Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors

Jason Norman

McFarland, Nov 25, 2014 - Performing Arts - 216 pages

George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Tom Hanks--many of today's most celebrated actors began their careers on the sets of horror movies. However, the majority of performers in even the most popular horror films remain relatively unknown.

This engaging collection of profiles introduces many of the actors behind the heroes, heroines, monsters and villains who have terrified and fascinated moviegoers around the world.

From Michelle Argyris, who embodied a possessed college student in Devil Seed (2012), to Ian Whyte, the 7 foot tall former basketball player who portrayed one of cinema's most iconic monsters in Aliens vs. Predator (2004), the profiles offer insight into how the actors prepared for and performed their roles. Longer essays explore the casts of renowned horror series, including Saw, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, providing a window into the world of horror filmmaking.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Devil Seed: 5
• The Girl Next Door: 7
• Belinda Balaski: 9
• Dead Alive: 11
• The Monster Squad: 14
• The Hills Have Eyes: 17
• The Hellraiser films: 26
• Jeepers Creepers Jeepers Creepers 2: 33
• American Horror Story: 36
• The Poughkeepsie Tapes: 41
• Mischief Night: 44
• The Book of Eli: 46
• Curse of Chucky: 47
• They Came from Elm Street: 50
• Paranormal Activity: 58
• VHS: 68
• Their Name Was Jason Voorhees: 70
• The Friday the 13th Family: 80
• Sid Haig: 90
• Celebrating Halloween: 93
• Danielle Harris: 99
• Rondo Hatton and The Creeper Films: 104
• Jackie Joseph and The Little Shop of Horrors: 107
• Incident at Loch Ness: 110
• Tales from the Crypt: 112
• I Spit on Your Grave: 114
• Sinister: 117
• The Crow: 119
• Se7en: 125
• Cloned The Recreator Chronicles: 128
• Meet Some Massacre Men: 129
• The Silence of the Lambs: 136
• Offspring and The Woman: 139
• The Reef: 145
• Interview with the Vampire: 147
• Absentia: 149
• Jacobs Ladder: 151
• Chromeskull Films: 153
• Drag Me to Hell: 157
• Thale: 160
• Wasting Away Aaaah Zombies: 163
• Sleepaway Camp: 166
• The Saw Films: 169
• Audrey Rose: 177
• Night of the Living Dead: 180
• Candyman films: 183
• The Howling Cujo and The Frighteners: 186
• Prosecuting Casey Anthony: 189
• Aliens vs PredatorRequiem: 192
• References: 197
• Index: 203

About the author

An award-winning journalist and lifelong wrestling fan, Jason Norman teaches college English in southeastern Virginia.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors
• Author: Jason Norman
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: McFarland, 2014
• ISBN: 0786479868, 9780786479863
• Length: 216 pages
• Subjects: History / General; Performing Arts / Film / General