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Top 20 Movie Cameos

Serena Whitney — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:17:42 +0000

The Top 20 Greatest Cameos in Horror

I thought it be time to write a list about the genre I cherish the most, which is of course the horror genre. There are many things to appreciate about the genre such as scares, jumps and gratuitous nudity; however one of the rare treats in the genre is the random cameo that appears out of nowhere. Sometimes these surprise cameos invoke cheers and sometimes they invoke uncontrollable laughter, but either way it is most definitely appreciated in the genre. (Unless of course we’re talking about Gary Busey’s chicken-f*cking cameo in the god awful A Crack in the Floor. Good Lord!) Here is a list of my favorite cameos in horror! Hope you enjoy the list and feel free to comment on your own fave cameos as well!

20. William Sadler-BORDELLO OF BLOOD

Bill Sadler is my favorite character actor of all-time. He’s so good that when teenagers were foolishly wasting their money to see Katie Holmes and James Marsden in the horrendous box office flop, Disturbing Behaviour, I was sneaking into the theatres just to see William Sadler in his thankless role. (Normal 14 year old girls don’t do this. ) Being a fan of Sadler in Demon Knight, I thought I would never see him haunt the Tales from the Crypt universe again after he died violently in the series’ first theatrical film. Although, I was pleasantly surprised to see him again in the sequel as the Cryptkeeper’s “frenemy”…even if he was just a mummy.

19. Jay and Silent Bob-SCREAM 3

Jay and Silent Bob may have stumbled onto the fake set of Scream 4 in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but they quite literally stumbled onto the real set of Scream 3 as well. It’s probably the most random cameo in a horror film since Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold appeared in Freddy’s Dead, but it definitely got some laughs.

18. The ‘STAB’ Cast-SCREAM 2

After Scream became a sleeper hit at the box office and became even a bigger hit on video, everybody who was hip and happening wanted to be apart of the sequel. It was so big that director Robert Rodriguez directed the film within the film, Stab. This faux film contained a slightly more disturbing re-enactment of the death of Casey Becker, (now played by Heather Graham) and casting Luke Wilson and ironically enough Tori Spelling as Billy Loomis and Sidney Prescott was just a slice of genius.

17. The FireFly Family-THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO

For anybody that was sad after seeing the demented Firefly family gunned down by the police to the tune of Free Bird will be somewhat pleased to hear that Baby, Otis and Captain Spaulding all make appearances as cartoons in Rob Zombie’s animated The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. There’s no need to question how they appear in the feature as none of the movie is supposed to make sense.

16. Scott Baio-CURSED

Cursed is known for many things. It’s known as Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s biggest flop, it’s known for a vaulted alternative version that people still have yet to see, it’s known as the reason for the delay of Jesse Eisenberg’s now rising acting career. It’s also known for the most random cameo in horror history. Yup, somehow and somewhere the producers of this werewolf flick thought casting Scott Baio in a cameo would somehow excite teenagers. The same teenagers that when hearing about ‘Joanie Loves Chachi,’ immediately think it’s a show about a lesbian named Joanie that likes to go muff-diving.

15. John Fallon-100 FEET

It’s not everyday you get to see one of your good friends and confidantes in a film, but last year I had the pleasure of seeing my former employer John Fallon from Arrow in the Head in a scene with Famke Janssen and Bobby Carnivale in Eric Red’s 100 Feet. He may not be a household name YET, but he definitely has a cult following in the online community. It is by far one of my favorite cameos in a horror film. (Yes, the bragging rights of having my mentor in a film does have something to do with it! )

14. Bradley Cooper-MY LITTLE EYE

Bradley Cooper may be known for his breakout role in this year’s The Hangover, but that role was not the role that I first recognized him. Before The Hangover and Wedding Crashers, Bradley Cooper made a brief appearance in the Canadian cult horror film, My Little Eye. His role may have been small, but his scenes were very memorable as one of the film’s twisted killers.

13. Janet Leigh-H20

Seeing the original Scream Queen onscreen with her real-life “Scream Queen” daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween: 20 Years Later definitely was touching. However, the same car she drove in Psycho (that also appears in H20) may be considered the bigger cameo out of the two.

