Top 10 Best Horror Movie Characters

The Top Ten
Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th horror film series. He first appeared in the original 1980 movie as the young son of the killer, Mrs. Voorhees. Over the course of the series, Jason became the central antagonist, known for wearing a hockey mask.

Jason is my favorite slasher villain/character. He's strong, immortal, and totally badass. And while he does have the highest body count in horror, he's not all bad.

He loved his mother, and it was after her death that he came back and started killing to avenge her. Considering he was bullied and drowned as a child, he's actually a killer you can sympathize with. He's both badass and unique at the same time.

Jason shows no mercy, only to his mother will he listen. And Mike is a wimp, not in the originals though. The remakes, especially number 2, are terrible. Like unicorns? What is Mike, a two-year-old?

At least Jason's mother encourages him to kill for her after her head being beheaded.

Michael Myers (Halloween) Michael Myers is a character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then returns fifteen years later to kill again. In October 2018, a direct sequel to the original film was released, ignoring previous... read more

Reasons Michael is the best horror villain:

1. He hasn't been killed (unlike Jason or Freddy).
2. It didn't take a traumatic event or even a misguided emotional state for him to start killing. One day he just started killing (unlike Jason, Hannibal, or Norman Bates).
3. He stalks and kills people like a sociopath, totally disconnected from emotion and almost playful and curious, as if each murder is a sort of experiment.
4. He spent most of his childhood staring at a wall and yet somehow learned to drive a car.
5. Strength, stealth, intelligence, and fear. He is simply the total package.
6. It's a William Shatner mask!

Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street) Fred "Freddy" Krueger is the primary antagonist in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in the original film directed by Wes Craven in 1984. Freddy is known for his burned face, red-and-green striped sweater, and his glove with razor-sharp blades.

Fred Krueger is truly evil. Both Michael and Jason have shown weakness, whereas Freddy has never. Freddy simply does not care. He killed his wife, attempted to kill his daughter, and had a dire hatred for his mother.

Michael showed weakness for his niece in Halloween 5 when he took off his mask for her and even shed a tear. Jason is just a big mama's boy and is scared of water. Chucky the doll is harder than Jason.

I believe he is the best, and Robert Englund is the only Freddy. I love them both, or I could just say I love Robert. So confusing.

But he is the greatest because he is a joker and a really scary killer and will get you in your dreams - something unavoidable, as I have said.

Chucky (Child's Play) Charles Lee Ray is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Child's Play horror film series. He becomes the murderous doll known as Chucky after using a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into the toy. The franchise began in 1988 and has since expanded into multiple sequels and a television... read more

To be honest, he started off with great potential, but his arc turned into a child vs. doll thing, which I really don't mind. I loved him in Child's Play 1, where he acted creepy and horrific.

I loved him in Curse of Chucky, where he reverted back to his creepy, sadistic ways.

I haven't seen any of the Child's Play films, but the fact that I found out a real-life serial killer put his soul into Chucky, the "Good Guy" doll, actually makes what I know about it less scary.

Chucky is one of the world's scariest horror movie icons. He makes you not want to have a stuffed animal. He is just that scary. That is the only reason I need as proof of why he should be number 1. Heck, he should have numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 as well.

Pennywise the Clown (Stephen King's It) It (sometimes capitalized as IT), more commonly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel It, as well as its 1990 television miniseries and the 2017 film adaptation. It is a shapeshifting and ancient malevolent entity that is millions, possibly billions, of... read more

I just watched the 2017 version of "It," and let me tell you: It was awesome. Pennywise is scary and creepy, and he seems really unique.

He has this way of making you wish he never gets defeated because he is so cool and charismatic. He is also super weird and has a really unsettling voice. He is my favorite horror movie villain.

Just the idea of a menacing clown that eats children and takes on your greatest fear is scary enough. Screw Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. This supernatural figure is one you don't want to mess with.

Jigsaw (Saw) Jigsaw is a character from the Saw film series. He first appears in Saw as John Kramer, a man diagnosed with terminal cancer after the loss of his unborn child. Following this, he designs elaborate traps to test his victims' will to live, believing he is helping them find a greater appreciation for... read more

I can't call him a killer or psychopath. He just builds all sorts of devices to teach bad people a lesson. I think he's a good guy.

