Masterful actor and Hollywood icon of the 1980s and beyond, Sam Neil starred in over 60 films, building an outstanding horror filmography in his career. To play the adult version of Damien Thorn in the omen franchise to star alongside Laurence Fishburne and Jason Isaacs in Paul WS Anderson’s cult classic event horizon, he made a significant name for himself in the genre. Sam Neill has proven that some of his most high-profile and compelling projects are horror movies, and they’re ranked here from worst to best.
Born in the North Island, in 1947, Sam Neill moved to New Zealand as a young man and began his acting career at age 24 in the TV movie The City of No. His time at the University of Canterbury exposed him to acting and after landing lead roles in My Brilliant Career and The Omen III: The Final Conflict, Sam Neill really started to be recognized. It’s only jurassic park that he became a big name in Hollywood and went on to star in various hit movies and TV series including jurassic park suites. More recently he returned as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic World Dominion.
In 1981, Sam Neill starred in Andrzej Żuławski’s psychosexual horror film Possession and Graham Baker’s cult classic The Omen III. The main characters are very dissimilar and have proven themselves both as brilliantly theatrical and trained actors in Hollywood and especially in horror. Famed horror director John Carpenter eventually cast him in a few of his most well-known movies, Memoirs of an Invisible Man and the HP Lovecraft inspired film In the Mouth of Madness. He’s become a horror legend since the cult following his classics grows every day, in the age of unlimited streaming services. Neill hasn’t completely separated himself from the horror genre, even though he doesn’t act as much anymore. He joined Peaky Blinders co-star Adrien Brody in 2015 for the film Backtrack. These are all of Sam Neill’s horror movies, ranked from worst to best.
8. Daybreaker (2009)
The apocalyptic vampire movie from Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig The day breakers follows Ethan Hawke’s character, Edward, who attempts to create a substitute for blood in the face of society’s growing blood shortage. Willem Dafoe and Claudia Carven enter the picture as humans with the answer to Edward’s hematology equation, but the characters face Sam Neill as a corporate antagonist who wants to use the surrogate to get rich . The plot is full of juicy sci-fi and horror concepts that blend together perfectly but don’t make for the best possible end product. Despite its jarring directing choices and predictable action sequences, The day breakers features an original concept executed well enough to be enjoyed by even the most in-the-know vampire enthusiast. Dafoe and Hawke’s horror story also adds a lot to Neill’s obvious experience as a conniving villain.
7. Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a dark tale in itself but the adaptation Snow White: A Tale of Terror extrapolates all of the most gruesome elements of this story and focuses on them to create an unsettling story of envy and horror. Extraterrestrial Movie star Sigourney Weaver plays the evil stepmother to young Snow White character Lilli. Sam Neill’s role is Lilli’s father and he plays a big part in bringing new depths to this famous story. His relationship with his late wife is further highlighted in this rendition. While this film excels in its twisted fairy tale aspects, its emotional core is what makes it a great watch. The filming locations also set it apart from other adaptations as they shot in the beautiful nature of Prague and the Czech Republic.
6. Flashback (2015)
Adrien Brody plays a psychotherapist named Peter in Backtrack who gradually realizes that the patients he treats are all ghosts. Sam Neill plays Duncan, a mentor and colleague of Peter who referred these patients to him. Backtrack is a unique take on the paranormal genre, in the vein of The sixth sense in that it explores how ghosts can be intimate with the physical world. It fails to deliver true horror without relying on spooky jumps, but the film still has an undeniably spooky atmosphere. Neill and Brody play each other incredibly well, and their chemistry allows the tension required by the plot to fester. Backtrack isn’t flawless but with a star-studded cast and original material, it earns a place as an acceptable horror experience.
5. Dead Calm (1989)
Director Phillip Noyce’s Nautical Horror mortuary silence follows married couple Rae (Nicole Kidman) and John (Sam Neill) on their journey across the sea where they discover a shipwreck with only one survivor. The survivor (Billy Zane) claims the crew died of food poisoning, but his true nature is slowly revealed when he attempts to abandon John. This isolated story achieves its exacerbated suspense thanks to each actor who gives their all. Neill especially exudes despair and resigned love for his wife which makes their separation during the film more tragic. Billy Zane makes for a great villain, bouncing between states of trustworthy cunning and unsettling rage, but his character’s conclusion is undeniably over the top and dulls the film’s serious tone.
4. The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
The Omen III: The Final Conflict is the third part of the omen frankness and jumps years ahead of The Omen II to follow Damien Thorn’s journey to adulthood and political corruption. He is appointed United States Ambassador to Britain and attempts to use his power of command to thwart the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This narrative feels like a natural progression from the identity-discovery themes of the second film. Neill plays Damien admirably with creepy demeanor that surprisingly invites sympathy and fear. The Omen III the pacing slows noticeably unlike its predecessors, but with iconic scenes like the attack of the fox hound, it remains a genuinely eerie and entertaining sequel to a well-respected franchise.
3. Event Horizon (1997)
Though a Box Office Flop, Paul W.S. Anderson’s Sci-Fi Horror Film Event horizon gained a massive cult following decades after its release. It centers on a crew led by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) who are sent into space to investigate Event Horizon, a spaceship that disappeared years before. Sam Neill plays the creator of the Event Horizon who is a perfect casting choice. The film’s demonic twist is enhanced by how neatly he can slip in and out of the roles of protagonist and antagonist. Event horizon suffers from splicing that occurred during pre-production, which makes many important scenes seem to be missing. However, it’s a nice and scary watch for sci-fi and horror fans.
2. Into the Mouth of Madness (1994)
The Infamous Horror Novelist Sutter Cane Inside In the Mouth of Madness goes missing and Sam Neill’s investigator character John Trent is sent to New Hampshire to find him, but the small town is not what it seems. Director John Carpenter’s latest installment in his Apocalypse trilogy pays homage to the unimaginable and bizarre horror elements of HP Lovecraft’s novels. Neill’s dry-witted acting shines in his role as “straight man” character among exaggerated concepts, characters and scares. This movie never takes itself too seriously and has all the hallmarks of a hit Carpenter movie. The final product is far from the austere realism of Halloween but does the credit for the film since this narrative required a surreal execution.
1. Possession (1981)
Critically Acclaimed Possession stars Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani in a disturbing psychosexual drama that follows their characters’ crumbling marriage and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the growing madness in their lives. Adjani delivers a gripping performance as Anna, seamlessly interacting with the film’s metaphorical body horror to explain her burgeoning sexual freedom. All of Sam Neill’s talents are brought to the surface to make this heightened story about divorce and infidelity even more mind-blowing. Her chemistry with Adjani, even when playing Anna’s ideal doppelganger, is unparalleled and that’s really what makes non-linear storytelling work so well. Neill proves through his character Mark that he can express the consequences of gender and identity oppression with subtle perfection. With a disturbing yet catchy soundtrack, Andrzej Żuławski’s gruesome masterpiece Possession remains one of the most representative films of the genre.
Sam Neill’s recent return to jurassic park franchise bodes well for a more action-packed and suspenseful career and implies that he might do more horror films in the future. Its cult following for the genre continues to grow as more and more horror enthusiasts discover these brilliant, often underrated horror features. From now on it’s all horror movies Sam Neil has acted so far.
