Some movies require stars to dress up in an unfamiliar way or to wear costumes that make them unrecognizable. One genre that does this quite often would be horror; based on the setting, plot, backstory, and villain’s abilities, there may be masks, burns, pins, and other additions that hide these actors’ real faces.

That being said, we thought it would be fun to look at some of the most classic scary movie villains and compare their appearances to how they look in real life. Some fans may be familiar with all of these celebs, while others will be surprised to learn what lies behind the mask!

Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård)

Stephen King wrote It, and in 2017, a new film based on this story was released, followed by It Chapter Two in 2019. The focus is on seven children who are tormented by a monster that can turn into their greatest fears and that usually takes the form of a dancing clown named Pennywise. 

This character is portrayed by actor Bill Skarsgård. Besides being part of this horror franchise, he has also been seen in The Divergent Series: Allegiant, Hemlock Grove, Atomic Blonde, and Castle Rock.

Michael Myers (Nick Castle)

One of the most iconic slasher films of all time is Halloween. There are actually 11 of these films, and they center around a killer named Michael Myers. He murdered his sister, stalked people (like Laurie Strode, who is Jamie Lee Curtis’ character) in Haddonfield, Illinois, he wears a mask. 

In the first movie from 1978, Nick Castle played this character, though Tony Moran was the unmasked version of Michael Myers, and Will Sandin was the young version of Michael Myers (age 6). In 2018, James Jude Courtney played this character, while Castle was seen in a window scene and provided breathing sounds.

Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)

On a similar note, there is A Nightmare on Elm Street from the year 1984. Written and directed by Wes Craven, this flick spurred on several more works, and they all center around a killer named Freddy Krueger who can go into people’s dreams and has burns on his face, razor-like fingers, and wears a striped sweater. 

Another important note is that he is played by Robert Englund, who has also appeared in TV shows like Criminal Minds, Supernatural ,andCharmed.

 Jason Voorhees (Ari Lehman)

Of course, there is also Friday the 13th, which now has 12 film installments. The original came out in 1980, started at Camp Crystal Lake, and focused on Jason Voorhees, a killer who wears a hockey mask. 

This first version of Jason was portrayed by an actor named Ari Lehman. He was also seen in archive footage of Friday the 13th Part 2 and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and since then, he has been in independent and short films.

Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen)

In 1974, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released, and it told the story of friends who ended up in a house belonging to a family of cannibals. One of these cannibals, of course, is Leatherface, who wears masks made out of skin.

Back in the ‘70s, Gunnar Hansen portrayed this character. He was in other films over the years, including Texas Chainsaw 3D; he had a cameo in 2013, which was his final role, as he passed away in 2015.

The Nun (Bonnie Aarons)

Within the world of The Conjuring, a movie and franchise based on real-life paranormal investigators, there is a character named Valak. This is a demon nun who was seen in The Conjuring 2 in 2016, as well as her own flick, The Nun, in 2018.

Bonnie Aarons is the one who gets the credit for this movie villain. Previously, she was a bum in Mulholland Drive, and was Baroness Joy von Troken in The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

Chucky (Brad Dourif)

In 1988, the world met Chucky, a doll with red hair and overalls who was the bad guy (or… good guy, as his brand was called) in Child’s Play. This story focused on Catherine Hicks playing a widowed mother who gave her son a doll that just so happened to be possessed by the soul of a serial killer. 

In the original film, Brad Dourif was Charles Lee Ray and voiced Chucky, and in the reboot from 2019, Mark Hamill (yes, the actor best known as Luke Skywalker) voiced the doll. 

Pinhead (Doug Bradley)

Hellraiser was released in 1987. It was written and directed by Clive Barker and based on a novella he wrote, titled The Hellbound Heart. 

There is a lot going on in this film, from a resurrection and an alternate dimension to creatures known as Cenobites. And the Lead Cenobite, who is also known as Pinhead, is played by a man named Doug Bradley. He looks a bit different without all those, well, pins in his head, doesn’t he?

Samara (Daveigh Chase)

Naomi Watts starred in the 2002 film, The Ring, as a journalist who looked more into a video tape that killed the people who watched it. Another big part of this horror film was the creepy girl, Samara, who crawled out of the well, with her hair hanging down in her face.

Daveigh Chase is the actress who played this part, and she has been seen and heard in some other notable movies and shows, too; she was Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko, Chihiro Ogino in Spirited Away, Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch and Rhonda Volmer in Big Love. From Samara to animated Disney characters… Wow!

The Strangers (Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, and Laura Margolis)

Last but not least is The Strangers from 2008. This movie was about strangers tormenting Kristen, who was played by Liv Tyler, and James, who was played by Scott Speedman. These strangers—Dollface, the Man in the Mask, and Pin-Up Girl—were played by Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks and Laura Margolis.

All three of these actors have been seen in other works, as well. Margolis was previously in shows like Friends, Monk, and Dirty Sexy Money. Weeks was in the movie Glory Road. And Ward was in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Great Gatsby.