Horror cinema relies heavily on atmosphere, and is, if anything, a director's genre. But, many of the unsung heroes of the genre are the performers who bring these characters to life. The dark places that these actors have to explore, both as the victims and villains of these stories, are some of the hardest work one could attempt.

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Over the lifetime of the genre, there have been hundreds upon hundreds of outstanding roles and performances from actors. Many though tend to fall through the cracks. Just in time for Halloween, here are some of the best horror performances you might have forgotten, missed, or never even heard of.

Christopher Lee - City of the Dead (1960)

Christopher Lee snarling in The City of the Dead

Christopher Lee is one of the greatest horror icons in the history of film. His booming voice and signature gaze has haunted viewers of his early Dracula films, The Wicker Man, and more. But, the man did so many films, there are bound to be a few that went unnoticed.

One of these was his role in City of the Dead, otherwise known as Horror Hotel. In the film, Lee plays a professor Alan Driscoll, who studies folklore and witchcraft, and sends a student of his to a New England town to learn of its witchcraft history. Lee, of course, has a sinister turn in the film, one that shows off all his menacing glory.

Timothy Spall - The Enfield Haunting (2015)

A promo photo for The Enfield Haunting

Known widely as Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films, Timothy Spall's career has spanned a wide array of characters. One of his best performances can be found in the Mini-Series The Enfield Haunting. Spall plays the real-life paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse, who was the lead specialist on the famous haunting.

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Spall's performance in the film is heartbreaking and true, delving into the personal tragedies behind Grosse's crusade to search for the paranormal. His gruff exterior gives way to a vulnerable inner self, one that makes an emotional punch as strong as anything found in The Haunting of Hill House. 

Anna Cropper - Robin Redbreast (1970)

During the later half of the 20th century, the BBC aired individual TV plays for all audiences. Many of these delve into the cult inhabited the world of folk-horror. Out of all of them, the Play for Today series aired some of the best, including the haunting and foreboding Robin Redbreast.

Anna Cropper's performance as the protagonist Nora Palmer is refreshing, especially for the era. Nora is a self-assured woman who spouts all manner of nearly revolutionary ideas (for the time), but is faced with the strangling hold of tradition. Her run-in with a pagan cult in the English countryside is one of the most shocking in the entire folk-horror sub-genre, and you can't help but root for her.

Alex Lawther - Ghost Stories (2017)

This semi-anthology flick flew under the radar upon release. Featuring Martin Freeman, the film followed a skeptic who is tasked to debunk three unsolved ghost stories. One story, involving a broken down car and a vengeful demon, starred young actor Alex Lawther.

Lawther's performance is mesmerizing. He embodies such truthful fear and anxiety, nearing madness. Out of all the performances in the film, this is the one that feels the most traumatized by their ghostly encounter. Lawther is sure to be a performer worth watching.

Dick Miller - A Bucket of Blood (1959)

The late Dick Miller was an iconic actor and sadly left us this past year. His performances stretched across the years, through multiple genres. One of his best though was in the cult favorite Bucket of Blood. This horror-comedy follows Miller as he fails at breaking into the New York beatnik art scene. After he accidentally kills his landlady's cat, he molds it in plaster, passing it off as a new art piece.

It triggers artist acclaim from many and pushes him to attempt even riskier pieces (and murders). Bucket of Blood remains a funny and disturbing look at the inadequacies artists feel, and the lengths they'll go at achieving claim. Miller embodies such anxieties perfectly and remains loveable even when he's committing these heinous acts.

Nial MacGinnis - Night of the Demon (1957)

Night of the Demon is a loose adaption of M. R. James' story Casting the Runes. The story focuses on a proclaimed conjurer of the dark arts Doctor Karswell, who is cursing people left and right if they cross him. His victims then have a set amount of time before they're destroyed by a demon.

Nial MacGinnis plays the Doctor, who straddles the line between lovable trickster, insidious manipulator, and eventually a pawn in a larger game. MacGinnis plays the multifaceted figure perfectly, quickly changing face just as Karswell does.

Jill Larson - The Taking of Deborah Logan

The Taking of Deborah Logan remains one of the most underrated found footage horror films of the past decade. Its exploration of age and the horrors that come with it remain unsettling beyond belief. But even outside of it all, the sheer performance of Jill Larson in the titular role exceeds the genre itself.

In an industry that demonizes women for their age, Larson's performance embraces it, and highlights all the good and bad that comes with it. He commitment to character is up there with some of the best horror performances ever, and ever the subtle more subdued moments match up with the more extreme sides of the performance.

John Hurt - Whistle And I'll Come To You (2010)

Another M. R. James story, this time adapted for a modern audience. Whistle and I'll Come to You originally focused on a man who unearthed a bone whistle from a templar grave while on holiday on the English coast. This whistle held the ability to awaken spirits of the dead.

Played by the great late John Hurt, this iteration of the story explores the guilt and shame that comes with moving on from a partner who suffers from conditions such as dementia or Alzheimers. Hurt's performance is equally heartbreaking and harrowing, as he is haunted by a spirit at this old holiday haunt.

Claude Rains - The Invisible Man (1933)

Out of all the Universal Monster movies, The Invisible Man has always felt the least appreciated. Maybe it's because he's not a literal monster, but even so, Claude Rains' performance in the film is one of the best of the entire Universal Monster canon.

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Mostly a voice acting role, Rains commitment to the derange scientist role is deftly balanced, always unhinged but explosive when only necessary. It is a performance with nearly no peers, and one where you never even see the performer.

Robert Mitchum - Night of the Hunter (1955)

Mitchum is remembered mainly for his Westerns, but his role in The Night of the Hunter nears straight-up horror territory. Mitchum plays a conman who chases after a pair of children in order to steal away their inheritance.

A false preacher, this two-sided monster murders his way across a nightmarish and fairytale-like southern landscape. His signature whistling will haunt you long after you finish watching.

Mark Duplass - Creep (2014) and Creep 2 (2017)

Mark Duplass is rarely portrayed as an evil guy. In fact, like he is in real life, he is more of a loveable guy who can tend to be a bit of an oddball. His role in both Creep and Creep 2 though takes advantage of that persona, using it to hide a much darker underbelly.

This duplicitous performance is one of the most unhinged and frightening in any modern horror flick. There are no ghosts or monsters to be seen, only this creep who seems just a bit off.

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