Adam Scott Is Horror's Most Underrated Final Boy
The concept of a Final Girl in horror is well-known, and it’s a well-trodden path that the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, Heather Lagenkamp, and, more recently, Samara Weaving have walked along many times.
While the idea of a Final Boy is less common, that hasn’t stopped Adam Scott. You might not immediately consider the actor as a horror icon, but he’s played in that particular sandbox, very capably, more than you’d think.
With his new movie Hokum out now and terrifying audiences, Scott has added another string to his bow and proven he is fast becoming horror’s ultimate Final Boy.
Adam Scott Has Dabbled In Horror More Than You Think
Thirty years ago, Scott bagged a small role in one of the biggest horror franchises of all time. He appeared in Hellraiser: Bloodline, the fourth in the series, in 1996, as Jaques, the servant to the Duc de L'Isle who summons a demon using the Lament Configuration.
He’s eventually killed off in bloody fashion in that film, but that didn’t stop him from trying to come back for more. In an interview with Seth Meyers recently, Scott revealed that he actually auditioned for a role in the sixth movie in the Hellraiser series, hoping that no one would notice he had already been part of the franchise as another character.
Scott later featured in horror projects such as The Return – a supernatural flick from Asif Kapadia, who is better known for his documentary work – and the very schlocky, tongue-in-cheek horror-comedy Piranha 3D.
However, it’s his lead role in the 2015 cult hit, Krampus, that made people stand up and recognise Scott as a real player in the horror realm. The alternative Christmas movie is a firm favourite for those who don’t like to celebrate the festive season traditionally, and the way Scott throws himself into the madness of it all earned him plenty of plaudits.
Scott appeared next in 2017’s Little Evil, a silly semi-parody of The Omen, and just last year, popped up briefly at the start of Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey for a truly wild cameo. One thing’s for sure: if Adam Scott is in a horror film, he’s going to have a lot of fun with it.
Scott’s Comedic Roots Help Him Thrive In Horror
Despite Scott’s underrated run in the horror genre, he will always be known as a comedy actor, largely thanks to his work on Parks and Recreation and in movies like Step Brothers. It’s the former, where he plays the sweet nerd Ben Wyatt, that really gave Scott a ‘good boy’ reputation, and he’s used that to play against type time and time again.
There’s something really special about seeing someone you normally associate with making you laugh, surprising you with a more dramatic performance, or going balls-to-the-wall in a horror setting.
Even his involvement in the darkly surreal TV show Severance highlights Scott’s amazing versatility; his ability to flit between moments of levity and grimness in the blink of an eye.
Hokum Is Packed With “Real” Scares
In Scott’s latest film project, Damian McCarthy’s horror movie Hokum, Scott excels himself. It’s not only the most terrifying film he’s been in, but he also does fantastic work leading this nightmarish thrill ride.
McCarthy is renowned for crafting unsettling, old-school, visceral horror films like Caveat and Oddity, but his biggest film to date may also be his crowning achievement.
Scott spoke to JustWatch recently about what audiences can expect from Hokum, saying, “I think it’s genuinely a very scary movie. When I watched Hokum with a packed house in Austin, there were full-on screams coming from the audience. Things happen in this movie that really, really frighten people. Then, three seconds later, they’re clapping.
“It’s a really good time, there are laughs in there too, it’s a very full, complete movie. But the scares are really fun. They hit the solar plexus – they’re really good and very real.”
You can catch Hokum in cinemas from May 1, if you dare…
