The Demented Hit List: Most Memorable Horror Movie Villains

What's a good horror flick without a good villain? As we all know, the said villain should be properly menacing, horrifying, and ruthless to be able to scare us shitless. It really doesn't matter whether the villain is a person (be it a grown up or a kid), an inanimate object, a vengeful entity or a natural thing. It's not really surprising - people fear one thing or another.

Way, waaay back, the classic monsters reigned over the horror genre: The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, Mr. Hyde, Werewolves, Mummies, Zombies, and monsters from the Blue Lagoon and God-knows-where-else, among other things. Relatives of Frankenstein (Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, Frankenstein's Daughter) and Dracula (Dracula's Daughter, Brides of Dracula) also made their presence known, maybe just to show that being a reanimated corpse and/or being undead doesn't mean one should be caught without a social life.

Over the years, I've seen a lot of scary movie villains and so I made a list of the most memorable horror flick villains (for me, at least). I stress "memorable," since some of them aren't really scary and border on campy, hilarious, and/or absurd.

The 10 Most Iconic

Freddie Krueger - If his mug doesn't scare you, his deadly nightmares will.
Michael Myers - The guy wears a William Shatner Halloween mask. Scary.
Jason Voorhees - Hockey mask, machete, and indestructible.
Ghostface (Scream) - Stock up on horror movie trivia.
Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) - Chainsaw and crazy family.
Chucky - Murderous doll.
Jigsaw (Saw) - Crazy and bloody contraptions.
Hannibal Lecter - Dinner, anyone?
Pinhead - Constantly plagued by migraines.
Sadako - Climbs out of the TV.


Unseen Things

The Witch in the Blair Witch Project - Running around lost in a forest at night is not something you'd want on your summer vacation itinerary as it is most certainly not fun. Especially when you think you're being chased by somebody - or something.

The ghosts in Poltergeist - You do not want to hear a kid say, "They're here." Prepare for flying objects, bending forks, and other strange occurrences.

Death in the Final Destination series - We don't actually see a hooded guy with a giant scythe, Death comes in the form of many otherwise innocent things: a trickle of water there, a plugged electric appliance here, and a conveniently placed bath tub over there.


Things from Outer Space or an Undiscovered Species of Something

The Blob - It's a moving pile of gooey sludge. That's eeew factor number one. Eeew factor number two goes to its nasty habit of consuming carbon-based objects, humans included. Note: The pile of hungry goo or something like it can also be found in a short story called Slime (Joseph Payne Brennan), a novel and movie called Phantoms (Dean Koontz), and a movie called The Thing (John Carpenter).

Graboids from Tremors - Just when you thought it ends with the ginormous underground worm, it goes and spawns Shriekers and Ass-Blasters (I am not kidding, that's what they called the gliding versions of the things).

The Alien in the Alien flicks - Acid spit. Acid blood. Barbed tail. Secondary mouth. Facehuggers. Thank god for Ellen Ripley.

Kothoga in The Relic - The Relic is often called "Alien in a Museum" and for good reason. And nope, there isn't an eerie resemblance between the movie monsters.


Inanimate Objects and other Otherwise (outwardly) Innocent Things

The Mist - The Mist is not to be mistaken with The Fog - though they're both weather conditions, the former is good while the latter is just, blah (just goes to show that even Superman can't breathe life into a baaad movie). Anyway, what exactly lurks in the mist? You must watch the 2007 film. Watch it, or at least read Stephen King's novella of the same title.

Billie the doll in the Saw series - It's creepy, even creepier when seen riding a tricycle.

The House in The Amityville Horror - 112 Ocean Avenue. In case you're rusty in horror-speak, it's a haunted house and it still exists. Site of the DeFeo murders. Note: While we're on the subject of evil places, I should probably throw in the evil hotel room in 1408 too.

Puppets in Puppet Master - Damn. (It's another one of those movies I watched as a kid.)

