The colossal horror genre is synonymous with a multitude of villainous characters that cause our spines to tingle in fear. From monstrous figures to average-looking citizens, the ever-popular horror genre is filled with these villains that captivate the audience and help to establish the plot. And while classic horror figures like Dracula and Frankenstein introduced the entire genre to a realm of terrifying villains, the abundance of villainous characters from modern horror movies have remained constant in our minds and forced us to check underneath our beds at night.
And with Halloween Ends on the horizon — which features one of the most terrifying horror villains in Michael Myers — it seemed incredibly fitting to comprise a list of some of the scariest horror movie villains in history. Whether these characters are masked madmen or supernatural beings, each one individually heightens the fears of horror movie fanatics. And without these bone-chilling characters, the genre as a collective just wouldn’t be the same.
Bughuul
Scott Derrickson’s supernatural horror Sinister successfully terrified audiences back in 2012 with its chilling narrative, jaw-dropping scenes, and intimidating villain Bughuul. In the film, Bughuul is revealed as an ancient Pagan deity that slithers into homes and terrorizes a plethora of families. Bughuul uses manipulative tactics to gain the trust of a child in the family, then subsequently persuades the child to murder the rest of the family and make a home video based on the experience. And if his terrifying antics weren’t enough, he is undoubtedly one of the scariest-looking villains — which earns him a spot on this list.
Samara
Both The Grudge and The Ring helped to catapult Japanese horror into the mainstream, and one of the reasons is the inclusion of villain Samara Morgan. Possessed by a vengeful ghost after her death, Samara baits her victims by forcing them to watch an ominous videotape, which then concludes with her phoning them and revealing that they will die in exactly seven days. With her long hair draped over her mangled face and ability to transport through television sets, Samara is easily one of the scariest horror movie villains.
Candyman
Out of the plethora of scariest horror villains on this list, Candyman is arguably one of the most terrifying in the genre of horror. Based on a legend of folklore, Candyman is a demented spirit that was wronged in human life; choosing to take out his revenge and frustration on the living. In the film, his spirit is conjured up by proclaiming his name five times in the mirror, where his ghost shall then appear and kill his victim with his hook hand. The concept of Candyman alone is one of the most unsettling parts about him, and considering how much other urban legends like Bloody Mary tend to scare folks, it makes perfect sense why Candyman should be included on this list.
The Thing
While director John Carpenter is synonymous with slasher classic Halloween, the now 74-year-old filmmaker subsequently struck cinematic gold with 1982’s The Thing. In the film, a group of researchers encounter the horror villain “The Thing” — a parasitic being that has unmitigated control over various organisms. As a result, The Thing shape-shifts into a variety of other beings, replicating the brains and thoughts of others, and using that as fuel against its victims. As a movie villain that utilizes eternal life-beings and scaly tentacles, The Thing is definitely one of the scariest villains in horror.
Pazuzu
William Friedkin’s 1973 all-time classic The Exorcist is regarded as one of the most influential and scariest horror movies of all time, and with a horror villain as terrifying as Pazuzu, that’s not difficult to comprehend. In the film, Pazuzu — a powerful Babylonian demon — possesses the soul of 12-year-old Regan MacNeil. During his possession of the child, Pazuzu oftens creates controversy by speaking in tongues, making a mockery of both Jesus and The Bible, and forcing Regan’s body to perform unsettling acts of convulsion and violence.
Hannibal Lecter
Is there anything scarier than a guy who eats people’s liver with a side of fava beans? Historically, The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most influential horror movies in the history of the stacked genre — and features one of the most spine-tingling villains in Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Portrayed by the great Anthony Hopkins, Lecter is a forensic psychiatrist by day, and a cannibalistic serial killer by night. After his capture and arrest, it is revealed that Lecter’s victims were often his own patients, and he would eat their body parts after killing them — making him one of the scariest horror movie villains.
Pennywise
Considering 1 in 10 adults harbor an intense fear of clowns, it certainly comes as no surprise that Pennywise the Dancing Clown would place on his list. As the central antagonist in It, Pennywise is introduced in Stephen King’s best-selling novel as an ancient, trans-dimensional entity that harbors the ability to shape-shift as other beings in order to lure children in and eat them. On more than one occasion, “It” proclaims that it is the “eater of children,” where it awakens from a deep sleep every 27 years to prey upon new children. While It’s true identity is far more complex, the entity often takes on the form of a clown, which assists in gaining the trust of small children by cracking jokes and giving them balloons. As a result, Pennywise is one of the scariest villains of them all.
Xenomorph
Considered to be one of the deadliest alien species, Xenomorph is the central antagonist of Ridley Scott’s Alien, which is thought to be one of the best sci-fi films of all time. Xenomorph possesses an intimidating physique, uncontrollable speed and strength, and unmatched intelligence that keeps it alert and focused on its task. Combined with its jaw-dropping height and muscular build, Xenomorph uses its host to create nightmarish situations for its prey — and its intentions are typically quite deadly. It presents as an ambushing predator that carefully awaits its opportunity to act upon its abilities, and for those reasons, it’s certainly one of the scariest horror movie villains.
Jason Vorhees
With his mangled hockey mask and disfigured appearance, Jason Vorhees is easily one of the scariest horror movie villains, based on his terrifying presence alone. The notable horror figure has undoubtedly become a cultural icon — possessing his own video game, a series of colorful films, and a legal battle that even saw producers and writers fighting over the rights to the ever-popular character. Considering Jason is an immortal force that relies on special abilities — including water teleportation and heightened senses. Simply put, Jason is hellbent on claiming revenge for the death of his mother Pamela, and for his own death several years ago as a boy when he drowned at Camp Crystal Lake. As a result, he’s certainly one of the top scariest horror movie villains.
Michael Myers
The Shape is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable figures in cinematic horror. Introduced in John Carpenter’s all-time classic Halloween, horror fans have been completely captivated by Michael ever since. From his early days as a child, Myers is presented as a cold-blooded killer who will attack anyone who crosses his warpath. On all counts, Myers is a twisted psychopath with a blood-soaked agenda that simply makes horror fans’ skin crawl. His slow-paced speed, intimidating demeanor, and recipe for disaster remind us that even through multiple sequels, timelines, and reboots — including Halloween Ends this October — Michael Myers is one of the most terrifying horror movie villains of all time.
Leatherface
When it comes to heart-stopping terror, Leatherface is among the scariest horror movie villains for the simple fact that he obeys the intentions of his sadistic family. With the snap of their fingers, Leatherface will appear and cause as much chaos as is desired. In addition to his brute strength and superior speed, the sound of his chainsaw is enough to force his victims to run for the hills. And just in case it isn’t, consider the strength of the man handling its charges. Combined with his homemade masks made out of his victims’ skin, Leatherface rings in as one of the scariest horror movie villains.
Freddy Krueger
Out of all of these grisly characters, Freddy Krueger is literally what nightmares are made of. Unlike other horror movie villains that rely on stalking victims and using brute strength, Freddy possesses the bone-chilling ability to attack his prey through their dreams — and without proper sleep, his victims would be dead anyway. Since the mid-80s, Krueger has solidified himself as a popular figure in horror, and is certainly the central focus behind plenty of horror fans’ nightmares. Combine his terrifying antics with his blades-for-hands and blood-curdling voice, and Freddy Krueger is unequivocally the scariest horror movie villain in history.