12. Prince-SCARY MOVIE

I don’t know how much money Dimension Films ended up paying to get Prince in a horror parody, but God bless them. It was easily one of the most unexpected cameos this horror aficionada has ever seen.

11. Wes Craven-THE TRIPPER

Now most people would think Courteney Cox’s shameless cameo in her husband’s directorial debut, The Tripper would be note-worthy for a list like this, but the real cameo in this movie is director Wes Craven himself. Wes Craven has appeared in far more recognizable cameos in his Scream trilogy and New Nightmare, but seeing him randomly appear as a top hat-wearing hippie in The Tripper definitely caused me to laugh harder than when I first saw him as Fred the janitor in Scream.

10. Harry Knowles-THE FACULTY

In the online community, Harry is and will always be considered the “Godfather” of online film critics. He paved the way for other movie geeks to pursue careers in the blogging universe. So when seeing Harry Knowles sitting silently with the rest of “The Faculty” in Robert Rodriguez’s sci-fi horror film for no reason at all, I couldn’t help but smile. Harry’s head also makes a brief cameo appearance in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre…but most of you guys probably knew that already.

9. Eli Roth- 2001 Maniacs

2001 Maniacs saw the infamous return of Justin, (played by Eli Roth) the goatee-wearing and pot smoking hitchhiker last seen in Roth’s breakout directorial debut, Cabin Fever. I loved this dude and how his trusty dog also made a cameo.

8. The “Celebrity Cameo”-ZOMBIELAND

I will not give away the cameo in Zombieland because there are quite a lot of you that have yet to see it. However, I will say this: it’s hilarious and if I ever meet the dude, I would hope to expect the same “west coast hospitality” Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone got from him.

7. Edwige Fenech-HOSTEL II

Any male fans of the Italian horror genre probably will list Edwige Fenech as the number one contributor to their “spank-bank” collection. Eli Roth convinced this beautiful actress for a small role in Hostel II and it was amazing to see how gorgeous she still looks. (If only we could all be so lucky.)

6. Jane Weidlin-CLUE

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the group, ‘The Go-Go’s,’ but I was most partial to the singer/guitarist, Jane Weidlin who left the group in 1984 to pursue a solo career. In 1985, the most successful thing she had to show was her very brief stint in the murder mystery movie, Clue as the singing telegram who gets shot after two seconds of screen time. I always rewind this part at least 5 times when I’m watching it.

5. Dario Argento-INNOCENT BLOOD

In John Landis’ 1992 horror-comedy Innocent Blood, fans were able to see cameos from horror greats of all kinds. We saw Sam Raimi as the butcher, Tom Savini as the news reporter and even Clive Barker made an appearance in the film. But it was Giallo great, Dario Argento who was able to tickle my funny bone as a random paramedic at the scene of a crime. Seeing him try to comfort the patient with his very strained English still cracks me up to this very day.

4. George Clooney-RETURN TO HORROR HIGH

Before George Clooney became the most sought after man in the planet, he started his career in being apart of really bad horror films. In this 1987 nonsensical slasher, George appears in a very small role as a cop that is the first to get killed. Hey…we all have to start somewhere.

3. Bridget Fonda-ARMY OF DARKNESS

In Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, audiences saw unknown actresses cast as Ash’s doomed girlfriend, Linda. Although, for 1993’s Army of Darkness, Sam Raimi was able to convince rising actress, (at the time) Bridget Fonda to reprise Linda for not even a minute of screen time. Sometimes it’s good to have friends in high places.

2. Alice Cooper-PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Who knew that Alice Cooper’s cameo would be one of the most memorable parts in this classic John Carpenter film? As the homeless zombie leader, Cooper kicked some serious ass in his lack of screen time and even used one of his recognizable props from his concerts to kill one of the characters. There are no words to explain how awesome this man is.

