New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who died suddenly on 13 July 2026 at the age of 78, is being remembered not only for mainstream roles in The Piano and Jurassic Park but also for a string of underrated horror performances that showcased his ability to turn quiet warmth into genuine menace. Critics argue this side of his career has long been overlooked, with his work in the genre often overshadowed by co-stars or the films' cult reputations, despite being pivotal to their lasting power.

Chief among these is his role in Andrzej Żuławski's 1981 cult classic Possession, one of the original "video nasties", in which Neill plays a spy whose jealousy spirals into paranoia and self-mutilation opposite Isabelle Adjani's acclaimed unhinged performance. He also brought a weaponised charm to sci-fi horrors such as Event Horizon and John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, and even played the adult Antichrist in 1981's The Omen III: The Final Conflict, demonstrating a versatility that made him, in the writer's view, one of horror's most underrated performers.