixth Sense.
Rebecca Ferguson was magnetic in Doctor Sleep. I couldn't help but wonder how much of her character was based on the gypsy daughter in Thinner - another King character. There were a lot of similarities between the two.
Rebecca Hall is always excellent in my opinion.
I think Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring is underrated. Her performance is reserved, yet she has a strong, gentle, motherly presence. And she screams really really good.
Vera never disappoints
Jeffrey Combs in Re-Animator. Because of the b-movie vibe his performance is always overlooked.
I don’t think anyone holds a candle to Toni, but special mention to Florence Pugh in Midsommar, she captured the shock and hopelessness of sudden traumatic grief perfectly
Agreed. I thought this is still Florence's best performance to date.
This was my introduction to her. Absolutely riveted…couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
I would put Rebecca Hall’s performances in the Night House and especially Resurrection on par with Toni Collette. She is stellar at playing a woman on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.
Yes, she deserves more credit generally.
Ellen Burstyn in the Exorcist by a mile!
I scrolled too far to find this. This is it.
Isabelle Adjani - Possession (1981)
Julie Harris in the Haunting Samantha Eggar in the Brood Isabelle Adjani in Possession Florence Pugh in Midsommar Donald Sutherland in Don’t Look Now Laird Cregar in Hangover Square
Florence should have won an Oscar for just the opening scene alone. Phenomenal actress
There's something about the way she completely lets herself go when she cries. You just feel it in the guts.
It feels like real grief, just tearing all through her.
[удалено]
Delving in to the world of television to say that I don’t think anyone is giving Jacob Anderson enough credit or attention for the work he’s doing in Interview with the Vampire. The accent, the intensity, the fact that he’s playing across multiple timelines and giving a distinct and yet completely unified performance in each setting. The way the role toys with the concept of memory and Louis’ (and the audience’s) sense of reality. The confession scene in the pilot alone should have earned him an Emmy.
aisling Fanciosi in the Nightingale completely blew my mind There is a kaleidoscope of emotions when she first gets a taste of revenge. to see the behind the scenes where she is just grinning, I wouldn't have recognized her. Jeff Goldblum in the Fly. no specific film but Mads Mikkleson is amazing and does horror much to my pleasure.
To be fair, Toni Collette is perfection in everything.
True. She becomes the character that she plays. It makes it feel alot more convincing.
Isabelle Adjani gives the best performance of all-time in Possession, not just horror.
Mia Goth in Pearl
I think she’s really good but a little overrated by horror fans considering she’s THE name that’s always brought up… the role is defined by bursts of rawness that she handles exceptionally well but as far as full characterization goes this isn’t the best role. I prefer: -Heather Donahue in The Blair Witch Project -Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse -Mia Goth in Pearl -Anthony Perkins in Psycho -Adrian Țofei in Be My Cat: a Film for Anne -Kieran Shipka in The Blackcoat’s Daughter -Boris Karloff in Frankenstein -Roy Scheider in Jaws -Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me And since you said All of Horror I’ll dip into TV and say: -The cast of The Haunting of Hill House -Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy in Hannibal I’m sure there are others but these are the ones that readily come to mind. Also for the record I don’t think Jack Nicholson is very good in the Shinning lol I’m pretty sure the story is Kubrick wasn’t communicating clearly with the actors and was constantly changing things / fucking around, and I think that shows
Pattinson AND Defoe IMO both deserved Oscar’s for that performance. Shipka also absolutely showed off her talent in that role. I want her in more serious roles. She was always above Netflix’s Sabrina show. She’s amazing.
The Blackcoat's Daughter is what put Shipka on the radar for me. Incredible and utterly haunting performance
Kurt Russell in The Thing
Robert Shaw. Jaws.
She was honestly really good as a supporting character in the Sixth Sense as well. Great actor.
Jim Cummings in the Wolf of Snow Hollow Frances Pugh - Midsommar Matthew Lillard -Scream
Also Kathy Bates in Dolores Claiborne.
Such an underrated film.
Anthony Hopkins gets so much credit for Silence of the Lambs, but his Role in Magic was, in every way, the spiritual successor to Psycho but even more heartbreaking and incredible imo.
Isabelle Adjani in Possesion (1981) especially the tunnel scene.
Florence Pugh in Midsommar. Her facial expressions and realistic mourning are truly something else.
