The second follow up to my December 2012 article. It appears that, especially in the pop music genre, dozens of singers have made appearances in horror and science fiction films that their fans may have missed. It’s not out of the ordinary for singers and other entertainers to occasionally step into the realm of acting, so obvious a few of them had to pick up a scary movie credit or two. From rock to pop to rap to country… Every type of singer has taken a shot at death.
Last week I posted an article – 10 Singers Who Appeared in Horror Films – and here’s another 11! You guys almost crucified me when Alice Cooper wasn’t included on the list, so he’s going to go first now! Remember, if you don’t see a singer appearing on the list yet, give me time as there will be future installments of this series.
1. Alice Cooper
Musical Accolades: As the front man for the Alice Cooper band, the legend himself released seven albums that sold over 5,000,000 copies in America, most notably the #1 record “Billion Dollar Babies” in 1973. As a solo artist, he released nineteen albums that sold over 4,000,000 copies in America. He’s known for the singles “School’s Out,” “Only Women Bleed,” “You and Me,” and “Poison.”
Horror Accolades: He’s played parts in a lot of horror films, more than anyone else on this list, actually. It all started with his 1975 musical, Alice Cooper: The Nightmare, which was based on a character from one of his albums. Following this achievement he was landed the lead role in Monster Dog (1984), a supporting role in The Attic Expeditions (2001) along with bit parts in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (1987), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) as Krueger’s father, Freakshow (1999), and Suck (2009). He also appeared as himself in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows (2012) and Bigfoot (2012)
2. Brooke Hogan
Musical Accolades: Brooke Hogan released her first pop single in 2004 that, despite making it into the top 100, wasn’t enough to keep her on a record label after a series of events far out of her control. Two years later she released her debut album, “Undiscovered,” which topped the Independent Album Chart with help of her top 40 single, “About Us.” Three years later she released her second album, one that had no charting singles and lousy sales, causing her to disappear from music ever since.
Horror Accolades: When she’s not busy being Hulk Hogan’s daughter, Brooke enjoys spending her time playing the bodacious blonde in bad SyFy creature features like Sand Sharks (2011) and 2-Headed Shark Attack (2012). Outside of that subgenre she was the lead in Devour (2011) and has an indie flick, L.A. Slasher, due for release in in 2015.
3. Debbie Harry
Musical Accolades: Debbie Harry is undeniably a rock legend in her own right. As the lead singer for the two time nominated band Blondie, she has released thirteen studio albums, sold over 4,000,000 albums in America, and earned four #1 songs with “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” “The Tide is High,” and “Rapture.” She has also released five solo albums, the most popular being the gold certified “KooKoo” in 1981.
Horror Accolades: Debbie had a supporting role in two cult classic, Videodrome (1983) and in the wraparound segment in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990). The following year she played the lead in Intimate Stranger, followed by small roles in horror-comedy Body Bags (1993) and horror-thriller Anamorph (2007).
4. Eve
Musical Accolades: One of the highest selling female rappers of all time, there was no one bigger than Eve in the rap game from 1999 to 2002. In that time she sold 5,500,000 albums in America due to eight top ten rap singles including “Who’s That Girl,” “Let Me Blow Your Mind,” and “Gangsta Lovin.” In 2013 Eve released her first album in eleven years, “Lip Lock,” which still debuted in the top seven albums in her field.
Horror Accolades: To coincide with the release of “Lip Lock,” Eve also appeared in the Chiller and Drew Barrymore produced horror film, Animal. After having a limited theatrical run before heading to VOD, Animal saw a group of young adults being hunted by an otherworldly predator during a weekend hiking trip. Eve was the first to get mauled to death in the scene before the opening credits rolled.
5. Fergie
Musical Accolades: As 1/4th of the six time Grammy Award winning R&B group The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie has sold over 11,000,000 albums in the States with hits like “Don’t Phunk With My Heart,” “My Humps,” “Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling,” “Imma Be,” and “Just Can’t Get Enough.” Fergie’s solo debut album, “The Dutchess,” in 2006 sold over 4,000,000 and broke records with four consecutive #1 songs and one that hit #2. She is currently working on her second album as a solo artist, with recent single “LA LOVE” on the charts.
Horror Accolades: Fergie had a small role in Bob Dahlin’s 1986 horror-comedy, Monster in the Closet. In 2007 she had another small role in Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror; where she had about tthree minutes of screen time and was promptly fed upon by zombies.
6. Jana Kramer
Musical Accolades: Her acting career may overshadow her singing career, but Jana Kramer still has a few musical accomplishments to be proud of. After signing with Elektra Nashville in 2011, Jana released five top 40 country songs in support of her 2012 debut self titled album which was a top 20 debut itself on Billboard Top 200 Albums (and #5 on the country albums chart). Her highest peaking single was the #3 country, gold certified song “Why Ya Wanna?” Since then she has release two more top 40 country tunes in support of her upcoming second album.
