We all like a good scare, but for some movie characters, a cheeky fright can come with some uncanny side-effects. The idea that someone hair can turn prematurely white, is for the most part, science fiction, but boy does it make for a striking and powerful symbol of terror. It might not be as recurring as some movie tropes, but the sudden change of hair colour is a trend that we see throughout film, theatre and literature, as a device of measuring fear. So grab your bottle of hair dye, and come with me as I take you into a world where hair colour is not a genetic trait, but a state of mind. Here are 6 Characters Whose Hair Suddenly Turned White!

Henry Bowers – IT (1990)

When Henry Bowers (Jarred Blancard ) follows “The Losers” down into Derry’s dark and endless sewers, he was never expecting an encounter that would literally turn his hair white. The young hooligan had murderous intent as he slipped in quietly behind the seven young kids that had bested him all summer. Along with his two goons, Belch and Victor, the trio split up in order to capture the group unawares, hoping to pick the kids off one by one. But an encounter with IT, left his two friends dead, and Henry with a big old mop of white hair! Henry never spoke about what he saw down there in the dank sewers, but it was enough to instantly turn his brown hair white.

 Jonathan Harker – Dracula (1992)

Newly qualified solicitor, Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves with a terrible English accent), find’s his business trip to Transylvania turn into a nightmare, when his client Count Dracula (Gary Oldman), turns out to be a blood thirsty vampire. Tired of feeding on the locals, Dracula has plans of dining out on some foreign meats, in the growing metropolis of London. Harker’s discovery of Dracula’s true form causes him to become a prison of the Count and his three beautiful “brides”. Whilst Dracula is settling into his new home in London (and snacking on a few locals), Harker escapes the Count’s castle and recovers in a Romanian convent. It’s here that we discover that Harker’s hair has turned grey. Nope, this is not some form of trendy new fashion statement, but a result of the torment at the hands of Dracula’s vicious brides. Sorry Harker, but there’s no hair dye back in 1897. Time to invest in a good hat!

Nadine Cross – The Stand (1994)

Nadine Cross (Laura San Giacomo), the promised bride to the Devil’s imp, is a complex character that goes beyond good and evil. Motivated by her belief in destiny, she thrusts herself into a path she rarely wants to take. This blind belief leads her to believe that she is part of some dark sacred destiny and she resigns to being Randall Flagg’s pawn and concubine. In the novel, each dream she has about Randall puts a little extra grey in her hair, but in the 1994 TV-mini series, it’s her first encounter with flag that changes her long brunette hair into grey. Discovering that long fantasised husband is a terrifying demon, tips her over the edge. Alongside her colour changing hair, Nadine becomes pregnant and catatonic.

Diane Freeling – Poltergeist (1982)

When young Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O’Rourke) is kidnapped buy a bunch of angry ghosts, the only hope of saving her is a rescue attempt in the spirit world. The Freeling matriarch, Diane (Dominique Dunne), takes up the challenge and enters the spirit dimension hoping to find her lost daughter. Diane emerges form the other side with Carol Anne clutched to her chest, both covered in ectoplasmic residue. Beside Carol Anne, there was one other thing Diane brings back with her, a rockin’ new look! The mother of three gains a cool looking streak of grey, thanks to witnessing things that no living person should ever see.

Nancy Thompson – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) channels the “Bride of Frankenstein” in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street film, when an encounter with Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) leaves her streaked! Fearing their daughter is having a psychotic break down, Nancy’s parents book the young teen into a sleep clinic, where doctors and nurses monitor her sleep. During her slumber, Nancy has an offscreen encounter with the clawed dream demon, and wakes screaming, clutching at a ragged old hat and sporting a grey strip in her hair. Kruger is many things, but he’s no stylist! That grey is down to good old fashioned fear!

Ash Williams – Evil Dead II (1987)

When Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) has a close encounter with the true form of “The Evil Dead”, it leaves him with a scar only a bottle of hair die could hide. The chinned wondered battles against the many forces of the dead, as Annie Knowby (Sarah Berry) reads pages from the Necronomicon, that will banish the evil for good. But just as she finishes the incantation, Ash is attacked by the spirit of the woods. Just one look at the creature, now made of flesh, leaves Ash with a freshly grey stripe in his noggin.

“Hey Horror Fans. If this list teaches us anything, it’s that no matter your age, you’re never too young to DYE!  And FAILING that, if you can’t pull off a great hairstyle, consider shaving it off. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, but take some time to MULLET over!

Keep Rotten”

“Morti” The Mortician