5) Mary Elizabeth Winstead – 10 Cloverfield Lane
Before Smashed in 2012 – in the likes of Final Destination 3, The Ring Two, The Thing – there wasn’t much of a clue as to how formidable an actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead could be. These were bad (and badly-directed) films, and movies such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ever exactly showcases for great acting. Smashed finally showed the world what Winstead could do though.
Since then, the quality of project has improved for Winstead, but it was in returning to her horror roots this year that the actress shone brightest. 10 Cloverfield Lane is a taut, character-driven horror movie, and Winstead is by-turns mercilessly resilient and convincingly horrified in the face of a monstrous (and similarly rarely-better) John Goodman. Sometimes genre films feature Oscar-worthy performances – 10 Cloverfield Lane is a shining example.