The past decade has been a golden era for horror. Filmmakers have leaned into atmospheric dread, psychological depth, and intense realism, giving actors the space to deliver some of the most nuanced and haunting performances of their careers. These roles demand vulnerability, stamina, and a willingness to plunge into the darkest corners of human fear. As a result, modern horror has become fertile ground for award-worthy acting – even if the Oscars still continue to discriminate against the genre.
Today’s horror icons aren’t just screaming – they’re grieving, unraveling, confronting trauma, and channeling a kind of raw vulnerability that lingers with audiences. The last 10 years have gifted us with unforgettable performances that rival the greatest in any genre.
These 10 roles represent the best horror movie performances of the last decade, culminating in three that belong in the all-time pantheon.
10
Florence Pugh as Dani in ‘Midsommar’ (2019)
Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Dani delivers one of the most emotionally raw performances ever seen on film. From the beginning of Midsommar, when Dani finds out her family has died in a murder-suicide, and she lets out that unforgettable guttural scream, Pugh channels a sense of grief that feels overwhelming in its authenticity. She doesn’t treat Dani’s trauma as a plot device, but as a living, suffocating weight that informs every interaction she has.
The way Pugh conveys Dani’s desperate attempts to hold herself together – especially around people who don’t truly support her – grounds the entire film in emotional reality. As the tale locks Dani into a sunlit nightmare, Pugh shifts into a performance that’s equal parts distressing, heartbreaking, and hypnotic. She’s able to amplify Dani’s unraveling without ever losing sight of her humanity and the thing she most desires. The grief, isolation, and quiet resentments simmer until they morph into an unnerving yet cathartic sense of belonging. Her smile at the end is loaded with a blend of madness and catharsis that will forever haunt viewers.
9
Daniel Kaluuya as Chris in ‘Get Out’ (2017)
Daniel Kaluuya‘s performance in Get Out is both gripping and deeply grounded – a masterclass in controlled tension that helps elevate Jordan Peele’s social psychological horror into one of the decade’s sharpest cultural touchstones. As Chris, Kaluuya embodies a quiet, empathetic protagonist whose internal alarms intensify with every unsettling encounter and discovery at his white girlfriend’s family estate. His ability to express volumes through subtle expressions – small eye movements, tight smiles, and controlled body language – do much of the storytelling.
When the film’s horror fully materializes, Kaluuya shifts into a raw vulnerability that anchors the narrative’s most disturbing moments. His work inside “The Sunken Place” is especially haunting, reflecting helplessness in a way that feels almost physically painful to watch. He also brings a compelling determination to Chris’ fight for survival in the final act. Kaluuya’s ability to move seamlessly between emotional states is one of the defining elements of this great movie.
8
Naomi Scott as Skye Riley in ‘Smile 2’ (2024)
In Smile 2, Naomi Scott delivers a performance that elevates the sequel beyond its jump-scare foundation, grounding the supernatural horror in a deeply human struggle with identity, guilt, and trauma. As pop star Skye Riley, Scott immaculately portrays the exhausting tension between public persona and private unraveling. She authentically captures the mental and emotional cost of being thrust into the spotlight while fighting a dark secret, a drug addition, and a shape-shifting menace – while also giving audiences incredible musical numbers.
The film’s most disturbing sequences work as well as they do because Scott never plays Skye’s terror for spectacle. She commits to the internal horror, successfully nailing the protagonist’s psychological torment. The physicality of her performance embodies the escalating affliction of her character. Without Scott’s work, Smile 2 would not have reached the heights it did.
7
Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide and Red in ‘Us’ (2019)
Lupita Nyong’o‘s dual performance in Us is a showcase of versatility and meticulous character work. As Adelaide, she portrays a woman living with a barely contained anxiety that unravels as her past resurfaces. Nyong’o captures Adelaide’s fear and protective instincts with remarkable nuance, grounding the character in emotional truth even as the story grows increasingly surreal. Her ability to express dread through posture, breath, and subtle tremors in her voice adds layers to the movie’s tension.
As Red, Nyong’o becomes something entirely different – a haunting, operatic figure whose broken voice and graceful, unsettling movements create one of modern horror’s most iconic characters. The contrast between the two performances is staggering, yet deeply connected, revealing Nyongo’s mastery of physical and psychological transformation. Her work elevates Us beyond its high-concept premise, turning the doppelgänger story into a chilling meditation on identity, oppression, inequality, and buried trauma.
6
Willem Dafoe in ‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)
Willem Dafoe devours every fame of The Lighthouse as Thomas Wake, delivering a performance that is all at once theatrical, grotesque, and hypnotically funny. With a sea-weathered voice and Shakespearean cadence, Dafoe embodies the archetype of the grizzled lighthouse keeper while imbuing it with a mythic strangeness that feels larger than life. Dafoe attacks the role with bravado, turning every monologue into a storm of biblical fury and sailor superstition, and showcasing his ability to transform even the most absurd dialogue into something mesmerizing.
