Although it’s a genre that is too often disrespected, horror films are steadily beginning to be treated with more prestige thanks to some extraordinary examples in recent years that show how flexible they can be. Not only did horror films like Black Swan, Get Out, and The Substance get Academy Award recognition, but they managed to get their stars nominated for acting prizes. In an era where the box office is often filled with disappointments, horror might be the only reliable genre.
Even the worst films can feature stellar performances, as great actors can elevate weak material. Although acting isn’t often the first aspect of filmmaking that comes to mind when thinking about horror cinema, a film can’t properly terrify its audience if it doesn’t have compelling characters, both good and bad. Here are ten bad horror films that have good performances.
10
‘End of Days’ (1999)
End of Days was a disappointing end to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s legendary run of ‘90s blockbusters, which included all-time classics like Total Recall and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Although Schwarzenegger’s films tended to be more upbeat and fun, End of Days was a darker take on a contemporary dark fantasy story in which he faced off with a version of the literal devil, played by the great Gabriel Byrne.
Schwarzenegger is surprisingly vulnerable and compelling in End of Days, as he allowed himself to be a deeply wounded character, whilst also acknowledging that he had aged since the days in which he first broke out as an action star. Byrne, best known for his more subtle performances in The Usual Suspects and Miller’s Crossing, appears to be having a blast as a scenery-chewing, delightfully evil villain who finds sick pleasure in tormenting others.
9
‘The Curse of La Llorona’ (2019)
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The Curse of La Llorona is one of the worst spinoffs of The Conjuring franchise, as it was clearly just a means of using the name of the property to elevate a cheaply made horror film that wouldn’t otherwise get any attention. Although The Curse of La Llorona often feels like a dull rendition of what James Wan did much better in his first two films, it does feature an extraordinary performance from Linda Cardellini which elevates it as a viewing experience.
Cardellini is an underrated actress who has rarely been offered the chance to play a lead role, and The Curse of La Llorona took advantage of the potential she teased upon her brief appearances on Mad Men. Given that the film analyzed the impact of family secrets and heritage, Cardellini’s role as a mother striving to protect her children from the darkness that surrounded them couldn’t have felt more powerful.
8
‘MaXXXine’ (2024)
MaXXXine was a major letdown when compared to X and Pearl, the two previous films in Ti West’s unusual horror trilogy starring Mia Goth. Although there were some fun homages to the ‘80s films of Brian De Palma, MaXXXine lacked the satirical edge of its predecessors, and committed to a few eyeroll-inducing plot twists that denied it any dramatic suspense.
That being said, Goth is better than ever as an evolved version of her character from X, who has survived being nearly killed by Pearl and her husband, and now aspired to be taken seriously as an actress when she tries to make it in Hollywood of the ‘80s. MaXXXine also features a fun appearance by Kevin Bacon as a creepy villain, as well as Elizabeth Debicki as an ambitious film producer who helps to take Maxine under her wing.
7
‘Alien: Resurrection’ (1997)
Alien: Resurrection is the weakest of the original run of Alien movies, because director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and screenwriter Joss Whedon clearly weren’t on the same page as to what the tone of the film should be. It’s also completely unnecessary, as Alien: Resurrection retcons what would have otherwise been a fairly satisfying ending in Alien 3.
However, Sigourney Weaver is as good as she’s ever been as an older, more jaded version of Ripley who is somewhat shocked and infuriated that she is once again being preyed upon by a sinister corporation keen to take advantage of her knowledge of the Xenomorphs. The film also features a great performance by Winona Ryder as Ripley’s younger protege; has Alien: Resurrection been a bigger success, it’s easy to imagine the series moving forward with Ryder replacing Weaver as the franchise’s central protagonist.
6
‘It: Chapter Two’ (2019)
It: Chapter Two was almost an expected disappointment, as Stephen King’s beloved dark fantasy novel is known for having a disappointing second half that shows the adult version of the “Loser’s Club.” The notion of a villain like Pennywise (Bill Skarsgaard) who represents primal fear is simply more effective when he is threatening children in the midst of their own coming-of-age story.
