Movies Sydney Sweeney Was In Before She Got Famous

The Big Picture

• Sydney Sweeney’s early filmography includes horror flick
  ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction
  .
• Sweeney worked with a horror legend in
  The Ward
  and starred in the
  Spiders
  disaster film.
• Sweeney also had lead roles in thrillers like
  Stolen from Suburbia
  and
  The Wrong Daughter
  .

Sydney Sweeney has enjoyed a massively successful career in recent years, and while she’s now a bona fide movie star, her rise to stardom can largely be attributed to television. Sweeney’s name has been attached to several hit shows beginning in 2018, including reputable programs like The Handmaid’s Tale, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and more.

Those shows were undoubtedly very good for Sweeney in her career, as she’s now made appearances in other hit movies like the romantic comedy Anyone But You and is easily one of the strongest elements of what is destined to be considered one of the worst films of 2024, Madame Web.

Most are probably familiar with Sweeney’s more recent work, but what about her earlier films? What about the movies that truly started the career of the Euphoria star? We’ll discuss those films today, as Sydney Sweeney’s early filmography features everything from B-movie horror flicks to tense action-thrillers.

‘ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction’ (2010)

What better way to kickstart a career than a good old-fashioned zombie flick? The low-budget satirical zombie apocalypse film ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, is Sydney Sweeney’s first IMDb-credited role, thus making it her screen-acting debut. Sweeney, being born in 1997, would have only been around 10–12 years old at the time filming took place, giving her the always fun job of playing a kid zombie. ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction is available to stream on Tubi.

Sydney Sweeney would stick with horror for her second feature film, The Ward, this time giving her the opportunity to work with one of the most legendary figures in the genre, John Carpenter. One of the last films that the Halloween filmmaker has directed to date, The Ward sees a young woman named Kristen (Amber Heard) involuntarily place into a mental institution, where she starts to be tormented by a vengeful spirit. Sweeney plays the younger version of Mika Boorem‘s character, Alice. The Ward is available to stream on Tubi.

Watch on Tubi

‘Spiders’ (2013)

Spiders‘ alternate title of Spiders 3D will probably tell you everything you need to know about this low-budget disaster film. When a mysterious Russian satellite crashes in the United States, the material inside infects a venomous species of spider, which evolves into a gargantuan race of monsters. Sweeney’s character of Emily is just one of the many civilians terrorized by these vile creatures. Spiders is available to stream on FuboTV.

Watch on FuboTV

‘The Martial Arts Kid’ (2015)

Take a wild guess at what 1980s classic that The Martial Arts Kid was inspired by. Yes, The Martial Arts Kid is yet another entry in the ubiquitous subgenre of Karate Kid rip-offs, following a young troublemaker named Robbie (Jansen Panettiere) who learns discipline, respect, and martial arts from his aunt and uncle. Sydney Sweeney plays Julia, a fellow martial artist, but she’s actually not the only future star who appears in the film. Also present in the lead female role of The Martial Arts Kid is none other than Kathryn Newton, who would later go on to star in Freaky, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Abigail, and more. The Martial Arts Kid is available to stream on Prime Video.

Watch on Prime Video

‘Stolen from Suburbia’ (2015)

Dealing with a much more serious subject, that being human trafficking, Stolen from Suburbia is arguably one of Sydney Sweeney’s first proper lead roles in a feature film. Here, desperate mother Katherine Hudson (Cynthia Watros) begins a dedicated search when human traffickers abduct her daughter. Meanwhile, Cynthia’s daughter, Emma Hudson (Sydney Sweeney), fights to survive and outwit her captors. Stolen from Suburbia is available to stream on Peacock

Watch on Peacock

‘Vikes’ (2017)

Sydney’s next significant role is present in Vikes, a satirical comedy that tackles, so to speak, the ongoing debate over culturally insensitive mascots in sports. Sweeney’s character of Ida is a young activist who has been trying to get the name of the Washington Redskins changed. She inspired a fellow student named Thorvald (Aidan Alexander) to follow his own pursuit of activism, trying to get his and Ida’s school mascot of the Vikings changed because it’s insensitive to his Nordic heritage. Thorvald doesn’t actually think this, but he does all this in an attempt to impress Ida, who he’s a crush on for quite some time. Vikes is available to stream on Tubi.

Watch on Tubi

‘Relentless’ (2018)

Yet another Taken-esque thriller where Sydney Sweeney gets kidnapped, Relentless also follows a mother, Holly (Lauren Shaw), on the hunt for her daughter. This time, Holly learns her child Ally (Sydney Sweeney) has been abducted somewhere in Central America, and she will do whatever it takes to get her daughter back. Relentless is available to stream on Tubi.

Watch on Tubi

‘Along Came the Devil’ (2018)

A reasonably standard exorcism story, Along Came the Devil is also a proper lead role for Sweeney. Here, young Ashley (Sydney Sweeney) has lived a life of troubles, and now those troubles are increasing when a demonic force begins to torment her daily. Strangely enough, the general concept is fairly similar to Sweeney’s upcoming new horror movie, Immaculate, where she plays a devout nun who has potentially become the host of the antichrist. Along Came the Devil is available to stream on Hulu.

Watch on Hulu

‘The Wrong Daughter’ (2018)

If Along Came the Devil is Syndey Sweeney’s version of The Exorcist, then The Wrong Daughter is her version of Orphan. Kate (Cindy Busby) gave up her daughter for adoption almost seventeen years ago, leading her to think that she’d never see her again. Imagine her shock when she gets a message from a young woman (Sydney Sweeney) claiming to be her beloved Danica. There’s just one problem – this woman isn’t Danica, and is instead a vengeful impostor who has dastardly plans for Kate and her husband. The Wrong Daughter is available to stream on Prime Video.

Watch on Prime Video

‘The Voyeurs’ (2021)

Technically speaking, Sydney Sweeney’s career was already beginning to skyrocket, having already starred in The Handmaid’s Tale, Euphoria, and The White Lotus. However, the erotic thriller that is The Voyeurs is arguably one of her first major successes in feature filmmaking. The Prime Video original film sees young couple Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith) move into an upscale apartment, only to realize that they live across the street from some sexually adventurous neighbors. The couple’s surprisingly voyeuristic tendencies ends up revealing secrets about themselves and their neighbors that they never expected. The Voyeurs is available to stream on Prime Video.

Watch on Prime Video

Sydney Sweeney’s latest feature film, Madame Web, is in theaters now.

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