Patrick Wilson began his career as a Broadway actor, eventually wowing critics with his performance as Joe Pitt in HBO's adaptation of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America. Wilson transitions between film, television, and stage with ease. His television credits include Girls and Fargo. When it comes to film, Wilson is clearly a fan of horror. In fact, the actor is often referred to as a "Scream King."
Many of Patrick Wilson's most iconic movies are scary features that run the gambit from comedic to gruesome. Wilson is sometimes the hero, sometimes the enemy. With his signature clean-cut features and acting range, Wilson is able to pull off both the handsome do-gooder and the villainous antagonist — hooking the audience while he does.
In The Tall Grass (2019) - 5.4
The Netflix horror feature In The Tall Grass is noted for its unique premise. Based on the novella by father-son horror writers Stephen King and Joe Hill, the film begins when a pregnant woman and her brother hear a child screaming for help in a field of tall grass.
The two siblings enter the field, leading them into a labyrinthine, surreal habitat occupied by other entities. Patrick Wilson plays Ross Humboldt, a man also stuck in the field with his wife and son. Humboldt turns out to be much more in tune with the forces keeping everyone stuck in the tall grass, slowly amplifying his nefarious intentions as the film progresses.
Home Sweet Hell (2015) - 5.4
Wilson co-stars with Katherine Heigl in this dark comedy that pokes fun at the "ideal" suburban existence. Home Sweet Hell tells the story of a married couple whose life turns out to be far from blissful or perfect. Wilson plays a furniture store owner who cheats on his wife (Heigl) with a new employee (Jordana Brewster).
Unwilling to accept her marriage might be failing, Heigl's character forces her husband to rectify the situation by murdering his lover. Horror and blackmail ensue from there. Jim Belushi and Kevin McKidd co-star.
Passengers (2008) - 5.9
Equal parts psychological horror and tense romance, Passengers sees Wilson acting opposite Anne Hathaway. Hathaway plays a young therapist, Claire, tasked with helping the five survivors of a mysterious plane crash that killed most of the passengers.
Wilson plays Eric, the most elusive of the passengers, whom Claire develops a special relationship with as their sessions advance. As Claire pieces together the survivors' memories of the incident, she starts to question the airline's story about what caused the crash.
Insidious (2010) - 6.8
After blowing away horror fans with his debut feature Saw, James Wan turned the lens on the Lambert family in Insidious — whose script was written by The Invisible Man remake director Leigh Whannell. What begins as a classic haunted house story quickly evolves into much more as the Lamberts realize they are being targeted by a powerful demon.
Wilson plays Josh Lambert, with Rose Byrne co-starring as his wife Renai. Insidious incorporates astral projection, alternate universes, and scary monsters under the bed in entertaining ways. The success of the first film spawned a franchise. Wilson also stars in Insidious: Chapter 2, and his character appears referentially in the prequels Insidious: Chapter 3 and Insidious: The Last Key.
Prometheus (2012) - 7.0
While small, Wilson's role in Ridley Scott's science fiction and horror mash-up Prometheus is a memorable one. He plays the father of protagonist Elizabeth Shaw, who appears in the film through his daughter's dreams and personal flashbacks. Prometheus is considered a prequel to Scott's seminal monster movie set in space, Alien. This film takes a more philosophical approach than its predecessor, but it's jam-packed with plenty of scares.
Noomi Rapace plays Elizabeth Shaw, a devout Christian and archaeologist hired by the Weyland Corporation after she finds a star map that may uncover humanity's origins. Instead, Shaw and her crew stumble upon the alien life-form that may lead to humanity's extinction.
Hard Candy (2005) - 7.1
Hard Candy is an inventive revenge tale about a sexual predator who targets the wrong young woman. Wilson plays a fashion photographer named Jeff who grooms Ellen Page's character Hayley via an internet chat. Eventually, Jeff convinces Hayley to meet him at a coffee shop.
The 32-yer-old Jeff invites the 14-year-old Hayley to his home. While sharing screwdriver cocktails, Jeff suddenly passes out. He wakes up bound to a surgical table, where Hayley soon makes it clear she has different plans for the pedophile.
Bone Tomahawk (2015) - 7.1
A terrifying neo-Western, Bone Tomahawk is an ensemble, slow-moving feature about a frontier sheriff tasked with rescuing his deputy and a nurse from a tribe of cannibals. Wilson plays the injured husband of the nurse, Samantha. Kurt Russell plays the sheriff, Hunt.
Despite his condition, Wilson's character Arthur insists upon joining the crew as they make their way toward an inevitably bloody confrontation with the people-eating troglodyte clan. Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, and David Arquette co-star in the film, which is directed by S. Craig Zahler.
The Conjuring (2013) - 7.5
There's no doubt Patrick Wilson's most memorable scary movie role is paranormal investigator Ed Warren in The Conjuring franchise. James Wan also helms these films, which puts the Hollywood horror spin on the Warrens — a real-life duo known for working on some of the world's most infamous supernatural cases. Vera Farmiga co-stars as Lorraine Warren.
Wilson also stars in the equally popular The Conjuring 2 and is set to reprise his role in the forthcoming The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Ed Warren plays a tangential role in the related films Annabelle, The Nun, and Annabelle Comes Home through archival footage.