The Top 5 Creepiest Twins in Screen History
There's something a little intimidating about twins, about two people so in sync with one another that together they appear, quite literally, twice as smart and twice as perceptive. And so very capable of seeing through any pretense, straight through to one's soul. Maybe that's why they're a favorite trope of horror creators, who've used (and, okay, sometimes exploited) them in some pretty unsettling ways over the years. After the jump, check out my picks for the top 5 creepiest twins in screen history.
The Shining
Let's get the elephant out of the room right away, shall we? Any discussion of creepy cinematic twins must begin with the Grady sisters, who terrorize poor Danny Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel. Parodied in everything from Spaced to Ikea Commercials, these two little terrors are a touchstone of modern screen horror.
Dead Ringers
Hey, what's creepier than twin gynecologists? How about twin gynecologists played by Jeremy Irons in one of David Cronenberg's most disturbing psychosexual odysseys? It's hard to believe there was apparently once talk of turning this film into a TV show. Then again, they did turn Cronenberg's Fly into an opera…
Tales from the Crypt – "Split Personality"
Hooray for Joe Pesci, a guy cool enough to follow-up his Oscar-winning turn in Goodfellas with an appearance on Tales from the Crypt. Fortunately, it's one of the Crypt's better episodes (written by Night of the Creeps auteur Fred Dekker), and features a pair of leggy sisters who just can't bear to share the man they both love. So they solve their problem – with a chainsaw.
The Matrix Reloaded
No, The Matrix Reloaded is not technically a horror movie, but the Ghost Twins are, well, twin ghosts. And freaky as hell. So they earn their spot on this list. As well as on a list of creepiest screen albinos.
Sisters
Brian De Palma's first great horror film stars Margot Kidder as a French-Canadian model who's shadowed by her psychotic, formerly Siamese twin sister. Or is she? The Bernard Hermann score helps make this tense thriller even more Hitchcockian.
So how about you, guys and gals? Any other twins who've scared the bejeezus out of you (other than those Olsen sisters)? Let me know!
