Top 10 Scariest Disney Villains

There are lists for the "best," "favorite," and "most evil," but there is no such list for the "scariest" Disney villains ever to hit the big screen.

1. Judge Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

   

   I don't know why Frollo is ranked so low. He is super scary! He was so evil he was literally thrown into hell! The gargoyle he fell with symbolizes God throwing Frollo into hell.

   That is horrifying. After watching that part of the film, I get nightmares for a week.

   Judge Frollo is supposed to be the scariest Disney villain because he doesn't have any powers, and yet he still manages to get the job done.

   If Disney villains were real, Frollo would do the same exact thing.

   This man scares the heck out of me. He is such a strong representation of all the nasty, sexist, prejudiced bigots in the world who claim religion as their motive.

2. The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)

   

   I loved The Black Cauldron when I was little, but I always fell asleep before I got to see the Horned King. I re-watched this movie recently.

   Oh my gosh! The Horned King is terrifying! I had nightmares for two weeks of him just standing there, laughing. I may need therapy.

   When I was about six, I saw The Black Cauldron, and the Horned King was super scary. Gosh.

   But when I was ten, I saw this movie again, and I loved him! He became my favorite Disney villain. In fact, he became my favorite Disney villain ever!

   Yes, I think that he is the scariest villain because he scared me when I was little.

3. Chernabog (Fantasia)

   

   Chernabog is a Disney villain from the 1940 animated film Fantasia, appearing in the segment "A Night on Bald Mountain." He is portrayed as a powerful demon who rises from a mountain to summon spirits and cause chaos. The character is based on Slavic folklore and is one of Disney's most iconic representations... read more

   I got so scared, and I had a nightmare. He looks so creepy, and he's the devil.

   Always the first one. I feel evil when I see him. He is SATAN, damn.

   Super scary. I think that, and I haven't even seen the movie.

4. The Headless Horseman (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)

   

   That laugh! It haunts me every time! I remember the first time I watched him, I had nightmares about him for weeks. I was scared he would come into my room and chop my head off!

   I fear for my life every time that damned horseman makes an appearance on camera. You ever find yourself facing him, quit while you're "a-head"!

   The Headless Horseman is quite scary. I feel really scared when I see him. It becomes quite creepy!

5. Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

   

   Ursula is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated feature film, The Little Mermaid, released in 1989. She is portrayed as the main antagonist and is known for her distinctive appearance and dramatic personality. The character was inspired by the drag queen Divine.

   For some reason, as a kid, I was deathly afraid of Ursula. I was incredibly afraid of her. For example, my family and I went to see Disney on Ice, and when The Little Mermaid came on, I was shaking just seeing Ariel come out. But when Ursula hit the ice, I screamed, and my grandma had to put her coat over my head because I couldn't stand the sight of her without crying!

   Also, when I had the Cinderella Platinum Edition, which came out about a month before The Little Mermaid Platinum Edition, every time I would watch the commercials on the Cinderella disc, the Little Mermaid commercial would come on, and there was a clip of the final battle. Every time I would freak out.

   Thankfully, I have finally overcome my fear of her, though sometimes I can't help but get the shivers near the end of the movie.

6. Shan Yu (Mulan)

   

   Shan Yu is the main antagonist of Disney's 1998 animated feature film Mulan. He is the ruthless leader of the Hunnic army who invades China. His character is known for his intimidating presence and determination to conquer the Imperial City.

   How many men does it take to deliver a message?

7. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

   

   Maleficent is the main antagonist in Disney's 1959 animated feature film Sleeping Beauty. She is an evil fairy and the personification of pure evil, causing misfortune throughout King Stefan's kingdom. Maleficent has since become one of Disney's most iconic villains.

   I think Maleficent is scary, but the Evil Queen made me scared to eat apples growing up!

8. Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls)

   

   Bill Cipher is a triangular dream demon featured in the animated television series Gravity Falls. Originally confined to the mindscape, he was brought into the real world after being summoned by Stanford Pines over thirty years ago.... read more

   He is possibly one of the most terrifying kids' villains. What makes him so scary is that he is pure evil. He is a universal being with no feelings and will do reckless things. If Disney hadn't censored most of what Alex Hirsch had in mind for him, we would have had even worse things.

