The slasher film genre isn't one that is tied to Hollywood's biggest actors. That makes sense since the main appeal of these movies is often centered around a serial killer character whose face you typically don't see. Meanwhile, the victims sprinkled in throughout the story are more effective being actors who aren't household names.
Recognizable faces would take the viewer out of things, so this makes sense. However, some notable actors appeared in these movies before hitting superstardom. There are iconic ones like Johnny Depp in A Nightmare on Elm Street or Jennifer Aniston in Lepruchan but many have been forgotten over time.
Matt Bomer - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
Reboots and prequels happen all of the time in the horror genre and one came in 2006. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning told the origin story of Leatherface and his murderous family as they kidnap a pair of couples who travel through their area.
The film itself was led by Jordana Brewster, which most audience members might remember. Less known though is that Brewster's boyfriend Eric Hill was played by Matt Bomer. Since then, Bomer has gone on to star in Chuck, American Horror Story, Magic Mike, and other big projects. It's Eric's skin that Leatherface first wears as a mask too.
Danielle Panabaker - Friday The 13th (2009)
Once again, it's a case of an attempt at rebooting an iconic horror franchise. After 11 movies in the series across more than 20 years, 2009 brought about Friday the 13th, which was a new take on Jason and Pamela Voorhees. The film was critically panned but did well at the box office, though no sequel was greenlit.
This iteration saw Supernatural star Jared Padalecki as the lead character and Danielle Panabaker as Jenna. She survived for most of the film and has since found success, like Padalecki, on the CW Network as Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost on The Flash.
Jennifer Morrison - Urban Legend: Final Cut (2000)
The late '90s was something of a gold mine for slasher flicks. The success of Scream spawned movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. One of those new attempts at a slasher film came in the form of Urban Legend, which had a fun spin on the idea as the murders in this movie were modeled after popular urban legends.
You could make an entire list out of actors you forgot were involved in the original from Jared Leto to Joshua Jackson to Tara Reid. However, an even deeper dive is into the 2000 sequel, Urban Legend: Final Cut. That was led by Jennifer Morrison, who went on to star in Once Upon a Time and it also featured Matthew Davis of The Vampire Diaries fame.
Amy Adams - Psycho Beach Party (2000)
There's just something about the slasher genre that lends itself to comedy, which is why there are so many spoof and parody films out there. However, you don't often get them based on stage plays, which is what makes Psycho Beach Party such a unique film.
The horror comedy is set in 1962 and parodies both beach and slasher movies from that era. It didn't get strong reviews and wasn't seen by many people, which is why almost nobody remembers that future multiple-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams was in it. To make it even more obscure, she only had a small part to play.
Matthew McConaughey - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995)
From an Oscar nominee to an Oscar winner, Matthew McConaughey also made an appearance in this genre. Way back in 1995, he showed up Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, which was the fifth entry into this franchise and didn't even make $200,000 at the box office.
Despite that, this iteration actually featured two Academy Award winners. McConaughey played tow truck driver Vilmer but there's also Renée Zellwegger, who was the lead as final girl Darla. Zellwegger won an Oscar nearly ten years later, while it took McConaughey almost two decades to earn his trophy.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later (1998)
It seems like there are two distinct eras of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's career. There's his time as a child star in Angels in the Outfield and 3rd Rock from the Sun and then there's his return to acting as an adult in The Dark Knight Rises, (500) Days of Summer, and Inception. However, Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later falls almost in the middle.
Near the tail end of his 3rd Rock from the Sun run, Gordon-Levitt appeared in the Michael Myers-centric franchise. He showed up as Jimmy, the teenage neighbor of one of Michael's targets who he also kills. This film also had Michelle Williams and LL Cool J, which some fans might have forgotten.
Idris Elba - Prom Night (2008)
Like a lot of films from the era, the original 1980 Prom Night was met with a poor response from critics and audiences but it has since gained a cult following. When the 2008 remake was made, the reception was similar but this has unfortunately not gained the same kind of following.
It featured a handful of actors you'd expect for the time period like Brittany Snow and Scott Porter. The surprise in the cast came in the form of Idris Elba, who was best known for his serious work on The Wire. Appearing in a slasher movie as a detective was probably not what anyone saw coming.
Kevin Bacon - Friday The 13th (1980)
The original Friday The 13th is still considered one of the most iconic horror movies ever made and it started one of the longest-running film franchises in history. Most of the actors involved are not easily recognizable or they didn't go on to have massive careers.
The same can't be said about one particular actor, which is Kevin Bacon. The star who can be closely traced to almost every other actor appeared in the movie as a camp counselor named Jack. The most notable thing about this role is that his death is actually one of the better ones in the series.
Paul Rudd - Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (1995)
The Halloween franchise is the one that seems to feature the most future stars and notable actors. In 1995, they even landed Paul Rudd just before audiences everywhere got to know him in Clueless. These days, Rudd is one of the top stars working.
Back then, when he was a little-known actor, Rudd appeared in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers as a pretty important character in series lore. He played the adult version of Tommy Doyle, who Laurie Strode babysat in the original film. Alas, this movie was critically panned, so most fans don't want to recall it.
Octavia Spencer - Halloween II (2009)
Among the many reboots in the history of Halloween, the Rob Zombie-helmed ones had quite the buzz surrounding them. The 2007 installment told a different origin story for Michael Myers before a sequel arrived in 2009. Halloween II had a slew of appearances from future movie and television stars.
For example, Mark Boone Junior of Sons of Anarchy fame played a guy named Floyd. However, the biggest surprise looking back is easily seeing Octavia Spencer on screen as Nurse Daniels. She was still a couple of years away from breaking out in The Help and she actually has a few small roles like this in her past.