Have you ever been watching a horror movie when, unexpectedly, an actor you know pops up in a small role (a cameo, if you will?) We’re not talking early roles from now-big-name thespians (like George and Leo); I mean those with decades-long careers, some of which are horror icons already. To me, it’s always a nice surprise and a welcome addition, no matter how small.
Here are 10 horror cameos I felt were worth mentioning.
Tony Todd – Wishmaster (1997)
Wishmaster is one of those films that doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves, at least in my experience; it only gets mentioned occasionally. Inspired by Islamic and Arabian folklore about evil genies, Wishmaster follows a young woman who inadvertently unleashes the evil entity and the chaos he creates. At the beginning of the third act, our genie in human form attempts to enter a party hosted by Freddy Krueger. He is stopped by security guard Johnny Valentine, who refuses to let him in. This was a moment that my mum referred to as Wishmaster vs. Candyman.
This isn’t the only horror cameo in Wishmaster. As stated, Robert Englund is the thrower of the party in the third act, but he appears as more than a cameo. He pretty much kicks off the plot as the character who owns the statue that houses the Djinn’s gemstone. Also appearing in the movie are: Kane Hodder as a security guard; Ted Raimi as Krueger’s assistant; Tom Savini as a customer at the pharmacy; character actor George ‘Buck’ Flower as a homeless man who hangs out at the pharmacy; Reggie Bannister as the pharmacist; Joseph Pilato as Mickey Torelli, the crane operator; and Angus Scrimm, who provided the opening narration.
I thought the image of Tom Savini was a bit off, and considering that the Wiki page entry needs citation, I thought maybe it was a case of mistaken identity. But, according to IMDB, it is him. I’m inclined to believe them since they’ve never steered me wrong before.
Brad Dourif – Urban Legend (1998)
So before Christmas, I had to borrow my gran’s car because mine broke down on my way home from college. It’s a funky little brand new automatic with lots of cool bells and whistles. One of the things I noticed when I parked was a little notice that displays on the screen behind the wheel: “Check rear seat.” That made me think of the opening scene in Urban Legend when Brad Dourif screams, “Someone’s in the backseat!” I turned around, half expecting there to be a parka-clad figure lying on the backseat with a shiny axe.
This is one of my favourite horror opening scenes and it gives me chills every time. Similar to Wishmaster, Urban Legend is rife with horror cameos, including Robert Englund, Danielle Harris, and Julian Richings.
Stephen King – Various
Alfred Hitchcock crafted some of the greatest suspense stories of all time. He also cameoed in most of his films, as is a creator’s right. Unless you’re Shyamalan, who doesn’t know how to cameo, instead giving himself nothing short of supporting characters. Hitchcock knew how to do it right, never outstaying his welcome. Unlike a certain filmmaker who tries desperately to be his modern-day counterpart.
In the spirit of creator’s rights (or writes, haha, sorry), Stephen King had plenty of notable cameos, some bigger than others. In the 1994 miniseries adaptation of The Stand, his character was given a name and a part to play in the story. Another miniseries, Kingdom Hospital, saw him play the titular hospital’s handyman, Johnny B. Goode. In Rose Red (pictured above), he appeared for around 10 seconds as a bringer of pizza; in Pet Sematary, he was the priest at Missy’s funeral; in Sleepwalkers, he was a caretaker at the cemetery; in Thinner, he was the pharmacist; and in IT Chapter 2, he was a shopkeeper. Then, of course, there was his infamous failure as a director with Maximum Overdrive, where he also cameoed as a man using an ATM.
Bill Murray – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Who’d have thought that Bill Murray and Jack Nicholson would play the same role 26 years apart? Albeit, Murray gave a slightly more energetic performance in his classic style. Nicholson’s more subdued yet eccentric rendition helped him become the A-lister he is now.
In the 1986 musical, Murray plays Arthur Denton, a patient excited to experience his first appointment with the sadistic Orin Scrivello, DDS. He’s like a kid who’s been on a sugar bender before visiting Santa Claus to receive a large sack of toys and candy. It’s memorable and funny every time I watch it. Even if he does get a bit creepy at the end.
