The popularity of the horror movie-genre rests on its ability to provide diverse storylines, compelling lead characters, strong premises and terrifying villains. While all these things are important, it is the villain that catapults a horror film from simply being good and to being a horror movie classic. An iconic villain sets the tone of the film. The villain must be brutal without being simply bloodthirsty and barbaric, creative without being comical, chilling without being one-dimensional. Here is a list of ten of the villains throughout history that have scared the wits out of moviegoers taken from every sub-genre of horror.

10. Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street)

A Nightmare on Elm Street is considered a horror classic with good reason. There are plenty of things to praise about this film but its villain is the number one reason for its success. Freddy Krueger is barely present throughout the film; you don’t see him or his face too much. All you see are his hands and maybe his shadow. The focal point is not the physical characteristics that makes him imposing, but his interactions with the protagonists and his methods of achieving his murderous ends.

He doesn’t just resort to killing you. He isn’t even an entity in the real world. He kills you in your dreams. Dreaming isn’t something that you can control, and this is where Freddy strikes. You just know that once you close your eyes and succumb to sleep, you’re as good as dead. That’s what’s terrifying about it. You’re going to have to sleep some time, and when you do, he’ll be waiting.

9. John ‘Jack’ Torrance (The Shining)

After a battle with alcoholism, John Torrance brings his family to Colorado to be the overseer of the Overlook Hotel. There he works on his writing. Unfortunately, his past provides an opportunity for supernatural forces to overwhelm him. He eventually holds his wife and son hostage as a result. His isolation from the world, as well as personal problems contributes to his downward spiral. The fact that this is a man who is more insane than possessed is simply what makes him utterly terrifying. It proves that everyone has the capacity to be a monster.

8. Pinhead (Hellraiser)

A predilection for torture makes Pinhead enter this list at number eight. Unlike the previous two entrants, Pinhead is a more noticeably supernatural entity. Although gifted with physical prowess, he rarely chooses actual physical attack his victims. He prefers to give orders to his fellow Cenobites or to use chains to carry out his wishes. Unlike a lot of villains in the horror genre, there isn’t a personal motivation for his actions. He doesn’t kill because of bloodlust or to avenge injustices committed against him; he kills because the hapless individual has summoned him. Because his killings aren’t a result of overly emotional rampages he is actually far more dangerous. Pinhead also reflects an archetype of the devil that lets you bargain for your safety – if you sacrifice other people. This makes him a formidable villain and one who should scare the living daylights out of you. He doesn’t just want to kill you; he wants to enjoy doing it for a very long time.

7. Michael Myers (Halloween)

The villain in the Halloween series murdered his older sister when he was six. This violent event resulted in his tenure in Smith’s Grove Mental Hospital. He was kept there until he escaped five years later. He then proceeded to stalk and terrorize his younger sister Laurie. He begins by killing off two of her friends. His utter lack of remorse for any of his actions was the main reason he has been judged as pure evil by most viewers. Despite having been locked up in a mental institution, the pervasive view remains that his insanity was simply coincidental to his blood lust, which is what makes him scary.

6. Pennywise the Dancing Clown (It)

Unlike other creatures, the entrant at number six is one meant to serve a kid’s fancy. It takes the form of a clown, which isn’t immediately terrifying. But it is seen as something that can be trusted initially, which eventually leads to fatal consequences for its child victims. Some people have an irrational fear of clowns. Others have simply seen It.

5. Norman Bates (Psycho)

Norman Bates seems normal enough at first glance. As the movie progresses, however, you begin to realize that something is very, very wrong. His mother seems to be nothing more than a figment of his imagination, and a murderous one at that. You start to think that perhaps it would be better to simply ignore the old crone, seeing that she seems to be stuck in the house, away from your motel room. Of course, you can’t just ignore her when she starts stabbing you while you shower.

Norman Bates is terrifying in that he seems so normal in the beginning – quite likeable actually – that you’d be shocked to know that he was a truly disturbed person who took on his mother’s persona. His young life predisposed him to such madness that it’s quite sad to see the deep scars the early childhood experiences can lead to such reprehensible actions. What terrifies us the most is the seeming normalcy in the beginning that turns to madness and violence.

4. Sadako (Ringu)

Sadako is considered to be one of the most terrifying movie characters of all time and she manages the feat with limited screen time. Very often, filmmakers try to demystify their villains by giving some reason for their unspeakable actions. No such liberties were taken with Sadako. You’re left to decide if she was simply a victim of circumstance or the embodiment of evil. Judging from her performance in *that* scene, you’re sure to decide in favor of the latter. All throughout, she keeps her intentions or motivations unknown. Barring her from speaking leaves you to wonder just what she is. You definitely will not take watching a videotape lightly ever again.

3. Regan MacNeil / Pazuzu (The Exorcist)

Whoever could have thought that such a picture of innocence could spout such vile words? When Pazuzu took control of Regan MacNeil’s body, the world saw that no one is safe from evil. No matter who you are and how unblemished your life has been, you are not safe. Pazuzu is so terrifying, not just because of all the stunts that it pulls, outrageous though they may be, but because of its imperviousness to threats. The only time it left Regan’s body was when another one was offered to him. Pazuzu show the grim determination to make an innocent girl’s life hell and to damn her soul for the fun of it. That’s evil.

2. Damien Thorn (The Omen)

Sometimes, a character doesn’t really have to do anything to be considered a malevolent creature. The references to their evil nature, the heavy atmosphere that surrounds them and the ghastly deaths that they leave in their wake can be enough. Billed as the Antichrist, Damien Thorn was the embodiment of evil. Unlike Regan, he wasn’t possessed by an evil entity; he himself was evil. So effective was this billing that the name Damien has since then become synonymous with devil in everyday vernacular. Damien Thorn showed that evil is not always what it seems. The beatific smile of your beloved child could be disguising the fallen angel.

1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)

Sir Anthony Hopkins won an academy award for his portrayal of the cannibalistic Dr. Hannibal Lecter with just 16 minutes of screen time. He was barely in the movie and yet his performance was enough to make you wince. Hannibal Lecter is human, at least, biologically. He didn’t need the help of an evil entity to reach the height of depravity that he did. His perversity was so much that he requested conversations about Clarice Starling’s childhood traumas in exchange for his help in profiling Buffalo Bill. Can you get any more sadistic than that? Even when he’s behind bars, he manages to torture those on the other side.

He’s completely human, yet undeniably vile. He merely hints at his depravity and never actually spills any blood during the course of the film. He remains behind bars and still has the upper hand in every interaction. Dr. Hannibal Lecter is terrifying because even if he can’t do anything to you, you keep looking over your shoulder. You can just shudder to think about what he’d do if he ever got that nuzzle off and those bars weren’t in the way.

 

Vampires have been demystified (Want to be vampire, read how to become a vampire). Werewolves are only a temporary threat. You can outrun zombies. Aliens are completely unknown; for all you know, they could exactly be like E.T. – friendly, harmless, kind. Monsters may be scary and creatures that go bump in the night might be terrifying, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing more unsettling than the evil that lives in humans. Be it a case of possession, a nut running amok thirsty for blood or the embodiment of evil itself, you can’t deny the feeling of dread that overcomes you at the thought of meeting any of them face-to-face. The true measure of a horror movie villain is just how much you shudder at the thought of being confronted by them. Forget the hackneyed slashers; think of those who are truly horrifying. For more frightening movies, read Halloween Movies.