The word "icon" is sometimes overused, but it is apt for the people who feature on this list. Every person, be that actor, writer, or director, has made an indelible mark on the horror genre, scaring and thrilling audiences across the world.
The connection between movies and video games is often a close one. These iconic people have been involved in different projects over the years. Some video games on this list capitalize on the status of these icons, whereas some are less obvious. Either way, their inclusion in these video games has been memorable, adding to their iconic position in history.
10 Clive Barker
Clive Barker has conjured some truly terrifying images from his mind, which have scared readers of his books and watchers of his movies. The Hellraiser franchise's Cenobites in particular are examples of images that once seen are never forgotten. The themes of his books often explore the idea of pleasure and pain blending into one, and temptation leading to dark places of the heart.
Barker has acted as a writer and producer for a few video games, including adaptations of his movie Nightbreed, Clive Barker’s Undying in 2001, and Clive Barker’s Jericho in 2007. Although the games received mixed reviews from critics, they were all praised for the tone and atmosphere which is often associated with Clive Barker's work.
9 Bruce Campbell
Despite having appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, Bruce Campbell will always be widely recognized as Ash from The Evil Dead movies. This long-time collaborator of another horror legend, Sam Raimi, made his name battling the forces of evil, whilst enduring real-life pain his director friend would often inflict on him for the sake of getting the shot just right.
It’s no surprise that Campbell has appeared in a series of Evil Dead video games, including the most recent release Evil Dead: The Game. What may come as a surprise to some is that he also voiced Pitfall Harry in 1997s Pitfall 3-D: Beyond the Jungle, as well as appearing in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Exo Zombies as Captain Lennox.
8 John Carpenter
Often regarded as one of the Masters of Horror, John Carpenter has made some incredible movies. Halloween and The Thing are classic horror films that stand the test of time. His non-horror work and collaborations with his long-time friend, Kurt Russell, are also extremely watchable, with Escape From New York and Big Trouble in Little China standing out from the crowd. And who can forget They Live, which features one of the best on-screen fights ever made.
Now retired from making movies, Carpenter spends a lot of his spare time playing video games and says he is an avid fan of the Fallout series. Surprisingly, he hasn't worked on many video games, but his sole video game credit is for acting as a creative consultant on F.E.A.R 3 (F.3.A.R) in 2011. He also makes an uncredited appearance as Dr. Faraday in 2002’s video game adaptation of The Thing.
7 Guillermo Del Toro
It’s fair to say Guillermo Del Toro knows a thing or two about making audiences feel unsettled and on edge. Some of his movies can be described as horrifically beautiful fairy tales where fantasy meets the horrors of reality. Despite his obvious skill at knowing what scares moviegoers, this award-winning director has an extremely diverse number of movies to his name, which goes to show the depth of his talent.
Del Toro is a fan of video games, and says ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are masterpieces. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as both games mirror elements of his movies with a sense of foreboding and melancholy. Wanting to put his stamp on video games, Del Toro collaborated with Hideo Kojima on the infamous P.T., which was released in 2014. P.T. was genuinely unsettling and despite not being a full game, won multiple awards for being one of the scariest games ever made. Del Toro also appears as Deadman in Kojima’s Death Stranding.
6 George A. Romero
George A. Romero's relationship with zombies goes back to 1968, when he made the seminal Night of the Living Dead. Although he made other horror movies during his career, his legacy will always be associated with bringing the undead to life.
Arguably the most famous zombie video game franchise of all time, Resident Evil is also connected to Romero. Early Resident Evil games are influenced by Romero’s movies, and in 1998 he directed a TV commercial to promote the release of Resident Evil 2. Romero also appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops, zombies map Call of the Dead, where he essentially played himself.
5 Christopher Lee
Plenty of actors have played the role of Dracula, but Christopher Lee is arguably one of the most iconic. Lee stared in multiple Hammer Films over the years, often appearing with his good friend Peter Cushing. Lee’s imposing height and booming voice would be used to great effect in his later performances as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Saruman in the Lord of the Rings movies.
Lee has used his vocal talents in several video games over the years, including the Lord of the Rings Lego games. However, one of his most notable performances is Ansem the Wise/DiZ from Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
4 Bill Moseley
Bill Moseley and horror are like peanut butter and jelly or bacon and eggs; they just work perfectly together. Take a look at Moseley’s IMDB page; it is filled with memorable characters from horror movies, such as Chop-Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, as well as Otis from House of 1000 Corpses and its sequels The Devil’s Rejects and 3 From Hell.
Based on Moseley’s horror background, it’s no surprise to find him appearing in the schlocky cheese fest Corpse Killer from 1994. FMV games have seen something of a resurgence in recent years with anniversary re-releases of Night Trap and Corpse Killer.
3 Tony Todd
Tony Todd is one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood, with over 250 credits to his name on IMDB. This versatile performer has had an extremely diverse career playing characters across multiple genres, but he is arguably most well-known for playing the titular villain in 1992's Candyman.
Todd is also known for his incredible voice, and his vocal talents have been put to good use in several games. These include the Vortigaunt from Half-Life 2, Rodek from Star Trek Online, Admiral Tommy Briggs from Call of Duty: Black Op’s 2, and most recently Doctor Rogers in Back 4 Blood.
2 Tim Curry
Mention Tim Curry, and people will generally have one or two images in their heads. The first will be his extravagant performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the other will be the terrifying Pennywise in It.
Curry has an extensive catalog of video game appearances, including Dragon Age: Origins, Brutal Legend, and Wing Commander 3: Heart of the Tiger. However, he is likely to be remembered mostly for his over-the-top performance as Premier Anatoly Cherdenko in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.
1 Robert Englund
Robert Englund is single-handedly responsible for millions of people being scared of going to sleep. His portrayal of the child killer Freddy Krueger in 1984's A Nightmare On Elm Street left its mark on cinema and horror fans. Despite his character turning into an anti-hero in subsequent sequels where fans cheered for his one-liners and inventive kills, Wes Craven's New Nightmare was a return to the roots of where it all began.
There have been a few video game collaborations involving Robert Englund, including voicing Scarecrow in Injustice 2 and of course Freddy Krueger in Mortal Kombat. However, one role he is most known for is playing Robert in Call of Duty Black Ops Zombies mode. He appeared alongside Michael Rooker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Danny Trejo in this title.