Staff Kills – Ben’s Top 5 Oscar-Worthy Genre Performances of the Last Decade
by Ben Bussey
So here we are, into the second decade of the 21st century at last, and the Best-Of-Decade lists are popping up like cyberspace daisies. And overall, I think it’s fair to say this has been a good decade for horror, one that will be remembered in years to come as a key period in the genre. Yes, the output has naturally been variable, but it’s also been steady. On top of the expected DTV fare, there’ve been horror movies in the multiplexes pretty much constantly. Of course, not everyone likes the genre (and let’s be honest now, we wouldn’t want it any other way), but at least everyone’s talking about it again; hence, sites like ours exist.
But what if things were just a little different? What if horror was critically accepted to the extent that the Academy took notice? A while back Bloody Disgusting did a list of performances from horror movies which were good enough to win Oscars. And it’s fair to say many movies and performances of this past decade were more than good enough (particularly when you consider that such run of the mill fare as Million Dollar Baby and Crash were able to scoop best picture awards). And so, here are what I regard the five best performances in horror from the past ten years: some awe-inspiring bits of acting which, were there any justice in the world, would have seen each of these undervalued actors and actresses showered with riches and accolades. Have there been other great horror performances of late? Absolutely. Will you agree with me on these being the very best? Perhaps not, but that’s what makes these things the conversation stimulators they are. Enough preamble. Let’s do the list.
5) Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
I defy anyone to tell me they saw this one coming. Now, let’s be clear, I love Bruce Campbell as much as the next fanboy. I rate his turn in Evil Dead 2 as one of the greatest comedic performances of all time, and over the years I’ve had many a geeky thrill any time he’s popped up as a guest star in some random TV show like Charmed or The New Adventures of Superman, or bit parts in big movies like The Hudsucker Proxy or Spider-Man. The guy’s a genre icon, no doubt. But a truly great actor? Let’s be honest now, the jury’s long been out on that one. So when this utterly bizarre sounding movie came along, I was expecting another great laugh-out-loud hamfest with plenty of snappy one-liners – and was not left disappointed. But I sure as shit was not expecting the palpable emotion that came along with it.
I’ve come to regard Bubba Ho-Tep as the Being John Malkovich of horror: from the premise, you wouldn’t anticipate anything more than a riotous Pythonesque comedy, but while there are elements of that in there, both movies are in fact breathtakingly sensitive, even painful examinations of the human condition. Horror movies by and large are supposed to be all about confronting our fear of death, but in showing the great American hero Elvis as a crumbling old man, simmering with frustration and regret, dumped in a forgotten corner of civilisation, Bubba forces us to confront the realities of aging and dying in a far more evocative fashion. So much of it is down to Campbell’s performance. Sure, the make-up helps, but the personality, the physicality, the essence of Elvis – that’s all Bruce. And come on, look at this decade’s wins for Jamie Foxx, Cate Blanchett, et al. – the Academy adores dead celebrity impersonations. Would it really have been so difficult for them to overlook the fact that this particular story didn’t actually happen?
4) Katherine Isabelle as Ginger and Emily Perkins as Bridgette in Ginger Snaps (2000)
Okay, I realise I’m cheating slightly here by not narrowing it down to one actress, but I just can’t. This is a dual lead movie if ever I saw one, and both performers are at the absolute top of their game. One might argue that it’s the metamorphosis of Isabelle’s Ginger from surly teen to bloodthirsty lycanthrope that drives the story, but just as much the focal point, if not more, is Perkins’ Bridgette and her desperate search for a way to save her sister. Ultimately, the performances compliment one another perfectly, and I find it nigh-on impossible to imagine one being anywhere near as powerful without the other.
It’s easy to speculate how Ginger Snaps might have been improved by a bigger budget and better werewolf FX, but ultimately all that stuff is just the window dressing on a story that’s really about the anxieties of high school, the power of burgeoning sexuality, and the struggle to maintain identity. To my mind, few movies capture that strain of teenage angst as effectively as Ginger Snaps does, and few performances convey it as well as those of Isabelle and Perkins here.
3) Alistair Kirton as Colin in Colin (2008)
This was one of my most pleasant surprises of 2009. No, Wall-E was not the only remarkably evocative, largely silent movie of the year. Taking a premise that could easily have resulted in yet another garden variety walking dead yawnfest, Colin stands testament to the power of minimalism: very little budget, very little dialogue, very little action. And yet what there is speaks volumes, and Kirton’s performance as the titular zombie is absolutely pivotal to this.
