Actors-Turned-Horror Icons

Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, Jason Voorhees. These disfigured bogeymen of the silver screen are forever etched into our collective conscious. Should we give that credit to their indelible image or the men behind the makeup?

Most people seem to gravitate toward the appearance of the bogeymen themselves. Take veteran horror actor Mike Christopher, who has attracted hordes of fans from his appearance as the Hare Krishna zombie in the 1978 classic "Dawn of the Dead." Although Christopher only occupies a few frames of the film, his presence has left an indelible mark on movie lovers.

Weighing in on the subject via e-mail, Christopher said, "Obviously, the most critical element originates with the vision of the person writing the story. That said, the interplay between the filmmaker, the makeup artist and, of course, the actor behind the mask is what brings the original vision to life, and that interplay is critical to the ultimate success of the film.”

Despite this collaborative effort, more people seem to be interested in an actor like Christopher than, say, someone who played a cop in "Die Hard." In horror, more so than in any other genre, there is no role too small. Perhaps that is because horror actors have the ability to become instantly iconic images. The horror genre involves the most literal form of acting — inhabiting the actual body of another character … or creature.

Perhaps people flock around folks like Christopher at horror conventions because they, too, aspire to be icons.

Christopher agreed, saying, “I think the majority of people have a desire to become pieces of graphic art. It seems that being a model on a billboard ad or even a cop in a film like ‘Die Even Harder Than the First or Second Time You Died Hard’ would be something which would appeal to people. I am constantly amazed at the numbers of undead hordes which appear in full costume for a zombie walk like the ones orchestrated by the Deadite Empire at the opening of the Spooky Empire Convention in Orlando every October. There is a special allure which drives horror fans to emulate the genre characters from their own perspective.”

If these fans want to become horror icons, they should realize that these actors are not mere mannequins brought to life by makeup and costumes. Heavy acting also goes into playing a character like the razor-fingered child killer Freddy Krueger.

In his memoir, “Hollywood Monster,” actor Robert Englund details the inspiration behind his performance as Freddy.

“Here I was approaching forty, playing a monster who barely had any dialogue … and feeling completely envious of my young co-stars. I realized I could use this envy. No, Freddy could use it. I could take my jealousy and resentment of their youth, beauty, and potential and give it to my character. In my new interpretation, Freddy hated kids because they represent the future, something he’d never have.”

See, a little thought does go into the portrayal of a bogeyman ... even if that character doesn't have much of a brain left.

Delivering physical, and metaphysical, performances, horror actors are comparable to silent film stars. Watching their portrayals is like witnessing a magic act. Unfortunately, the age of the bogeyman seems to be over, with horror films now focusing more on violence itself (torture porn). I think I speak for all the horror fans out there when I say I miss the days of Lon Chaney and Robert Englund.