Patrick Wilson’s Daddy Vibes Makes Him the Perfect Scream King

Why do Scream Queens get all the credit? We have Jamie Lee Curtis taking the title with her heavy-duty work in the Halloween franchise, Neve Campbell from Scream, Ali Larter from Final Destination, Jenny Ortega from a variety of horror comedy and slasher flicks, and so on. But who are their male counterparts, aka the Scream Kings?

Sure, Evan Peters has been Ryan Murphy’s saving grace for over a decade and Daniel Kaluuya has partnered with Jordan Peele for the smash hit horror movies Get Out and Nope. But hear me out: Patrick Wilson supersedes them all. He can dance, he can sing, and he can fight blood-thirsty demons. What can’t he do?

Notably, Wilson made a name for himself within the horror genre with his appearances in the Insidious and The Conjuring films. And, in both acclaimed supernatural series, the actor doesn’t just fight evil spirits and save the day, but he proves himself to be the dreamy daddy that everybody wants as their protector. Simply put, why else would you watch a horror film – if not to be constantly reassured that upon any ghostly attack, you can just wait patiently for Wilson to rescue you? Wilson is basically the Prince Charming of horror movies, but without the sexist attitudes and archetypes.

Wilson plays characters who know their way around the paranormal lore, stepping into the roles of the real-life famed demonologist Ed Warren in The Conjuring films and long-haunted Josh Lambert in the Insidious series. The characters are knowledgeable; but not know-it-alls. And they’re supportive dad figures who know how to lighten the mood – I will never forget his guitar-strumming scene in The Conjuring 2. Not only that, they are unwavering the face of fear, even when it gets really personal (as house haunters are known to do).

Insidious and The Conjuring aren’t the first times Wilson tapped into the paranormal, as after his breakthrough on the Broadway stage and then earning Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations in the television adaptation of the play Angels in America, he showed off his musical talents on screen as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. The 2004 musical adaptation, which follows a phantom who haunts a 19th century Paris opera house and has his sights set on vocalist Christine Daae, showcases Wilson’s characters as a man willing to fight against a paranormal spirit to save his true love (*swoons*), and much like in the aforementioned universes, he ends up as the last man standing (and gets the girl).

His reputation continued with the Netflix adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s In the Tall Grass in 2019, which received mixed critical reception, but saw Wilson occupying the role of the possessed villain on a murder spree. And while he didn’t come out a winner, he did give his victims a proper scare.

Now, I’m not saying I invented the idea of Wilson being a Scream King (as it is properly listed on his Wikipedia page). But I would argue that he’s not the first that comes to mind when most think of horror legends. What Wilson brings to the table, though, is his dreamy looks, his sensitive and empathetic nature, and his unfaltering drive to be a protector, even against the scariest creatures – which are all qualities that keep the best spooks grounded. All hail the Scream King of Halloween, Patrick Wilson!