Matt Damon – Unsane (2018)
I don’t think this Steven Soderbergh movie gets enough attention. In a way, the movie opens the door for future filmmakers. If a big-name, well-experienced director can film a feature-length movie on an iPhone, then the possibilities of others following this format are endless. Someone recently said to me that in this day and age, you can’t get a bad camera on a mobile phone. I believe this is true. If you want to do digital filmmaking, then almost everyone has their own camera fused to their hands. The basic amount of filmmaking I’ve done in college has been on an Android phone.
Anyhoo, Unsane follows Claire Foy as she copes with the PTSD of being stalked by Joooooooooooooooooooosssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! A scene where she is talking to a detective about security features a surprise Damon out of nowhere. It only lasts about 5 minutes, but it was a memorable moment that feels completely random.
Alex Vincent – Curse of Chucky (2013)
Most audiences were under the impression that this was a remake, until Barb peeled off loose silicon from Chucky’s face, revealing the scars from Bride of Chucky. Then it became clear that this was a sequel. The addition of Tiffany at the end was amazing enough, but the appearance of Andy in the final moments holding a shotgun to the surprise of Chucky (and us) delivering the line “play with this” still gives me chills. Then, of course, he reappears in Cult of Chucky. Seeing him as an adult is still a bit jarring.
Various – The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Not only is this the greatest movie ever made (in my opinion, obviously; feel free to have a difference of opinion), but it has a startling amount of cameos. After watching the recent Kill Count for the movie, I learned that both Jonathan Demme and George A. Romero had cameos, so I felt that I had to include the various faces that pop up. Senator Ruth Martin is played by Diane Baker, who appeared in Hitchcock’s 1964 movie Marnie as well as the 1959 adaptations of The Diary of Anne Frank and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, respectively; singer Chris Isaak is a SWAT commander and Daniel Von Bargen is the negotiator; George A. Romero appears to help whisk Clarice away from Lecter’s cage in Tennessee; character actor Tracey Walter appears in the scene where they discover the first death’s head moth inside the throat of one of the victims; Roger Corman is FBI Director Hayden Burke; and Jonathan Demme appears just before the credits in a blue cap. None too shabby, I think. Although, reading this out loud has made me think that you may have to be of a certain age to appreciate this entry…
John Jarratt – 100 Bloody Acres (2012)
I love an Aussie horror, especially when it blends great dark comedy. One of my favourites is Wolf Creek 2. Now, the first film was also good, but the sequel ramps up the comedy, which is delightful. The main element that has made those movies and their subsequent TV series so popular is John Jarratt’s Mick Taylor. Despite his deplorability, he is insanely entertaining and charismatic. His second-ever role was in the 1975 Peter Weir movie Picnic at Hanging Rock. Not really relevant, but Picnic at Hanging Rock is worth a watch.
100 Bloody Acres is a horror comedy about two brothers who run their own fertiliser business on their farm, one of which is played by Insidious‘s Angus Sampson. The tone and plot make this a great double feature with Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Jarratt appears as a motorbike cop who pulls over one of the brothers. It’s an interesting change from Mick Taylor.
Kane Hodder – Behind the Mask – The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
Kane Hodder has had many a cameo in horror movies. The aforementioned Wishmaster and Friday the 13th, Part 9 (the bad one) are just two. Another is the meta-found footage slasher, The Rise of Leslie Vernon. In the opening scene during film student Taylor’s introduction, we are presented with scenes from the real-life Elm Street where Freddy Krueger wasn’t just fiction. The camera pans to 1428 Elm Street and shows the current resident looking pretty pissed off at being filmed as he enters his house. That resident is Jason Voorhees himself. His appearance only lasts seconds, but it’s still a cool thought that he lives in the Elm Street house. Also, Robert Englund makes another appearance in a horror movie that’s too big to be considered a cameo cliché.
Eduardo Sanchez – Butterfly Kisses (2018)
I’m a big fan of found footage and The Blair Witch Project is up there as my favourite of all time. It’s a movie I can just put on anytime and enjoy the atmosphere. So, when I finally got around to watching Butterfly Kisses, imagine my surprise to see Blair Witch co-creator Eduardo Sanchez making a surprise appearance as himself. Listening to him riff on the fictional director is hilarious and well worth the price of admission. As found footage movies go, Butterfly Kisses was pretty decent. Not the greatest title, but semantics.
With some more in-depth research, I’m pretty sure I could conjure up another list. Old cameos are being discovered every day online.
Linsey Loves Horror 