Halloween: The 10 Greatest Horror Villains

This Monday (31) we celebrate Halloween, the date in which the most animated dress up in costumes or sit in front of the TV to watch a good horror movie. With that in mind, we’ve created a list of the 10 greatest horror villains.

Featured on the list are movie villains rated as shredders, a horror subgenre involving psychopathic killers who kill randomly. The vast majority are at the heart of major movie franchises, spanning years and even decades in action.

This creepy group inhabits the audience’s nightmares and is always present on Halloween, both in villain-inspired costumes and when watched at the date.

Top 10 horror villains

Michael Myers

If the theme is Halloween, the “Halloween” franchise must be in the spotlight, especially with its villain, Michael Myers, one of the most famous and terrifying in the history of terror. Myers first appeared in John Carpenter’s 1978 film “Halloween”.

In film, he has been portrayed by several actors, including Nick Castle, Tommy Lee Wallace, Dick Warlock, George P. Wilbur, Don Shanks, Chris Durand, Brad Loree, Tyler Mane and James Jude Courtney. He also appeared without the mask in Tony Moran’s skin and in versions of himself as a child and as a teenager starring Will Sandin, Daeg Faerch, Chase Wright Vanek and Adam Gunn.

The “Halloween” franchise has a total of 13 films and Myers is not only featured in one of them: “Halloween III”, from 1982. The most recent appearance of the villain was this year, in the film “Halloween Ends”.

ghost face

Another very famous villain is Ghostface, but unlike most of those shown here, it’s not just a person, who comes back in each movie hiding the face of one (or more) different people. Soon, it’s the mask that has become famous and continues to be a favorite with Halloween fans.

Ghostface’s identity was assumed by 11 different characters in the five “Scream” series films, and was created by Kevin Williamson. Despite having different faces, Ghostface’s voice on the phone is that of Roger L. Jackson, no matter who is behind the killer mask.

puzzle

Another great horror franchise, “Saw”, has another great villain: Jigsaw. The character appears in eight of the franchise’s nine films, both in the present of the film and in flashbacks. The exception is “Spiral – The Legacy of Saw”, the most recent film in the franchise released in 2021, where Jigsaw is only mentioned.

Lived by Tobin Bell throughout the franchise, Jigsaw first appeared in the 2004 movie “Saw” and terrified those who got trapped in his traps on several occasions.

pinhead

Another iconic horror character is Pinhead, a character from the “Hellraiser” franchise. The leader of the Cenobites is one of the most terrifying creatures in cinema. Originally from Clive Barker’s horror text “The Hellbound Heart”, he appeared in theaters in 1987 with the first film in the series, titled “Hellraiser-Reborn from Hell”.

The original film had nine sequels and a reboot was made this year, titled “Hellraiser”. Of the initial 10 films, in six the character was played by British actor Doug Bradley. He was also played by Stephan Smith Collins and Paul T. Taylor, and in the 2022 reboot he returned to theaters as actress Jamie Clayton.

Jason Voorhees

Another big name in horror, Jason is the main character in the “Friday the 13th” film series. He appeared in 1980, in the first film of the franchise.

Over 12 feature films, which also include a crossover with the character mentioned below in the 2003 film “Freddy x Jason”, the character was played by Ari Lehman, Warrington Gillette, Steve Daskewisz, Richard Brooker, Ted White (1984), Tom Morga, CJ Graham, Kane Hodder, Ken Kirzinger and Derek Mears, most notably Hodder who played Jason in four consecutive films.

Freddy Krueger

One of the most iconic characters in cinema, Freddy Krueger is the highlight of the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise. The creepy character who kills his victims while they sleep was created by Wes Craven and first appeared in the film in 1984.

Primarily experienced by Robert Englund, also in the TV series “A Nightmare on Elm Street – The Terror of Freddy Krueger”, the character has appeared in all nine films of the franchise, terrorizing everyone’s dreams.

skin

Another famous cinematic killer is the terrible Leatherface, from the franchise “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. He first appeared in the 1974 classic of the same name as Gunnar Hansen. Since then, several actors and stuntmen have played the character who uses a human skin mask and a chainsaw as a weapon.

Among them are Bill Johnson, RA Mihailoff, Robert Jacks, Andrew Bryniarski, Dan Yeager, Sam Strike and Mark Burnham. He most recently appeared in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Return of Leatherface”.

Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter first appeared in a small role in Thomas Harris’ 1981 book “Red Dragon”. The book was adapted for the 1986 film “Hunter of Assassins”, where Lecter was played by Brian Cox.

However, the real highlight of the character came in “The Silence of the Lambs,” in which Hannibal was played by Anthony Hopkins, a role that earned him the Oscar for Best Actor. Hopkins returned to play the character in 2001, in an adaptation of Thomas Harris ‘1999 book, “Hannibal”, and also in a second adaptation of Harris’ original book in which the character was created, “Red Dragon” by the 2002.

Another book about the character was adapted for cinema in 2006 in the film “Hannibal – The Origin of Evil”, with the story of the origin of the villain, in which he was played by French actor Gaspard Ulliel. The TV series “Hannibal” also focused on the character, this time played by Mads Mikkelsen.

Chucky

The Chucky Killer Doll terrorized the cinema with serial killer Charles Lee “Chucky” Ray, whose soul is transferred into a doll and takes on the goal of world domination, as well as wanting to transfer to a human body. He first appeared in the 1988 film “Child’s Play”, in what turned out to be the start of a huge horror franchise.

After the initial seven films, the franchise received a reboot in 2019, called “Child’s Play”, and also a TV series following the original franchise, “Chucky”, which already has two seasons.

penny

Last but not least, another famous character from Halloween, books and movies is the Pennywise clown. The character was created in 1986 in Stephen King’s classic book “It”, which was called “A Coisa” in Brazil.

The clown named Robert Gray lives in the fictional city of Derry, where he feeds on the fears and phobias of children. He first appeared in theaters in 1990, in the movie “It”, where he was played by Tim Curry.

A more recent adaptation of King’s work was made in 2017, with “It – The Thing” and its sequel, “It – Chapter Two”. There, the clown Pennywise was played by Bill Skarsgård.

The post Halloween: The 10 Greatest Horror Villains first appeared on Digital Look.

Source: Olhar Digital

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.