From Horror to Hollywood

As you run to the movies this weekend to watch a horror film for Halloween, keep in mind you might be watching the next Hollywood superstar. Check out just a few actors who got their start in the camp of horror and went on to be respected actors.

Kasi Lemmons in Silence of the Lambs
You may not think you know Kasi Lemmons, but she is the critically acclaimed director behind Eve's Bayou and Talk To Me . In 1991, she was Jodie Foster 's friend in Silence of the Lambs . Although she was in a few roles before, Silence of the Lambs put her in one of the most famous films of all time.

Laurence Fishburne in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Morpheus had been working for years before he sliced it up with Freddy Krueger. But in 1987, a 26-year-old Fishburne had a small role in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors . By the '90s, Fishburne would be an Oscar nominee.

Ving Rhames in People Under The Stairs
Ving's resume goes back to the mid-'80s, but you can't forget him in his small role in People Under The Stairs back in 1991. The horror classic was a huge success. Only three years later, Rhames was in Quentin Tarantino 's Pulp Fiction , considered one of the greatest films ever made.

Eva Mendes in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
Before Eva Mendes was in movies with Denzel Washington and Will Smith , one of her very first roles was in the straight-to-video Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror by 1998. By all accounts, the flick was pretty awful, but by 2001, Eva Mendes was playing opposite Oscar winner Denzel Washington in Training Day.

Johnny Depp in A Nightmare on Elm Street
Decades before Johnny Depp was a serious, soft-spoken actor, he was in one of the most iconic horror films ever made -- the original A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. Only two years later, Depp landed a part in the critically acclaimed Platoon. Now, he has three Oscar nominations and is considered Hollywood royalty.

Usher in The Faculty
Usher was already a bona fide star when 1998's The Faculty was released, but the alien horror flick was his first movie role. The "OMG" hit maker didn't exactly conquer Hollywood, but he sure has made some good music on the ride to the movie theater!