I hated watching the part where he gets punched and kicked around by the violent and stupid policeman! I felt so sad when I continued watching and hearing his story. Now, I hate crackheads more than ever.

But don't worry, I won't go around kidnapping people, putting them in torture chambers, letting them make dumb choices and get their limbs sliced off, or burn from acid.

Jigsaw/John Kramer is creative. However, he never actually kills any of his victims. He is really original and finds twisted ways for his victims to kill themselves.

Unlike Michael Myers, he and Jason kill people for vengeance and not because they are bored. However, I think that he is more original than Jason because there isn't a horror movie character that punishes people like Jigsaw.

Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Leatherface is a character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series and its spin-offs. He wears masks made of human skin and engages in murder and cannibalism alongside his inbred family. The character is inspired in part by real-life murderer Ed Gein.

Dude, he looks like a burned meat burger mixed with a weird-looking dancing pickle. It looks like french fries got all over his face and stained him because he didn't know it got on him.

It's not just Leatherface. It's his entire cannibal family that's scary! Leatherface is just the butcher. Still, though, he is one of my favorite horror villains!

He was based on a real-life serial killer named Ed Gein, who did wear a mask out of leather and a belt out of people's nipples.

Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs) Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character in a series of suspense novels by Thomas Harris. Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. He became more widely known after Anthony Hopkins' iconic portrayal in the 1991 film The Silence... read more

He is very intelligent and easily capable of manipulating anyone to do his bidding. I thought he was still an anti-hero, but he still plays off as a horror villain as he brutally beats a security officer and eats the younger guy.

Then he comes off with a major twist that I refuse to spoil because it is just so shocking. I wouldn't want to ruin the experience for your reaction.

And the ending, "I'm going to have an old friend for dinner."

"I'm going to have a friend for dinner." Ya don't say.

How is Chucky better than Hannibal Lecter?

The Alien (Alien) The Alien, also called the Xenomorph, is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured as the primary antagonist in the Alien film series. It first appeared in Ridley Scott's 1979 movie Alien. The Xenomorph has since become one of the most iconic creatures in science fiction horror.

The Alien is the ultimate predator, if there ever was one. It kills without guilt, empathy, or remorse, with only survival in its mind. One by one, the Nostromo astronauts are devoured by this nearly unstoppable beast.

And don't get me started on the Xenomorph Queen.

Alien is definitely one of the scariest films ever made. Maybe even the scariest. The Alien creature did many shocking things with humans.

Alien is the best horror icon out there, in my opinion. That second mouth really does a number in the first movie!

Jaws (Jaws) Bruce is the fictional great white shark featured in Peter Benchley's 1974 novel Jaws. He was brought to life in the 1975 film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg. The mechanical shark used in the movie was also nicknamed Bruce by the production team.

Jaws was scary for me as a kid. Now I know that the first Jaws movie was set when sharks first started killing. It was a shocker to the world when sharks attacked humans, so it's still kind of scary.

The Newcomers

? Jeremy Armitage (Get Out)
? Missy Armitage (Get Out)
The Contenders
The Predator (Predator) The Predator is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science fiction franchise, characterized by its trophy hunting of other species for sport. The franchise began with the 1987 film Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and has since expanded to include multiple sequels,... read more

A really cool ability and weapon set makes him one of the strongest and best. Probably not as strong as Michael, Jason, or Freddy but still cool.

Predator is a UFO creature with very good speed and power. Predator is capable of flying and infiltrating forces. He wears a mask. The Predator's look with the mask is, of course, the creature.

I don't think it should be Freddy vs. Jason. It should be Predator vs. Jason.

Ghost Face (Scream)

He or she guts his or her victims and can disappear without a trace. Lastly, it is a new person every time, so you don't know who the killer is.

Movies don't make psychos! Movies make psychos more creative!

He is top 5. He is funny in Scream 1 and Scream 3.

Candyman (Candyman) Daniel Robitaille, colloquially known as Candyman, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Candyman film series. The character originated in Clive Barker's 1985 short story The Forbidden... read more

Scary as hell. All I have to say is don't say his name five times.

