1.
Tom Hanks’ very first acting credit was in the slasher movie He Knows You’re Alone as Elliot in 1980. Four years later, he starred in Splash, which kicked off a string of starring roles in movies like The Money Pit, Big, The ‘Burbs, Turner & Hooch, and more.
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Jennifer Aniston’s first movie was Leprechaun as Tory Redding in 1993. A year later, she would land her breakout role as Rachel in Friends.
4.
Patrick Dempsey’s first movie role was in The Stuff in 1985 as “Underground Stuff Buyer #2.” Two years later, he landed his breakout role in Can’t Buy Me Love.
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Following his first acting credit in Animal House, Kevin Bacon appeared as Jack Burrell in Friday the 13th in 1980. His breakout role in Footloose would come four years later.
7.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her movie debut in Troll in 1986 as Jeanette Cooper. The role came after her stint on Saturday Night Live and before she landed Seinfeld in 1989.
8.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s very first movie role was as Josh in Critters 3 in 1991. The movie was a direct-to-video release. Two years later, he landed his breakout role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
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Right after filming The Best Man and Love & Basketball, Regina Hall landed the role of Brenda Meeks in Scary Movie in 2000. She went on to appear in four Scary Movie films.
10.
After appearing as an extra in a few movies, Skeet Ulrich’s first big role came in 1996 when he starred as Chris Hooker in The Craft. Later that same year, he also starred as Billy Loomis in Scream.
11.
Neve Campbell’s very first movie role was in The Dark as Jesse Donovan in 1993. Three years later, she would land her most notable role as Sidney Prescott in Scream.
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Right after filming Dazed and Confused, Matthew McConaughey was cast as Vilmer Slaughter in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The release of the movie ended up being delayed until 1995, two years after Dazed and Confused was released.
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Similarly, Renée Zellweger was cast as Jenny in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre right after she had a small role in Dazed and Confused in 1993. Both movies filmed in Texas, which is where Matthew and Renée were cast.
14.
Adam Scott’s first movie role was as Jacques in Hellraiser: Bloodline in 1996. Eight years later, he landed a role in The Aviator and then went on to, of course, star in Party Down and Parks and Recreation.
15.
Eva Mendes’ very first movie role was in 1998, when she appeared in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror as Kir. Three years later, she landed her notable role in Training Day.
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Anya Taylor-Joy’s very first acting credit was as Thomasin in The Witch in 2015. She received critical acclaim and went on to star in countless movies before landing her most widely recognized roles in Glass, Emma, and The Queen’s Gambit.
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Hilary Swank’s first movie credit was when she starred as Kimberly Hannah in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992. Two years later, she landed what is considered her breakout role in The Next Karate Kid.
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Sophia Lillis’s first movie role was as Beverly Marsh in It in 2017. Her work in the movie marked her breakout role, and she went on to appear in Sharp Objects and It Chapter Two next.
19.
Patricia Arquette’s very first movie role was as Kristen Parker in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in 1987. Right after the movie, she would go on to star in critically acclaimed movies like Lost Highway, Ed Wood, Flirting with Disaster, and more.
20.
After starring in several horror short films from writer and director Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell’s first major movie role was in Raimi’s The Evil Dead in 1981 as Ash Williams. He went on to play the role numerous times, thus continuing the horror genre partnership between him and Raimi.
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And finally, Jamie Lee Curtis made her movie debut in John Carpenter’s Halloween as Laurie Strode in 1978. Her work in Halloween allowed her to be dubbed a “Scream Queen,” and she went on to appear in other horror movies and more Halloween films.
We can’t fit everyone into one post, so which other actors started in horror movies you love? Tell us in the comments below!