As Wake’s relationship with Robert Pattinson’s Thomas Howard devolves into madness, Dafoe becomes even more compelling, deftly oscillating between authoritarian menace and pathetic vulnerability. Technically impressive and wildly unhinged, he captures the claustrophobia, isolation, and psychological decay at the core of the film. Dafoe’s commitment to the role demonstrates why he is one of cinema’s most fearless performers.
5
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in ‘It’ (2017) & ‘It Chapter Two’ (2019)
Bill Skarsgård redefined a horror icon with his take on Pennywise, crafting a performance that is both uniquely his and chilling on a primal level. His unpredictable physicality – unnatural head tilts, unsettling stillness, and that infamous drifting eye – makes Pennywise feel terrifyingly real in a way that goes beyond makeup and special effects. Skarsgård’s vocal work ranges from playful singsong to guttural threat, capturing a malevolent entity that takes genuine delight in torment.
In It Chapter Two, the actor digs deeper, giving Pennywise flashes of emotion that twist the character into something even more disturbing. His vulnerability isn’t meant to humanize him – it’s meant to unsettle, to show that even a cosmic clown demon can feel slighted. Skarsgård’s ability to blend physical distortion, vocal playfulness, and psychological menace makes his Pennywise one of the genre’s most unforgettable antagonists.
4
Mia Goth as Pearl Howard in ‘Pearl’ (2022)
Mia Goth delivers a mesmerizing portrait of a dreamer on the brink of psychosis in Pearl, transforming what could have been a simple prequel into an operatic character study. Her performance beautifully captures Pearl’s intense, almost feverish longing for a life beyond the farm – a dream constantly slipping through her fingers. Goth plays Pearl with a childlike enthusiasm and girlish hopefulness that curdles into resentment and rage, making her someone the audience can’t look away from – even when they want to. It’s that emotional volatility that becomes the film’s engine.
Goth’s now-famous nine-minute monologue and credit-ending close-up demonstrate her command of emotional authenticity, even in moments of theatrical stylization. She makes Pearl’s loneliness as palpable as her fury, and her cheerful affectations only make her outbursts more chilling. Because of Goth, Pearl is a fully realized figure whose tragedy and terror will forever remain inseparable.
3
Michael B. Jordan as Stack and Smoke in ‘Sinners’ (2025)
In Sinners, Michael B. Jordan delivers the most daring performances of his career yet, inhabiting dual roles that push both his physicality and emotional range to new heights. Stack is the charming, lighthearted, and more outwardly expressive brother. On the other hand, Smoke is the pragmatic, stern, and reserved sibling – a character that contrasts sharply with Stack’s emotional accessibility. The two couldn’t be more different than each other, and Jordan makes it possible for viewers to distinguish between identical twins on screen.
To make them each feel like separate individuals, Jordan created distinct physical and vocal differences for each character. His movements, his voice, and entire energy shift create an incredible duality that gives the film more weight. Jordan’s ability to inhabit two characters who mirror and distort one another is a career-high achievement. The actor holds Sinners together through sheer commitment, delivering a top-tier performance worthy of a place among all-timers.
2
Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter in ‘Nosferatu’ (2024)
Lily-Rose Depp’s performance in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is raw, physically demanding, and masterfully courageous. Depp brings a haunting delicacy to the role, portraying Ellen not as a passive victim, but as a woman deeply attuned to the darkness encroaching upon her world – and one who, in the end, becomes both a sacrifice and a savior, doing what no man could do. She does so by capturing the essence of classic silent-era horror heroines while adding new layers of complexity.
As the story unravels, she plays Ellen’s increasing fear and determination with captivating nuance. Her ethereal presence fits perfectly into Eggers’ gothic world, adding emotional weight to its oppressive atmosphere. It’s a portrayal that elevates Nosferatu from a stylish homage and reimagining into a deeply felt human tragedy, standing out among the most resonant performances of this century. Blending vulnerability with strength in a way that feels timeless, Depp earns a place among the greatest horror performers.
1
Jacob Elordi as the Creature in ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is a gothic masterpiece, and the work of art wouldn’t be what it is without Jacob Elordi. The actor delivers a monumental performance, offering an achingly tender and heartbreaking interpretation of one of literature’s most enduring figures. His creature is not a monstrous being or a mindless brute or a misunderstood soul, but something far more human. He plays the character as a being with newborn confusion, aching loneliness and sorrow, explosive anger, and profound longing.
Elordi’s physical work is extraordinary – heavy, deliberate movements convey the Creature’s unfamiliarity with his own body, while his expressive eyes and face reveal flashes of innocence, curiosity, and heartache. His vocal craft, too, adds depth, with tentative attempts at communication, fits of rage, and eruptions of grief. Elordi’s Creature is gentle, tragic, and hopeful – the rare performance that both redefines a classic character for a new generation and transforms him into something timeless of its own. He was born for the role.