10 Horror Movie Characters Who Were Perfectly Cast (The Second Time)

These horror movies got it totally right the second time.

By Jack Pooley /

Casting is undeniably one of the most vital parts of the whole filmmaking process, because no matter how great the script and direction might be, if the lead actor just isn't right for the part, it can sink the entire endeavour.

Advertisement

But sometimes Hollywood gets a second go-around, whether in a sequel or a remake, to re-cast a major role and actually do it better this time.

And that's absolutely the case with these 10 horror movie characters, for while many of them were indeed performed well enough the first time, the re-cast ultimately gave audiences something even better they didn't know they needed.

As totally decent as some of the original conceptions of these characters were, the second rendition was basically the masterpiece we'd been waiting for all along: a performer at the top of their game cast in a role that couldn't be better-suited to their strengths as an actor.

These second casting triumphs are just so damn perfect they absolutely became the definitive iterations of the characters in question, which considering how fickle audiences can be is quite the impressive achievement indeed...

10. Madame Blanc - Tilda Swinton (Suspiria)

The Original

Advertisement

One of the primary villains in Dario Argento's all-timer giallo masterwork Suspiria is Madame Blanc, the dance school's headmistress who secretly heads a coven of witches.

Blanc is played by Hollywood legend Joan Bennett in her final movie role, and while certainly cutting a striking presence throughout as the authoritarian head, she also mystifies as much as she unnerves with her bizarre, difficult-to-place choice of accent (as is true of much of the cast, admittedly).

Second Time's The Charm

But in the 2018 remake - or as director Luca Guadagnino calls it, "homage" - Madame Blanc is a considerably more fleshed-out character played in typically stunning fashion by the ever-brilliant Tilda Swinton.

Swinton plays the part with greater sensitivity but it's also fair to say that there are major storytelling differences between the two versions of the character, with this retelling reworking both her relationship with protagonist Susie/Suzy and her ultimate arc.

As written it's a more nuanced part, but Swinton's performance also feels far three-dimensional while Bennett's work, though fun, is basically always spinning on a single axis.

Advertisement