The Top 30 Modern Horror Legends

One of the most passionate, powerful performers to lend their considerable talents to the horror genre. From mainstream hits like the Child's Play series and the recent Halloween movies to underground cult films like Grim Prarie Tales, Brad always steals the show. Just watch Exorcist III and Stephen King's Graveyard Shift.

Freddy Krueger and beyond, this man has so much fun on screen that it is impossible not to have fun watching him. Some of the performances, I'm convinced, would have garnered him an Oscar had they not been in horror films. That is why this man will never run out of work...horror fans are notoriously loyal.

Candyman was one of the most intense and frightening film of the nineties and the reason was Tony Todd. Tony throws down the gauntlet every single performance. I could watch Tony read a newspaper and be a little uneasy. There are some serious acting chops on this man, my friend. Look for him in the recent Hatchet films.

The cult classic Re-Aninmator brought us many gifts, not the least of which being a star making turn for Jeffrey Combs as the brilliant but quite mad Herbert West. Jeff hasn't stop working since, deservedly so. His performance in The Frighteners alone would earn him a place here as an occult expert far stranger than anything else in the film.

When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth. Would it have been so cool had someone else said it? No way. Hitting the screens in 1978's Dawn of the Dead, Ken redifined machismo as he fought off the zombies against the background of irritating mall music. This man fought Leatherface and Michael Myers. Win or Lose, you can't help loving this guy!

Who can turn a guitar-tuning, ice-cream vendor into a horror icon? Reggie B., that's who. Packing a four barrelled shotgun and a pony-tail, Reggie fought his way through four cult classic Phantasm movies. He even found time to provide cameos in Wishmaster, Bubba Ho Tep, and The Rage.

Stuntman turned actor Kane Hodder took the role of Jason by the throat and strangled it into submission. Never before had Jason displayed so much rage and sublime body language. He was so good that he is, to this day, the only actor to play Jason more than once. He also showed remarkable range in the recent Hatchet films as he brought another horror icon to life...Victor Crowley.

With a severely limited amount of screen time, Doug Bradley brought to life one of the most infamous horror characters in a long time: Pinhead (or lead cenobite). So much emotion through so much prosthetic, it had to be rough to display anything. But Doug stepped up to the plate at least eight times so far...and knocked it out of the park.

No one screams like Jamie Lee. One of the last great scream queens got her start in 1978 in John Carpenter's micro-budgeted Halloween. She then starred in the slashers Prom Night and Terror Train before taking on Hollywood with more serious roles. But she'll always be Laurie Strode to me:).

In early 2000, I quietly pondered to myself what became of the enigmatic performer who brought the psychopathic Chop Top to life in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Well, thanks to Rob Zombie, Bill came storming back in House of a Thousand Corpses and Devil's Rejects and proved that he didn't need a metal plate in his head to creep you out.

What is there to say about Bruce 'don't call me Ash' Campbell? Plenty. Bruce fought off demonically possessed friends and skeletons in the Evil Dead trilogy, memorably brought Elvis (back) to life in Bubba Ho Tep, and satirizes himself admirably in My Name is Bruce. Oh, he's also a talented writer. Is there anything this man can't do? Hail to the king, baby.

Terry's main foray into the world of horror is the cult sensation The Stepfather, as he portrays a sociopathic family man to perfection. He also elevated Stepfather II. Just wished we'd see more of this guy in the horror genre, he's quite good.

Although known primarily for the role of Bishop in the Alien franchise, Lance is actually one of the hardest working actors on the horror scene today. No matter the material, Lance always brings an intensity and depth to his characters, he NEVER phones in a performance. That's quite admirable if you ask me.

I couldn't resist this one! In 1993, horror was in an official lull. But one talented performer made irish folklore scary and humorous again. As the leprechaun, Warwick cracked jokes and drew blood with the best of them...six times.

Turning chainsaw-dancing into an artform, Gunnar brought Leatherface to the screen in the early seventies...and sent audiences screaming. Adorned in a mask made of human flesh, Gunnar brought to life a real buzz-worthy murderer. It's hard to make a cannibalistic, chainsaw wielding murderer likeable...

