The most iconic horror-movie villains of all time

Gabbi ShawOct 8, 2024, 23:03 IST

"Frankenstein."Universal Pictures

Horror-film villains become nightmare fuel for kids for decades.
Some villains like Freddy, Jason, and Ghostface have multiple films to get under your skin.

At a time when the box office can be hit-or-miss (see: the failure of "Joker: Folie à Deux"), there's one genre that almost never lets Hollywood down: horror.

It's been nearly 100 years since audiences were introduced to characters like Frankenstein's monster and Dracula on screen. Since then, some horror movie franchises have lasted for up to a dozen films, like "Friday the 13th," raking in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.

Creating an iconic horror movie villain doesn't just mean sequels and huge profit margins at the box office, though. Think about how many kids in Ghostface masks or Pennywise costumes you see on Halloween every year; these enduring characters ensure revenue long after their movies' releases.

These are some of the most iconic horror movie villains of all time.

"Longlegs" was only released this year, but the titular Longlegs will be haunting us for years to come.

"Longlegs."Neon

After Jason Voorhees made his debut in "Friday the 13th Part II," hockey masks were never the same.

"Friday the 13th Part III."Paramount Pictures

Second only to Jason's hockey mask is Ghostface's ghoulish mask in "Scream."

"Scream."Dimension Films

Freddy Krueger, of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series, has been making kids everywhere afraid to sleep for decades.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street."New Line Cinema

Annabelle, the demonic doll, plays a small part in "The Conjuring," but proved so frightening that she earned her own spin-off series.

"The Conjuring."New Line Cinema

Before we had Annabelle, there was Chucky, the star of "Child's Play."

"Child's Play."MGM/UA Communications Co.

Facehuggers, Chestbursters, Xenomorphs — whatever you want to call them, the aliens from the "Alien" franchise are not for the faint of heart.

"Alien."20th Century Fox

The Predator is another very scary, very deadly alien that kills its victims in gruesome ways.

"Predator."20th Century Fox

Michael Myers, the seemingly unstoppable killer of the "Halloween" series, has been terrorizing us since 1978.

Michael Myers in "Halloween Ends."Ryan Green/Universal

All Leatherface needed was a chainsaw to make his way into the Horror Film Villain Hall of Fame.

"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre."Bryanston Distributing Company

Threatening kids with Samara from "The Ring" is the best way to get them to stop watching TV.

Samara.Paramount Pictures

Norman Bates, the villain of "Psycho," has since become shorthand for "sociopath."

"Psycho."Paramount Pictures

Jack Torrance in "The Shining" will stay with you for a long time after finishing the film.

"The Shining."Warner Bros.

While Regan isn't technically a villain, the demon Pazuzu who possesses her in "The Exorcist" is enough to give anyone nightmares.

"The Exorcist."Warner Bros.

After seeing Damien in "The Omen," parents all over the world began taking a closer look at their kids.

"The Omen."20th Century Fox/Getty Images

Before he was a gay icon, Mister Babadook was a character in a mysterious storybook with the power to possess people.

"The Babadook."Entertainment One/Umbrella Entertainment

One of the most frightening images in modern horror is Billy, a puppet, biking around his warehouse of horrors.

"Saw."Lionsgate Films

Pennywise from "It" no doubt sparked a fear of clowns in many of his viewers.

"It."Warner Bros.

Annie Wilkes in "Misery" isn't supernatural, but she's chilling all the same.

"Misery."Columbia Pictures

Hannibal Lecter of "Silence of the Lambs" has made sure we'll never see Chianti or fava beans the same way ever again.

"The Silence of the Lambs."Orion Pictures

The original vampire is, of course, Dracula.

"Dracula."Universal Pictures

Frankenstein's monster is a tragic villain, but he's still one of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween.