Since birth, we’ve been indoctrinated with a love of horror, whether we knew it or not. The first game your mother would play with you involved her hiding behind her hands and then shouting, “Boo!” We would get taught folk tales that involved a witch wanting to eat children or a wolf wearing the skin of an elderly woman. Some of us were warned of the Krampus, who’d kidnap misbehaving little boys and girls. We’d play Bloody Mary and watch old Disney films. You know, the scary ones. It was a lifetime of preparation for horror. Because deep down, we all have an innate desire to be frightened. We crave it and these characters scare us better than any others. Since this list encompasses the entire history of horror, every genre (and subgenre) is represented. Everything from creature features to kinder trauma, action movies to horror comedies are eligible. I combined characters if they worked as a duo or a group and I excluded animals (save for one) unless they were supernaturally possessed or if they had an internal monologue so that we could understand their motivations. I also only included characters from thrillers if they targeted children. This list is a celebration of horror and the icons that help us lose sleep at night.
These are the 500 Greatest Horror Characters of All Time.
25. The Bride of Frankenstein (Elsa Lanchester) | The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Three minutes. The Bride in The Bride of Frankenstein has exactly three minutes of screen time. That’s less than the xenomorph in Alien and the shark from Jaws and they both have less than ten minutes a piece. It boggles the mind that a character that does little more than look around and scream has been iconic for almost 100 years but that’s precisely why she’s on this list. Pound-for-pound, second-for-second, it’s inarguable that any character has made more with so little. It’s just a shame that Universal never brought her back.
24. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) | Dracula (Hammer Horror Franchise)
Much like the Universal films they were trying to emulate, Hammer Studios had a stable of actors that were re-used as needed. Michael Gough and Michael Ripper appeared in numerous films, while Ingrid Pitt and Barbara Shelley pretty much had a permanent residence at the studio. But much like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff before them, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were the face of their studio. They were and still are synonymous with British horror.
Lee got the heavy hitters — Dracula, The Mummy, and Frankenstein’s Monster, while Cushing got Frankenstein and Van Helsing. Not exactly an even trade but I would argue that Lee’s Dracula wouldn’t be as effective if a a weaker actor was cast as his foil. Most play him as a detective trying to unravel a mystery but Cushing is no-nonsense. He ain’t got time to Scooby-Doo this problem or round up no posse. He hears Dracula or any vampire is up to some shit and he immediately grabs a stake and a crucifix and goes hunting. Lee might’ve gotten the classics but Cushing made the lesser characters classic.
23. Pinhead (Doug Bradley) | Hellraiser (1987) and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Pinhead was never supposed to be the face of the Hellraiser franchise. He wasn’t even given a name in the first film. Barker only intended for ‘lead cenobite’ and his crew to act as the Devil at the end of his Faustian story, never the main focus. Creepy sex perverts Frank and Julia were always meant to be the main antagonists; with Kirsty stuck in the middle of their perverse love of pleasure. But fans had other plans. Even though he had less than ten minutes of screen time, Pinhead was an immediate fan favorite. Guys thought he was badass and women thought he was hot (seriously, Clive Barker and Doug Bradley have received thousands of letters from thirsty hoes.) His popularity may have changed what the franchise was supposed to be but fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Bradley went on to play the character six more times and there have been three other replacements over the years but none of his appearances hold a candle to his first two outings.
“Your suffering will be legendary, even in Hell.”
22. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) | The Shining (1980)
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
There’s an argument to be made that Jack is merely a pawn of the insidious Overlook Hotel and that he’s either being slowly possessed by the evil spirits within or is merely going crazy but as Mr. Grady explicitly states “…but you are the caretaker. You’ve always been the caretaker.” Kubrick made it crystal clear with the final shot that Jack isn’t crazy nor is he being possessed. This isn’t a case of ghosts or cabin fever. He is the reincarnation of a spirit long dead and that spirit was crazy. Axe murderingly crazy and that’s scarier than a million ghosts. Well, besides the blowjob bear.
21. Ghostface (Skeet Ulrich & Matthew Lillard) | Scream (1996)
I believe there’s a direct correlation between how popular a character is with how easily identifiable their Halloween costume is. Matt Groening (The Simpsons) once said something along the lines of “great character design is anything you can identify in silhouette” and while that mostly applies to animation, the sentiment is the same. There’s a reason certain characters become popular, while others fade into obscurity.
Toys and costumes.
Kids need to want to buy your toys and dress up like you for Halloween. That’s it. The character doesn’t need a compelling backstory or give a great performance. They just need a cool costume. There’s a reason why Universal is more iconic than Hammer or why everyone dresses up like Billy the puppet from Saw instead of Jigsaw. Cool ass character designs.
In addition to being one of the most important figures in horror, Wes Craven is the undeniable king of the iconic Halloween costume character. Freddy Krueger has been a Halloween mainstay for over thirty years and Ghostface has the distinction of being the last horror character to claim the title of “most popular costume.”
If I was ranking these characters in terms of popularity or design, he’d easily be number 3. His look is iconic but that’s not all he brings to the table. Along with Roger L. Jackson’s phenomenal voice, there are also the two killers who are under the mask. Billy and Stu are among the best killers in any slasher. Their motivation is crazy but original and although one half of them is a complete doof, they’re never not menacing.
