10 Horror Movie Performances That Fell Totally Flat
3. Mark Wahlberg - The Happening
To be fair, nobody gets out of M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening with their dignity in tact, least of all Mark Wahlberg, whose performance as - don't laugh - high school science teacher Elliot Moore netted him a Worst Actor Razzie nomination.
Now, Wahlberg has certainly proven himself to be a fine actor when cast appropriately, but even if you can get onboard with him playing a teacher, the man seems completely lost amid Shyamalan's madcap sci-fi horror film.
The uneven, basically schizophrenic tone of his performance, fleeting between straight-faced and self-aware, suggests he didn't quite realise if he'd signed on for a serious thriller or pure camp.
It doesn't help that Wahlberg has zero romantic chemistry with screen spouse Zooey Deschanel, and in fact, you might argue that he has more chemistry with that plastic plant.
Wahlberg has openly called The Happening a "really bad movie," but was at least good-humoured about his absurd miscasting:
"You can't blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn't playing a cop or a crook."