Here’s every Natalie Portman Horror Movie, ranked from worst to best. Portman started her career off on a strong note, making her debut in 1994’s action drama Leon: The Professional and following that up with Heat. She ended the decade by joining the Star Wars saga, where she played Padmé in George Lucas’ The Phantom Menace, followed by its two sequels.
While some child actors struggle to make the transition to adult roles, Portman made the leap look natural. Her filmography spans a broad range of genres, from dramas like Closer and Jackie to blockbusters like the Thor movies or comedies such as No Strings Attached. While Portman hasn’t appeared in many horror-themed projects, it’s notable that the few she has picked feature her most acclaimed performances.
In all three cases, Portman was working with strong directors too, who put their own unique imprints on the films. Here’s every Natalie Portman horror movie, ranked.
3. Mars Attacks! (1996)
Tim Burton’s big-budget horror-comedy Mars Attacks! definitely leans more towards humor than horror, but it’s gleefully mean-spirited nonetheless. Burton’s film was loosely based on the gory Topps card series, and the director assembled an all-star cast – including Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny De Vito, etc – with the intent of killing nearly all of them in inventive ways. The film is essentially a very expensive homage to the b-movies of the ’50s, with Portman – who returned for Thor: Love And Thunder – having a small supporting role as the President’s daughter. Mars Attacks! is neither Burton nor Portman’s best work, but it’s a lot of fun regardless.
2. Black Swan (2010)
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is an intense psychological horror that cast Portman as a ballerina who slowly loses her grip on reality as she competes for a role in Swan Lake. A thematic sequel of sorts to Aronofsky’s own The Wrestler – which was also about a character pushing themselves to extreme physical limits in the name of their art – Black Swan is as anxiety-ridden and uncomfortable as Portman’s Nina. The film is a drama first, but Aronofsky infuses it with some nightmarish imagery and a constant sense of unease. Portman later won the Best Actress award at the Academy Awards for her work.
1. Annihilation (2018)
The final Natalie Portman Horror Movie is Annihilation, which sees her play a professor who enters a mysterious, possibly alien-created zone called “The Shimmer.” Director Alex Garland very loosely adapted the novel of the same name, with the film feeling at times like an all-female take on The Thing crossed with 1979’s Stalker. It features some haunting images – including the infamous mutant bear sequence – but at its core, it’s examining themes like depression and grief, with Garland especially interested in the ways people can self-destruct. Portman is fantastic in the lead and is backed up by supporting plays like Jennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar Isaac.