The Overlook Hotel in The Shining - It's not only haunted, it's also THE malevolent entity (like the Amityville Horror, Event Horizon, and 1408) in the Stephen King classic.

Event Horizon - Okay, it's from a sci-fi flick, but you've got to admit, the Event Horizon was pretty evil.

The mirrors in the recent movie Mirrors - There are dozens of horror stories about mirrors (Bloody Mary, Candyman, person appearing behind you but isn't there when you look over your shoulder) and heck, a room full of mirrors is just plain scary.


Scary Kids (In movies, and most horror video games, there is nothing scarier than a creepy looking kid.)

Toshio (the kid) in The Grudge - Him, together with the weird scuffling and croaking sounds, are guaranteed to make the hairs you didn't know you had stand up on end.

Alessa Gillespie in Silent Hill - She has achieved infamy both in the survival horror video games and the film adaptation.

Damien Thorn in The Omen - He's the antichrist, so he's got to look and act the part, right?

Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist - Projectile vomiting, spider walk down the stairs, and impossible head twists. Enough said.

The Children of the Corn - Who would've thought that a strange cult full of half pints can wipe off all the adults in their town?

(You can add the kid from the Korean movie Acacia - if you consider Acacia a horror movie and not a documentary about the blasted tree.)


Unkillable, Demented, and Downright Scary (or Downright Absurd)

The Shark in Jaws - Come on, tell me you didn't shout "Get out of the damn water!" or "Swim faster, you idiot!" at the TV when the fin popped out of the surface and the accompanying "dun-dun-dun-dun" background music came on. Note: This entry is probably also applicable to the giant croc in Lake Placid and the Anaconda in that movie with JLo and Ice Cube.

The zombies in 28 Days Later and the remade Dawn of the Dead - Which is scarier - running for dear life with zombies right at your heels or running for dear life while zombies shuffle behind you?

Elite Hunting in Hostel movies - They kidnap people and auction them off to be tortured and killed. I'm not sure about you, but they certainly give the traveler in me the heebie jeebies.

Natre in Shutter - Severe neck pain has never been explained in a more horrifying manner. Well, maybe beside finding a knife sticking out of your neck.

The Wishmaster - This forever smashed my vision of all the genies I ever loved (Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie and Aladdin's Genie).

The Candyman - Say his name in front of a mirror 5 times and watch buckets of blood spill, specifically, yours.

Pumpkinhead - I vaguely remember this movie (I watched it waaay way back) and while the movie itself is bad, the movie monster Pumpkinhead lurks in my subconscious.

Leprechaun - Probably the most evil little green man ever (or at least he was back when I was nine). Can be distracted by throwing dirty shoes as he is compelled to shine them.

It - It's a clown.

The Killer in Urban Legend - I remember her due to the very very creepy message scrawled in blood: Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?

Jack Torrance in The Shining - Cabin fever + writer's block + alcohol = Jack is not a happy writer.

Infected in I Am Legend - They killed the dog. I don't care if they kill Will Smith, they killed the dog. Fine, Will Smith strangled the dog after it becomes infected, but that's beside the point, right?

Demon Knight in Tales from the Crypt - Billy Zane as a very cunning, and very evil demon. Buckets of blood everywhere. (Yes, it's another one of those movies I saw as a kid.)

The Fisherman from I Know (I Still Know, I'll Always Know, I'll Forever and Ever Know... wait) What You Did Last Summer - He evolved from a cranky victim of a hit and run to a supernatural vengeance machine out to get those who keep a death secret.

The Creature in Mimic - Over the course of the series (the other two Mimic movies were direct to video), the Judas Breed evolved from a cross between a mantis and a termite into a giant 6-foot cockroach able to mimic humans. You can't squash it as it is probably bigger than you are, and the tactic of flinging a tsinelas (slippers) against it is probably as ineffectual. How exactly do you kill it? Wrestle it into a vat of Baygon? Hmm...