Horror Accolades: Usually I have time to give some sort of breakdown, but Kramer has actually been in a large number of horror films during her career in entertainment. They include small and supporting roles in Dead/Undead (2002), Blood Games (2003), Blue Demon (2004), Return of the Living Dead: Necroplis (2005), Prom Night (2008), and Laid to Rest (2009).
7. Jennifer Lopez
Musical Accolades: Lopez has proven to be one of the biggest power houses in Latin pop music. In the last fifteen years she has sold over 13,000,000 albums in America with the help of eleven albums. With #1 hit singles like “If You Had My Love,” “I’m Real,” “Aint It Funny,” and “All I Have,” it’s no surprise she is a two time Grammy Award nominee and two time Latin Grammy Award nominee.
Horror Accolades: Jennifer has actually been in two horror films, both of which were very well received. The first was in 1997’s Anaconda with Ice Cube and Jon Voight, a film that saw a National Geographic camera crew kidnapped by wildlife hunter so they can help him capture the world’s largest anaconda. The second was 2000’s The Cell with Vince Vaughn, a film that saw an FBI agent go into the mind of a comatose serial killer to find where he has hidden his latest victim. Currently, Lopez has a suspense-thriller The Boy Next Door in theaters nationwide.
8. Katharine McPhee
Musical Accolades: One of the few “American Idol” finalists to find stardom after the show, Katharine McPhee released one hit album in 2007 proceeded by the top 30 single “Over It.” After that she released two independent adult contemporary albums under Verve Forecast before joining NBC’s two season musical drama, “Smash.”
Horror Accolades: In 2011 McPhee was a supporting role in CGI creature feature, Shark Night 3D. She played the role of Beth in the movie that featured a group of friends being terrorized during their woodsy island getaway by menacing men who dumped sharks into the water surrounding their house. The film failed to make back its production budget during its theatrical run in the States, but faired much better overseas.
9. Mya
Musical Accolades: While she continues to independently release EPs to this day, Mya’s heyday was definitely the years between 1998 and 2003. In that time she released three hit records, which sold over 3,000,000 collectively in America, with the help of top 10 singles on the R&B like “It’s All About Me,” “Take Me Back,” “Moving On,” “Case of the Ex,” and “My Love is Like Woah.” She also won a Grammy in 2002 for the Lady Marmalade remix with Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, and P!nk.
Horror Accolades: Mya has had two lead roles in horror titles. First, she played Jenny in 2005’s Cursed alongside Christina Ricci, Portia De Rossi, and Shannon Elizabeth. We all recognize Cursed as the werewolf flick written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, of course. Mya returned to horror again in 2014 as Lt. Plumber in The Asylum’s Bermuda Tentacles which debuted on SyFy Channel in April.
10. P!nk
Musical Accolades: Don’t call P!nk (real name Alecia Moore) a princess of pop, because this hit maker has always marched to the beat of her own drum and has often mixed the darker side of humanity with pop rock anthems and ballads. She is a four time Grammy Award winner with twelve other nominations to her name in that category. She has sold over 15,000,000 albums in America alone and has notched a slew of #1 singles including “So What,” “Raise Your Glass,” and “Just Give Me a Reason.”
Horror Accolades: P!nk was one the lead actresses in Catacombs, the first film to be produced by FEARnet with distribution from Lions Gate Entertainment. The film premiered on the now retired network before heading straight-to-DVD in 2007. In the Catacombs, Carolyn (Moore) is at a rave in the Paris Catacombs with her sister and a few friends. There is a rumor that a mask wearing Satanists stalks the catacombs, feeding on and killing ravers and tourists who get lost. When the party gets a little to out of hand, the sisters leave and come face to face with the killer and must try to escape the tight walls of the catacombs with minimal light and the ghost mask wearing maniac behind them.
11. Samantha Mumba
Musical Accolades: Between 2000 and 2002, Samantha Mumba had six top three singles in Ireland. The singles did very well in other states, and managed to chart in the top 40 tunes on the Billboard Dance Chart in America. She released one album in 2000, which went platinum in England. Shortly afterwards, though, she was dropped by her label, Polydor, but is currently making a comeback with a new album expected in 2016.
Horror Accolades: Mumba first forayed into horror with the 2005 horror-comedy Boy Eats Girl, where she played the lead role of Jessica. A year later she had a supporting role in Nailed. Sometime in 2015 Home will be premiere, a new horror-drama where Mumba will appear opposite scream queen Heather Langenkamp.
And what about Chester Bennington? ( He appeared on SAW 3D )
again, this is only the second installment. i’ll make sure to include him in #3! :-)