Behind the mask: This is what the actors in horror films like Terrifier look like without masks and makeup

Many horror films live from their legendary villains: VonHalloweenbisFriday the 13th, vonTerrifierbisHellraiser– they would all be nothing without the creepy killers who terrify you just by their appearance.But what do the horror creatures actually look like behind the mask?We'll show you!

And as is the case with roles in which you wear a mask: theoretically you could put a mask on anyone. The filmmakers sometimes did the same thing and had the main character played by many different actors over the years.

David Howard Thornton is once again on everyone's lips at the moment, although many people don't even know his name, precisely because he is hidden behind the mask of his horror character. But everyone knows this horror figure: Art The Clown. Each of the three previous onesTerrifier-Parts were said to be the most violent things you could currently see in terms of horror - and the third part, which was recently released in cinemas, has once again set new standards. It's hard to believe that David Howard Thornton can still sleep peacefully...

And speaking of horror clowns: Also in the adaptation ofNovel classicEssomeone plays along: Pennywise. He is portrayed in the new film by Bill Skarsgård - one of the few actors in our list who you really know by name because they don't "just" play a single role. Also in the series adaptation announced for next yearEs: Welcome To DerrySkarsgård will play the killer clown again. For a long time he wasn't sure whether he should play the role again. Because Skarsgård had after the filming ofEsactually struggling with nightmares.

And now it starts, because the...Friday the 13thseries is the first in our list in which the legendary horror character Jason Vorhees, known for his hockey mask, was played by not just one, but a total of eight different actors over the years. In the first part, Jason was still a child, we didn't even mention that here, the serial killer here is Jason's mother. Only in the second part called Friday the 13th – Jason Returns does he appear, but still without the legendary mask, played by Steve Dash. Unfortunately, Dash was not granted a particularly successful acting career; he has been dead since 2018.

In the third part, Jason Vorhees is played by Richard Brooker, who was also the first to wear the mask that would become Jason's trademark. Brooker was also not particularly successful as an actor, but was primarily active in business. He is already dead too. He died of a heart attack in 2013.

In the fourth part of the series calledFriday the 13th – The Final ChapterTed White plays Jason, but isn't even credited in the credits. White previously played primarily inand series and worked as a stuntman for Clark Gable and John Wayne. He didn't actually want to play Jason Vorhees at the time, but took the role because he needed money. However, he asked not to be named in the credits - he was embarrassed. White played the role of Jason in later ones as wellFriday the 13thfilms, but he politely declined. White is also already dead. He died in 2022 at the age of 96.

Actor and stuntman Tom Morga was quite busy. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in over 120 films and series, including somepirates of the Caribbean-Film,Catch Me If You Can,Star Trek - Nemesisand. What also makes Morga special: He is the only actor who not only played Jason Vorhees, but also Leatherface from theTexas Chain Sawseries and Michel MyersHalloweenplayed.

CJ Graham wasn't actually an actor, but ran a few nightclubs and casinos when he was offered the role of Jason by chance - and because of the mask, his lack of acting talent wasn't particularly noticeable. AfterFriday the 13th Part VI – Jason LivesHe only starred in one other film: inHighway to hellfrom 1991. He also wore a mask in that one. Since then he has been working as a casino manager again.

Kane Hodder has appeared as a stuntman in some very successful films includingSeven,The FanandPublic Enemy No. 1. His most famous film role is that of Jason VorheesFriday the 13th Part VII – Jason in a Bloodlust,Friday the 13th – Deathtrap Manhattan,Jason Goes to Hell – The Final ReckoningandJason. Before accepting the role, however, Hodder insisted that Jason never chase his victims or harm children or animals. A man with principles.

In the crossover from theNightmare On Elm Street-Films and thatFriday the 13thseries, the two legendary serial killers Freddy Kruger and Jason Vorhees compete against each other. In it, Jason is played by Ken Kirzinger. What many people don't know: Stuntman Kirzinger already had a short appearance inFriday the 13th Part VIII – Death Trap Manhattan. In it he played a chef who got in Jason's way and was thrown over the counter into a mirror.

The last Jason actor to date was Derek Mears, who also worked primarily as a stuntman. Among other things, he worked on films such asThe Hills Have Eyes 2,Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulland in two partspirates of the Caribbeancontributed.

Once again closely linked to the character of Freddy Kruger is horror film and acting icon Robert Englund. He starred in eight of nine Nightmare films. It's logical that he is closely associated with the role of Freddy Kruger. He has appeared in a total of over 170 films and series.

The only person who ever played Freddy Kruger other than Robert Englund was Jackie Earle Haley. He was announced as his successor in 2009, but the shoes to fill were so big that it was foreseeable that he wouldn't fit in. The reviews for the 2010 remake were correspondingly negativeA Nightmare on Elm Streetout – the provisional end of the series.

DieConjuringseries is considered one of the best in recent years, and a whole universe has now been created around it. And while theAnnabelle-Spin-offs were still well received, but the previous ones fellThe Nun-Films predominantly received critical acclaim. But it wasn't due to Bonnie Aarons as the demon Valak, who in the form of a nun haunts an old Romanian monastery and the nuns. Spooky!

