Wanted: Creepy Hollywood celebrities for Halloween

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Want a creepy celebrity to scare trick-or-treaters this Halloween? You could do no better than rocker Marilyn Manson, and you'd be really lucky to land Michael Jackson. But O.J. Simpson? Sorry, he's in jail.

Those three topped a list of the 20 creepiest celebrities, released by market research firm e-Poll, which tracks the popularity of actors, musicians and others for Hollywood's major film and TV studios and other companies.

Manson was No. 1 with an overall creep factor of 76 percent and a popularity rating of just nine percent, meaning that more than three-quarters of people responding to e-Poll found him creepy and only nine percent found him appealing.

He was followed by Jackson with 67 percent creepy/14 percent appeal, and third was Simpson who was recently convicted of robbery and kidnapping charges in Las Vegas. He had a 59 percent creepy/three percent appeal rating.

There are two kinds of creepy in Hollywood celebrity, explained e-Poll's chief executive Gerry Philpott.

There are the kind -- like the three above -- from whom some people might run and then there are types like horror novelist Stephen King, whom many people find fascinating precisely because they are spooky.

King made the list at No. 4 with a creep factor of 51 percent but strong fan appeal of 61 percent.

"Who would you rather have a beer with: Stephen King or Andy Dick?," said Philpott to illustrate his point.

He was, of course, referring to comedian Dick who recently pleaded guilty to battery in California for pulling down a teenage girl's top in a sports bar.

Dick, 42, was No. 6 on the list with a creep factor of 44 and an appeal rating of just 17. He was preceded in the No. 5 spot by radio shock jock Howard Stern with a creepiness rating of 45 and popular appeal of just 13.

Some celebrities, such as Manson, make a name for themselves outside mainstream pop culture, so it's okay to be creepy, said Philpott. Then there are others, like director Woody Allen, who would probably prefer people don't think of them as creeps. He made the list at No. 16.

Finally, there is a practical side to being a celebrity creep, Philpott said. When spookiness is required, it is easier to get a job, and in this gloomy economy, that is a good thing.

The complete list is as follows:

Name Creepy Appeal

1 Marilyn Manson 76% 9%