Horror is all about women. But some guys have made an unforgettable imprint too.
Here at Men’s Health we’re all about feeling alive. And is there any genre of entertainment that helps anyone feel more alive than the one where the threat of someone being knocked off is always right in front of you? We love horror, and we’re celebrating it this year with MH Horror Week. The following story is part of a collection we’ve curated celebrating some of our favorite films, TV shows, filmmakers, and performers in the genre. We hope you enjoy—and maybe find a few new scares along the way too.
WHEN A TERM is so recognizable that it becomes the title of a (fairly underrated!) Ryan Murphy show, well, it’s got to mean something. The words “Scream Queen” are as synonymous with the horror genre as “slasher” and “murder.” And rightly so—it’s a genre that has historically found success in putting women at the center of its stories, and whether it’s classics like Janet Leigh in Psycho, her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, or modern selections like Mia Goth in X or Jenna Ortega in, well, just about everything in the year 2022, the ladies in Horror help keep the genre afloat. But we’re Men’s Health—and there are some dudes carrying their weight in scary stories too. That’s why today we want to talk about some of our favorite Scream Kings.
Scream Kings? Yes, Scream Kings. Does it rhyme? No. But, again, Scream Queens. That’s the term—you know what we’re talking about. And just like “Scream Queen” isn’t exclusively limited to the protagonist of the story, Scream King isn’t either. Sometimes we’ve got someone like Sam Raimi’s muse, Bruce Campbell, who just anchors a franchise like the genre greats; Campbell is to The Evil Dead what Jamie Lee Curtis is to Halloween and what Neve Campbell is to Scream.
But sometimes we’ve got villains too. Robert Englund’s single-episode appearance in Stranger Things 4 wasn’t legendary because everyone loved his in-universe character, Victor Creel. It was because we know that we’re seeing Freddy Kreuger himself in the world of Stranger Things 4, a wonderfully-executed and well-made season of TV that owed just about everything to A Nightmare on Elm Street coming before it.
The horror genre is filled with these sorts of performers. Everyone from Bill Skarsgard and Oliver Jackson-Cohen to Bela Lugosi have spots on the list—and well deserved ones at that. We rounded up some of our favorite dudes in horror, and did our best to break down just how important they’ve been to the growth of a bloody great film genre.
Is there anyone better? Campbell is the muse of Sam Raimi—one of our true past, present, and future masters of horror—and has appeared in just about all of his films. That means memorable cameos in superhero fare like his Spider-Man trilogy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but more importantly, for our purposes, it means playing Ash Williams in the Evil Dead series. Starting as just a regular dude in The Evil Dead, going full badass in the quasi-remake sequel Evil Dead 2 and getting a chainsaw where his hand once was, and eventually becoming a totally unhinged horror comedy hero in Army of Darkness (where he shows off chops that prove in another timeline he could’ve had a Jim Carrey career). Campbell reprised that role again in the little-seen but much-loved Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead—and he’s the poster child for the Scream King Final Boy who fights back. —Evan Romano
It’s hard to overstate the impact that Jordan Peele’s Get Out had on the movie landscape in 2017, creating a whole new cultural shorthand with terms like “the Sunken Place” and launching a spate of pale imitations. This was in no small part due to the compelling central performance by Daniel Kaluuya, who is in almost every single frame of the movie and on whose emotional journey the entire story hinges. The trailer for Get Out gave away next to nothing about the film’s story, but a single haunting shot of his terrified, tear-filled eyes was all Peele needed to get audiences into theaters. Kaluuya worked with Peele again on this year’s Nope, this time turning his expressiveness all the way down and delivering a subtle, nuanced turn which provides a stark contrast with how each of Peele’s movies seem to get bigger and more ambitious in scale. (And not for nothing, he’s also horror villain levels of unnerving as mob enforcer Jatemme Manning in the crime drama Widows.) —Philip Ellis
