If there is one genre where the villains shine brighter than the protagonists it is horror. Whether it is a scary mask-wearing serial killer, or a count in a cape, these villains have become iconic figures. They have stood the test of time, scaring the bejesus out of horror fans over decades and becoming Halloween costume staples.
Here are seven iconic horror villains from movies you could terrorise yourself — or others (they are great costume ideas) — with this Halloween.
Michael Myers (The Halloween series)
Wikipedia
First seen in 1978 in the first Halloween movie as a young boy who kills his own sister and then returns to his hometown Haddonfield, Illinois, to murder a bunch of other teenagers, Michael Myers, created by John Carpenter is pure evil and almost unkillable. This William Shatner-mask wearing, chef’s knife-wielding villain has been terrorising us for years over multiple movies, the last of which, Halloween Ends, came out in 2022.
Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th series)
IMDb
He wasn’t even the main protagonist in the first Friday the 13th movie (1980), where we see a young Jason, whose mother Mrs Voorhees goes on a killing spree to avenge his drowning. His iconic hockey goalie mask becomes part of canon from Friday the 13th III, and he is given supernatural and regenerative powers from the fifth film making him virtually indestructible. Created by Victor Miller, this machete-wielding, non-verbal villain has given us the chills for decades.
Freddy Kruger (Nightmare on Elm Street series)
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Created by Wes Craven for his 1984 film Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy is the malevolent spirit of a serial child killer who was burned alive by the victims’ parents, haunting and killing his victims in their dreams, causing their death in real life as well. While he is invincible in his dream form, he can be harmed when he is drawn into the physical world. His signature red sweater with green stripes, burned face, fedora and bladed gloves can spike fear into the hearts of moviegoers even today.
Ghostface (Scream series)
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“What’s your favourite scary movie?” is a question that ’90s teens were loath to ask over the phone thanks to Ghostface, the name given to the killer of 1996 movie Scream who wears a ghost mask and a black hooded robe, and taunts his victims over the phone before killing them. The killer (different characters in different movies) always wears the same outfit, is mute and uses a voice changer over the phone.
Pinhead (Hellraiser series)
Wikipedia
The main antagonist of the Hellraiser franchise, Pinhead appeared on screen in the first Hellraiser movie in 1987. A nameless character in the first film, he earned the Pinhead moniker from people on set because of the nails studding his bald head. One of the leaders of the Cenobites, demons from Hell who emotionally and psychologically torture their victims, Pinhead’s character changed with each film from pure evil and agent of chaos to megalomaniac bent on world domination.
Jigsaw (Saw series)
IMDb, © 2005 Lions Gate Films
A former civil engineer dying from cancer, John Kramer is called the Jigsaw Killer because of the puzzle-shaped piece of skin that he takes from the people who fail his tests, which he calls “games”. Appearing for the first time in the 2004 film, Saw sees himself more as a scientist than a killer and designs elaborate tests to challenge his subject’s weaknesses. Billy the Puppet, mini-cassettes, videotapes and traps are his signatures.
Count Dracula
IMDb
A list of iconic horror villains is incomplete without the OG vampire who bites people and turns them into vampires. Portrayed in countless films across many countries since as far back as 1921. The black-and-red cape-wearing, fanged monster created by Bram Stoker has scared and intrigued us in equal measure over the years and is one of the most enduring horror movie villains.
