Horror movies often get a bad wrap -- too violent, too exploitative, too cliche, too many women walking around casually not wearing bras (because don't we all wear button downs half undone with nothing underneath?) -- but if we look at them a little closer, we see the great equalizer of the cinematic universe.
That's right. Horror movies are a place where many of the brightest stars in the Hollywood firmament once appeared early in their careers, including unexpected actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlize Theron, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, and Katee Sackhoff. And these roles that need to be celebrated for the star-making turns they (maybe, probably, kinda) were.
Did you fall in love with Renée Zellweger singing "Sugarhigh" to you in Empire Records? Then light a jack-o-lantern for her terrorized prom goer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, which was filmed before Empire, but released after. Bonus co-star? Matthew McConaughey, playing perhaps the most psychotic role of his career as Vilmer Slaughter. Do you swoon over George Clooney or stand in awe of his seemingly endless reservoir of screen talents? Then dig Return to Horror High out of moth balls and behold the majesty of his pre-ER mullet. But don't blink! He's a first kill. And yes, that is Marcia Brady erotically rubbing blood all over her body - for no reason! Think the new Carrie is Chloë Grace-Moretz's first brush with the horror cannon? Go back and re-watch The Amityville Horror from 2005 (above). Though we understand if you can't see past Ryan Reynolds' pre-ScarJo six-pack (24 pack?).
Contrary to appearances, these fine specimens of stage and screen were not grown in labs. They were not flown in from some magic island and dropped into our laps camera-ready. They worked long and hard, putting in their time getting murdered by cornstalk monsters, aliens, and sadistic sociopaths. Remember, having skeletons in your closet is some JV material. But having Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, or Leatherface kicking around in there? That's when you've made the varsity team.
Check out some of the best pre-A-list horror performances above.
Above:
Chloë Grace-Moretz
Movie: The Amityville Horror (remake)
Year: 2005
Age: 8
Role: Chelsea Lutz, youngest of the Lutz daughters
Fate: Lives
Since then: Now starring as the title character in the new Carrie
Jon Stewart
Movie: The Faculty
Year: 1998
Age: 36
Role: Professor Edward Furlong, high school science teacher
Fate: Lives, but briefly becomes an alien host and loses an eye and four fingers
Since then: Host of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning The Daily Show
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Movie: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Year: 1998
Age: 17
Role: Jimmy Howell, well-meaning neighborhood boy
Fate: Dies first, by ice hockey skate to the face
Since then: Wrote, directed, and starred in this year's indie romantic comedy Don Jon
Renée Zellweger
Movie: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Year: 1994
Age: 25
Role: Jenny, Final Girl/heroine who has to survive the Slaughter family on her prom night
Fate: Lives (uncovers Illuminati plot)
Since then: 1 Oscar win, 2 more nominations
George Clooney
Movie: Return to Horror High
Year: 1987
Age: 26
Role: Oliver, an actor playing a cop on the set of horror movie
Fate: First to die
Since then: 2 Oscar wins, 6 more nominations
Mila Kunis
Movie: American Psycho II: All American Girl
Year: 2002
Age: 19
Role: Rachael Newman, criminology student who became obsessed with serial killers after watching Patrick Bateman kill her babysitter
Fate: Lives after faking death
Since then: Esquire's sexiest woman alive, all-around hilarious and hot
Ben Affleck
Movie: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The only clip we could find was in Spanish.)
Year: 1992
Age: 20
Role: Basketball player who shows up for a matter of seconds
Fate: Lives (Probably. It's unconfirmed.)
Since then: 2 Oscar wins
Kristen Stewart
Movie: Panic Room
Year: 2002
Age: 12
Role: Sarah Altman, one half of the mother-daughter combo stuck in a panic room
Fate: Lives, survives asthma attack
Since then: Became Bella Swan, Snow White, Joan Jett, GF of R.Pattz, perfecter of hair-flipping
Jennifer Lawrence
Movie: House at the End of the Street
Year: Filmed in 2010, released in 2012
Age: 20
Role: Elissa, heroine starting a new life with her mom who befriends the troubled boy in the house at the end of the street
Fate: Lives, starts a new life with her mom, again
Since then: 1 Oscar win, 1 more nomination, Mystique and Katiniss Everdeen
Taylor Kitsch
Movie: The Covenant
Year: 2006
Age: 25
Role: Pogue Perry, super hunky prep school student and member of the Sons of Ipswich warlock collective
Fate: Lives, wears a speedo in swim class
Since then: Tim. Riggins.
