Screen veteran Salma Hayek recently returned to theatres with House of Gucci and Eternals, but it has been some time since there was a Salma Hayek horror movie. Despite starting as an action heroine, Salma Hayek has not made as many horror movies as some readers may guess. The veteran star has cropped up in a slew of sci-fi efforts, but over the decades of her career, Hayek has only appeared in four horror movies.
Hayek’s first horror movie came shortly after her star-making role in Desperado and reunited with that movie’s director, Robert Rodriguez. After 1996’s vampire western From Dusk Til Dawn, Hayek steered clear of the genre for two years before Rodriguez tempted her back to the dark side with 1998’s The Faculty. Penned by Scream franchise co-creator Kevin Williamson, that 1998 sci-fi horror gave Hayek a minor role. She had a bigger part in her next horror, 2009’s Cirque Du Freak, before her final horror movie to date, 2015’s Tale of Tales, relegated her to a smaller role again.
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However, while Hayek may not share Kevin Bacon’s love of horror, some of her outings in the genre have been critically acclaimed. That said, some of Salma Hayek’s later horror movies were not so fortunate with reviewers. The failure of Hayek’s most recent horror movies may even have played into her decision to move away from the genre. Here are Salma Hayek's horror movies ranked worst to best.
Cirque Du Freak
Released in 2009, Cirque Du Freak was a big-budget adaptation of Darren Shan’s YA best-seller. Unfortunately for Hayek and the talented cast, Cirque Du Freak was one of the lesser Harry Potter knock-offs, with no scares, minimum edge, and a miscast John C. Reilly wasted in a predictable plot. Hayek is fun as the bearded lady Madame Truska but, like Blind Alley’s Ana De Armas, the star is unable to single-handedly elevate the material.
Tale of Tales
While 2015’s Tales of Tales itself is as uneven as most anthology efforts, the inventive fusion of horror, fantasy, and fairy tales shine during Hayek’s creepy story and Vincent Cassel’s standout segment. A collection of European folk tales reimagined by director Matteo Garrone, Tales of Tales meanders at times but the central story of Hayek’s mad queen eating a dragon’s heart in the hopes of conceiving an heir is arresting and surreal. Tale of Tales can’t keep this level of artistry throughout its lengthy runtime but, at its best, it is the best horror movie Guillermo Del Toro never made.
The Faculty
Underrated since its release, director Robert Rodriguez’s The Faculty is a Kevin Williamson-scripted effort that aimed to do for body-snatching sci-fi what Scream did for teen slashers. The self-aware humor is not quite as sharp this time around, but the cast is uniformly superb. Hayek only nabbed a small role playing against type as the dowdy school nurse but she slots into the solid lineup and has as much hammy fun as campy co-stars Robert Patrick, Famke Janssen, and Jon Stewart.
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From Dusk Till Dawn
1996’s chase movie/vampire western From Dusk Till Dawn is a wild genre hybrid that by all rights should not have worked. Initially a tense kidnap thriller, From Dusk Till Dawn pulls a midway plot switch when the antiheroes hole up in a bar infested with vampires. Unlike Midnight Mass’ Stephen King-influenced vampire story, in this fast-paced, sillier effort the bloodsuckers appear suddenly and without explanation, but the movie is still a blast despite not making much sense. From Dusk Till Dawn also gave Salma Hayek one of her most iconic roles to date, making it the star’s best horror and one of director Robert Rodriguez’s best movies.
Salma Hayek Tells Story Of Her Pet Owl Vomiting On Harry Styles' Head
Salma Hayek, star of The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, revealed that her pet owl once vomited on pop star Harry Styles’ head. Hayek first appeared as Sonia, the wife of hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson), in 2017’s The Hitman's Bodyguard. After being a surprise hit at the box office, the buddy comedy will be followed up by a sequel releasing in theaters June 16. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard will see Hayek step into the spotlight after appearing in the first film for only a few minutes.
After starring alongside Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in the action sequel, Hayek is poised to have a huge year. The Phase 4 Marvel film Eternals will see Hayek star as Ajak, the leader of the ancient superhero team. After Eternals debuts on November 5, it won’t be long until Hayek is seen in Ridley Scott's House of Gucci alongside Adam Driver and Lady Gaga on November 24. While making the press rounds for The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Hayek has been the subject of various anecdotes, such as her slapping Reynolds shockingly hard, and now she has an even more bizarre story to share.
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Appearing on The Ellen Show to promote The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, Hayek recalled a time in which her pet owl, Kering, landed and vomited on Styles’ head. Though she was hesitant to name the “very important celebrity” whose head was the victim of this unfortunate incident, Hayek revealed towards the end of the interview that it was in fact Styles, the former One Direction member turned Dunkirk actor and solo singer. Watch Hayek recount the incident below beginning at the 6:50 mark:
With The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard releasing June 16, Hayek is just about finished making press rounds for the film. However, it won’t be long until Marvel begins the promotional campaign for Eternals, which Hayek will likely be a huge part of considering her prominent role in the film as Eternal Ajak. Hopefully, Hayek will have more interesting anecdotes to share then that could include her high-profile co-stars like Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga.
Hayek is certainly no stranger to action films after rising to prominence with roles in Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn. Her breakthrough role then came in 2002 with Frida, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. While she hasn’t starred in many action flicks since then, she will make her highly-anticipated return to the genre with her prominent role in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard followed by her superhero debut in Eternals.
Source: TheEllenShow
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