Raise your hand if you cheered when Paris Hilton got a (metal) pole through the head in the House of Wax remake in 2005. It’s still one of the most gratifying moments when horror met pop culture. This moment in cinema moved me to write an article in December 2012 – When Pop Stars Die: A Look at Singers Trying Out the Horror Genre.
Recently, it has come to my attention that singers from other genres of music have dipped their feet into the blood red pool of horror film. So, I created a list of the first ten singers I could find. Alternative, Country, Pop, Rap, R&B, and Rock… Everyone has taken a shot!
*This is an incomplete list. I know there are dozens of more singers I could include, even ones like Tony Curtis. Should this article reach a decent amount of readers, I’ll come back with more installments.
1. Ashanti
Musical Accolades: Ashanti is a Grammy Winning pop and r&b singer whose first two albums – “Ashanti” 2002 and “Chapter II” 2003 – both debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Although she’s scored 10 top 10 singles, her only #1 single was 2002’s “Foolish.”
Horror Accolades: She first appeared in horror as a supporting role in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). As Nurse Betty she is traveling across the country looking for supplies with a convoy of other survivors. The convoy is attacked by crows who have been feeding on the infected and Nurse Betty is pecked to death just before Alice (Mila Jovovich) shows up to save the day. Ashanti followed up this role with another supporting spot in the B-movie Mutant World in 2014.
2. Aubrey O’Day
Musical Accolades: Aubrey O’Day is 1/5 of the reality TV made girl group Danity Kane. Together they made history by being the first girl group in history to have their first two albums debut at #1. They also scored two top 10 singles including “Damaged” in 2008 before being fired live on TV by Puff Daddy. Danity Kane briefly reunited in 2014 as a four piece and released an album which failed to crack the top 40 on Billboard and then broke up after an in studio altercation. As a solo artist, O’Day released one EP in 2013, “Between Two Evils.”
Horror Accolades: Aubrey appeared in 2013’s Killer Reality, one of the many subtle horror films that debut on the Lifetime Network. A rip off of “The Bachelor,” Killer Reality saw a masked man killing off contestants vying for the affection of a handsome, wealthy man. O’Day was the second or third to get murdered and had decent screen time due to her feud with another contestant in the movie. Also, it was rumored that O’Day was in talks to appear in Piranha 3DD in 2012, which was either fell apart or was never true to begin with.
3. Jon Bon Jovi
Musical Accolades: He’s the face of Bon Jovi and provides lead vocals and rhythm guitar. If you don’t know who he is, you’ve been living under a rock because he’s been part of one of the most successful rock bands of the last thirty years. Bon Jovi has sold over 32,000,000 records in America and accumulated five #1 albums, most notably 1986’s diamond certified “Slippery When Wet.” Together the band has accumulated four #1 singles and amassed 9 Grammy Nominations with one win in 2007. As a solo artist, Jon Bon Jovi’s first solo album in 1990 was certified platinum and produced the #1 single “Blaze of Glory.”
Horror Accolades: Jon Bon Jovi’s first horror was as the lead actor in the sequel, Vampires Los Muertos, which was produced by John Carpenter in 2002. Jon plays a freelance vampire slayer who must assemble a team of hunters to take down a nest and destroy a vampire princess by the name of Una. Jon returned to horror in 2005 as the new journalism teacher at a prestigious private school in Cry Wolf. It is revealed that his character, Mr. Walker, is having an affair with one of the students and he is killed when the protagonist believes him to be the killer.
4. Busta Rhymes
Musical Accolades: Busta Rhymes is one of the greatest rappers of all time, even if his popularity has waned in recent years. He’s released nine albums so far in his career, one of which hit #1 on Billboard in 2006. He has also earned five #1 rap songs and been the recipient of 11 Grammy Nominations.
Horror Accolades: Busta played Freddie in Halloween: Resurrection (2002). Freddie is the director of an online reality show that puts participants in a haunted location overnight. Picking The Myers House as the most recent location proves to be a bad idea when Michael Myers shows up and starts killing the cast and crew. At the end of the movie, Freddie and Michael have a cheesy fight with Rhymes coming out victorious. It was one of the lowest points in the franchise…
5. Gene Simmons & Ozzy Osbourne
Musical Accolades: Yes, two of the biggest rock gods appeared in horror. The two men have accomplished so much it’s hard to list it all here. As the bassist and vocalist in Kiss, Gene Simmons has sold over 27,000,000 albums in America. Kiss has released nine top 10 albums, 16 other top 40 albums, eight top 40 singles, and nineteen top 40 singles on the rock chart with one #1, “Psycho Circus,” in 1998. As the lead vocalist in Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne has sold over 15,000,000 albums in America. Black Sabbath’s nineteenth album released in 2013, “13,” was actually the first #1 album of their career. Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne have also had very lucrative solo careers.