1. Freddy’s Glove-JASON GOES TO HELL

There is no better cameo than the surprise appearance of Freddy Krueger’s glove at the end of Jason Goes to Hell. It made most fanboys/girls go nuts for years only to be left disappointed by the mediocre Freddy vs Jason 10 years later. However, the moment when Freddy’s glove comes out of the ground is something a horror fan will never forget.

Questions or comments? Email them to serena@killerfilm.com

Al Magliochetti’s Halloween Watch List

Jason Bene — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:50:39 +0000

I was first introduced to the Visual FX work of Al Magliochetti in the Frank Henenlotter epics Brain Damage, Frankenhooker, and Basket Case 2. I’ve been a huge supporter ever since, and was ecstatic when he agreed to give Killer Film his unique selections for Halloween viewing.

Ok, it’s Spookfest time once again and knowing you guys you’re all bickering over which movies are the best ones to watch for the Halloween season. There’s you Jason worshippers fighting the Freddy mongers and the Exorcisters arm-wrestling with the Rob Zombiettes, and you’re all being pelted with fake gore by the kid wearing the “I would suck a severed neck for you, Tom Savini” t-shirt . .

But, if I may interject a totally different perspective, what about tossing a few Classic films into the mix. And not the usual Frankenstein, Dracula fare you find on most historical lists; I’m talkin’ about the kind of films that fall through the cracks – the ones that don’t usually make a Halloween viewing list – the ones that were around before there was even a film rating board so theatergoers had no freakin’ Clue what they were in for when they sat down with the popcorn and jujubees . . .

Consider the following, if you will:

1 – The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963)

Oh, I can hear the protests already. “A DISNEY FILM? And at the TOP of the List??!!” Yeah, well, lemme tell ya Gremlins, for a kiddie film this had some scaryass stuff in it. It’s basically a Robin Hood-type of adventure story with a band of smugglers being led by a Scarecrow, who gallops down the beach with black cloak whipping in the moonlight and cackling like the craziest witches of Hell. It’s now finally out on video (if you can find it, since the idiots at Disney released it as a Limited Edition in spite of the fact that it was one of their most requested titles EVER,) but do not mix this up with the previously released “Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow.” That title is hacked down by quite a bit as the original Scarecrow of Romney Marsh aired as three consecutive episodes of Disney’s Wonderful World of Color back in the mid 1960s. Patrick McGoohan as the Scarecrow is amazing.

If a creepy Disney movie is too much for you to wrap your head around I suggest the Hammer version of the same story released as “Night Creatures” in the US and “Captain Clegg” in England. Disney had bigger lawyers so Hammer couldn’t use the Scarecrow character but Hammer’s version tells the story better and is more faithful to the original novel “Dr. Syn.” Oh hell – watch em both . .

2 – Don’t Look Now (1973)

This is one of those films that’s just very unsettling and wrong. Beautifully directed by Nicholas Roeg, this film is just downright creepy in every frame. You get spooky psychics, a drowned child and weird premonitions all set against the moldy claustrophobia of Venice, Italy. I’m leaving out the good stuff so you’ll be just as freaked out as I was . .

3 – Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Ok, I lied – this one is on everybody’s Halloween list but come on, it spawned a Dynasty! You’ve all seen it so I don’t have to go into detail . . but just imagine wandering into a theater back in the late 60’s as a kid and having no idea what was coming when this picture started. I experienced that . . and it was freakin’ awesome . .

4 – The Black Cat (1934)

Don’t even speak to me if you haven’t seen this. Boris Karloff is the leader of a Satanic Cult (this is in the mid 30’s!) with enough torture, murder and revenge thrown in to make things really interesting. Beautiful art direction and amazingly shot. Wow . .

5 – Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

One of Hammer’s better entries – and one of the best Wolfman makeups ever. Lotsa blood, pretty scary imagery and a fresh take on the werewolf legend. Highly recommended.

6 – House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Note the year – and kindly don’t mix it up with the crappyass remake. Arguably one of William Castle’s best films. You’ve gotta love a movie where your host, Vincent Price, passes out coffin-shaped party favors which hold loaded .45 automatics. A little dated, a little cheesy but I still bet you’ll get a scare or two out of this one.