Pinhead (Hellraiser) Pinhead is the main antagonist of the Hellraiser film series. He serves as the Hell Priest in a dark dimension known as the Labyrinth and leads the Order of the Gash. This group of demons, called Cenobites, collect the souls of those who solve the Lament Configuration puzzle box.

Not only is he charismatic and intelligent, but he is a cold and calculating sadist that kills the spirit while forcing the mind and body to endure untold, unimaginable suffering.

Whereas other movie villains kill indiscriminately and without any remorse, he finds joy in an almost sexually gratifying manner, making you wish he was a ruthless killer.

I'm a girl, and I practically want to dress up as him for Halloween.

The Thing (The Thing)

The Thing could become ANYONE on this list! The film is spectacular, and the atmosphere makes The Thing much more menacing!

Regan MacNeil (The Exorcist) Regan Teresa MacNeil is a fictional character from William Peter Blatty's horror novel The Exorcist and its film adaptation. She appears as a central figure in both the original movie and its sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic... read more

What's scarier than a girl being possessed by a ghost, having a deep voice while the bed rocks back and forth? She's screaming in real life! That's not acting! Plus, nine people died on the set of this movie. It is seriously the scariest movie ever!

If you don't rank her in the top five, then you don't know scary. I would put her up against any, I mean any, characters created today, and she would be and is the scariest character ever created.

The poor girl must have been scared too. That is if she was aware of what was happening while she was possessed.

Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs)

Really unique and disturbing character.

Ash (Evil Dead Trilogy) Ashley James "Ash" Williams is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Evil Dead franchise. Created by Sam Raimi, he is portrayed by Bruce Campbell and is the only character to appear in every entry of the series... read more

He is the only iconic horror character who is good, and he certainly is the one who could put up with all the others.

Why isn't this guy higher? He should be at least in 2nd or 3rd place! 16th is too low for the king of Boomsticks!

Ash is neither good nor bad. He is the guy with the gun.

Norman Bates (Psycho) Norman Bates is a character created by writer Robert Bloch as the main character in his novel Psycho. He was portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the primary antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and in its sequels. Bates is known for his disturbing psychological complexity,... read more

The key word here is "character." While Jason, Freddy, and Michael are all great villains, they are, for the most part, one-dimensional. Norman, however, is one of the most interesting and complex villains of all time, due to how easily people in real life could become him.

He really needs to be in the top 5! What a legendary character he is. Portraying negativity is not easy. He put his heart and soul into it.

Really? Number 19? Are you kidding me? Norman Bates is truly one of the greatest, scariest, most messed up, and most complex movie/book characters of all time. Anthony Perkins played this character really well, which makes him able to hang around with some of the great actors/actresses.

Ben Willis (I Know What You Did Last Summer Trilogy)
Esther (Orphan)
The Creeper (Jeepers Creepers)

An ancient demon who arises every 23rd spring for twenty-three days. Shows absolutely no mercy, pity, or remorse for his victims.

He cannot die, has extremely high strength, is able to swoop down and pick anybody up (he can fly), and makes his weapons through the bones of victims, which are really sharp.

He is very intelligent in human technology, able to fix and operate old trucks and cars and make them reach high speeds over 100 mph. He can break solid metal with his bare hands and can decapitate a person without any trouble.

I believe he can match up against any of the characters on this list. He could take Michael Myers, Jason, and Freddy at the same time without breaking a sweat. The Creeper dominates.

He has been around since the time of Jesus Christ. Nothing could kill a beast that has lived for over 3,500 years and is still alive.

Annabelle (The Conjuring)

No words, this doll absolutely terrifies me.

Annie Wilkes (Misery) Anne Marie Wilkes Dugan, usually known as Annie Wilkes, is a character in the 1987 novel Misery by Stephen King. She is a former nurse who holds author Paul Sheldon captive in her home. The character was famously portrayed by Kathy Bates in the 1990 film adaptation, a role that won her an Academy Award... read more

She is every celebrity's worst nightmare.

The hobbling scene... need I say more?

Wishmaster (Wishmaster)

You should never make a wish because he only grants wishes to steal your soul. Plus, you're not actually getting what you really want - it's more like a living nightmare.

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