Hot Gallery: Check Out Some of Your Favorite Horror Stars Before They Were Famous!

Nicole Kidman high school yearbook photo young North Sydney Girls High School, Sydney, Australia 1982 before famous

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Nicole Kidman, North Sydney Girls High School, Sydney, Australia (1982)

Kidman starred in a variety of Aussie films such as Emerald City and Dead Calm before bursting onto the American scene. Her first major role in a U.S. blockbuster was alongside (her now ex-husband) Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder.

Nicole Kidman The Others movie photo still 2001

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Nicole Kidman in The Others (2001)

Kidman branched out of her comfort zone playing Grace Stewart, a paranoid and overprotective mother living with her children in a manor house. One day, she hires three servants who have quite the secret, but that’s okay, because Grace has a big secret as well.

Christian Bale Newsies movie photo still young before famous 1992

Christian Bale in Newsies (1992)

We know Bale from his darker roles, but once upon a time, this Oscar winner danced across the screen as Jack “Cowboy” Kelly, a newspaper boy in turn-of-the-century New York in the movie musical Newsies.

Christian Bale American Psycho movie photo still blood 2000

Christian Bale in American Psycho (2000)

In a far cry from his family film days, Bale caused chills to run up and down the spines of theatergoers with his portrayal of psychopathic serial killer (and investment banker) Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.

Cary Elwes The Princess Bride movie photo still young 1987

Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride (1987)

“As you wish” was the famous phrase uttered by Westley as he tries to win the heart of Princess Buttercup in the classic film The Princess Bride. He’s also had roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Seinfeld, and From the Earth to the Moon, among many more films and television series.

Cary Elwes in Saw (2004)

Elwes plays Dr. Lawrence Gordon, a victim in one of killer Jigsaw’s diabolical games in the original Saw. He had us digging our nails into our hands then, and once again in Saw 3D in 2010.

Monica Potter Patch adams movie photo still young 1998

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Monica Potter in Patch Adams (1998)

One of Potter’s first major film roles was a doctor alongside Robin Williams's Patch Adams in the movie of the same name. She's also starred with such acting greats as Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider and John Cusack, John Malkovich, and Nicolas Cage in Con Air.

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Monica Potter in Saw (2004)

In Saw, Potter stars as Alison Gordon, the wife of Cary Elwes’s Lawrence Gordon. She gets held hostage by another of Jigsaw’s minions. You can also catch her in the non-terrifying role of Kristina Braverman on NBC’s Parenthood.

Ali Larter Varsity Blues movie photo still shaving cream on breasts 1999

Ali Larter in Varsity Blues (1999)

Larter had a supporting role as a cheerleader in Varsity Blues, driving generations of young boys to long for a woman who can fashion a “creative” bikini.

Ali Larter movie photo still Final Destination 2000 and Final Destination 2 2003

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Ali Larter in Final Destination (2000) and Final Destination 2 (2003)

Larter broke through in the first two installments of the Final Destination films as one of the passengers who cheated death by deboarding a plane before its fatal crash. Her character, Clear Rivers, is able to escape death all through the first film, but is she as lucky in the second? Good thing Larter has had plenty of film work since then… just in case.

Rooney Mara TV series show photo before famous Law and Order: SVU 2006

Rooney Mara in Law and Order: SVU (2006)

Rooney Mara's most recognizable role—before gaining fame as the girl who dumped Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network— was in a school bullying-themed episode of Law & Order: SVU.

Rooney Mara Nightmare on elm street movie photo still 2010

Rooney Mara in A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Mara doesn’t stop at standing up to Zuckerberg; she also fights her way to survival in the 2010 remake of the classic A Nightmare on Elm Street. Her tough-woman streak continues: She starred as Lisbeth Salander in the film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Daniel Craig.

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Katie Cassidy

The daughter of pop icon David Cassidy starred in the remake of Melrose Place and had recurring roles on shows such as 7th Heaven and Supernatural before her first starring role on the big screen.

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Katie Cassidy in A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

As teen Kris Fowles, she and her friends are victimized by Freddy Krueger—the serial killer who kills people in their dreams, only to have them die in reality. We’re just as terrified as the maniac now as we were when we first met him in 1984!

Lucy Hale tv series show Privileged photo 2008

Lucy Hale in Privileged (2008)

An accomplished singer, Hale starred on the short-lived television series Privileged and Bionic Woman and had a supporting role in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 before her first horror film.

Lucy Hale Scream 4 movie photo still 2011

Lucy Hale in Scream 4 (2011)

As one of the stars of the hit Scream 4, Hale is terrorized by Ghostface’s return to Woodsboro. Worried that she’s not being frightened enough? Well, tune in to ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars and watch Hale and her costars be stalked by the diabolical “A.”

Hayden Panettiere The Affair of the Necklace young movie photo still before famous 2001

Hayden Panettiere in The Affair of the Necklace (2001)

Panettiere started acting early, voicing the character of Dot in A Bug’s Life at 8 and starring alongside Denzel Washington in Disney’s Remember the Titans at 10.

Hayden Panettiere Scream 4 movie photo still 2011

Hayden Panettiere in Scream 4 (2011)

Panettiere has been a fixture on the big and small screens for years, but she deviated from her normal roles by playing Kirby Reed, one of a group of teens being stalked by (and possibly harboring) Ghostface.

Naomi Watts Mulholland Drive movie photo still 2001

Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive (2001)

Watts was pretty much an unknown in America when she starred in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.

Naomi Watts movie photo still The Ring 2002

Naomi Watts in The Ring (2002)

Mainstream American audiences really took notice of this gorgeous Aussie when she starred in The Ring, a remake of a Japanese horror film. Watts played Rachel, a journalist trying to investigate the deaths caused by watching a certain video. Since her role as Rachel, Watts has become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood.