Happy Goat Horror

Dark bleatings, my lovely tribe. Last month I spent a lot of time thinking about my Favourite Unconventional Scream Queens, which got me to thinking about who I think of as Scream Kings. I think any regular parameters for this are already out the window as there isn’t really such thing as a “Final Guy” to base this character trope on, so I’ve just gone with my gut and my own extreme bias.

Before we dive into the list, a few honourable mentions. Kiefer Sutherland and Kurt Russell, of course, deserve to be noted, but they’re not in my proper list because I haven’t seen much in the way of their horror roles. Thomas Jane is another favourite who hasn’t quite made the list for the same reason. A lesser known but excellent actor I’m obsessed with is Chris Coy, this dude right here…

I know him for his roles in The Walking Dead, True Blood, and Castle Rock, none of which he was the star of, but he was fantastic and left an impression on me for all of them. I never hear people talk about him and wanted to praise him here for a moment.

Now on to the list, in no particular order.

Justin Long

I know I’m not alone in this opinion as I often see people online crowning Justin Long a Scream King. He’s a diverse actor that brings so much personality to every and any role, from Jeepers Creepers (classic Scream King role, that), Drag Me to Hell, and Barbarian. The latter is one of my favourites of his performances because that character is a piece of shit, and the way he plays him feels so real that in a film where I was hoping like hell that all would survive, I found myself feeling quite the opposite way about him.

Matthew Lillard

I love Matthew Lillard with the fire of a thousand suns, and have been convinced for years that he is seriously underrated. People love his movies but I honestly don’t think he gets the credit for his talent and skill as an actor that he deserves. Scream provides absolute Lillard gold, but I became convinced that he’s so much better than his (already awesome) roles because of his performance in 13 Ghosts. That film might be a bit corny but his performance in it is phenomenal.

Daniel Kaluuya

I believe I first saw Daniel in an episode of the first season of Black Mirror, and all these seasons later, his performance in it is the most memorable of the entire show. Well, almost….but we’ll get to the other one a bit further in this list. Obviously, his role in Get Out is what thoroughly sealed the deal for me though. The suspicious and slightly sassy lens that his character views his experience through is such an enjoyable watch, and his performance perfectly straddled the line between the plot being chilling and almost hilarious. Tonally, I felt like it was him that carried us through the story so that we could be thoroughly entertained but also take it seriously enough to be pretty disturbed.

William Sadler

I can’t put my finger on what quality William Sadler has that has kept me so obsessed with him for at least twenty years, but I just absolutely adore him. I first saw him in Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (if you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out on a whole world of fun). He’s the yin to Billy Zane’s psychotic yang. He also gives my favourite performance of the whole (brilliant) cast in The Mist. In fact, it’s one of my favourite portrayals ever, in general. William gives the most convincing performance of absolute, unhinged, “I will never recover” terror that I’ve ever seen when he encounters the spiders in the pharmacy. The sound that comes out of him when he starts screaming alone! Love love love him.

Denis O’Hare

Most that recognise Denis probably know him from various seasons of American Horror Story, most notably I think for his role in Hotel. I think he’s one of the stand out actors in the cast that deserves as much praise as the likes of Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. However, I think he gives his best, most entertaining, and terrifying performance as Russell Edgington in True Blood. Even by vampire standards, this dude is totally unhinged and so savage. His entrance into the show brought with it a carnage that, despite all the regular carnage, really dialled it up a few notches and rocked not just the stability of Sookie’s world, but the entire world. Fantastic.

Rahul Kohli

I’m sorry but why isn’t everyone in the entire world as in love with Rahul Kohli as I am?! He first caught my attention in iZombie, a fabulous show if you haven’t seen it. More recently, he’s been in almost all of the Mike Flanagan. The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Fall of the House of Usher, and – my favourite show and my favourite of his roles so far – Midnight Mass. He plays every role with such nuance and steals every scene he’s in.

Josh Hartnett

If I’m not mistaken, I think I first saw Josh in a millennial teen favourite, The Faculty, as a bad boy turned group leader under siege by body-snatched teachers. He gives a layered, sensitive, and interesting performance in an episode of Black Mirror (alongside Aaron Paul, and this episode had my jaw on the floor at the end). But it’s Ebon in 30 Days of Night that makes him such a favourite. I think he portrays one of the best horror movie protagonists of all time, and this is one of my favourite horror films so it’s a double win for me.

Tony Todd

Need I even justify or explain this one? A recurring, surprisingly interesting role in the Final Destination series, the lead in Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead (which I don’t like as much as the original but like it much more than expected), and – obviously – Candyman. He’s an absolute legend with a serious amount of charisma and presence.

Caleb Landry Jones

I think Caleb is probably the most underrated actor on this list, and I feel very strongly that more people acknowledge his awesomeness! He’s great in Get Out as Rose’s clearly unhinged and very unpredictable brother. What I really loved him in though was The Last Exorcism. For those not in the know, this is a found footage possession horror movie about a former preacher and exorcist who regrets scamming money out of people, so sets about making a film proving that exorcisms are fake. The family he visits, however, might not be merely delusional about what’s happening. Caleb plays the brother of the allegedly possessed girl, and he’s marvellous. He’s subtle but bursting with personality and opinions at the same time, which I think might be harder to pull off in this format, given the “fly on the wall” nature of it.

Bill Skarsgard

Bill Skarsgard – the perfect character villain and, as it turns out, a very convincing sweet, lovable, unfortunate victim. Following in Tim Curry’s footsteps to play Pennywise must have been nerve-wracking, and I loved what he did with the role. He opted for a sharper edge and a generally creepier demeanour, and played the character so differently that he made it his own. On the other end of the scale, he is just so cute and perfect in Barbarian (a woman gets to her Air BnB in a rough neighbourhood, only to find it’s been double-booked and Bill’s character is already staying there). For a guy with such an imposing physical presence, I couldn’t believe how cuddly and lovely he was.

Bill Paxton

And finally, my very favourite Bill, and though the rest of this list isn’t in ranked order, he’s my Ultimate Scream King. His role as Hudson in Aliens is, to use a very overused but totally necessary word, iconic. One of my favourite characters of all time that seems like the weaker link on account of his hilarious whining, but proves he is in fact a tough-as-balls space marine with his relentless bravado in his final moments. He also plays my favourite savage vampire, in my favourite vampire film, which is Near Dark. Severen is part of a roaming band of mean-spirited vampires, and he’s particularly nasty (and awesome). RIP Bill, but long live the (Scream) King!

I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions, so please share them with me!

Bleeeeat!