Before many actors made it big, their first shot at the big screen came in a horror film. Some of our favorite actors who starred in some laughable excuses for horror movies have gone on to become some of the world-renowned actors of all time. However, watching them in such a raw state can be just as entertaining as a critically acclaimed film.
Here are 10 Celebrities whose big breaks came through the horror genre.
10. Brad Pitt
According to IMDb, the late ’80s horror film was Pitt’s first starring role in a feature film. However, this was not his introduction to the horror genre: he played a single episode in the spin-off show “Freddy’s Nightmen” of the “The Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise that same year.
9. Jennifer Aniston
Aniston’s first acting credits were in television shows that were promptly canceled in 1990. Three years later, he acted in his first film. At age 24, Aniston played Tori Redding in the comedy horror film Leprechaun. She expressed embarrassment over her role, saying, “There are so many movies where you’re thinking: ‘Oh my God, it’s just… how can I avoid this in my future?’ And then it’s a cult… ‘something’ that’s so embarrassing.” Aniston shared that she and Justin Theroux watched the movie together when they were dating, and it was hard to watch. As the leprechaun was for Jane, it led to her breakout role as Rachel in Friends for the next ten years.
8. Tom Hanks
The critically acclaimed actor had a long way to go before reaching success as an actor. Eight years before Hanks made his first big splash in 1988’s Big , his first role was in a horror slasher film. Titled He Knows You’re Alone, Hanks showed his charisma in a small role as a psychology college student named Elliot. The film has been cited as a Halloween knockoff, with many similarities to the classic horror series. The plot follows a woman who is targeted by a killer who targets soon-to-be brides the weekend before her wedding.
7. Hillary Swank
Long before she get fame in movies like “PS I Love You,” Hilary Swank starred in the 1992 original “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” She played the role of Kimberly in the series and did not gain much buzz from the role.
6. Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger was cast as Jenny in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre after she had a small role in Dazed and Confused in 1993. Both films were filmed in Texas, where Matthew and Renee were cast.
Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey worked together, Years before both took home Oscar gold, these two Lone Star State natives teamed up for 1995’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” the fourth entry in the gritty horror series. McConaughey played the aptly named Vilmer Slaughter, a maniacal backwoods murderer pursuing a group of teenagers, including Zellweger’s Jenny.
5. Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette’s first film role was in 1987 as Kristen Parker in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and More. Patricia Arquette appeared in the threequel to the original “Nightmare on Elms Street” film. She played Kristen Parker and while the film may not be remembered all that much nowadays, Arquette’s performance kickstarted her career.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio
Even Leo got off to a rough start. Before breaking box office records in “Titanic,” working with A-listers like Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan, and winning an Oscar for “The Revenant,” DiCaprio made his film debut in low-budget creature feature sequels. In “Critters 3” 1991. He would soon describe the character as “your average, no-depth, standard kid with blonde hair.”
3. Jack Black
Jack known for hit films like “School of Rock,” Jack Black appeared in “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” (1998). Although he delivered a decent performance, the film remains a forgettable sequel to a ’90s slasher.
2. Paul Rudd
Many of us first met Rudd in the comedy classic “Clueless,” but the future “Ant-Man” actually filmed his second 1995 feature before: “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.” In the sixth installment of the franchise, Rudd plays an adult version of Tommy Doyle, the boy who was played by Michael Myers in the original “Halloween”.
1. George Clooney
The year was 1987, and Clooney had yet to wow us with his irreverent charm and Oscar-winning acting skills. The A-list-in-the-making was busy playing the doomed actor Oliver, who is dressed as a police officer during a high school murder spree.
