5 Actors Who Lost or Gained an Astonishing Amount of Weight to Terrify in Horror Movies

Christian Bale – The Machinist

Christian Bale’s work in Brad Anderson’s (Session 9) haunting picture, The Machinist was nothing short of astounding. Bale plays an insomniac who hasn’t slept in a year, and holy hell does he look like it!

Bale reportedly lost a third of his natural body weight – that’s 62 pounds – to play the character. The result, as you can see, is absolutely dumbfounding. He looks like a ghost. And in the film, he’s haunted by ghosts and distorted memories. It’s a brilliant film and Bale’s transformation made the film all the more effective.

It should be noted that somehow, Bale went from this ghastly physique right into a solid 200-plus pound Batman, just one year later. I’m not sure if that’s amazing or frightening. It’s a mighty accomplishment, either way!

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