10 Best Horror Movie Performances Nobody Talks About

When an actor gives their absolute all to a role, it can truly elevate a film and cement both the character and person playing them into the pop culture lexicon. This is no different in horror, with greats such as Linda Blair and Robert Englund being of near legendary status. More recently, actors such as Toni Collette in Hereditary, Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out and Elizabeth Moss in The Invisible Man have transcended the genre and been lauded for their acting chops in their own right.

But as is often the case with horror as a whole, many performances get overlooked. Even by horror hounds, some truly fantastic characters have been cast aside in favour of more familiar faces. This list aims to rectify that by shining a spotlight on some truly standout roles that have been cast aside.

These actors brought something truly unique to their roles, whether in little indie gems or well renowned flicks that simply gloss over their roles due to the film itself being the icon rather than the actor. You may see some familiar faces, but in a role that you’d never even heard of, and you may meet some completely new characters along the way. Regardless, these horror performances deserve a hell of a lot more attention.

The world of horror in 2009 was in a funny place. Remakes of classic horror films and subpar Westernised interpretations of predominantly East Asian cinema were dime a dozen, not to mention the wave of so-called ‘torture porn’. Naturally, audiences were getting a little fed up.

Arguably, The Collector, was part of this stagnant sludge of ‘scares’. It is a home invasion, torture-trap-filled story about a petty thief trapped in a house with a masked killer. Sounds pretty generic, but the titular villain is utterly spinechilling.

The Collector himself is an unnamed force of malice, with no motivation or reason behind his acts of violence. This is what makes him so terrifying, and the viewer isn’t even sure if he’s actually human or some kind of monstrous entity. Little details, such as his reflective cat-like eyes and silent movements make him all the more eerie. Combining the intelligence of John Kramer, the ghostly ambiguity of Michael Myers and just pure nastiness, Juan Fernández casts a truly terrifying figure.

If The Collector had been released at a different time, there’s no doubt that this killer would be a slasher icon. However, the subsequent sequels remove the mystery around him and make him feel more human – which does undermine how frightening he is.