Lin Shaye

Lin Shaye is a veteran of both the absurd and the macabre, and undoubtedly one of the industry’s greatest chameleons. From early turns in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Critters (1986) to iconic roles in Dumb and Dumber (1994), Kingpin (1996), and There’s Something About Mary (1998), she has straddled the realms of humor and horror with a unique verve admired by audiences around the world. After memorable appearances in Detroit Rock City (1999) and Snakes on a Plane (2006), Shaye returned to the world of scares as the face of James Wan’s Insidious franchise, which has grossed more than half a billion dollars worldwide. In a 2015 profile of Shaye, the New York Times proclaimed her “a beneficent and powerful woman,” who “joins a small but beloved group of women in horror.” That same year she was named the official “Godmother of Horror” by Wizard World Comic Con. In 2020 Shaye won a Daytime Emmy for her appearance on Netflix’s EastSiders, and most recently she has appeared in Supermassive’s smash hit horror videogame The Quarry, as well as Showtime’s Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.