Horror is one of the most popular genres of movies. People flock to theaters to watch the newest scary movie to hopefully leave with their heart pounding and a fear of going home alone. Horror films are ranked based on the scariness of the movie, the use of jump scares at the right times, how real the characters are in how they act in a situation. Some horror movies impress more than others, no matter how old they are. And the most important aspect is the villains. The monsters that bring these movies to life, and the villains that make us jump and scream. This is a (personal) ranking over horror movie villains based on how scary they were, and how many times they’ve given us nightmares. 

Number 10 – Leatherface 

This iconic antagonist was in the 1974 hit The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Played by Gunnar Hansen, Leatherface was quite the character back in the day. The movie was low budget, but it still became one of the most popular horror films to this day, releasing seven more films after the first one. One of the scariest scenes in this movie has to be the dinner scene. The actors have all said that they would never ever film that scene again, it was that disturbing.

Number 9 – Pyramid Head

Pyramid Head was a nightmare in the early 2000s film, Silent Hill. In this movie, Pyramid Head had the staggering creepy walk while dragging his weapon behind him. And to add to it, there’d be beetles and bugs crawling everywhere he went. And don’t get me started on that pyramid for a head. His character for sure gives you the heebie jeebies whenever you see him. Pyramid Head was added as a playable character to the popular survival horror game Dead by Daylight, gaining much more popularity and gaining more recognition of the Silent Hill franchise.

Number 8 – The Invisible Man (2020)

Appearing in theatres in 2020, The Invisible Man appeared quite controversial due to the fact that people were worried it wouldn’t live up to the old 1937 original film, but audiences were surprised to enjoy this movie, as well as the work of the actors. Elisabeth Moss played Cecilia, a woman who is being stalked and hunted by her abusive deranged ex-boyfriend, played by Oliver Jackson Cohen. The invisibility-themed jumpscares were very well played, especially the white paint scene. The combination of psychological horror and regular horror played very well in this movie, making Adrian Griffith an iconic villain of modern thriller movies. 

Number 7 – Pennywise

You’ll float too. We’ve all heard of Pennywise, the dancing clown. Whether you’ve seen the 1990 version or the 2017 version, they’re both equally horrifying. However, the 2017 version is so much more grotesque and so much more unsettling. With Bill Skarsgard playing Pennywise, he was able to smile in a way that made viewers recoil. The use of special effects and “movie magic” allowed Pennywise to be morphed into an absolute nightmare, making all of us afraid whenever we see a sewer drain or a red balloon. 

Number 6 – Alien

The 1979 sci-fi horror immediately became respectable to audiences with the scene of an alien baby bursting out of a man’s chest. That one scene was extremely revolting, but in a good way. Shockingly, the alien creature wasn’t special effects. It was played by an actual actor, Bolaji Badejo. Bolaji was able to master a certain way of walking and certain mannerisms to make him appear as a slimy, disgusting alien creature. Sadly, Badejo passed away in 1992. His legacy still lives on as the alien. 

Number 5 – Chucky

None of us like dolls already, but a killer doll?? Absolutely not. Chucky is probably one of the most iconic horror killers, being able to physically get up, talk, and even kill. There have been movies and TV shows depicting Chucky, one of them even showing his child being born (which was disturbing by the way.) I personally like the original film, Child’s Play. Either way, Chucky is just all-around a freakshow.

Number 4 – Jigsaw

Ah, Saw. A beloved franchise of gore. So, so much gore. Saw was originally released in 2004, shocking audiences everywhere with the excessive amounts of gore and disturbing content. The idea of being put in a Saw trap is enough to make you want to sleep with the lights on. Jigsaw is the mastermind behind all of these traps, and he watches as people scream in terror as their bodies slowly fall apart one by one. Jigsaw is by far iconic as a character, and his motives in the movies are brutal and bloody.

Number 3 – Michael Myers

Halloween is one of the longest-running horror movie franchises to date, with a new movie titled Halloween Kills being released recently for Halloween. Michael Myers is no doubt nightmare fuel, with his stalker-ish disposition and his..frankly disgusting face. Despite this, Myers is a beloved of the slasher movie community and has been a huge staple of horror movies. Whenever you hear “Halloween”, think of him.

Number Two – Freddy Kruger

Man even looking at this guy gives me the creeps. Everyone knows Freddy Krueger. There’s no way if you don’t. Nightmare on Elm Street is a nightmare in itself, no pun intended. And Freddy Kruger plays the largest role in the scariness. Plus, with his melted, stretched-out skin and his needles for fingers, he is absolutely terrifying. I remember watching this movie a couple of years ago with my mother, and I wanted to sleep with the lights on. So thank you Freddy Krueger for scarring my childhood!

And Number One. Jason Voorhees.

Here he is. The most iconic character in horror movie history. Jason Voorhees. Friday the 13th is a cultural phenomenon, sparking up spin-offs and thrilling sequels coming after the iconic horror film. Jason is a character to cower and hide away from, and he has no doubt become loved by thriller fans, which is why he’s at our top spot. Jason Voorhees, you take the crown and have had the crown since 1980.