Unmasking the monsters: actors playing cinematic creatures

There are some real monsters in Hollywood. Monster movies have always been popular, which has meant that actors need to be trained to play terrifying roles. Luckily, there are plenty of stars who do just that. It started in the days of early cinema. Monster movies like ‘Haxan,’ ‘Nosferatu,’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ were some of the most popular pictures out there. However, as you know, there’s a man (or woman) behind every monster.

Strangely, the first monster movies focused on sea creatures. ‘The Sea Beast,’ and ‘Tiger Shark’ had a whale and tuna for villains. That eventually evolved into beasts like the ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon,’ which brought an iconic monster to the big screen. Meanwhile, established actors like Christopher Lee were scaring audiences as ‘Dracula.’ The star has since acted as a vicious villain in both ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings.’

Actors like Doug Jones and Bill Skarsgård have earned high praise playing beastly creatures on the big screen. Big blockbusters like ‘It’ have arguably helped revive the horror genre, showing that Skarsgård has a long career ahead of him.

Other actors like Andy Serkis have earned high praise in monstrous roles, and fans have famously begged the Academy to award him an Oscar. Click on to meet the other actors who are the faces behind the masks of your favorite cinematic creatures.