Charlize Theron
Movie: Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
Year: 1995
Age: 20
Role: Young woman (uncredited), child of the corn
Fate: Death by mutant corn stalk monster
Since then: 1 Oscar win, 1 nomination
Chris Hemsworth
Movie: The Cabin in the Woods
Year: Filmed in 2009, released in 2012
Age: 27
Role: Curt Vaughn, the hottie buff-guy friend
Fate: Dies third
Since then: Thor
Katee Sackhoff
Movie: Halloween: Resurrection
Year: 2002
Age: 22
Role: Jen, the wild child friend
Fate: Killed fourth, by decapitation
Since then: Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica and recently starred in Riddick
Matthew McConaughey
Movie: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Year: 1994
Age: 25
Role: Vilmer Slaughter, alpha male/head sadist of the Slaughter family
Fate: Death by plane propeller
Since then: Coming up in Martin Scorcese's The Wolf of Wall Street
Johnny Depp
Movie: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Year: 1984
Age: 21
Role: Glen Lantz
Fate: Dies after Freddy pulls him into a hell hole through his bed
Since then: 3 Oscar nominations
Keira Knightly
Movie: The Hole
Year: 2001
Age: 16
Role: Frankie Smith, boarding school girl
Fate: First to die
Since then: Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and (roughly) 1 million period pieces
Naomi Watts
Movie: Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering
Year: 1996
Age: 28
Role: Grace Rhodes, heroine who comes home to work in the local doctor's office only to find the town's children possessed by a demon force
Fate: Saves the day
Since then: 2 Oscar nominations
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Movie: Donnie Darko
Year: 2001
Age: 24
Role: Elizabeth Darko, sister of Donnie
Fate: Lives because Donnie sacrifices himself for the world
Since then: 2 Oscar nominations
Rooney Mara
Movie: A Nightmare on Elm Street (remake)
Year: 2010
Age: 25
Role: THE Nancy Holbrook, Final Girl/heroine and nemesis of Freddy Krueger
Fate: Lives
Since then: 1 Oscar nomination
Viggo Mortensen
Movie: Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3
Year: 1990
Age: 32
Role: Edie "Tex" Sawyer, murderous member of the infamous Sawyer clan
Fate: Death at the hands of the heroine, Michelle
Since then: Played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies
Michelle Williams
Movie: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Year: 1995
Age: 25
Role: Molly Cartwell, student at the boarding school presided over by an incognito Laurie Strode
Fate: Lives, tries to kill Michael
Since then: 3 Oscar nominations
Hilary Swank
Movie: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Year: 1992
Age: 18
Role: Kimberly, wack friend who jacks Buffy's swag, sells her out to vampires
Fate: Lives, gets knocked out by school principal
Since then: 2 Oscar wins
Paul Rudd (credited as Paul Stephen Rudd)
Movie: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Year: 1995
Age: 26
Role: Tommy Doyle, hero and all grown up version of the boy Laurie Strode babysat in the original Halloween
Fate: Lives, "kills" Michael Myers (who can't be killed)
Since then: Judd Apatow movie darling, coming up in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Michael Emerson
Movie: Saw
Year: 2004
Age: 50
Role: Zep Hindel, troubled man caught in Jigsaw's web
Fate: Beaten to death with toilet tank cover
Since then: Benjamin Linus on Lost
Liev Schreiber
Movie: Scream
Year: 1996
Age: 31
Role: Cotton Weary, acquitted for the murder of Maureen Prescott
Fate: Lives
Since then: Currently playing title role in Showtime series Ray Donovan
Kate Mara
Movie: Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Year: 2005
Age: 22
Role: Samantha Owens, heroine who solves the vengeful hauntings by the ghost of Mary Banner
Fate: Lives
Since then: Currently playing reporter Zoe Barnes in the acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards
Lucy Hale
Movie: Fear Island
Year: 2009
Age: 20
Role: Megan/Jenna, an underclassman who stows away to join the island getaway of a bunch of cool high school friends
Fate: Dies last by stabbing
Since then: Currently starring as Aria Montgomery on the hit ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars
Emily Mortimer
Movie: Scream 3
Year: 2000
Age: 29
Role: Angelina Tyler, plays Sidney Prescott in Stab 3, secretly slept her way to the part
Fate: Dies fifth, by stabbing
Since then: Currently starring in HBO's Aaron Sorkin show The Newsroom
Elizabeth Olson
Movie: Silent House
Year: 2011
Age: 22
Role: Sarah, terrorized heroine cleaning out her family's vacation home
Fate: Lives
Since then: Coming up in the English-language remake of Oldboy
Amber Heard
Movie: SideFX
Year: 2005
Age: 19
Role: Shay, a teenager caught up in the world of a medieval sex drug that turns users into bloodthirsty monsters
Fate: ?
Since then: Currently playing an agent undercover as a Texas beauty queen in Machete Kills
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