We know the Predator, we remember the terrifying Alien and we recognise the horrifying little girl from The Ring. But do you know the people behind these faces of nightmares? We did a little digging and found the actors who’ve played some of the most iconic movie monsters in film history. It should be a little comforting to see the people behind the scares.
Here are the actors behind some of the most iconic movie monsters in cinema history.
1. Bolaji Badejo as the Alien
The 7 foot 2 inch Nigerian was just a design student when Ridley Scott found him. At the time Scott wanted someone who was like no other regular person to fit in the costume of one of the most horrific and iconic monsters in film history. Unfortunately Bolaji Badejo died at 39 of sickle cell anemia.
2. Kevin Peter Hall as the Predator
Interestingly enough, Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally set to play the blood-thirsty extraterrestrial. But, he fell short in the height department by quite a few feet, and the filmmakers wanted someone who would look intimidating standing next to Arnold. Hence, Kevin Peter Hall seemed like the best pick.
3. Daveigh Chase as Evil Samara
That little freaky, downright painful to the eyes, little ghost girl from The Ring, seems actually to be not so hard on the eyes otherwise. Daveigh Chase went on to be a part of many feature films that included Donnie Darko, but she’s most recognisable (or, not really) from her part in The Ring series.
4. Kane Hodder as the hellish Jason Voorhees
Hodder wasn’t the only one who’s put the Jason mask on for the Friday The 13th series, but he definitely is the most loved. The filmmakers’ decision to replace him didn’t particularly go down well with fanw, but Hodder still remains the actor who played the iconic role the most number of times.
5. Tim Curry as Pennywise
That hellish clown from Stephen King’s It that pretty much ruined every white-faced, red-nosed performer you’ve seen, was played by Tim Curry. You might remember him from a lot of family friendly movies, but that even that resting face should’ve warned you he’s a scary looking dude.
6. Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
Something about Robert Englund made him the best possible choice to play the iconic demon from A Nightmare on Elm Street. In fact, Englund was considered for the role of Han Solo from Star Wars, but the idea was turned down on account of the fact that he was too young for it, at the time.
7. Roberto Campanella as Pyramid Head
If you guys haven’t got around to putting yourself through the uneasy experience that was Silent Hill, we suggest you get to it right away. Because Pyramid Head is bound to be your next nightmare. Played by Roberto Campanella, Pyramid Head was perhaps the most hellishly brutal villain ever. Good luck sleeping tonight!
8. Jonathan Breck as The Creeper
The interesting bit was that Breck had an epiphany in the middle of the night and realized the character he was about to audition for didn’t have any lines. So, his decision to be different was to shave his head. So impressed were the filmmakers that he secured his role in both the Jeepers Creepers movies.
9. Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface
Hansen was replaced for the remake of the film in 2003, by Andrew Bryniarski for the role of the deranged cannibal from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But after an unfortunate (or, otherwise fortunate) mishap that injured the previous actor, Hansen was called in to reprise the role.
10. Anirudh Agarwal as Samri
No, and I mean no, iconic movie monsters list can be complete without the king, Anirudh Agarwal. While Samri from Purana Mandir may be one his better known monster takes, Agarwal was the go-to guy for all the Ramsay Brothers’s productions. And his face is now etched into our gravest nightmares.
