10 Horror Movies Where An Actor Plays Multiple Characters

Who needs Mike Myers when you've got Mia Goth?!

X Mia Goth
A24

Acting is not an easy job. The stars of the big screen might make it look like second nature, but no matter which way you slice it, it's not easy to create a whole different person and embody them - that's why not everybody can do it. All of that goes double for horror.

While horror actors might not get the same amount of appreciation as others, it's safe to say that they are put through the wringer, as they need to be believable in life or death (mostly death) situations. Bringing a person like that to life is insanely tough, so imagine having to do it multiple times in the same movie!

Multi-roling is hardly a new phenomenon, as it's been happening in cinema for decades, with the likes of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy making bank off of it. Still, while those guys worked hard to make you laugh, these actors brought terror on multiple fronts.

For the record, this list will NOT include actors playing characters with multiple-personality disorder. In order to qualify, they have to play completely different people with separate bodies. So, apologies for the James McAvoy fans, as Split won't be appearing here.

10. Peter Jackson - Bad Taste

X Mia Goth
WingNut Films

Peter Jackson is not known for being an actor, but he does have a surprisingly decent resume of on-screen roles, including cameos in The Lord of the Rings, Hot Fuzz, King Kong, The Lovely Bones and more. But, back in his early days, he played full-on parts in his movies.

To be fair, this was mostly an effort to save money on actors, but it did give way to some amazing characters, with his funniest and most varied performance coming from his first feature-length film, Bad Taste.

In this wild and abrasive flick, Jackson takes on the roles of Derek and Robert. Derek is an agent for the Astro Investigation and Defence Service, and yes, that does spell what you think it does. This character starts as a meek fella, but after falling off a cliff thanks to an alien, his brain gets mashed, and he turns into a violent, alien-killing madman.

What's the other role he plays, you ask? Well, it's the alien that threw Derek off the cliff in the first place. Yes, this alien in a human-skin suit is a flesh-devouring extraterrestrial that even fights with Derek, which was possible thanks to precise editing tricks.

How can you tell the difference between them? Well, Derek is clean-shaven with glasses, and Robert has a beard. Who needs big-budget make-up with a trick like that?

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!