With guaranteed thrills and dozens of subgenres ranging from psychological terrors to monster movie slashers, the horror genre has always been one of cinema’s most vast, innovative, and most vibrant. As such, it has amassed a huge cult following of dedicated fans who have nothing but adoration for the stars who continue to contribute their talents to the genre.
While there have been many scream queens who have become celebrated icons of horror, there have also been plenty of actors who have endeared themselves to fans for their commitment to the genre. From triumphant heroes to unforgettable villains, stars of the modern age, and horror’s earliest Hollywood highlights, these scream kings deserve all the praise they get and more.
10 Evan Peters
One of the most famous scream kings of modern times, Evan Peters has amassed a cult following off the back of his work in horror. His many appearances in the anthological horror series American Horror Story stand as his most recognizable work, allowing him to showcase his talent as hero and villain alike throughout his nine seasons on the show.
While his film career is more notable for his ongoing portrayal of Quicksilver in the X-Men films, he has still sought out horror projects such as 2015’s star-studded sci-fi thriller The Lazarus Effect. His appetite for macabre stories has never wavered either, with Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and HBO’s Mare of Easttown among his recent projects.
9 Doug Bradley
While there a plenty of prolific horror actors, some only need one standout role to establish themselves as stars of the genre. That was the case for Doug Bradley who made his cinematic debut in 1987’s Hellraiser as the lead Cenobite, Pinhead, a role he would play eight times throughout the ongoing film franchise.
While the Hellraiser films are his most notable contribution to the genre though, they’re certainly not his only one, with the actor appearing in many B-movie horror films throughout the ’90s and into the 21st century. His collaborations with close friend and acclaimed horror storyteller Clive Barkerhave all but secured Bradley’s legacy as one of cinema’s greatest horror figures.
8 Tony Todd
After making his film debut in the Vietnam War classic Platoon, Tony Todd has gone on to become an icon of horror cinema. His list of famous horror roles knows no bounds, including such films as the Final Destination franchise, Night of the Living Dead, and a wide range of B-movie slashers.
His crowning achievement as one of the all-time great scream kings though comes from his role in the Candymanfilms, playing the eponymous villain haunting the infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects in Chicago. His legacy in the genre is set to only grow greater with The Bunker and Stream among his upcoming projects.
7 Lon Chaney
A man so masterful as a makeup artist and actor that he was affectionately dubbed “The Man of a Thousand Faces”, Lon Chaney is truly one of cinema’s first and most important megastars. An icon of Hollywood’s silent era, Chaney plied his craft to dozens of tormented characters, many of them sporting disturbing afflictions which he excelled at bringing to life.
Among his more notable accomplishments were The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, the latter of which reportedly caused audiences to faint in the theater. Sadly, Chaney died of pneumonia in 1930 at just 47 years of age, cutting short what was a trailblazing career in the earliest days of cinematic horror.
6 Bill Skarsgård
While many of horror’s greatest scream kings have been around for decades, Bill Skarsgård is ample evidence that the future of the genre is in good hands. His starring role as the villainous clown in It transcended the borders of the genre’s fanbase to become a mainstream, cinematic sensation.
However, he’s also portrayed more noble characters, with his co-starring role in Barbarian and leading part in Villains highlighted his range within the genre. He is set to further enhance his standing as horror star in the next couple of years with his starring roles in horror remake Nosferatuand the reboot of the gothic horror series The Crow.
5 Ethan Hawke
After breaking out in 1989’s Dead Poet’s Society, Ethan Hawke became a big name of the ’90s and early 2000s appearing in everything from Oscar-winning dramas to cult-classic sci-fi thrillers. After a brief career slump through the late part of the 2000s, Hawke looked to re-ignite his career with Daybreakers, an action horror vampire movie released in 2009.
From there, the actor’s resurgence was paved through horror, with standout performances in Sinisterand The Purge before portraying the child-abducting villain in The Black Phone. His prolific nature has seen him appear in many films of differing genres in recent times, but his penchant for horror isn’t disappearing anytime soon with Hawke signed on to co-star in Sam Esmail’s upcoming psychological thriller Leave the World Behind.
4 Robert Englund
Few actors have made a contribution to horror which can rival Robert Englund’s. As the man who portrayed Freddy Krueger for almost twenty years, ranging from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Freddy vs. Jason, his magnetic, chilling, and sinfully delightful performance as the dream-stalking spirit is the best slasher villain in horror history.
While that alone would be enough to solidify Englund as one of the all-time great scream kings, the actor has stayed true to the horror genre since retiring from the part in 2003. A mainstay of 21st-century B-movie horror, he returned to the immediate pop culture consciousness with his guest-starring role as Victor Creel in the fourth season of Stranger Things.
3 Vincent Price
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As a historian, art collector, and talented cook as well as being a major film, television, and stage actor, there was very little that Vincent Price didn’t excel at. Among his many achievements, Price is remembered as one of cinema’s earliest horror movie stars, establishing himself as an icon of the genre with his work throughout the ’50s and ’60s.
In addition to starring in such films as House of Wax, The Fly (and its sequel), and The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Price also collaborated with filmmaker Roger Corman on a series of film adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s works. Given the divine mixture of fun and thrills he gave horror fans for decades, it is perhaps quite fitting that his final film role was in Tim Burton’s loving ode to the genre, Edward Scissorhands.
2 Bruce Campbell
The undisputed king of B-movie horror, Bruce Campbell rose to prominence with his starring role in The Evil Dead trilogy. He’s been a mainstay of low-budget horror-comedy ever since, with leading performances in cult classics of the hybrid genre like Bubba Ho-Tep, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, and even 2019’s Black Friday.
While Campbell’s charisma lends itself to more comedic takes on the genre, it certainly isn’t all he has done, with action-infused horror hits like Maniac Cop and even true slashers such as Intruder included within his filmography. His legacy as a scream king will not be forgotten anytime soon.
1 Patrick Wilson
After many years working in the film industry, Patrick Wilson is finally starting to get some of the recognition he so thoroughly deserves. While the actor has tackled everything from superhero drama to romantic comedy, he has come to be best known for his services to modern horror.
Inarguably, his two biggest roles in the genre have come in the form of Josh Lambert in the Insidiousseries and as Ed Warren in The Conjuringand its spin-offs. Wilson’s horror filmography spreads far wider than just those two major franchises though, with his roles in In the Tall Grass and Bone Tomahawk helping define him as one of the all-time great scream kings.
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