Celebrating Joe Don Baker’s Career with His 4 Best (and only) Horror Movies
Joe Don Baker wasn’t in many horror movies, but the ones he did appear in are a lot of fun.
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The news came out today that, sadly, Joe Don Baker passed away on May 7th, 2025. Baker was a character actor whose career in film and television began in the 1960s with parts largely in crime dramas and westerns. His breakthrough role came when he starred in Walking Tall (1973) as Buford Pusser. Baker’s portrayal of the real-life Tennessee lawman who puts his life in danger to clean up his town stuck with him, associating Joe Don Baker with tough guy roles in many of his subsequent films.
Personally, I enjoy Walking Tall, but I’m also a big fan of his movies Mitchell (1975) and Final Justice (1985) which appeared as episodes of Mystery Science Theater. Also, as a horror fan I’m naturally going to be most interested in his rare appearances in horror movies. Baker wasn’t strictly known for being in horror films, but there are a few in his filmography. So, for Creepy Catalog’s celebration of Joe Don Baker’s life and career, here are the four best horror movies that he appeared in over the years.
Cape Fear (1991)
Cape Fear is easily Joe Don Baker’s best horror/thriller movie. It’s a fantastic film. A classic. It’s also a remake that is arguably better than the original. In Cape Fear, Joe Don Baker plays Claude Kersek, a private detective hired by Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) to help him deal with the increasingly violent stalking perpetrated by Max Cady (Robert De Niro). Kersek is another of Baker’s gruff tough guy roles, but De Niro’s Cady is one one of the greatest film villains of all time. It’s not really a fair match when they come into conflict, but it sure is entertaining.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
This darkly comedic alien invasion movie is loaded with big-name actors. With so many stars, Joe Don Baker’s role is smaller than fans of his might hope, but he’s still a lot of fun to watch. Baker plays Glenn Norris, a father who lives vicariously through his son Billy-Glenn’s (Jack Black) enthusiasm for being a soldier. It’s just too bad that Glenn couldn’t see the true heroism of his other son, Richie (Lukas Haas).
The Pack (1977)
Back when a wave of animal attack movies flowed onto movie screens in the wake of Jaws (1975), Joe Don Baker did his part in keeping the wave going with his lead role in The Pack. Baker is Jerry, a husband and father who moves to a scenic island with his family. Unknown to them, the island is home to a pack of feral dogs, many of which are former pets who were abandoned. The pack closes in, forcing Jerry and his family into a fight for survival.
Wacko (1982)
Wacko is the best surprise I found while putting this list together. I’m a fan of Joe Don Baker, but I’d never heard of this movie. Wacko is a spoof that is structured like a slasher, but lampoons many different sub-genres of horror. Baker stars as police detective Dick Harbinger who is obsessed with stopping the return of a pumpkin-headed killer whose favorite method of murder is by using a lawn mower. I’m not the biggest fan of spoof films in general, but this one is pretty funny. Plus, Joe Don Baker absolutely steals the show with his off-the-wall performance.
