The latest entry in my installment series that showcases singers from all genres of music who have appeared in horror films. If you don’t see someone on any of the lists, please comment and let me know so I can include them in the next one!
When Pop Stars Die – 10 Singers Who Appeared in Horror Films – 11 More Singers Who Appears in Horror Films – Another 10 Singers Who Appeared in Horror Films – Another 10 Singers Who Appeared in Horror Films
1. Beatrice Miller
In Music: Bea Miller first appeared in the music scene during season two of FOX’s reality series, “The X Factor,” where she came in ninth place after being mentored by Britney Spears in 2012. Two years later she released her debut EP, “Young Blood,” which premiered at #64 on Billboard. The album’s first single of the same name also managed to hit #4 on the Dance Charts.
In Horror: Bea Miller only has one horror credit to her name, Tell-Tale, a feature film adaption of the classic Edgar Allan Poe short story. I’ve never actually seen the movie, but she is listed as playing the character of Angelina.
2. Debbie Gibson
In Music: One of the biggest pop princesses of the 1980s, Debbie Gibson was a power house between 1987 and 1989 with hit albums “Out of the Blue” and “Electric Youth,” which sold over 5,000,000 copies collectively. Her third album in 1990, “Anything is Possible,” managed to go Gold, but all six proceeding albums proved to be unsuccessful and failed to chart. She also managed to notch two #1 singles, “Foolish Beat” in 1988 and “Lost in Your Eyes” in 1989.
In Horror: Debbie Gibson began her stints in horror and science fiction as a background extra in Ghostbusters (1984) and The Manhattan Project (1986). She played herself in Soulkeeper (2007) before heading to the SyFy Network during its creature feature boom with lead roles in Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009), Mega Python vs. Gateroid (2011) and Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark (2014). She is also currently attached to an upcoming zombie-western titled Dead West.
3. Haylie Duff
In Music: As the older sister of Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff has recorded a number of duets with her sibling that were featured on soundtracks for films like “A Cinderella Story” and “DisneyMania 2.” Eventually she branched out on her own and was a featured performer on tracks with Kool G Rap and provided vocals for soundtracks “Raising Helen,” “Stuck in the Suburbs” and “Family Guy: Live in Vegas.”
In Horror: With 56 credits to her acting resume, it’s nice to see that Haylie Duff has a number of horror credits to her name, too. Her less known appearances include I Love Your Work (2003), Nightmare (2007) and Desecrated (2015). Her bigger appearances include classic Addams Family Reunion (1998) and straight-to-DVD hits Backwoods (2008), Fear Island (2009) and Pennhurst (2012).
4. Jesse McCartney
In Music: Jessie McCartney was one of teen heart throbs of the early to mid 2000s due to his roles on “All My Children” and “Summer Land.” What few people remember is that he got his start in the industry as 1/5th of the short lived boy band, Dream Street. When he went solo in 2004, he was met with lots of success with his debut album “Beautiful Soul,” which went platinum. His second album went Gold, but sales waned after that. His most recent album, “In Technicolor,” was released in 2014 on an indie label but still managed to chart in the top 40 on Billboard.
In Horror: Jessie McCartney played one of the leads in Chernobyl Diaries (2012). The film debuted at #6 at the Box Office and followed a group of friends who take an illegal tour of the real-life town of Pripyat, which stands abandoned almost 30 years after a nuclear accident. All the residents were evacuated, but as McCartney and his friends are about to find out, not all of them left… and something happened to them.
5. Josh Henderson
In Music: In 2001 Josh Henderson burst into the music game as 1/5th of pop’s Scene 23, a group formed during season two of WB’s “Pop Stars.” A year later the band disbanded after one failed album when their label, London Sire, folded. Since then, Josh has stuck with acting and has landed a lot of noteworthy roles, but every once and a while he managed to release a buzz single. He is now gearing up to release his first solo EP this summer.