It: Chapter Two still did a great job at casting the adult version of the Loser’s Club, who had just as excellent of chemistry as their younger counterparts did. Although James McAvoy gave a heartbreaking performance that showed how Bill had been recovering from trauma for the past 27 years, Bill Hader delivered an outstanding dramatic performance that revealed an interiority not previously seen in the character of Ritchie, which made the film’s tragic ending even more emotionally heartwrenching.
5
‘HIM’ (2025)
HIM has been singled out as one of the biggest disasters of 2025, and it’s easy to see why. While the concept of football recruitment and training is brilliant in theory, Him barely takes the time to flesh out its world, and often includes grotesque and upsetting imagery for the sake of shock value.
While the film ultimately has very little to say and can’t justify its most provocative moments, Him features an outstanding breakout performance from Tyriq Withers, who is just so charismatic that it’s easy to ignore some of the obvious faults in the story because he is a compelling protagonist. It also featured a creepy, genuinely disturbing performance by Marlon Wayans, who gives the single best dramatic performance of his career since his traumatizing role in the Darren Aronofsky addiction film Requiem For A Dream 25 years ago.
4
‘Wolf Man’ (2025)
Wolf Man was a major disappointment when considering its creative talent, as Leigh Whannell had helped to reboot another classic Universal monsters property with his remake of The Invisible Man. Unfortunately, there’s not much that a new Wolf Man film can do that hasn’t been done better and in more interesting ways by other werewolf stories; it also doesn’t help that the film isn’t nearly as scary and intense as the marketing made it out to be.
Christopher Abbott is nonetheless phenomenal in playing a character who is consumed by fear that he’ll be reliving the same trauma he endured from his father, which draws him to elude that legacy. Whilst given an underwritten part that was not worthy of an actress of her caliber, Julia Garner is also excellent, particularly when she and Abbott are in domestic scenes together.
3
‘The Dead Don’t Die’ (2019)
The Dead Don’t Die is proof that Jim Jarmusch can’t do everything, even if he is responsible for some of the most unique and rewatchable cult films of the past several decades. The Dead Don’t Die pushes its meta, fourth-wall breaking humor to the point that it just becomes obnoxious, as the self-referential jokes make it hard to take anything that is going on seriously.
The Dead Don’t Die nonetheless features performances by a cast that seems to understand what the tone of the film theoretically should be, and managed to deliver Jarmusch’s blunt dialogue to the best of their abilities. Adam Driver has been better in other Jarmusch films, such as Paterson and Father Mother Sister Brother, but he’s still perfectly suited for the unique filmmaker’s stylistic mannerisms. The film also was the first to indicate that Austin Butler was someone worth watching out for.
2
‘Nomads’ (1986)
Nomads is one of the most bizarre horror movies of the ‘80s and would have likely been forgotten if it was not for its director; John McTiernan managed to survive the disaster that was Nomad to make five of the greatest action films of all-time with Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt For Red October, Last Action Hero, and Die Hard With A Vengeance.
Nomads is also memorable because of its lead performance by Pierce Brosnan, who had already begun to attract the attention of the James Bond franchise producers because of his work on Remington Steele. While Brosnan isn’t quite believable as a French anthropologist, he’s making the type of unusual and unwitting performative choices that make Nomads way more interesting than it would have been had he chosen to play it completely straight and without any hint of irony.
1
‘Village of the Damned’ (1995)
Village of the Damned is among the few John Carpenter films that is a true misfire, as even outside of his ten accepted masterpieces, most of his other efforts are at least somewhat interesting. Village of the Damned is a remake that doesn’t seem to have any reason to exist, as there isn’t anything substantially different that would differentiate it from the original classic.
Village of the Damned nonetheless featured one of the last great performances by Christopher Reeve before his career was cut short by a tragic accident. It also featured a remarkably creeply performance by Mark Hamill, who was able to be just as sinister and evil in a live-action role as he had proven to be with his work on animated shows like Batman: The Animated Series, in which he became one of the definitive versions of the Joker.
Village of the Damned
- Release Date
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April 28, 1995
- Runtime
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99 minutes
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Christopher Reeve
Dr. Alan Chaffee
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Kirstie Alley
Dr. Susan Verner
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Linda Kozlowski
Jill McGowan
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Michael Paré
Frank McGowan
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