Boooooy! A polite gentleman stepped into the shoes of a divinely evil alien in Phantasm and became...the Tall Man. An intimidating presence to say the least, Angus played it to the hilt as he chased poor Mike, Jody, and Reggie through four movies and almost twenty years.

Usually recognizable for being unusual, Crispin has the talent to bring oddity to any performance. Starting out in Friday the 13th as one of many of Jason's many, many hapless victims, Crispin went on to become a well respected character actor. He returned to horror recently in the decent Willard remake and some half-decent straight to video work like Simon Says.

You'd immediately recognize her if she turned her head completely around and hurled green vomit directly at you! Performing the transformation from kindly child to possessed beast couldn't have been easy...but she did it. Another noteworthy achievement was the underrated Hell Night.

A hard working character actor for years, Tobin came to attention after portraying the infamous character Jigsaw for the popular Saw franchise. Jigsaw displays such twisted morality for a 'serial killer', an interesting man playing an interesting character. Tobin has finally been given the attention he deserves.

Look at this guy's credits: The Ninth Configuration, The Fog (original), Night of the Creeps, Halloween III, My Bloody Valentine (remake), Maniac Cop, and Creepshow. Always ready to play and great fun to watch, Tom's legacy in horror and other genres is secured.

The odd mixture of suave allure and intensity provide Andrew Divoff with the fitting tools needed to be a successful actor. Most famous for playing the evil djinn in the first two Wishmasters, Andrew has also been in Xtro 3, Stephen King's Graveyard Shift, and The Rage. Mostly playing villains, but doesn't that seem like it's more fun?

After Michael was seen in Scanners using powerful telekenesis to kill a man by making his head literally explode, he just hasn't stayed off of the screen for long. Taking roles in Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, Children of the Corn: Revelations, Starship Troopers, Watchers, and TV's Tales from the Crypt, Michael proves that talent doesn't go unnoticed for too long.

There are 3 reasons that Larry Drake has made the list even though he may not be a household name: Number one would be the infamous episode of Tales from the Crypt in which he portrayed an axe-toting Santa Clause. Number two would be his starring role in the derivative, immensely entertaining Dr. Giggles. and Number Three? Dark Night of the Scarecrow. 'Nuff said.

Actress most successful in the eighties, Linnea acted in more horror movies than I can count outright. But most famous would have to be Return of the Living Dead, in which she gets nude, Silent Night, Deadly Night, in which she gets nude, and Night of the Demons...in which she gets nude. Real cool gal earned her stripes with that trio of 'awesomeness'.

Sporting one of the most unique appearances in the history of film, Michael growled his way onto the screen in the classic The Hills Have Eyes as a mutated desert dweller. Berryman can be seen also in such projects as The Devi's Rejects, Weird Science, and a humorous episode of Tales from the Crypt in which he plays against type as a vampire killer.

Lin has finally earned her place on the list after the films 2001 maniacs, it's sequel, and the upcoming Insidous. But some may not know that she's been working steadily for years now including bit roles in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Snakes on a Plane, and in the awesome film Dead End.

Often playing sneering villains and unseemly types, Billy Drago must be on the call-first list for lowlives. And he always rises to the occasion. From campy roles in Vamp, Tremors 4, and Demon Hunter to memorable turns on episodes of The X-Files, Supernatural, and Masters of Horror, Billy has a way of getting far, far under your skin.

Sometimes Dee is fleeing from a large rabid dog (Cujo) or fleeing from cannibalistic cannibal dwellers (The Hills Have Eyes) or flees yet again from werwolves (The Howling) but she always does it with class and style. Plus she always makes time for cool little independant horror filims like House of the Devil, Voodoo Moon, and Abominable.

The enigmatic William Forsythe chew up the scenery as a vengence fueled policeman in The Devi's Rejects in one of the best performances of his career. His credits are quite long and quite impressive but his horror stats include an episode of Masters of Horror, creature features like Larva, and I hear he's playing Gacy soon. No way he can miss, this guy is aces.

Tom Noonan has been everything from a demented serial killer (Manhunter) to a kindly Frankenstien (The Monster Squad) to a rabid satanist (House of the Devil) to a killer robog (Robocop 2). Yep, he's got quite a range. You can also look for him in The Roost, Wolfen, Last Action Hero, and Eight Legged Freaks.