For many he is considered the only true Pinhead from theHellraiser-Filming: Doug Bradley, who played the legendary Cenobite in eight out of ten parts. He also appeared in a few other films, mostly in the horror genre, but none left such a lasting impression as the one in thisHellraiser-Row.

The ninth part of theHellraiserseries bears the titleHellraiser: Revelations – The Revelation, but the film was by no means a revelation. On the contrary. It was only filmed at the time so that the Weinstein Company, as the rights holder, did not lose the rights to the franchise. The result with the new pinhead Stephan Smith Collins is, let's say, uninspired. Doug Bradley refused to take part in the film because he thought the script was too bad. Clever.

Also for the tenth film in the series,Hellraiser: Judgment, Doug Bradley turned down the role of Pinhead because he thought the quality was bad. Paul T. Taylor apparently had fewer problems with it, and he gratefully accepted the role. Taylor has also appeared in films such asSin City,Super – Shut Up, Crime!andTexas Twisterto see.

Also the good old leatherneck Leatherface from theTexas Chainsaw Massacre-series has already been embodied by various mimes - and first of all in the original film by Gunnar Hansen, a native Icelander.The Texas Chain Saw Massacrewas actually his very first film. He was also given a role shortly afterwardsHill of bloody eyesoffered, but he turned it down because he preferred to write - but returned to acting after a few years. But the big success never came.

In the second part of the film, also directed by Tobe Hooper, the Leatherface actor was no longer Gunnar Hansen, but rather Bill Johnson. Even though Johnson was only one of six Leatherface actors, he has never had a larger role in his life.

The third Leatherface actor is RA Mihailoff, who was previously a professional wrestler. RA Mihailoff has appeared in a lot of films, primarily horror films, but he doesn't have any other notable roles to show for it either.

The fourth Leatherface actor was Robert Jacks, who later also appeared in films such asA Troll’s Bridgeand Scary Movie - but even there in rather unspectacular roles. Unfortunately, Jacks died in 2001 - at the age of just 42.

The penultimate cast member of Leatherface was Andrew Bryniarski, who played his first role in the 1991 filmHudson Hawk – The Master Thiefhad with Bruce Willis. He was also seen in some other bigger films likeBatman's returnandPearl Harbor, but even there only in smaller roles. Bryniarski was seen in two films in the Chain Saw series: inMichael Bay’s Texas Chainsaw MassacreandTexas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

The last Leatherface actor to date was Dan Yeager, who played the killer cannibal inTexas Chainsaw 3Dplayed. However, he did not have a great career as an actor. His second biggest role was inSharknado: The 4th Awakens– anything but a blockbuster.

One of the most famous horror film slashers of all is of course Michael Myers from the well-knownHalloween-Row. And the first Michael Myers inHalloween – the night of horrorplayed Nick Castle in 1978, who is therefore the original Michael Myers mime - but actually only in the very first film.

Nick Castle was replaced in the sequel to Dick Warlock, which played Michael Myers in 1981Halloween II – Horror returnsplayed. He was actually a stuntman and appeared in front of the camera in some well-known productions, includingJaws,Big Trouble in Little China,Spaceballs,The Abyss,CasinoandSpider-Man.

In the fourth part of the series, stuntman George P. Wilbur took on the role of Michael Myers. His first role was as an extra and replacement for John Wayne in 1966The Golden. He has also worked on some quite legendary films, includingDie Hard,The total memory – Total Recall,Casino,Spider-Man,Poltergeist,Ghostbusters – The ghost hunters,The Silence of the LambsandMars Attacks!He was also inducted into the Hollywood Stuntmen Hall of Fame. For the sixth part of the series,Halloween VI – The Curse of Michael Myers, Wilbur returned to the role of Michael Myers. George P. Wilbur sadly passed away last year.

So far in his career, Donald L. “Don” Shanks has primarily appeared in smaller supporting roles, often including horror films. But there were hardly any really notable ones - except for Michael MyersHalloween V – The Revenge of Michael Myers.

InHalloween H20mass murderer Michael Myers was once again portrayed by a new actor, this time by Chris Durand. He had previously been a stunt coordinator for the television seriesKnight Riderwith David Hasselhoff andThe Crow, until he stood in front of the camera as Michael Myers. Later he played villains a few more times, including GhostfaceScream II.

InHalloween: ResurrectionBrad Loree then stood in front of the camera as Michael Myers and slaughtered his victims. However, Loree mostly acted as a stuntman, including inX-Men: The Last Stand,Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferandThe Twilight Saga: New Moon.

In the remakeHalloweenby Rob Zombie of the originalHalloween-Films by John Carpenter then Tyler Mane stood out as Michael Myers - in the truest sense of the word. Mane was originally a professional wrestler and went by the names Big Sky and Nitron before switching to acting. For example, he played Sabretooth in the comic book adaptationX-Menand the Greek hero Ajax in Wolfgang Petersen'sTroy. Also in the sequelHalloween IIhe played Michael Myers again.

The last Michael Myers actor to date was former stuntman James Jude Courtney. Let's see whether he will be back in front of the camera as Myers in the next part of the series.