Welcome to Our Nightmares

George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Tom Hanks—many of today’s most celebrated actors began their careers on the sets of horror movies. However, the majority of performers in even the most popular horror films remain relatively unknown. This engaging collection of profiles introduces many of the actors behind the heroes, heroines, monsters and villains who have terrified and fascinated moviegoers around the world. From Michelle Argyris, who embodied a possessed college student in Devil Seed (2012), to Ian Whyte, the 7 foot tall former basketball player who portrayed one of cinema’s most iconic monsters in Aliens vs. Predator (2004), the profiles offer insight into how the actors prepared for and performed their roles. Longer essays explore the casts of renowned horror series, including Saw, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, providing a window into the world of horror filmmaking.

An award-winning journalist and lifelong wrestling fan, Jason Norman teaches college English in southeastern Virginia.

Jason Norman

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: 61 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7986-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1724-4
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
Michelle Argyris: Devil Seed 5
Blythe Auffarth: The Girl Next Door 7
Belinda Balaski 9
Tim Balme: Dead Alive 11
Ashley Bank: The Monster Squad 14
Michael Berryman: The Hills Have Eyes 17
Doug Bradley: The Hellraiser films 26
Jonathan Breck: Jeepers Creepers, Jeepers Creepers 2 33
Jamie Brewer and Naomi Grossman: American Horror Story 36
Stacy Chbosky: The Poughkeepsie Tapes 41
Noelle Coet: Mischief Night 44
Lora Cunningham: The Book of Eli 46
Fiona Dourif: Curse of Chucky 47
They Came from Elm Street! 50
Katie Featherston: Paranormal Activity 58
Hannah Fierman: V/H/S 68
Friday the 13th: Their Name Was Jason (Voorhees) 70
The Friday the 13th Family 80
Sid Haig 90
Celebrating Halloween! 93
Danielle Harris 99
Legend Alert: Rondo Hatton and The Creeper Films 104
Legend Alert: Jackie Joseph and The Little Shop of Horrors 107
Michael Karnow: Incident at Loch Ness 110
John Kassir: Tales from the Crypt 112
Camille Keaton: I Spit on Your Grave 114
Nick King: Sinister 117
Brandon Lee: The Crow 119
Michael Reid MacKay: Se7en 125
J. Mallory-McCree: Cloned: The Recreator Chronicles 128
Meet Some Massacre Men 129
Chris McGinn and Ted Levine: The Silence of the Lambs 136
Pollyanna McIntosh: Offspring and The Woman 139
Zoe Naylor: The Reef 145
Lyla Hay Owen: Interview with the Vampire 147
Katie Parker: Absentia 149
Elizabeth Pena: Jacob’s Ladder 151
Nick Principe: Chromeskull Films 153
Lorna Raver: Drag Me to Hell 157
Silje Reinåmo: Thale 160
Julianna Robinson: Wasting Away (Aaaah! Zombies!) 163
Felissa Rose: Sleepaway Camp 166
The Saw Films 169
Susan Swift: Audrey Rose 177
Pat Tallman: Night of the Living Dead 180
Tony Todd: Candyman films 183
Dee Wallace: The Howling, Cujo and The Frighteners 186
Virginia Welch: Prosecuting Casey Anthony 189
Ian Whyte: Aliens vs. Predator/Requiem 192
References 197
Index 203