In fact, double-bill this with The Tingler (1959), another genius William Castle movie. Vincent Price (yes, again) experiments with the causes of Fear – you’re not a true horror fan if you pass this one by. My personal favorite of all the William Castle movies, bar none . .

7 – War of the Worlds (1953)

Yeah, ok, it’s a sci-fi film rather than horror – but don’t forget when this story was presented on radio on Halloween of 1938 it caused a nationwide panic, so I’d say that made it somewhat appropriate. Martians invade the earth and incinerate anything in their path with an amazingly cool heat-ray. Top notch special effects for the early ‘50s.

8 – Curse of the Demon (1957)

Oh man, I love this movie. Black magic in present day England and it’s kicking serious ass. The alternate (British) version is titled Night of the Demon and is actually a bit better than the US release, but it’s a lot harder to find (the alternate version included on the US DVD of Curse of the Demon is not even close to the actual cut – in the proper version certain scenes are both longer and, in some cases, edited together in a different order and the big rubber boogedy monster’s close ups are OMITTED ENTIRELY, making it a much cooler movie.)

9 – The Night Stalker (1972)

You may’ve heard that back in the pre-VCR stone age of the 1970s we had this really cool thing to look forward to called The Movie of the Week. What you may not know is that a whole buttload of those movies were horror flicks and Night Stalker was by far the best of the lot, getting the highest rating of ANY tv movie when it was first aired.

Up until this film vampires still ran around flapping their cape-wings and going “I vant to suck your blaaaahd!” so seeing Night Stalker’s bloodthirsty Las Vegas Vamp mopping up the floor with an entire police department was quite possibly the coolest thing on earth for all us Monster Kids.
Other M.O.W. titles I’d recommend (if you can find them) are Crowhaven Farm, Satan’s School for Girls, Bad Ronald, Daughter of the Mind, A Cold Night’s Death (that one is outstanding,) Killdozer, How Awful about Allen, The Deadly Dream and The House That Wouldn’t Die. Check out iOffer.com. . a lot of them are for sale there, dirt cheap.

10- Mad Monster Party (1967)

Ok, you know darn well you turn on those Rankin/Bass stop motion Rudolph specials at Christmas time, so why the heck should Halloween be any different? You get every classic Universal monster, Boris Karloff and a Peter Lorre-inspired character all in one neat little package. It’s Rankin/Bass, dammit – watch this and quit being a commie.

11- Horror Hotel (1960)

Probably the most American looking British movie ever made. Low budget witchcraft story but Creepy, Scary and Freakin Cool all at once. Great visuals.

12- The Uninvited (1944)

This is a really REALLY atmospheric ghost story and has nothing to do with the abomination released earlier this year with the same title. Takes a few minutes to get going but it’ll really grab you . . especially when they’re wise enough to use no music during some of the scariest moments.

13- I Walked With A Zombie (1943)

Val Lewton was the best producer of atmospheric horror ever. He was stuck with this semi-dumb title by a studio exec who purchased it from a magazine article and managed to carve it into THE best zombie movie of the time (in the pre-Romero world when zombies were still just mindless slaves and not flesh eating killers.)

Another really quiet movie where you hear more spooky wind than anything else . . except possibly for the voodoo drums that you will never get out of your head as long as you live . . Just damn spooky . .

Runners Up:

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Hey, it’s Clu Gulager, Beverly Randolph, Don Calfa, Brains and Rabid Weasels – what more do you need.

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)

Really intense ghostly love story . . spellbindingly photographed by Jack Cardiff

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

The old poor farmer making a deal with the Devil story . . very well done.

Re-Animator (1985)

If I have to explain this one to you, you have no business reading this list . .

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The Universal monsters end their saga in a hysterical blaze of glory . . Jack Pierce was gone, unfortunately, but the film was still beautifully put together.

Burn Witch Burn (1962)

Good witchcraft Vs Bad in this incarnation of Fritz Leiber’s “Conjure Wife.” Rocks!

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

A Frank Capra black comedy of murder and mayhem on Halloween. Fun for all !