Before they found their place in the Hollywood sun, these stars cut their teeth in the riskiest genre.
For many, the starting point is horror.
Horror demands a large scope of emotional responses and physicality, pushing actors' skills far beyond simpler roles.
Jamie Lee Curtis in ‘Halloween’; John Travolta in ‘Carrie’; Anya Taylor-Joy in ‘The Witch’.Credit:Mary Evans/COMPASS INTERNATIONAL PICTURES/FALCON INTERNATIONAL PRODUC/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection; Everett; A24
Just 20 years old at the time, the actress plays an unnamed woman in the horror installment.
She aligns herself with the scientist as they fight a technologically advanced new form of parasite.
Two years after she played Gertie inE.T.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Harvey Scrimshaw in ‘The Witch’.A24
the Extra-Terrestrial, the 9-year-old Barrymore hit the big screen asFirestarter’s Charlene “Charlie” McGee.
The actress earned her first feature film credit for John Carpenter’sHalloween.
Then-19-year-old Curtis plays Laurie Strode, a teenager who is followed by a murderer who escaped from prison.
Charlize Theron in ‘Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest’.Buena Vista Pictures
The actor earned his first film credit as Glen in theWes Cravenhorror flick.
Depp plays the boyfriend ofHeather Langenkamp’s Nancy in the terrifying movie, fighting against Freddy Krueger.
He gets injured in a battle at the school involving alien parasites.
(From left to right) Freddy Moore, Cherie Currie, Luca Bercovici, Demi Moore, and Natalie May in ‘Parasite’.Everett
The young actress starred withTom Cruise,Brad Pitt,Christian Slater, andAntonio Banderasin the 1994 horror.
She appears as a little girl who gets bitten by a vampire and becomes one herself.
As Molly, the star runs away from the famed killer who was first introduced 20 years prior.
Drew Barrymore in ‘Firestarter’.Everett Collection
The then-rising star plays Grace inChildren of the Corn IV: The Gathering.
Released in the U.S. the following year, the spooky flick features a young Gosling as Kenny.
He plays a friend to Jamieson Boulanger’s Earl, a kid with dreams of living alongside monsters.
Elizabeth Olsen in ‘Silent House’.Everett Collection
The plot turns even spookier when her then-boyfriend tries to uncover the mystery of her disappearance.
The futureOrphan BlackandShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawstar plays a young girl named Ghost in the horror sequel.
She spends much of the film deceiving the werewolf-in-transition Brigitte as a part of an elaborate plot.
George Clooney in ‘Return to Horror High’.New World
Hanks plays a psychology student who gets brought into a group of friends who can’t escape a killer.
The future sitcom star plays Steve, an initial survivor of the zombie apocalypse.
Where to watchDawn of the Dead: Peacock
Jamie Lee Curtis in ‘Halloween’.Compass International Pictures/Getty
Jenna Ortega in ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’.FilmDistrict
Jennifer Aniston in ‘Leprechaun’.Everett
John Travolta in ‘Carrie’.Everett
Johnny Depp in ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’.New Line
The cast of ‘The Faculty’.Dimension Films/ Courtesy: Everett
Julia Roberts in ‘Flatliners’.Everett
Justin Long in ‘Jeepers Creepers’.United Artists/Courtesy Everett
Kevin Bacon in ‘Friday the 13th’.Everett
Kirsten Dunst and Tom Cruise in ‘Interview With the Vampire’.Francois Duhamel/Warner Bros.
Lisa Kudrow in ‘The Unborn’.Califilm
Michelle Williams in ‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later’.Everett
Mischa Barton in ‘The Sixth Sense’.Buena Vista
Naomi Watts in ‘Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering’.Buena Vista
Ryan Gosling and Jamieson Boulanger in ‘Frankenstein and Me’.Trimark
Sandra Bullock in ‘The Vanishing’.20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett
Tatiana Maslany in ‘Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed’.Lionsgate
Elizabeth Kemp and Tom Hanks in ‘He Knows You’re Alone’.Everett Collection
Ty Burrell in ‘Dawn of the Dead’.Michael Gibson/Universal Studios
