While watching writer-director Christopher Nolan’s epic film Oppenheimer (2023), the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb, the last thing I expected to be doing during the movie’s 3 hour running time was keeping track of how many of the movie’s talented cast have a connection to the horror genre.
It’s no wonder I couldn’t help myself. Scroll down to find my list of 25 (!!!) actors featured in Oppenheimer (as well as their role) who also include at least one horror movie on their resume. And if that list isn’t impressive enough, I’ve also added 9 honorable mentions of lesser-known actors who belong to the same club.
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CILLIAN MURPHY (J. Robert Oppenheimer)
- A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
- 28 Days Later (2002)
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EMILY BLUNT (Kitty Oppenheimer)
- A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
- A Quite Place (2018)
- The Wolfman (2010)
- Wind Chill (2007)
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ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (Lewis Strauss)
- Gothika (2003)
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JOSH HARTNETT (Ernest Lawrence)
- 30 Days of Night (2007)
- The Faculty (1998)
- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
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FLORENCE PUGH (Jean Tatlock)
- Midsommer (2019)
- Malevolent (2018)
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GARY OLDMAN (Harry Truman)
- A Place Among the Dead (2020)
- The Unborn (2009)
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
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ALDEN EHRENREICH (Senate Aide)
- Cocaine Bear (2023)
- Twixt (2011)
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KENNETH BRANAGH (Niels Bohr)
- Frankenstein (1994)
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CASEY AFFLECK (Boris Pash)
- Soul Survivors (2001)
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ALEX WOLFF (Luis Alvarez)
- Old (2021)
- Hereditary (2018)
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JACK QUAID (Richard Feynman)
- Scream (2022)
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RAMI MALEK (David Hill)
- Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)
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DYLAN ARNOLD (Frank Oppenheimer)
- Halloween Kills (2021)
- Halloween (2018)
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JASON CLARKE (Roger Robb)
- PET SEMATARY (2019)
- WINCHESTER (2018)
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MACON BLAIR (Lloyd Garrison)
- The Hunt (2020)
- Kindred Spirits (2019)
- Green Room (2015)
- Hellbenders (2012)
- Murder Party (2007)
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MATTHEW MODINE (Vannevar Bush)
- Wrong Turn (2021)
- 47 Meters Down (2017)
- Altar (2014)
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TONY GOLDWYN (Gordon Gray)
- The Belko Experiment (2016)
- The Last House on the Left (2009)
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
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DAVID DASTMALCHIAN (William Borden)
- The Boogeyman (2023)
- Late Night with the Devil (2023)
- Bird Box (2018)
- The Belko Experiment (2016)
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DANE DEHAAN (Kenneth Nichols)
- A Cure for Wellness (2016)
- Life After Beth (2014)
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EMMA DUMONT (Jackie Oppenheimer)
- Wrong Turn (2021)
- The Body Tree (2017)
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JAMES DEMAR (Henry Stimson)
- The Night Watchmen (2017)
- The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
- Blade: Trinity (2004)
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JEFFERSON HALL (Haakon Chevalier)
- Halloween (2018)
- Skin Walker (2019)
- The Disappeared (2008)
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MATTHEW SCHWEIGHOFER (Werner Heisenberg)
- Army of the Dead (2021)
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SCOTT GRIMES (Counsel)
- Critters 2 (1988)
- Critters (1986)
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TOM CONTI (Albert Einstein)
- Peripheral (2018)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
GUY BURNET (George Eltenton)
- Bed Rest (2022)
- Jacob’s Ladder (2019)
- Creepers (2012)
HARRY GROENER (Senator McGee)
- A Place Among the Dead (2020)
- The Atticus Institute (2015)
JACK CUTMORE-SCOTT (Lyall Johnson)
- Bad Match (2017)
JAMES D’ARCY (Patrick Blackett)
- Rise (2007)
- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
JAMES URBANIAK (Kurt Godel)
- Things Heard & Seen (2021)
JOSH ZUCKERMAN (Rossi Lomanitz)
- Feast (2005)
LOUISE LOMBARD (Ruth Tolman)
- The Small Hand (2019)
- Tale of the Mummy (1998)
OLIVIA THIRLBY (Lilli Hornig)
- The Darkest Hour (2011)
SADIE STRATTON (Mary Washburn)
- Witch Hunt (2021)
- The Caretaker (2016)