When it comes to classic horror, there are perhaps no two characters more genre-defining than Halloween’s Michael Myers and Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees. Michael Myers, clad in a white mask nicknamed “The Shape,” moves in silence as he approaches his victims, murdering them with a callousness that only a stone-hearted killer can possess. Jason Voorhees, donning a muddied-up hockey mask, acts similarly, preying upon innocent victims and killing them in cold blood.
Yet, portraying characters as ghastly as Mike and Jason takes some serious talent, even when both characters are often hidden behind their signature mask. Here, we take a look at every actor who has played the iconic horror movie villains and recall the movies they helped make so scream-worthy.
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16 Ari Lehman
Paramount Pictures & Warner Bros Pictures
We open our list with the first actor to ever portray Jason Voorhees on-screen, Ari Lehman. As the first installment in the series, the 1980 film Friday the 13th set the stage for a myriad of follow-up movies and introduced the world to one of the most infamous villains of all time.
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The original Friday the 13th actually sees Jason’s mother, Pamela Voorhees, as the main antagonist; she vandalizes and targets a summer camp located on the infamous Crystal Lake, known for its history of death and violence. Here, we follow four main camp counselors as they face the distraught mother, fighting for their lives as they are overpowered one by one. Though it is one of the earlier films on this list and introduces Jason as merely a flashback, Ari Lehman’s performance helped cement Jason’s place as one of the scariest horror movie characters to date.
15 Warrington Gillette
Next up is Warrington Gillette, who starred as Jason in the second installment of the franchise, Friday the 13th Part 2. Since the first movie merely showed Jason in flashbacks and as a child, Warrington might just be the first true portrayal of the villain, specifically as an adult.
One defining feature of this film is that Jason is seen wearing a white sack over his head rather than his trademark hockey mask. Taking place once again at Camp Crystal Lake, this time after the events of the first film, the movie sees Jason terrorizing a group of soon-to-be counselors just as his mother had in the first. Warrington gives a stunning performance that ultimately, helped show a more deranged side of the killer; unlike the first movie, Jason is now able to interact with his victims more directly.
14 Richard Booker
Paramount Pictures
Friday the 13th Part 3 is the film where Jason truly begins to take shape thanks to the talents of Richard Booker. For the first time, audiences see Jason in the iconic hockey mask, making his physical appearance all the more menacing.
This time, the story begins right where we left off, with Jason unmasked and reeling from the previous night of his homicidal mayhem. From there, Jason is once again, seen terrorizing the innocent victims in and around Crystal Lake, killing them off one by one in typical slasher fashion. The film was released to audiences in 3-D, making Richard Booker’s performance all the more terrifying with the action practically jumping out of the screen.
13 Ted White
Ted White is a definite fan-favorite after his expert portrayal of Jason in the installment Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Here, Jason takes evil to new heights; not only is this the first film where he attacks a child, but this is one of the first times we see Jason arise from the dead, implying he will never fully be stopped.
Ted White built on the work of the last few actors, but what ultimately set him apart was his stature; standing at six foot four, Jason was now as tall as he had ever been, able to physically dominate his opponents with ease. Jason was also shown to be far more ruthless and menacing in this adaptation, making it one of the scariest films on this list.
12 C.J. Graham
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives saw C.J. Graham as the titular killer. Here, Jason is completely different than he was before; for the first time, Jason is shown as truly undead, a zombie-like creature prowling the earth, looking for the next kill.
With maggots coming out of his mask, Jason is resurrected and begins a new killing spree, this time targeted at one of his former victims, Tommy Jarvis. When Tommy goes back to the cemetery to exhume Jason’s body in order to cremate him, an electrical shock jolts him back to life. Viewers follow Tommy as he is once again, forced to face his tormentor head-on.
11 Kane Hodder
Kane Hodder may be one of the most well-known Jason portrayers, mostly due to how many times the actor was featured in the series. Hodder played Jason Voorhees in four different installments from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood to Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
Kane Hodder was able to develop the character in a way that many of the previous actors had not; across his four movies, Hodder was able to portray Jason as someone capable of decision-making, not just mindless killing. Furthermore, Hodder was able to take Jason’s evil outside of Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, adding a whole new layer and setting for Jason’s destruction.
10 Ken Kirzinger
New Line Cinema
2003’s Freddy vs. Jason put two of the most devilish horror icons head to head. Here, Ken Kirzinger had to portray Jason as willing to work together with A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger in order to dominate more victims. In the end, the two ultimately clashed, resulting in an epic showdown between the two murderers.
Ken took over the character after Kane Hodder, helping to ring in a new era for Jason as a character. Here, Ken made it clear that Jason’s only goal was to kill, showing him as a truly bloodthirsty individual. Overall, it was made clear to audiences that Jason wasn’t interested in allying with his co-star villain, making for some truly amazing on-screen drama and battles.
