Pretty Disgusting: Six Beautiful Actors Who Got Ugly for Horror
This Friday marks the release of the new suspense/contagious-disease thriller Contagion. While it looks entertaining and has a star-studded cast, everyone keeps talking about the advertising poster with Gwynth Paltrow looking sickly. Yes, that's her from the poster above. And yes, she looks haggard! But this isn't the first time someone pretty went "busted" for a movie. Check below the break for our six favorite beauties gone beastly.
Rene Russo in Outbreak
Motaba virus got you down? It sure did for Rene Russo, who plays a CDC virologist who accidently gets infected with the monkey-born virus. Sure, her skin may not be peeling off, but it must have taken a lot for an A-list celebrity beauty like Russo to get contagious. Even handsome Kevin Spacey got in on the sickness, looking just as pale and welted as Russo before the end of this great nineties thriller.
Samantha Eggar in The Brood
So you've got deep psychological issues, do you? Well don't follow Samantha Eggar's lead and see a controversial psychotherapist. You already have? And he's been talking about a new therapy called "psychoplasmics?" Run for the hills! Unless, of course, you want to end up with a disgusting external womb and a litter of pale monster children.
Cerina Vincent and Jordan Ladd in Cabin Fever
One of the most physically gruesome scenes in recent horror history has to go to the beautiful Cerina Vincent in Cabin Fever. Yep, we're talking about the leg shaving scene. It's not everyday you go to shave your legs and your flesh rips off. But this movie had a second beauty who got infected and got ugly. (And no, we don't mean Rider Strong. He'll always be handsome. No matter what.) Jordan Ladd gets infected and gets her face chewed off by a dog!
Geretta Geretta in Demons
Lamberto Bava's Italian possession masterpiece Demons has a lot going for it: a sharp story, scary monsters, and a claustrophobic set. But most of all, it has the beautiful Geretta Geretta. And when a fierce demonic possession overpowers her and she starts getting ugly the putrid puss really starts to fly.
Brenda James in Slither
There's ugly, and then there's the bloated human-esque creature that was once Brenda James. Can you imagine pitching the idea for this character to the lovely Ms. James? "You get infected with an alien parasite, right? And then, you balloon into a huge, pulsing blob in a barn. Want to know what it will look like when you explode?" It's really a miracle she agreed to take the part.
Jeff Goldblum in The Fly
Are you surprised to see two David Cronenberg films on this list? You should really be surprised that this list isn't solely Cronenberg flicks. The master of body-horror took disfigurement to new levels of disgust with Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Sure, he's not the most handsome guy in Hollywood, but back in the day he sure had a roguish charm to him. And in this film, once spliced with a fly, he goes from skinny, muscle-y nerd-chic to oops-my-fingernails-are-falling-off hideous. Don't you just love it when the pretty people mutate?