Horror Accolades: Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne both appeared in 1986’s cult classic, Trick or Treat. Gene played the supporting role of “Nuke” with Ozzy playing a cameo in the role of “Rev. Aaron Gilstrom.”
6. Kelly Rowland
Musical Accolades: As 1/3 of 3x Grammy Award Winning group Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland scored two #1 albums on Billboard and had four #1 singles including “Say My Name” and “Bootylicious.” The group sold more than 16,000,000 albums in America alone before disbanding in 2006. As a solo artist, Rowland has sold over 1,300,000 albums in America and scored one #1 single, “Dilemma” in 2002. The three Grammy Nominations haven’t hurt her singing career either.
Horror Accolades: She appeared in a large role as Kia in the massively successful mash-up Freddy vs. Jason in 2003. Kia is the best friend to Lori (Monica Keena) and she never abandons her even with Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees after them. Ultimately she proves to be the sassiest girl in the movie, a title that gets killed just before the end of the movie…and at the end of Jason’s machete.
7. Lucy Hale
Music Accolades: Lucy Hale is a country singer who originally got her start on the “American Idol” spin-off show, “American Juniors.” She successfully made it into a singing group comprised of five preteens who released two albums and one single which tanked. They quickly disbanded afterwards in 2005. Fast forward to 2014 and Hale released her first solo album, “Road Between,” which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Country chart and spawned the top 20 single “You Sound Good to Me.”
Horror Accolades: She first appeared as one of the leads in Fear Island (2009) alongside Aaron Ashmore and Haylie Duff. I’ve never actually seen the movie so I’m unsure of her fate in it, but we all know she served as one of the opening deaths in Scream 4 (2011). Currently Hale stars in ABC Family’s drama-thriller, “Pretty Little Liars,” which has the slighted hints of horror.
8. Mark McGrath
Musical Accolades: As the front man of alternative rock band Sugar Ray, Mark McGrath provided lead vocals and rhythm guitar to the band that sold 6,000,000 albums in American and landed a #1 single in 1997, “Fly.” The band continued to release new material up until 2009 although nothing proved to be very successful.
Musical Accolades: McGrath appeared as himself in the first live adaption of Scooby-Doo in 2012. In 2014 he had a supporting role as “Martin Brody” in the SyFy mega-hit Sharknado 2. If I remember correctly, he survived the CGI creature-twister.
9. Tiffany
Musical Accolades: One of the greatest teen queens of the 80s, Tiffany’s debut record reached #1 on Billboard and sold over 3,000,000 copies in America with the help of single “I Think We’re Alone Now,” which was #1 for two weeks in 1987. Her second album, “Hold an Old Friend’s Hand,” was certified platinum and spawned a top 10 single with “All the Time” in 1988. After that she went a more independent route and then went country, with her last album, “Rose Tattoo,” having been released in 2011.
Horror Accolades: Tiffany’s first horror film was Necrosis (2009) in which she played the lead role of “Karen.” The following years she became a household name in the world of CGI creature features with lead but different roles in Mega Piranha (2010) and Mega Python vs. Gateroid (2011). Let’s hope for more horror film roles in the future!
10. Willa Ford
Musical Accolades: Although she is the least musically successful on the list, Willa Ford’s pop single, “I Wanna Be Bad,” has been used in dozens of soundtracks since its release in 2001. Willa’s debut album modestly charted at #56 on Billboard and the first single from her second album failed to chart. And that’s where her career in music seems to end.
Horror Accolades: Ford’s first role in a horror film was the 2008 mystery-thriller, Impulse, where she played the lead role of “Claire.” A year later, she briefly appeared in the Friday the 13th remake and is killed by Jason Voorhees while wakeboarding on Crystal Lake with her boyfriend.
Alice Cooper was in Prince of Darkness