Val Kilmer's Horror Movies, Ranked | Screen Rant - Screen Rant
One of Hollywood's most interesting actors, Val Kilmer has starred in an impressive number of films, but how do his horror movies rank? With the big question on everyone's mind -- what happened to Val Kilmer? -- answered by the surprise hit documentary Val (2021), fans have been eager to rewatch Kilmer's classics, as well as the hidden gems of the movie star's filmography. No doubt, as a breakout star of the '80s, Kilmer's best films are frontloaded to the first two decades of his career; though he's continued to pull off an eclectic range of roles throughout the 21st century.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kilmer always had a foot in (or at least near) Hollywood, even while attending Juilliard School in New York City throughout the early '80s. After years of honing his craft, Kilmer quickly rose to fame with his iconic role as "Iceman", the arch-rival to Tom Cruise's "Maverick" in 1986's Top Gun. Following what's arguably his most memorable role, Kilmer partook in a wide variety of roles, ranging from the majestic Madmartigan of Willow (1988) to his much-celebrated performance as Batman in Batman Forever (1995).
With an acting career spanning roughly four decades, Kilmer's filmography has certainly seen its ups and downs. This is especially true with Kilmer's horror track record, which, admittedly, has more downs than ups. Regardless, here is every Kilmer horror movie, ranked worst to best.
7. Moscow Zero (2006)
Co-starring with Vincent Gallo of Buffalo '66 and The Brown Bunny fame, Kilmer plays Andrey, an evil gatekeeper of hell, in this straight-to-DVD horror flick. Viewed by many as Kilmer's worst film, Moscow Zero follows a group of men (lead by Gallo) as they attempt to rescue a friend from the labyrinthine bowels of Moscow, while, naturally, battling demons. Driven by an abysmal script and overall poor direction, Moscow Zero was a failure right out of the gates, despite the interesting premise of Kilmer and Gallo working together. Granted, while Gallo's performance is decent, Kilmer can't exactly be blamed for Moscow Zero either, considering he's only in the film for roughly seven minutes. It'd be far more accurate to list Kilmer as a cameo here than the film's main star.
6. Seven Below (2012)
Another disappointing low-budget horror movie, and a close tie with Moscow Zero for Kilmer's worst film overall, Seven Below also promises an intriguing co-star duo with Kilmer and Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible series), yet fails to deliver with another bafflingly bad screenplay and a convoluted "supernatural" premise. Trapped in a house during a hurricane, a house with a horrific past involving a kid murdering his family, an odd group of strangers (including Kilmer as Bill, an unfaithful husband) realize they're in danger as their members start getting killed off. Because it happens so early in the film, it wouldn't be much of a spoiler to reveal that Kilmer gets killed almost right off the bat, roughly 20 minutes into the movie. On the plus side, this is more than double the screen time allotted to Kilmer in Moscow Zero.
5. The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1996)
Based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name, The Island of Dr. Moreau had previously been adapted twice -- once in 1932 under the name Island of Lost Souls and again in 1977, starring Burt Lancaster as the famous Dr. Moreau. Both adaptations are well-regarded, whereas the 1996 version, co-starring Kilmer and Marlon Brando, is famously considered a disaster. All films follow the familiar story of a crash survivor finding refuge on the island of Dr. Moreau, a mad scientist obsessed with, let's call it, animal research. Despite this slam dunk of a movie premise, the 1996 adaptation of The Island of Dr. Moreau fell apart during production due to a number of cast and crew mishaps: Kilmer and Brando didn't get along, Brando almost quit after his daughter's suicide, Kilmer provoked conflict with cast members after he was served divorce papers on set, a major hurricane stalled production, so on and so forth. While the film itself was met with negative reviews, the behind-the-scenes drama remains the stuff of cinematic lore.
4. The Thaw (2009)
From the makers of the Evil Dead trilogy, The Thaw is a 2009 sci-fi thriller starring Kilmer as Dr. David Kruipen, a research scientist who discovers a long dormant prehistoric parasite that, with rising global temperatures, threatens to infect the entire human population. While not exactly a genre breakthrough, with many critics lamenting The Thaw's suspicious similarities to The X-Files episode "Ice," The Thaw does convincingly depict the horror of parasitic disease to an anxiety-generating degree. Similar to Moscow Zero and Seven Below, Kilmer spends a majority of The Thaw offscreen, though his role is far more central to the plot this go-round.
3. Mindhunters (2004)
With LL Cool J, Christian Slater, and Kilmer, Mindhunters (not to be confused with the Netflix series of the same name) boasts having somewhat of a star-studded cast, which comprises the story's titular Mindhunters, a group of young FBI students training to profile serial killers. To become proficient at identifying psychopath serial killers, the Mindhunters have to first undergo a series of realistically simulated training scenarios -- simulations that the trainees quickly discover are, in fact, dangerously real. With Kilmer as the group's instructor, the story follows the tried-and-true We Can't Leave Until We Find Out Which One Of Us Is The Killer mystery-thriller plot. Because of this conventional plot device, the critical reception to Mindhunters drastically differs between critics (mostly negative) and audiences (mostly positive). All in all, Mindhunters is one of Kilmer's more engaging horror films.
2. The Super (2017)
Whether due to his throat cancer or post-production voice editing (or both), Kilmer sports a show-stealing, nightmare-inducing rasp as the creepy superintendent Walter in 2017's horror-thriller The Super. Easily one of his better performances of the 2010's, Walter positions the actor in perhaps the creepiest role in his film career, offering Kilmer the opportunity to, as The Hollywood Reporter's review put it, "once again display his unique brand of screen charisma." While not exactly a stand-out of the horror genre, receiving mixed reviews upon release, The Super makes a memorable performance of Kilmer's Walter and ends on a well-executed M. Night Shyamalan-esque plot twist that will stick with you for awhile.
1. The Ghost And The Darkness (1996)
Opening to mixed reviews and poor box office results, The Ghost And The Darkness is regarded by Kilmer fans as an unsung classic. Based on John Henry Patterson's semi-autobiographical non-fiction book called The Man-eaters of Tsavo, this man-vs-nature film pits Kilmer (playing JH Patterson, a performance slightly reminiscent of Tombstone's Doc Holliday) and Michael Douglas (as the famed hunter Charles Remington) against a uniquely sadistic pride of lions. Pitched by screenwriter William Goldman as a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and Jaws, The Ghost And The Darkness somewhat redeemed Kilmer after his infamous behavior on The Island of Dr. Moreau set, as Kilmer, a frequent visitor to Africa, expressed exceptional enthusiasm for the story; though, admittedly, his role earned him a nomination for the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor. Nonetheless, Val Kilmer's passion for the project shines through the film's rough exterior.
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