The Horror Films of Max von Sydow

Distinguished Swedish actor Max von Sydow has passed away at the age of 90, but leaves behind a legacy in the horror genre beyond just The Exorcist. Blessed with a powerful voice and an authoritative manner, von Sydow had been acting steadily in both movies and TV shows since the late 1940s. Many of these were in his native Sweden, but he also did many projects in Italy, and of course in the United States.

Max von Sydow was one of those actors that, no matter the quality of the material surrounding him, always gave his all, regardless of genre or size of the part. He could be the leading man or a one-scene wonder, but von Sydow always stole the show, drawing the eye of the viewer whenever he was onscreen. A welcome addition to any cast, von Sydow was a giant in the world of entertainment, and will be sorely missed by both his colleagues and fans.

While von Sydow's most famous role was unquestionably as the titular character in The Exorcist, which many consider one of the greatest horror films ever made, it's far from the only time he ventured into the genre. In tribute to the late, great actor, here's all the horror movie roles von Sydow amassed.

The Horror Films Of Max Von Sydow

Max von Sydow first gained acclaim for his many collaborations with legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, most notably in 1957's The Seventh Seal. While not a horror film, it does feature von Sydow's character literally playing chess with Death, so it's worth a mention. In 1960, Von Sydow also starred in Bergman's The Virgin Spring, the tale of a young girl who gets raped and murdered, but is ultimately avenged by her parents after the killers seek refuge in their home. Horror fans will recognize that as the basic plot of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left. Finally, 1968's Hour of the Wolf sees von Sydow's character battle demons, but since it's Bergman, these are arguably all of the mind.

Post-Bergman, von Sydow starred in 1971's The Night Visitor as a man framed for murder who escapes from an insane asylum to get revenge on those responsible. In 1973, von Sydow of course played Father Merrin in The Exorcist, an aging priest battling an old demonic foe. He would reprise the Merrin role in 1977 sequel Exorcist 2: The Heretic. 1980's odd Death Watch cast von Sydow as the husband of a woman dying of a terminal illness in a future where death is rare, making her a macabre celebrity. Dreamscape, released in 1984, saw von Sydow play a psychic researcher who'd invented a way to treat sleep disorders by entering the minds of others. 1989 brought von Sydow one of his more overlooked roles, providing the commanding voice of villain Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters 2.

1993's Needful Things gave the actor one of his greatest horror roles, demonic antique store owner Leland Gaunt, who von Sydow plays with a gleeful relish. 1998's What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams, isn't technically horror, but takes place almost entirely within the afterlife, including a terrifying vision of Hell. Guiding Williams through part of this metaphysical journey is his mentor, played by von Sydow. In 2001's Sleepless, directed by Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, von Sydow plays an aging detective who comes out of retirement to hunt down a serial killer. Finally, 2010 saw von Sydow make a cameo in The Wolf Man, and appear as Dr. Jeremiah Naehring in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island.