In Horror: Josh Henderson’s first horror film role was in one of David DeCoteau’s homo-erotic horror titles, Leeches! (2003). After dying while half naked on a bed at the hands (literally) of sock puppets, he next appeared in Newton (2003), straight-to-DVD hit Fingerprints (2006) and the April Fool’s Day remake in 2008.
6. LL Cool J
In Music: As a rapper, LL Cool J has released thirteen albums under Def Jam. All of them have debuted in the top ten on Billboard and have collectively sold over 12,000,000 in America. His biggest hit singles include “I’m Bad,” “I Need Love,” “Going Back to Cali,” “I’m That Type of Guy,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Momma Said Knock You Out,” “Hey Lover,” “Doin’ It,” “Loungin’,” “Luv U Better” and “Control Myself.”
In Horror: LL Cool J is most known to horror fans for playing the security guard, Ronny, in the box office hit sequel Halloween: H20 (1998). The following year he had another supporting role in another box office hit, Deep Blue Sea (1999). Since then his only role in horror and science was in 2004’s Mindhunters.
7. Meatloaf
In Music: Meatloaf is a Grammy Award winner and one of the best selling artists of all time. He has released twelve studio albums and six live album, although the most known are his trilogy set – “Bat Out of Hell” in 1977, “Bat Out of Hell II” in 1993 and “Bat Out of Hell III” in 2006. Collectively all of his albums have sold over 82,000,000 copies worldwide with 21,000,000 of those being American sales. His biggest hit singles include “Two Out of Three Aint Bad,” “I’d Do Anything for Love” and “I’d Lie for You.”
In Horror: Not a true horror film but still very bizarre, Meatloaf first as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). It wasn’t until 2002 that he appeared in a real horror film, Wishcraft, where he played the role of Detective Sparky. Several years later he appeared as Leonid in the video-game to film adaption Bloodrayne (2005). He did an indie horror film in 2007, Decayed, before playing the lead role of Roger McCall in Stage Fright (2014).
8. Reba McEntire
In Music: Often referred to as “The Queen of Country,” Reba is a 2x Grammy Award winner who’s career has been going strong since the 70s. She has released 29 albums and three live albums which have sold over 30,000,000 copies in America. She’s also notched 24 #1 singles on the country chart with hits including “How Blue,” “Someone Should Leave,” “Little Rock,” “What Am I Gunna Do About You,” “One Promise Too Late,” “You Lie,” “Is There Life Out There,” “How Was I to Know,” “Somebody,” “Consider Me Gone” and “Turn on the Radio.”
In Horror: Reba played one of the two female leads in the cult classic, Tremors (1990). Her character, Heather Gummer, was just one of many in an isolated town who must defend themselves from almost otherworldly and gigantic sand worms.
9. Sophie Monk
In Music: Sophie Monk first rose to fame after becoming 1/5th of the Australian girl group Bardot through the reality show “Pop Stars.” Though they only lasted three years, Bardot’s debut album hit #1 and their second managed to go Gold. They also managed to chart six top ten singles including their #1 track, “Poison.” After the group’s break-up in 2002, Monk released one solo album, “Calendar Girl,” which produced two top 10 singles.
In Horror: Sophie’s first horror movie appearance came as a cameo in the indie film-festival creature-feature, Monster! (1999). In 2009 she played the female lead role of Alexa in the bloody, creepy Hills Run Red. In the same year she also appeared opposite Halloween’s Scout Taylor Compton in Life Blood.
10. Tara Sloan
In Music: Tara Slone is an alternative rock singer who first made it onto the scene as the lead singer of Canada’s Joydrop, who released two albums between 1998 and 2001. She wasn’t really heard from again until she appeared on “Rock Star: INX” a reality show that was a competition to find the new lead singer of Australia’s INXS. She was eliminated in tenth place and has been working on her debut album under Orange Records ever since.
In Horror: Sloan received a supporting role in 1996’s Twist of Fate. However, in 1997 she played the third female lead role of Lois in Night of the Demons 3. And, hey, getting killed by Angela is a cool legacy to leave!
