Mia Goth has quickly become one of the defining horror actresses of her generation. As Pearl in X and Pearl, she shifts between frail old age and youthful desperation, but in both forms she’s terrifying. Her wide-eyed intensity makes every smile feel dangerous, every word edged with menace. It’s no wonder Ti West built a whole franchise around her. | © A24
Bradley Whitford is disturbingly good in Get Out as Dean Armitage. He first comes across as a friendly, talkative father figure, but that warmth is only a mask. Beneath it lies a man who casually justifies horrifying acts of racism. The mix of charm and cruelty makes him one of the film’s creepiest characters. | © Netflix
Samantha Sloyan left a lasting mark on Midnight Mass as Bev Keane, the town’s pious zealot. With her sharp gaze and rigid sense of righteousness, she embodies the kind of believer who twists faith into something frightening. As the town succumbs to its vampire plague, Bev only grows more unhinged. Sloyan makes her both believable and terrifying, turning her into one of the show’s most chilling figures. | © Netflix
Skeet Ulrich brought real menace to the first Scream as Billy Loomis. At first, he plays the part of a caring boyfriend, but it doesn’t take long for the cracks to show. His reveal as the killer, and the one who murdered Sidney’s mother, is still one of the franchise’s scariest moments. Ulrich made Billy both charming and terrifying, cementing him as one of horror’s creepiest villains. | © Miramax Films
Brad Dourif has played plenty of creepy roles, but his Wormtongue in The Two Towers really stands out. With stringy hair, a whispery voice, and that unsettling stare, he nails the part of the scheming advisor. Wormtongue manages to spread plenty of poison in Rohan before he’s cast out, and Dourif makes him impossible to forget. | © New Line Cinema
Peter Stormare is unforgettable in Fargo as Gaear Grimsrud, a killer who barely shows any emotion. His calm, almost empty stare makes every violent act feel even colder. Paired with Steve Buscemi’s nervous energy, his stillness is deeply unsettling. Stormare turned Grimsrud into one of the creepiest figures in the Coen Brothers’ world. | © Universal Studios
In The Silence of the Lambs, Ted Levine makes Buffalo Bill one of the creepiest villains ever put on screen. His flat, almost emotionless delivery makes the character’s violence even harder to watch. The twisted psychology driving him is clear in every scene. And his strange attachment to his dog makes the role all the more unsettling. | © Orion Pictures
Matt Damon turned his clean-cut image upside down in The Talented Mr. Ripley. His character worms his way into the lives of others, using charm to cover up darker intentions. The need to belong quickly becomes dangerous, and those who notice it often pay the price. Damon’s mix of boyish looks and quiet menace makes the role especially creepy. | © Paramount Pictures
Mads Mikkelsen had the tough task of stepping into Hannibal Lecter’s shoes, and he made the role his own. His version is elegant and magnetic, but there’s always the reminder that beneath the charm is a cold-blooded killer. That mix of sophistication and brutality keeps the audience off balance. It’s exactly what makes his Lecter so disturbing to watch. | © NBC
Javier Bardem is flat-out terrifying as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. From the first moment, there’s a cold stillness to him that makes every scene uneasy. Each meeting with him feels like a gamble between life and death. His calm, detached cruelty turned Chigurh into one of the most unsettling villains ever put on screen. | © Paramount Pictures
Joaquin Phoenix brought real menace to Gladiator as the unhinged emperor Commodus. His jealousy and cruelty drive the story, and Phoenix makes every moment feel dangerous. What could have been a cartoonish villain turns into something far scarier, a broken man with absolute power. That mix of fragility and madness makes Commodus one of his creepiest roles. | © DreamWorks Animation
Evan Peters has built a career on eerie roles, especially in American Horror Story. His turn as Jeffrey Dahmer in Monster pushed that even further, showing him as a predator without softening the horror of his crimes. Peters sinks so deeply into the role that it feels less like acting and more like watching the real thing. That total immersion is exactly what makes his performance so disturbing. | © Netflix
Kathy Bates is a celebrated actress, but she’s at her creepiest in Misery. As Annie Wilkes, she plays a nurse whose cheerful devotion to her favorite author twists into obsession and violence. Bates nails every shift from warm caretaker to terrifying captor. The performance was so chilling that it earned her an Academy Award. | © MGM
Barry Keoghan has a knack for characters who throw everything off balance. In Saltburn, his Oliver Quick worms his way into a wealthy family’s life and leaves ruin in his wake. There’s something off about him from the start, and it only gets darker as the story unfolds. His sharp features and chameleon-like presence make him both magnetic and deeply unsettling. | © MUBI
Willem Dafoe has a face and presence that make him perfect for unsettling roles. As Norman Osborn in Spider-Man, he delivered a performance that was both theatrical and genuinely frightening. His grin alone could turn a simple line into something menacing. Few actors can channel that kind of chaotic, creepy energy so naturally. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
Some actors just have a gift for getting under your skin. Whether it’s a chilling stare, an unsettling charm, or the way they twist a character into something darker, they leave you uneasy every time they’re on screen. Here are 15 actors who are the absolute best at being creepy.