Skarsgard has made horror movies something of his trade mark; obviously, playing Pennywise in both IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two goes a long way, but we must also mention the length that his long, sharp features go in roles in Villains, Barbarian, and the Stephen King Hulu series Castle Rock. The man just fits in horror worlds, and that’s basically all there is to it. Even his role in Eternals (unfortunately one of the worst movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as a villainous Deviant named Kro is super creepy. Next up? Just a role in Robert Eggers’ (The VVitch, The Lighthouse) remake of the legendary vampire tale of Nosferatu. —ER
Between operating with a possessed limb and dodging Death’s hot pursuit, Devon Sawa rightfully earned his “Scream King” title with just two horror projects in his filmography by the early 2000s. While he did go on to do a couple more spooky independent projects (that he’d probably rather forget, and that you probably haven’t heard of anyway), he’s made a blood-soaked splash back into the genre with a recurring role on SyFy/USA/Peacock’s Chucky series. It doesn’t even matter that the two different roles he played—spoiler alert!—met their maker in brutal fashions, as the 40-something actor made such a strong impression that creator Don Mancini invited him back for another go-around in Season 2. This time he’s playing a glasses-wearing Catholic school headmaster, but we’ll place bets that even a religious background won’t keep a certain red-headed doll from taking out this horror royalty. We’ll see you in Season 3, Dev. —Sean Abrams
One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…
Englund is best known for his role in the Nightmare on Elm Street films as the one and only dream-infiltrating maniac-slash-amateur-comedian Freddy Kreueg. And what a role it is! Englund dons the gloves, the make-up, and the striped sweater and plays someone who, really, no one else can play (Jackie Earle Haley gave it a one-and-done try in 2010). But that’t not all! Think about his turn in Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, playing about type as a slasher hero. Or his role in Stranger Things where he got to be an older man who stabbed his own eyes out. Or, perhaps most interestingly, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, where he got to not only play a version of Freddy Kreuger, but also got to play a kind and caring version of himself. Englund is horror royalty for good reason. —ER
He’s Dracula! And Ygor in Son of Franksenstein! Lugosi is iconic without question. But what might be most interesting and impressive about Lugosi is his story. As a Hungarian immigrant to the United States, he found a career for himself doing what many kids of the era probably dreamed of doing: acting in monster movies. But when times got rough—he got a reputation for a burgeoning drug addiction and the parts dried up—he ended up linking up with Ed Wood, appearing after his death in Plan 9 From Outer Space, often claimed as the worst film ever made. Was it? Who’s to say. But this supernatural legend had a career unlike any other. —ER
If you’re looking for a classic, universal kind of Scream King, look no further than Mr. Kyle Gallner, who’s done just about everything in the genre. Emo kid who gets mowed down in Megan Fox’s bloodthirsty Jennifer’s Body path? Yup! A confused kid taking on (essentially) the Westboro Baptist Church in Red State? You bet. One of the leads in the Nightmare on Elm Street remake? Some may want to forget about that one, but it happened nonetheless. Gallner has kept his Horror streak going even into the present day; in 2022’s new Scream installment, he plays an absolute scumbag named Vince, and he plays Joel, a pragmatic voice of reason to Sosie Bacon’s spiraling Dr. Rose, in the surprise hit Smile. If you see this guy in your horror movie, know you’re seeing someone who’s been down this road many times before. —ER
We’re lumping these two together because, well, it’s really only based on one role (for each of them) in one very specific movie: Scream (Though Mr. Lillard certainly gets quite a few bonus points for his expert portrayal of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo films as well).
