These performers always have a way of making us feel uneasy thanks to their mysterious, dark, and occasionally eerie performances. However, far from turning us off, their performances are magnetic and spellbinding. The special, sinister touches that they add to each role prevent them from becoming cookie-cutter boring or typecast and keep audiences tuning in to these actors' movies time and time again, even if we cringe and squirm throughout the entire time.
1. Steve Buscemi
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One of the busiest actors in Hollywood, he has been in hundreds of films and television shows. One of the things that draw people to him is the fact that he is also one of the creepiest. Buscemi manages to give audiences the impression that something sinister lies beneath the surface, whether he's playing the lovably naive Donnie in The Big Lebowski or the tragic Seymour in Ghost World.
2. Jesse Eisenberg
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His role in The Social Network is charming, but Jesse still leaves us feeling uneasy. Perhaps it's because of his role as Lex Luthor in the recent film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but something about this guy makes us feel uneasy.
3. Kevin Spacey
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Although Kevin Spacey has played a wide range of characters, he always manages to infuse them with the same unsettling coolness that made him terrifying in films like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and The Usual Suspects. You haven't seen Se7en or Moon if you don't think his voice is terrifying enough to stay with you forever.
4. Willem Dafoe
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Even while grinning widely,
Willem Dafoe gives off an ominous vibe. The fact that he usually plays evil or dangerous characters doesn't help. One piece of evidence: (He was in the film Antichrist.) Some have compared Dafoe to Christopher Walken, which speaks to just how creepy he is.
5. Christopher Walken
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Walken has built a name for himself by portraying offbeat characters who exude charm while also appearing capable of cold-blooded murder. His choreographed dance in Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" video gave me more chills than Trent Reznor or Rob Zombie.
6. Crispin Glover
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Starting with his threatening, "Hey, you! When George McFly yells, "Get your damn hands off her!" in Back to the Future, he appears more menacing than his normally mild demeanor would suggest. Crispin Glover can make even the most uninteresting outcasts interesting onscreen.
7. Robert De Niro
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We can all agree that Robert De Niro's performances in Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, and Goodfellas were legitimately chilling. Most of his films feature unsettling (and effective) acting. Even in comedies like Meet the Parents, they're his forte.
8. Anthony Hopkins
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Hopkins' name will forever be linked to that of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, not just during his lifetime. What he accomplished with that guy was no minor effort; he made cannibalism creepier than it was. America will never forget him for anything other than the man-eating maniac who tried to corrupt Jodie Foster, even though he has starred in dozens of movies afterward.
9. Gary Oldman
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Gary is the king of the dramatic and genuinely terrifying villain, despite having done several appealing roles (who doesn't love him as Sirius Black?). If you want to lose your sleep over someone, watch him in The Professional as Norman Stansfield.