Some of the best Scream Kings to honor this Halloween
By Rachel Roth
13. Anton Yelchin
With his pale skin, angular face and charming presence, everything seemed better with Anton Yelchin in it. He had only been in a handful of horror movies before his passing but they were popular enough among critics and fans alike to enhance his presence and name within the genre.
With movies like Fright Night (2011) and Green Room (2015), Yelchin easily became a favorite among horror fans and he seemed tailored for creeping around dark rooms hunting monsters. He did not stick to just one type of horror but spread out to both comedy and suspense. At the age of twenty-seven, an age where many actors struggle to break big, there wasn’t anything Yelchin hadn’t already tried. He appeared in Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), Burying the Ex (2014), Odd Thomas (2013) and if you want to count psychological thrillers as horror then Thoroughbreds (2017) can also be added to that list as well.
Yelchin passed away June 19, 2016 after getting pinned underneath his car in his driveway. If he were still here, he’d be continuing to amaze us with his natural born acting talents and I’ve no doubt that there would have been many more unique horror films in his future.
12. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
They’re not really brothers but it would feel wrong separating them. The CW series Supernatural is where most people know them, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have been the monster hunting Winchester brothers for about 14 years now, and I’m positive that in fifty years they’ll be considered two of the most beloved horror actors that ever lived.
The series is the longest-running American live-action fantasy television show and has achieved a cult level fanbase. Though the series had more horror undertones in its earlier seasons, it still has enough ghouls and goblins to be watched on Halloween and its meta humor makes it all the more great.
Supernatural is a great series, but if Sam and Dean Winchester was the only horror role these two had done then I wouldn’t have bothered including them. Though Padalecki has taken up more residence in the genre than his onscreen brother, both have starred in their fair share of horror films. The remakes of House of Wax (2005) and Friday the 13th (2009) both starred Padalecki and he also had a supporting role in Cry Wolf (2005) and a cameo in 2007’s House of Fears.
Leading man Ackles tended to play the simple handsome guy in his earlier days and avoided gore but he still ended up playing the villain in My Bloody Valentine (2009) and starred in 2005’s Devour.