Academy Award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins has starred in a wide variety of bone-chilling horror films before and after taking up the performance of a lifetime as Hannibal Lecter. With a record of countless nominations, it is undeniable that Hopkins is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. The Welsh star is recognized globally for his milestones in horror, a genre that shows the range of both his talent and signature style.
Since the 1960s, Anthony Hopkins' career has incorporated a range of genres, but his early work in horror laid the groundwork for his future notoriety. A few primary movies outside the horror genre that first brought Hopkins to stardom are The Lion in Winter, A Bridge Too Far, and David Lynch's The Elephant Man. However, it was when The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 that his fame went up a level. His eerie 16 minutes of screen time in the thriller were full of enough talent to earn him an Academy Award for Best Actor. Alongside other work, such as his role as Odin in the MCU, the Welsh actor has continued taking up roles in horror in the years since The Silence of the Lambs.
The first horror movie Anthony Hopkins acted in is the 1977 film Audrey Rose, a supernatural horror based on actual events. Upon its release, Audrey Rose received mixed reviews with some critics calling it a rehash of cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter, he has shined in several other horror films. Here are all Anthony Hopkins' horror films, ranked worst to best.
The Wolfman (2010)
Anthony Hopkins' performance is one of the few highlights, as he plays an untrustworthy father superbly. Acting techniques he's used in the past bleed over into The Wolfman, and he successfully drums up suspense with these talented expressions.
The Rite (2011)
A young priest, played by The Exorcist. The dialogue is often convoluted, despite talent like Hopkins dramatizing it enough to make the film entertaining. It does paint an accurate picture of the Vatican and the church's inner workings when it comes to studying exorcisms, however, which makes it intriguingly informative compared to a frightful experience.
Hannibal (2001)
Julianne Moore's replacement of Jodie Foster is very noticeable, as most recasts of main characters are, but she gives a solid performance when playing an agent both entranced and revolted by Hannibal Lecter. Unfortunately, uneven pacing and lack of resolution drag Hannibal down, but the horror is as classically atmospheric as its macabre predecessor.
Audrey Rose (1977)
Audrey Rose is a horror film directed by Robert Wise and adapted from Frank De Felitta's novel of the same name. It centers around an average family living in New York who is approached by a stranger (Anthony Hopkins) and told their child is a reincarnation of his deceased daughter. The colorful 1970s charm of this horror flick detracts from its narrative faults, as the cinematography is one of Audrey Rose's main highlights. The critic reviews for the film are mixed, though it is often praised as philosophically divergent enough from similar classic stories like Rosemary's Baby or The Exorcist to distinguish it. Audrey Rose shows Anthony Hopkins can exude a flawlessly manic edge to even his earliest performances. Hopkins' stand-out acting as a grieving father makes this emotional horror memorable, and the drama would not likely have inspired sympathy without him.
Red Dragon (2002)
After Hannibal in 2001, a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs dropped the following year. Manhunter or Bryan Fuller's Hannibal which delve deeper into the characters, it sometimes falls flat. It is a fun and engaging film but does not do justice to the unique gray morality of Harris' original story.
Magic (1978)
Magic follows the ventriloquist Corky (Anthony Hopkins) who must navigate his social circle and career side by side with his possessive puppet Fats. Many doll movies focus on showcasing a variety of jump scares or making the most out of a toy's creepy features, but Magic is original in that it dwells on the psyche of the troubled man who owns the doll. Hopkins delivers a harrowing performance as an individual torn between two worlds. Gene Siskel ranked it among his ten best films of 1978 list, citing that he was engaged with the tension of whether the doll is alive. Magic becomes scarier the less it follows conventions, with Hopkins' sympathetic yet disquieting characterization of Corky giving this horror flick the punch it needs.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of the infamous Bram Stoker novel Dracula follows the author's story faithfully. The utilization of several narratives to tell the story of Dracula gives weight to the immense world-building Coppola pulls off with his atmospheric direction. Hopkins plays Abraham Van Helsing and, despite not starring as the main antagonist of the film, gives a performance that matches the best in his devious filmography. His talent is balanced with other star performers who bring their all to these classic roles, such as Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman. Coppola's gothic epic Dracula is generally successful, with most flaws involving side characters such as Keanu Reeves' notoriously ropey Jonathan Harker.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Jonathan Demme's magnum opus The Silence of the Lambs centers around a rookie agent Clarice Starling who must garner clues from the incarcerated cannibal Hannibal Lecter to hunt down the active serial killer Buffalo Bill. This Thomas Harris adaptation became the first horror film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards and remains one of the most transformative films in the genre to this day. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster's stellar performances and chemistry elevate this suspenseful work to a masterful degree. Every filmmaking technique works in the favor of The Silence of the Lambs being one of the most intense horror features put to screen, ed by how the tension all comes from the dialogue.
While Anthony Hopkins shines in his outstanding work on The Silence of the Lambs, he has rightfully earned recognition for the rest of his filmography. His experience performing for theater and films adapted from plays gave him a talented edge for the drama he effectively utilizes in his most suspenseful projects. There is worth in all of Anthony Hopkins' horror movies, leading up to his best film The Silence of the Lambs.
