A horror film is only good if the main antagonist lives up to the promise of thrills. Here is a ranking of the 10 most notable villains of a cinematic genre particularly appreciated by fans who like to be scared.
AnnIE Wilkes – Misery
A film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name by Rob Reiner in 1990, “Misery” sees Kathy Bates play the role of Annie Wilkes, a seemingly caring nurse who comes to the aid of novelist Paul Sheldon after his car accident. The latter is bedridden with broken legs and a dislocated shoulder, but slowly recovers thanks to the care provided by this woman, who turns out to be one of his most fervent admirers. In a gesture of gratitude, Paul offers to read his latest manuscript. A story hated by Annie which will require a complete rewrite from the author. Paul’s nightmare is only just beginning.
Crowned with the Oscar for Best Actress in 1991 for her performance, Kathy Bates perfectly embodies this terrifying woman ready to do anything to save her favorite heroine from the pen of her creator. Some scenes of physical abuse are simply unbearable. A high quality villain!
Ghostface – Scream
The Woodsboro serial killer – well, the killer(s) of the moment according to the film in the saga – is a sure value in horror cinema. The Ghostface mask has largely established itself in popular culture since the release of the first film directed by Wes Craven in 1996, especially around Halloween. In each installment of the franchise, the phone call from a man with a disturbing voice precedes a chase between a character and the masked killer armed with a long knife. Ghostface definitely has his place in the pantheon of villains, hands down.
John Kramer – Saw
In 2004, the first opus of the SAW saga marked the beginning of a horror franchise which today has 11 films to its credit. At the center of the story is John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, a fearsomely vicious serial killer with terminal cancer, who preys on people with, in his view, questionable behavior. To allow them to “rehabilitate” themselves, he places his victims at the heart of deadly games where their survival is possible… provided they free themselves from terrifying traps. In twenty years, Jigsaw has become an essential legend of horror cinema.
Chucky – Child’s Play
In 1988, the film “Child’s Play” saw a doll named Chucky appear on screen for the first time, who happens to be inhabited by the spirit of Charles Lee Ray, a killer who likes to strangle his victims. When the toy is purchased on the black market by the mother of a boy named Andy, the criminal begins to sympathize with the child in order to take revenge on those who wronged him. Realizing afterwards that he risks remaining a prisoner of the doll’s body, Charles Lee Ray will try to take possession of Andy’s body according to a voodoo ritual.
Seven films and a successful series make up the horrific saga of Chucky, this bloody and incredibly resilient doll, whose power of terror has never waned over the years. And the franchise is far from dying out, since a new film continuing the series is currently in development. Release planned for sometime in 2026.
Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre
A classic (and there will be others!). In 1974, the film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” carved its way into the ranks of the best horror films in history with a lot of hemoglobin, with a story centered on five friends who, despite the warnings of the locals , travel to a remote area in the state of Texas where they come across an abandoned house, inhabited by a family of cannibals. Among them is Leatherface, a colossus with incredible strength who knows how to use a chainsaw with formidable dexterity.
Banned in several countries at the time of its theatrical release due to its extreme violence – for the time – “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” by Tobe Hooper posted record profitability despite mixed reviews and will be followed by eight feature films, the the last one dating from 2022. It is considered today as one of the most influential films of the genre.
Pennywise – It
A polymorphic clown called Pennywise who feeds on the fears of the children of the town of Derry to terrorize them before devouring them to ensure his survival? Of course it’s scary. Twice played in cinema, the first time by Tim Curry in the 1990s film, and the second with Bill Skarsgard in those which saw the light of day in 2017 and 2019, “It” is one of the most terrifying characters created by the master of horror, Stephen King, which is the adaptation of his eponymous novel published in 1986. Fans of the clown will meet in 2025 on the MAX streaming platform to discover the series “Welcome to Derry,” which will explore the origins of Pennywise, and how he ended up terrorizing the small Maine town.
Freddy Krueger – The Claws of the Night
Another monument of its kind. In 1984, Wes Craven’s film “Night Claws” saw Robert Englund play the role of Freddy Krueger, a fearsome serial killer with a burned face and hands equipped with gloves with sharp blades who haunts the sleep of his victims. It was impossible for a viewer at the time not to be traumatized by this absolutely terrifying villain, who would be the central point of the eight films that followed.
Jason Voorhees – Friday the 13th
The most famous hockey mask around the world! For more than forty years, Jason Voorhes has been murdering teenagers in the Crystal Lake camp with his brute force, despite moving relatively slowly. The wide variety of his murders make him an expert in mass killings of whom the public never seems to tire (or almost). However, we will recall that the hockey mask only established itself as Jason’s distinctive sign from the third of the twelve films which make up this saga which, like its villain, seems indestructible.
Michael Myers – Halloween
A purely evil being. In 1978, John Carpenter directed “Halloween,” a film that begins with a six-year-old, Michael Myers, who kills his sister with a butcher knife on Halloween night for no apparent reason. Atmosphere ! Interned in a psychiatric institution until his judgment upon reaching the age of majority, he managed to escape fifteen years later and headed for his hometown where he committed a series of ultra-violent murders, traumatizing the babysitter Laurie Strode in the process, who will constantly find himself in his path (except in films 3 and 6).
No less than 12 sequels will be released after the first part of “Halloween”, the latest of which dates back to 2022. Michael Myers is the ultimate horror film villain, a relentless destructive force who kills for no reason, and who always finds a way to come back to life, no matter the death he experienced in the previous film.
Dracula – Nosferatu
In 1922, the public discovered on the big screen “Nosferatu” by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, a masterpiece of horror cinema which tells the story of Count Dracula, renamed Orlock in the film due to a lawsuit brought by the rights holders of the Irish writer Bram Stoker, author of the book “Dracula” published in 1897. The story takes place in 1838, when a young notary’s clerk, Thomas Hutter, is called to go to the count’s residence Orlock, in Transylvania, the latter wishing to make a new acquisition in town. During the negotiations, Orlock discovers a miniature of Ellen, the young man’s wife, with whom he falls under the spell. He therefore decides to go and stay in town, where he will sow death in his path.
A monument of the 7th Art, considered one of the first films of its kind, “Nosferatu” inspired a number of productions after its release. Dracula is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating villains there is, and has been the subject of numerous film adaptations over the years. Note that a remake of “Nosferatu” by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau by Robert Eggers (The Northman) with Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgard in the main roles, will be available in theaters on January 1, 2025. Proof that this character has continued to haunt producers for over a century.
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