Top 5 scene-stealing supporting performances in horror films

The horror genre has been a hotbed for dynamite supporting performances. Join me as a I count down the top 5 scene-stealing supporting performances in horror films.

Horror films have always been littered with scene-stealing performances that have run the gamut from villains such as Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger to heroes, such as Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams. These iconic characters have become some of fandom’s most revered icons.

Oftentimes, supporting characters prove to be the unsung heroes of horror films. These peripheral characters are allowed to exhibit some ambiguity, and they usually have their foibles, which tends to make them far more memorable than the often vanilla heroes.

Here are the top 5 scene-stealing supporting performances in horror films:

5. Giuseppe Andrews — Cabin Fever

Giuseppe Andrews’ Deputy Winston from Eli Roth’s excellent directorial debut Cabin Fever is one of the most wholly unique creations in the history of cinema. Winston is a man-child who eats, sleeps, and breathes partying. As we discover toward the end of the film, Winston’s idea of partying is to drink beers with jailbait while listening to his buddies sing folk songs. His idyllic, kickass “party” is disrupted by Paul’s (Rider Strong) flesh-eating malady.

Winston could care less about the deadly flesh-eating virus ravaging the town. Instead, he is utterly perturbed that Paul (Rider Strong) puts an end to his party. Paul ultimately becomes public enemy number one to Winston. This is why Winston ultimately relishes the opportunity to deliver the coup de grace by dumping Paul in the reservoir, unwittingly contaminating the town’s water supply.

Winston is a completely absurd character, but Andrews commits to the performance with reckless abandon. The brilliance of the performance is that Andrews skillfully walks a tightrope, taking the character to a bizarre place, but never descending into cartoony histrionics. Sadly, Winston’s screen time is limited. Winston is the type of character who deserves a movie all his own (this is what the disappointing, troubled Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever should have been, but I digress).