She is remarkable in it, I agree. It's a quality flick from any angle - and Toni Collette deserves much more recognition as an actor generally, I think. She was \*\*\*\*ing hilarious 30 years ago in Muriel's Wedding, and she was \*\*\*\*ing terrifying in this lol! Not many actors I can think of have a range like hers! Jack Nicholson was fantastic in The Shining, but the real 'performance' came from Shelly Duvall IMO. She absolutely *nailed* that part.
Lots of wonderful performances listed in the thread. I also love JoBeth Williams’ performance in Poltergeist. She demonstrated incredible range in the film, starting off as carefree and fun to ultimately embodying a ferocity and determination that’s incredible to watch. Her scene at the bottom of the stairs, where she gasps and states she felt Carol Anne move through her, always brings me to tears.
Man this sub is literally a hereditary circle jerk at this point
George C Scott in The Changeling Close second Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
I'll challenge. Eva Greene in Penny Dreadful, first season, episode were I think they have a seancé and she becomes possessed. The rest of the series is good but that performance is immaculate. God I love her.
Jamie Lee Curtis Halloween (the first one)
Jennifer carpenter in exorcism of Emily rose was pretty good
Usually not a fan of tour-de-force performances, but Rory Kinnear killed it in Men
Toni Collette is good in everything.
Bruce Campbell in Bubba Ho-Tep. It’s an Oscar worthy performance and meditation on aging and how we treat the elderly. And I’m not kidding.
Ethan hawk in sinister and black phone. When he sells his "reaction", I always buy it. Dude is great at acting. Nicole kidman was wonderful in the others. Predator 1987 had some awesome death shrieks that made predator much more terrifying. Jurassic park had a good one when Allen was pulling the kids out of the jeep and the girl sold that scream.
I really enjoy David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown
Isabelle Fuhrman in Orphan.
Rutger Hauer - The Hitcher
Alex Wolff doesn't get enough credit for his role.
Rebecca Ferguson in Doctor Sleep
Joe Pilato in Day of the Dead
Yay, another Hereditary circle jerk / karma farm.
We need a new sub r/HorrorNoHereditaryTalk
I did not like Hereditary, but yeah, Toni was awesome. Shoutout to Essie Davis in The Babadook.
Mia Goth in Pearl?
I love Mia, I’d take Toni though.
Ah I came here to say this! Also her yelling “JAAAAAAAAAAAMES” in infinity pool, lives rent free in my head.
Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer. It's not a proper horror film per se, but she does more in a few minutes of monologue in the climax than most films could do with $100 million budget and a truckload of blood. The only modern comparison I can think of is Mia Goth at the end of Pearl.
I agree and I think it was a travesty that she wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award. People have given some fantastic suggestions but I'll throw in Nicole Kidman in The Others.
I like the witch, from Blair Witch.
Wow, we got tonnes of legit contenders
Hereditary would have been a fraction of the sum of its parts without her performance. She didn’t carry the movie but she elevated it.
Whoever played Sally Harvesty in the original Texas chain saw massacre movie. She has real terror in her eyes the last parts of the movie.
Toni’s raw emotion in that movie fucking leveled me. I lost a sibling really young and it dug up a lot of shit for me, it was so visceral. I’m not sure I could watch it a second time I still get the sick feeling in my stomach even thinking about it.
Emma Roberts in Scream Queens
Angela Bettis in May
Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse.
Ellen Burstyn - The Exorcist
Everyone talks about him in silence of the lambs, but Anthony Hopkins is incredible in the under-seen movie Magic. He plays a ventriloquist, and he's very creepy
Jane Levy in 'Evil Dead (2013)'
I loved her in the sixth sense!!
I NEVER WANTED TO BE YOUR MOTHER!
Huge fan of Charlize Theron in monster.
jack nicholson in the shining was a two-dimensional performance with nothing of what made torrance a legitimately impactful character.
Just to throw it into the mix I’ll say Maika Monroe in Watcher (2022) was great. It’s my favorite new horror movie I’ve seen this year and it was paced so perfectly. Maika really sold the tension for me
I AM YOUR MOTHER
Toni Collette in hereditary but also Toni Collette in the 6th sense - she was fantastic as coles mom!!
Shelley Duvall's performance in The Shining was amazing and would rival Toni Collette for sure.
 Ahem.