Tom Hanks is known for his work in comedies and rom-coms, but he began his career with a horror movie, proving he should revisit this genre. Tom Hanks is one of the most respected and beloved actors of his generation, thanks to both his work and personality on-screen and off-screen. Tom Hanks’ acting career began in 1980, but his big break arrived in 1984 when he starred in Ron Howard’s rom-com fantasy Splash. Hanks continued making a name for himself in comedy with The Money Pit (1986) and Big (1988), and in the 1990s he switched to drama with great success.
Hanks’ performances in movies like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, and Saving Private Ryan established him as one of the best actors of his generation and a favorite of the audience, and he has since been part of a variety of movies. However, what many might not know is that Hanks had his beginning in the horror genre, which, interestingly, isn’t a genre he has visited often – but that first movie, although a critical failure, only proves that Hanks should revisit the world of horror after all these years.
As mentioned above, Tom Hanks’ big screen debut arrived in 1980, in the psychological slasher He Knows You’re Alone. Directed by Armand Mastroianni, He Knows You’re Alone follows Amy (Caitlin O’Heaney), a young woman who is preparing for her wedding. Amy begins to be stalked by a killer named Ray Carlton (Tom Rolfing), who had previously killed young brides-to-be. Tom Hanks played Elliot, a college psychology major whom Amy and her friend Nancy (Elizabeth Kemp) meet at the park after Nancy says she finds him cute. Elliot later joins them at an amusement park, where he goes meta with a comment about horror movies.
Elliot isn’t seen again after the day at the amusement park, and he and Nancy’s connection doesn’t go further, as Nancy is later killed by Ray. Despite being a small role, Hanks’ natural likability shone through, but it wasn’t enough to save He Knows You’re Alone. The film holds a 30% score on Rotten Tomatoes and received mostly negative reviews, with critics pointing out its pacing, “innumerable technical flaws”, script, and direction as its biggest flaws. Some critics called it unoriginal and even “unnecessary” (via Edmonton Journal) and many more criticized its excessive use of horror clichés.
Tom Hanks is one of the biggest names in comedy and the world of rom-coms, and casting him in these is almost a guarantee of success (or, at least, of the audience having a good time), but he has also successfully branched out to other genres. Hanks has made dramas, war movies, and even sci-fi films (such as Cloud Atlas). Hanks even has a spot in animation history thanks to his voice work in the Toy Story saga, so the only genre that he still hasn’t fully conquered is horror.
Even though it was his first movie role, Hanks showed his charisma and likability in He Knows You’re Alone, so now that he’s a more experienced and mature actor, he can show more of his acting range in a horror movie. It’s worth noting that Hanks made horror comedies like Joe Dante’s The Burbs, but He Knows You’re Alone remains his only horror movie, without the addition of comedy. It would be interesting to see a different side of Tom Hanks in a horror movie, as his versatility can make him play a hero, an ally, or even a villain – and the latter is especially intriguing.