Hallmark's Holiday Movies Need To Hire More Horror Icons Like Elvira & Bruce Campbell

Ah, the classic Hallmark TV movie formula. We know it so well. The sight of a lone pine tree decorated with lights, waving in the wind. The hope that a strong-willed businesswoman's heart will be defrosted by spending a weekend around a handsome lumberjack or independent store owner. All accompanied in our homes by the scent of baking Christmas cookies.

Well, maybe those cookies need a little extra winter spice. Because while fans love the warm predictability of Hallmark holiday movies — and Lifetime holiday movies, which have sprung up around the Hallmark movie release season like cottages around a cozy lake — the dabbling of former horror actors that have started popping in them, these last few years, is fast becoming our favorite gift under the tree. Even the king of B-horror himself, Bruce Campbell — aka Ash of the "Evil Dead" franchise — has visited a few times, complete with a flannel shirt, to portray the cozy dad of a visiting career woman. And his films have definitely perked the interest of horror movie fans, who normally wouldn't check out the channel's swoony programming but showed up for Campbell's first efforts, even though he wasn't wielding a bloody chainsaw. 

Hallmark movies have often contained surprising actors, but not often enough, and Campbell's clear enjoyment in the role is a sign of just how fun it would be to see more and more horror stars get their chance to make cozy winter memories, instead of the same stable of soap opera stars showing up every year. And really, who doesn't want to see, say, Elvira or Robert Englund show us how it's done? 

Horror actors often stick in the horror realm, but they don't have to. After all, the skills that make for a horror icon — as well as the experience, training, and passion to keep portraying such a role over the course of a decade or more — proves that such stars could certainly hold their own in a romantic comedy, while also bringing something new to the formula. 

Cassandra Peterson is one actor who would kill it (pun intended) in a Hallmark movie. She may be best known for playing the immortal horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, but she's also branched out into other roles and genres. She's proven that she can play a villainous seductress ("Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold") and a cold-hearted busybody ("The Munsters"). Why not drop her in a Hallmark Christmas village and let her have fun? 

Then there's Robert Englund, forever known for wielding blades on his fingers and tormenting teenagers in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. Englund also loves to do surprise drive-by appearances in spooky fare like "Stranger Things" and "Python," but he's also a stage actor who excels at character work in dramas like "Buster and Billie" and comedies like "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane." He'd do marvelously in a Hallmark movie, and besides, he's already been wearing a Christmas sweater for decades. Meanwhile, Barbara Crampton has a double-dose of Hallmark genre mojo in her career; she first gained national attention as a scream queen, appearing in cult classics like "Re-Animator" and "Chopping Mall," but she's also a soap queen. She's a perfect fit for these holiday movies. 

It's not as if Hallmark doesn't have a precedence for hiring former horror actors. Alicia Witt started her acting career in films like "Dune" and "Urban Legend" before showing up in films like "Christmas Tree Lane." Natasha Henstridge got her start playing Sil in the "Species" series before appearing in "The Christmas Switch." Lea Thompson is both the queen of "Love at the Christmas Table" and a star in the "Tales from the Crypt" series. Meanwhile, James Van Der Beek appeared in the chiller "The Plague," but that didn't stop him from doing "Mrs. Miracle," a Hallmark movie based on a book written by the queen of faith-based, fluffy Christmas movies, Debbie Macomber.

That said, Hallmark has only barely tapped into the well of genuine horror stars, with Bruce Campbell being the biggest win to date. Elvira would be another brilliant addition, particularly given that the target audience would already be familiar with her. Horror actors have a versatility and skill that most performers can't equal, knowing how to ride that thin line between getting the audience screaming and laughing — or often, as in Campbell's case, both in equal measure. Those same skills make them ideally suited to sell the warm, mushy nature of holiday movies, which have to wink at the audience at the same time as they're making everybody say "Awww."

Obviously, soap opera stars can do this, but a horror icon like Bruce Campbell does it in a way that makes it feel more special. When you see him in a Hallmark movie, it feels like ... well, more than a Hallmark movie. And bringing in other horror icons of his caliber can achieve that same result.