What makes Scream such a classic is how perfectly director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson manage to blend so many genres that people really, truly, love: horror, yes, but also teen comedy and whodunit as well. And—spoiler!—once Scream gets down to business with resolving that last part, this duo really starts to eat. Ulrich’s brooding boyfriend and Lillard’s goofball (His reading of “I’Ll bE RiGhT BaCk!!” will never not be in my head) are outrageously fun, but when they go full vicious evil murderer in the movie’s third act is when they truly become Kings. —ER
But horror isn’t all about the villains, right? David Arquette played Dewey Riley in five Scream movies, proving that you can be a bumbling, inept law enforcement officer most of the time, and fans will still love you if you’re a halfway decent guy. Dewey gets stabbed so much that it’s a miracle he survives as often as he does—but that’s half the charm, right? Plus, he nabs himself a nice relationship with Gale Weathers, so good for him, right? Arquette has shown his chops off in other horror movies, like 2020’s Spree (more on that in a bit), but it’s his role as Dewey that mostly lands him on this list. —ER
We could’ve gone a lot of different directions when looking at the gang from Stranger Things, and Finn Wolfhard (in IT, Ghostbusters:Afterlife, and The Addams Family in addition to playing Mike Wheeler) certainly gave a run for his money. But how can we not go with Joe Keery, whose Steve Harrington is one of the most impressive creations in modern horror? Steve was already a fan favorite because of his transformation from jerk to sociable babysitter, but in the show’s Season 4—which easily seems like the biggest of the bunch—Steve essentially became the Stranger Things version of another name on this list: Bruce Campbell. Steve fought off demons, beat others with weapons, and walked around all season long looking damn cool doing so. But we also can’t forget Spree, the horror thriller that saw Keery play an Uber driver who’s essentially a Patrick Bateman for the new age—just one desperate for any sort of viral internet fame. —ER
When trying to pick someone from the Mike Flanagan-verse (the man has a horror resume on both film and television for days, just check out his IMDB), we could’ve gone with any number of his favorite actors: Rahul Kohli, Hamish Linklater (who gave one of the all-time great horror TV performances in Midnight Mass), and Zach Gilford come to mind among others. But we had to go with Henry Thomas, who, after first rising to fame as a child star playing Eliott in E.T., has reinvented himself as one of Flanagan’s most frequent collaborators and good luck charms. Could anyone else play someone with the level of hurt that this guy does in things like Midnight Mass or The Haunting of Bly Manor? Could anyone else step into Jack Nicholson shoes for a short-but-unforgettable role in Doctor Sleep? We’ve reached the point where if there’s a Mike Flanagan thing, you’re expecting to see Henry Thomas at some point. And how lucky we are. —ER
How can you not root for a gorgeous man like Oliver Jackson-Cohen? Like, who is lucky enough to wake up in the morning and have a face looking like that? Not many people. And who needs a butcher knife when you’ve got a jawline and those piercing blue-ish/green eyes to use as weapons? When we first met the actor in Mike Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House, we deeply sympathized with his character’s struggling addiction (while he also dealt with an estate full of spirits). By Bly Manor, his prick-ish behavior didn’t leave much to be desired, but hey, crazy things do down when your heart’s involved. But it’s his ability to torment and gaslight Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man whre he was at his most terrifying. The guy’s literally unseen for 2/3 of the film, rumored to be dead by suicide, yet he manages to leave us feeling both unsettled and unprotected even when his 6’3 frame isn’t visible to the naked eye. Even though he looks like he could be cast as a Marvel superhero, there’s just something about his presence in the horror genre—more so as a deceitful villain, not the world-saving hero—that suits him so, so well. —SA
Tony Todd reportedly campaigned to be cast as the titular villain in Candyman, saying: “I’ve always wanted to find my own personal Phantom of the Opera.” It’s safe to say that Todd’s unsettling performance in the 1992 movie and its sequels cemented the Candyman as an iconic figure in the horror genre and pop culture at large, and he brought that terrifying creation to a brand new generation in 2021’s soft reboot of the franchise. Not content with just one phenomenon of a horror hit, Todd also portrayed the mortician William Bludworth in the Final Destination movies, where his unmistakable 6’5 frame, deep voice and gleefully sinister delivery led many fans to speculate that far from being a slightly creepy expository device, he was actually the Grim Reaper himself. —PE
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
Sean Abrams is the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.
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