9. The Coachman (Pinocchio)

   

   I think what makes this guy the scariest is that, unlike the others on this list, he was never stopped. No one ever defeated him. For all we know, he is still out there in the Disneyverse kidnapping children and turning them into livestock to be sold or killed.

   I also find the idea that he was human and doing this to be particularly scary. As for the Horned King, he was a skeleton king, and Maleficent was a dark fairy, so there was a little bit of an orange and blue morality with them. Meanwhile, villains like Monstro were just animals, and there wasn't any malice involved in what they did beyond animal instinct.

   The Coachman did his dark deeds knowing they were evil, and he did them time and time again, all with a smile. For those reasons, and the fact that he was never stopped, I think he is the scariest.

10. Monstro (Pinocchio)

    

    I never wanted to watch Pinocchio because of this underwater devil. Though I'm surprised that he's higher on this list than The Coachman.

    This monstrosity gives Bruce a run for his money!

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Zhan Tiri (Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure)

    

    She is creepy because of her appearance, her facial expressions, her snake-like tongue, her voice, what she does, and everything else about her!

12. ?

    King Runeard (Frozen II)

    

    Who isn't scared of a manipulator? Gosh, he is the worst. A racist, double-faced person who even skewed his son's thoughts.

    The face Elsa had when she heard his plan... It's magic that I didn't freeze myself. That scene was just an emotional overload! He is like those dictators.

    Why isn't Hans on this list, by the way? He is the worst.

The Contenders

13. The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

    

    The old hag is so freaky! I have always been scared of her! Why is she only 8? She is scarier than Ursula and Maleficent.

    After 20 years, I still feel a little bit of fear.

14. Scroop (Treasure Planet)

    

15. Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective)

    

16. Madame Medusa (The Rescuers)

    

17. Stromboli (Pinocchio)

    

18. Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians)

    

    Cruella de Vil is a fictional character who appeared in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. She is the main antagonist in Disney's animated film adaptations 101 Dalmatians and 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, as well as in the live-action films 101 Dalmatians and 102... read more

    She looks like a living skeleton!

19. The Mad Doctor (Mickey Mouse)

    

20. Summerween Trickster (Gravity Falls)

    

    This reminds me of No-Face from Spirited Away. They both have a second mouth that eats people.

21. Scar (The Lion King)

    

    Scar is the main antagonist of Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. He is the second son of Obasi and Eshe. Scar is the younger brother of Mufasa and the paternal uncle of Simba.

    Scar serves as Simba's arch-nemesis and is also Mufasa's rival. Additionally, he was the former leader... read more

    The way he's so dark and creepy freaks me out, ALWAYS.

22. Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

    

    That skull mask while he's singing Friends on the Other Side is just plain scary. Still, the Shadow Man will always be my favorite!

    Why is this dude lower than Scar? The skull mask is super scary, and the fact that he makes a deal with the devil! I will ALWAYS have nightmares after that.

    His shadows give me nightmares. He's the nightmare of my dreams.

23. Judge Doom (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)

    

24. Mor'du (Brave)

    

    If anyone is scared of bears, Mor'du is four meters tall and has the strength of ten men. He could easily kill you and scare you. But if anyone loves bears and villains together, Mor'du is one of the sickest, strongest, and scariest animated villains ever made.

    I could imagine Mor'du coming face to face with Shere Khan, Scar, or even Bowser.

    Who wouldn't be scared of a massive, scarred, invincible bear with the strength of ten men?

    This guy is creepy. He is also the most hideous-looking bear I have ever seen in my entire life.

25. Turbo (Wreck-It Ralph)

    

    At the end of the movie, he is real scary, alright.

26. Hades (Hercules)

    

    Hades is so scary! Everyone, vote for Hades!

27. Jangles the Clown (Inside Out)

    

    Jangles the Clown is a fictional character from the 2015 animated film Inside Out. He appears in the protagonist Riley's subconscious as a source of fear. The character is designed to represent childhood nightmares and has a dramatic impact during the film's dream sequence.