The film may ruminate on questions of identity and human nature, but never does it get sentimental. Never do we have any of those soppy Hulk-suddenly-recognises-Betty-and-mellows-out moments. Understatement rules the day, and to staggering effect; it’s notable that the scenes that take us away from Colin are by far the least effective. In my review I likened Kirton’s performance to Bub, and Karloff’s Frankenstein, and I stand by that. It truly is one of the most human monsters ever committed to screen.
2) Paddy Considine as Richard in Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)
Oh, I didn’t um and ah about whether or not I should include this one – the principle reason being whether or not this film can necessarily be classed as horror. Of course, those who would argue against Dead Man’s Shoes being a horror movie are most likely the kind of folk that regard the label of horror to be a negative; in other words, none of us here at Brutal As Hell. Without getting spoiler-ish, I think it’s fair to say there’s just enough of a supernatural undertone to this revenge story to make it part of the genre. And if that wasn’t enough, Paddy Considine gives what has to be one of the most shit-scary performances of all time.
Sure, we empathise with ex-soldier Richard and his need for revenge on the drug dealers that destroyed his disabled kid brother, but that doesn’t stop us being absolutely terrified of him every step of the way. The grubby naturalism of the whole affair only serves to make the fear all the more palatable (and speaking personally I feel that even more strongly, given I grew up in northern English suburbs not too dissimilar to those where the film is shot). And it’s very much to Considine’s credit that he hasn’t rested on his laurels and kept on ploughing the psycho route, proving to be every bit as gifted a comedic actor in Hot Fuzz. Which is not to say there aren’t glimpses of comic genius at play here; I struggle to think of a film moment as utterly petrifying and at once darkly hilarious as Considine spitting “You, you cunt!” Absolutely outstanding.
And yet, not quite enough to top this list. Despite these great contenders, there was never a doubt in my mind as to who had earned that accolade. And so – pause to clear throat, adopt subdued tone of voice and tentatively open envelope – the number one slot goes to…
1) Angela Bettis as May in May (2002)
Watch out, because I’m about to get on my soapbox now. It really is a crime that this movie doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It is gut-wrenching to see how badly the industry is treating writer/director Lucky McKee after crafting such a masterful piece of filmmaking. And above all, it is an insult to all that is pure and holy in existence that Hollywood did not bend over backwards to kiss the arse of Angela Bettis off the back of this absolutely incredible display of acting ability. This isn’t the first time I’ve said this, and it won’t be the last – her performance here is the single greatest female performance I have ever seen in a horror movie, ever. Full fucking stop.
Rarely, if ever, do we see performances so nuanced. At first May seems no more than a harmless little lamb, a child in a woman’s body who still talks to her imaginary friend. We’re amused by her social awkwardness, and sympathise with her inability to communicate her feelings. Then we see her tendencies for self harm. Her tentative advances toward Jeremy Sisto’s Adam start to seem more like stalker behaviour. And once every would-be friend rejects her, and her already thin grip on reality seems to break away completely, she’s gone from sweet and innocent to scary as fuck… but never does she become a monster, never do we cease to empathise and identify with her. Of course this is largely down to McKee’s excellent script and direction, but without an actress as brilliant as Bettis in the lead the whole thing could so easily have degenerated into nothing more than another revenge-of-the-nerd slasher. Instead, it’s one of the most unique, intelligent and haunting horror movies of our time, as touching as it is terrifying. Few roles put an actress through her paces as much as this one does, particularly as she’s almost never off the screen the whole running time. Great parts for women are rare in movies overall, let alone in the horror genre, and Bettis well and truly makes the most of it. Yes, she really is that damn good.
So there we have it. Were I an Academy voter – or, more likely, the guy who cleans their pool – then every one of the aforementioned would have been on my list. And before anyone says it, yes, I know how utterly superfluous these things are. I know that a good part of why we love genre movies is their countercultural overtones, their distance from this self-important Hollywood back slapping. But you know how insidious the Oscars are. No matter how much we try to ignore them, they always wind up getting under your skin. Regardless, I hope this list goes to show that, in spite of all the Jared Padaleckis and Kelly Rowlands doing their best to scupper our horror movies with their mediocrity, there are still some fucking good actors out there doing fucking good work in fucking good horror movies. Long may it fucking continue. You’ve got a lot to live up to, 2000-teens.