9 Derek Mears
Warner Bros. Pictures
The last Jason Voorhees on this list, Derek Mears helped to revive the character in 2009’s remake Friday the 13th. For the most part, the movie holds true to the original 1980 film, set at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake. However, Derek Mears is able to take Jason in a new direction.
Unlike the first movie which centered around Pamela Voorhees, Jason is able to take center stage. This time, Jason is shown torturing his victims, setting traps, and targeting those at Camp Crystal Lake with a precision that has never been seen before. On top of being a killer, Derek Mears shows Jason as a stalker, actively plotting the murders of those around him.
8 Nick Castle
Compass International Pictures
We transition now from Jason Voorhees to Michael Myers, the star and main villain of the Halloween series. The first actor to portray this masked menace is Nick Castle in 1978’s Halloween.
The original story tells the tale of Michael Myers, who is locked away for murdering his sister when he was only six years old. The story picks up with Michael at age 21, who escaped from his prison and is now heading back to his hometown to seek out his next victim. Here, Nick Castle sets the tone for the killer in movies to come, expertly portraying the ease with which he can take an innocent life.
7 Dick Warlock
Universal Pictures
Next up is Dick Warlock who portrayed Michael in the follow-up movie Halloween II. The story picks up with Michael intent on murdering a woman named Laurie who survived his attack in the previous movie. Taking place mainly in the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, Halloween II sees Michael go head-to-head with his stubborn target.
Here, Dick Warlock is able to portray how casual Michael is when it comes to murder. Michael never runs after his victims, slowly walking toward them with a weapon in hand. Dick Warlock’s Michael is equally sluggish and zombie-like in his approach; in one scene, Michael is seen slowly stalking his victim in the basement of the hospital as she frantically attempts to evade capture.
6 George P. Wilbur
Trancas International
After omitting Michael Myers in Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, the series continues with George P. Wilbur as Michael in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Wilbur also plays Michael in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, though both performances are very distinct.
For one, Michael’s mask in Halloween4has a more precise fit to his head, slightly changing the outward appearance of the familiar villain. As for Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the character has a new mask and stands tall with a more commanding presence. Either way, both films showcase George’s ability to channel Michael’s callousness.
5 Don Shanks
Galaxy Releasing
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers sees the titular villain awaken from a coma, once again intent on murdering one of his past victims who survived. Here, Don Shanks dons the white mask and stalks his niece, Jamie, through a mental hospital.
One of the most divisive scenes in the film as well as the entire franchise sees Michael breaking down in tears before he attacks his niece. Though the scene was meant to humanize the killer, some argued that it seemed out of place for a character who could kill so nonchalantly. Nonetheless, DonShanks was able to portray the intense emotion in the scene, ultimately solidifying Halloween5 as one of the most memorable of the series.
4 Chris Durand
Dimension Films
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later saw some of the original cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie, reprising their roles in this slasher film. Yet this time, Michael was played by Chris Durand, who discovers Laurie’s whereabouts and terrorizes her nearly 20 years later.
Unlike other versions of Michael Myers, Chris Durand wore multiple white-faced masks, one of which was CGI. Though the masks that were used received criticism, Chris Durand was able to build upon the brother-sister dynamic between Laurie and Michael that was laid out nearly 20 years before.
3 Brad Loree
Brad Loree is the next actor who took on the role of Michael Myers in 2002’s Halloween: Resurrection. Though the last movie saw Laurie finally overcome and behead her murderous brother once and for all, this movie throws all of that away; Michael is shown coming back to life where he immediately finds a way to murder his sister in the opening act.
Though the story itself was criticized by fans for being somewhat flimsy, Brad Loree certainly gives a stellar performance. Here, he is able to portray the swiftness with which the killer takes down his victims and shows his undying persistence to attack those he deems as targets.
2 Tyler Mane
Tyler Mane is the lead actor in the 2007 remake Halloween, as well as its 2009 sequel Halloween II. Standing at six foot nine, the actor’s height made Michael’s physical appearance all the more menacing and outwardly overpowering. More advanced effects and technological enhancements certainly helped elevate the films when compared to their 1980s predecessors.
The story follows a similar timeline to that of the 1980 film; here, we watch as Michael stalks and targets his sister Laurie nearly two decades after his first kill.
1 James Jude Courtney
The most recent Michael Myers portrayer is James Jude Courtney, who became “The Shape” in three recent series installments, Halloween, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends. Often touted as one of the best Michael Myers, James Jude Courtney truly reinstated fear into viewers nearly 40 years after the original film was released.
Courtney’s performance saw Michael as not only bloodthirsty but also, full of unbridled rage. His attacks became more violent and suggested that Michael’s nonchalant nature was only one layer of the villain. Taking place after the events of the original film, 2018’s Halloweenundid the mistakes of the past and saw Michael face his sister Laurie, once again played by Jamie Lee Curtis, in a bone-chilling but earned showdown for both characters.
