13 Scariest Horror Villains

Horror villains are usually meant to be scary, and some of them are downright terrifying. Villains in horror movies have a way of making us cringe, jump, scream, and even have nightmares. Although most of us will probably not admit it, some horror villains can scare even the best horror fan. I wanted to put together my personal list of the 13 scariest horror villains. These people (and creatures) can be rather terrifying, and I don’t think I’d want to come up against them anytime soon.

13. Candyman

Anyone who can appear when you say their name into a mirror will always seem scary to me, and Tony Todd did a fantastic job as a very creepy Candyman. I don’t know about you, but I definitely won’t be going around saying ‘Candyman’ into mirrors.

12. Jaws

I highly doubt that there is anyone in the world who does not worry about being attacked by a shark. Logic dictates that it is very unlikely any of us will be shark food, but whenever I’m near large bodies of water, the thought does cross my mind. The shark was pretty scary, and as far as I’m concerned, the theme music made him scarier. I can’t help but have the music start playing in my head whenever I’m swimming.

11. Chucky

The reason why I think Chucky had to be on this list, is because let’s face it; he’s a doll who goes around killing people. He’s not exactly your average doll. Any doll that can move and talk without batteries and lunge at you with a weapon is a doll you should be afraid of.

10. Pennywise the Clown

Pennywise, from Stephen King’s It, has given some people a nasty fear of clowns. I do not think that clowns in general are in any way scary, but a clown that lures children into sewers to eat them is rather terrifying. Pennywise will continue to haunt many clown haters’ dreams for years to come.

9. Jack Torrance from The Shining

I don’t think that Jack Nicholson is usually scary, and to be perfectly honest I’m not a huge fan of him as an actor. When he played Jack in The Shining though, he played the role well. He shows us that anyone can go crazy and try to kill their family. It makes you want to remember to check on your dad every once in a while to be sure he isn’t getting cabin fever. The last thing I want is my father to go all Jack Torrance on me.

8. Norman Bates

Any man who is that much of a mama’s boy, is someone you should watch out for. And Norman Bates is the worst one of him all. He is completely insane and extremely antisocial, and that’s what makes him scary. If you didn’t become afraid of taking a shower after watching Psycho, you may be incredibly brave, and possibly just as insane as Norman is.

 7. Hannibal Lecter

He’s an incredibly smart psychiatrist who is a very clever and powerful mind manipulator, and just so happens to be a psychopath. Dr. Lecter has the ability to stay calm and collected in any situation, and that makes him scary because you never know how he’s really feeling! I never want to meet someone like Hannibal Lecter, do you?

 6. Samara from The Ring

Some of you may not agree with me on this one, but ever since I watched the Ring for the first time, I have found Samara to be very creepy. Anyone who calls you when you watch their deadly tape and says “You will die in seven days” is creepy enough, but then when they actually kill you in seven days? Terrifying, just like the scene where she comes out of the TV!

5. Jason Voorhees

As we all know, Jason was not the killer in the original Friday the 13^th– he came about as the killer in Part Two. Even though this is the case, I think Jason is much scarier than his mother. His mother was killed by having her head chopped off, but Jason seems to never die. You can continue to stab him all night long but he never seems to die. If he does die, he can be brought back by his mother’s voice. Any guy who wanders around the woods with a machete and can be brought back to life by hearing his mother’s voice is a guy I want to steer clear of. I will not be going to anywhere called Camp Crystal Lake anytime soon.

4. Freddy Krueger

I have heard many people say that they think Freddy is the scariest horror villain of them all, because he kills you in your dreams. They do have a point, which is why Freddy is on my list, because let’s face it- we all expect to wake up every morning. Freddy is a scary guy who I don’t want to meet in my dreams, but is not number one on my list; even with his razor fingers, dirty old sweater and sexual innuendos he likes to make.

3. Ghostface

Many jokes have been made at the expense of Scream and their killer known as Ghostface. You can make all the jokes you want but they can’t deny the fact that the killer could be absolutely anyone, if not several people, they use any weapon they can get their hands on, they run fast, they hide well, and they are usually killing people because they want revenge. Anyone who wants revenge and decides to go on a killing spree is very hard to stop and that’s why I think Ghostface is so scary. Who knows, you could end up in a Scream film and I could be Ghostface, you just never know.

2. Leatherface

What can I say about Leatherface that doesn’t prove that he’s scary? His family are cannibals, they’re all crazy (although what cannibal isn’t crazy?), and they like power tools. There is just no way that Leatherface could turn out normal, and he is far from it! The fact that he seems to come out of nowhere, chases after you at full tilt with a chainsaw and will cut off your limbs and salt your wounds while you’re still alive?! That makes Leatherface positively terrifying in my book. If I were the girl who lives at the end of the film, I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleep or travel anywhere ever again; that’s just how scary Leatherface is.

1. Michael Myers

Michael Myers has always been, and will always be, my favourite horror movie villain. John Carpenter’s Halloween is such a classic horror movie, and with good reason- he made a very scary killer! Michael Myers kills his sister when he’s only 6 years old, spends the next 15 years in a mental hospital and then escapes and goes on a killing rampage. He’s smart, he’s crazy, he loves knives, he never speaks, he wears a mask and he never seems to die. You can shoot him, stab him, light him on fire and he just won’t die. Now that is what a scary horror villain is. Not to mention the fact that he WALKS after all of his victims and he always manages to kill them! That is just too cool (not to mention terrifying) to put into words. Michael Myers is the ultimate and scariest horror villain and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

There are many other scary horror villains, but nobody is scarier in my eyes than these 13. Now that you have read my list of the 13 scariest horror villains, who would be on your list? Do any of my villains haunt your dreams or make you fear the dark?