If you watch scary movies, you have seen Kyle Gallner’s work. Few actors stay as booked and busy in horror as he does. At some point this millennium, I went from being surprised he’s randomly in so many scary movies to being confused when he is not somewhere in the cast. Many people probably thought he first started popping up in the genre around The Haunting in Connecticut, Jennifer’s Body, or A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). However, our scream king was starting his steady campaign even before that. Check out the psychological thriller Danika, or pay attention to Wes Craven’s Red Eye. Or binge my favorite, Veronica Mars, where he played Cassidy “Beaver” Casablancas. Kids today don’t have teen noir series like that, and it shows.
Due to the volume of horror most of us consume, we spend plenty of time with Gallner casually on our TVs. Last year alone, he was in Scream (2022) and Smile. Those are probably two of the most rewatched/discussed movies of 2022. We are all happy to see Kyle continue killing it in our favorite genre. However, that also means nosey bloggers will want to bother him for his top 5 horror movies. This is exactly what I did because none of my favorites are safe from this important question. Luckily, he knows his movies. He gave me an unimpeachable list of wicked titles. Let us dig in!
The Descent (2005)
Where You Can Watch: Max
A casual girl’s trip to explore a cave goes terribly wrong when the crew finds themselves trapped with a deadly breed of predators. The Descent was a moment when it came out. It’s firing on many levels with survival horror, humanoid creatures, and a few common phobias that take spelunking off the table for many of us. I’m not surprised Kyle went right to this bloody and claustrophobic movie. It’s kind of a catchall for horror subgenres. To make it even better, it is about six women who do something my brunch crew would never.
28 Days Later (2002)
Where You Can Watch: Sling
A man wakes up to discover the UK has been ravished by an incurable virus. How many post-apocalyptic zombie flicks star Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, and Christopher Eccleston? How many are directed by Danny Boyle? Watching this movie so young is possibly why I am more eager to check out zombie movies than most people I know. It is probably also one of the million reasons I don’t think we give Cillian Murphy enough respect. I am actually surprised this is the first time this movie has come up since I started doing these lists.
Alien (1979)
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
Because a crew refuses to listen to a woman doing her job, they end up pissing off an alien and dying awful deaths. First off, we love a story with a timely lesson. Secondly, I love how many of my favorites understand Alien is a horror movie. It’s the unofficial test to ensure someone isn’t secretly a film bro. I will also take any excuse to remind y’all that Sigourney Weaver was a final woman in space in 1979. Whatever we’re attempting to do in this lifetime will never be as cool. However, I also need to note this is the third movie Kyle has listed with huge isolation vibes. I find that interesting because he does turn up in a ton of psychological horror/thrillers with a small group of characters being cleared by something supernatural.
The Thing (1982)
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A shape-shifting alien causes chaos among a stranded research team in Antarctica. This is easily one of my favorite John Carpenter movies. I could also go on for years about the practical effects, Kurt Russell, Keith David, and that ending. However, I want to unpack this theme I’m seeing in Kyle’s favorite movies. There’s really something here about a small band of isolated survivors facing a chaotic threat. I might need to rewatch The Cleansing Hour and Ghosts of War as I noodle on this. He could be gravitating toward those kinds of projects as an actor because they might be his lowkey favorite type of movie.
Jaws (1975)
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer head into the ocean to hunt a killer shark who has been snacking on beachgoers. This Steven Spielberg-helmed thriller is possibly why some of us learned to be afraid of the ocean at an earlier age than most. Jaws is also probably the only shark movie to win four Oscars. It is also the fifth sign that Kyle is here to see small groups trapped in hellish circumstances. I’m living for the specificity in that. After all, smaller casts make those character deaths hurt more. In theory, it also means the story will be less bloated. This is a message I can support.
Whew! We can all celebrate that Kyle Gallner is a favorite who knows the genre. Our streak of cool people able to produce a list of bangers for their favorite horror movies continues. We also found out one of our reigning horror kings likes it when group projects go chaotically off the rails. I feel like this was a super productive day.
Have you somehow burned through Kyle’s lengthy resume? Do you need to see him in a new role before the year is done? Then you can catch him in three movies that arrived on VOD within the last couple of months. Check out The Passenger, What Comes Around, and Mother, May I this weekend and have yourself an upsetting little marathon. You should also follow him on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with his upcoming projects.