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”
20. Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) | A Nightmare on Elm Street (Franchise)
Since slasher films only need a cool-looking killer, buckets of fake blood, and the occasional tit to be successful, we take strong protagonists for granted. The last (wo)man standing usually involves a lot of screaming and running until the last act; where they’re either saved by an outside source or they put up just enough of a fight to ultimately win the day.
Nancy doesn’t get enough credit for not only fighting back but devising an actual plan to survive. It’s ridiculous (she’s able to MacGyver her house in 20 minutes) but the plan itself is irrelevant. It’s the fact that she took back her fear and did something about it. She also gets props for being the only horror protagonist to help other protagonists in the sequel. In Dream Warriors, she teaches a group of troubled teens to take control of their dreams in order to fight back. They all end up dead anyway but she gets points for trying.
19. Peter (Ken Foree) | Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Maybe it’s because all the other Romero films have bigger casts or it might be another case of the Mandela Effect, but for years, I could’ve sworn there were far more people stuck in the mall. Not including the bikers who show up late in the film, the cast only consists of four people. Two SWAT members (Ken Foree and Brad Bird lookalike Scott Reiniger), a traffic reporter (David Emge), and his television executive girlfriend (Gaylen Ross.) That’s it.
And frankly, that’s enough. Because even though you grow attached to each member of the group, you really only give a fuck about Peter. Besides being one of the only human beings on earth who could rock a turtleneck, he’s the only character in a Romero film (or any zombie film period) to offer a logical explanation for the sudden appearance of the walking dead: “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.”
18. Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) | The Wolf Man (1941)
Easily the most sympathetic of all the Universal monsters, The Wolf Man isn’t about science gone awry like Frankenstein and The Invisible Man or humanoid creatures running amok like The Mummy and Creature from the Black Lagoon nor is it about a sex fiend trying to get some ass like Dracula. No, The Wolf Man is about a man cursed with being a monster. He doesn’t do anything wrong, yet because of circumstances beyond his control, he’s technically the villain.
Being hunted just because you’re different? Doesn’t that sound awfully close to something that was a major problem in the 40’s? I’m obviously hinting at the prosecution of the Jewish people at the time. This film was an allegory for the Jewish plight but can be applied to any minority and that’s a testament to the strength of its theme. We’re all the wolf man.
17. Chucky (Brad Dourif) | Child’s Play (Franchise)
Every single horror film made throughout the 80’s was a direct result of the success of Halloween. Every studio wanted their own franchise but as most imitators would find out, success is 90% the villain. While the majority focused on the masked silent type, Child’s Play creators Tom Holland and Don Mancini decided to roll the dice on a new type of killer. Instead of playing it safe and producing another formulaic slasher film, the duo decided to shake things up by putting the soul of a stereotypical serial killer into the body of a doll.
On paper, it sounds absolutely absurd but thanks to some pretty decent puppetry and a Jack Nicholson-on-cocaine-sounding Dourif, it works. There’s something inexplicably terrifying about something unnaturally small trying to kill you. Chalk it up to the uncanny valley effect or a phobia of things that remind me of Cabbage Patch kids but Chucky scares the shit out of me. Or maybe I’m just afraid of an insane Jack Nicholson trying to kill me. Who knows.
16. Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre burst onto cinema screens with the power of an exploding star. Loosely based on the real-life serial killer Ed Gein, audiences had never seen such violent depravities on the big screen before. In retrospect, it’s quite amusing how little blood is actually in the film and almost all the violence is done off camera but at the time, the hulking cannibal named Leatherface was the most terrifying monster ever.
It’s almost impossible to hear a chainsaw without immediately thinking about this film. Other horror monsters may have more iconic weapons but there’s nothing scarier than hearing a chainsaw rev up in the woods at night. Plus, he’s a cannibal. There are not many taboos America considers to be unbreakable but that’s one of them.
15. Ben (Duane Jones) | Night of the Living Dead (1968)
When it comes to music, critics and fans say there are only two eras of music: before Bob Dylan and after Bob Dylan. One man had such an impact on the industry, that more than all of recorded history is technically irrelevant because he wasn’t involved. This same logic can be applied to movies. Cinema is such a new art form, that you can honestly find a middle point in which it changes.
While Star Wars is clearly the frontrunner, there’s a strong case to be made for Night of the Living Dead. Coming at the tale end of Hammer (which began after the Universal Monster films ended) but arriving before Halloween, It’s literally at the apex of two major cinematic movements.
Not only did it singlehandedly create zombies and help usher in the new Hollywood independent system but it’s also monumentally important due to the casting of Duane Jones. It’s impossible to overstate the impact that Duane Jones’s Ben has on cinema. Not only was he a black protagonist at the height of the Civil Rights movement–in the same year that Martin Luther King was assassinated–but he’s a black hero who was smart, took no shit, gave orders, and who survived. Who survived the zombies, that is.
14. Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence) | Halloween (Franchise)
“I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes… the devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply… evil.”
Technically, Sam Loomis serves only one narrative purpose–to deliver exposition. He’s there to move the plot from point A to point B while parceling out little bits of insight into the mind of Michael Myers. And while that’s certainly useful, he serves a far more important function–to induce dread in the audience. We don’t know much about Michael Myers other than the fact that Loomis believes him to be evil and due to the doctor’s obsessive quest to murder him, we believe it.
13. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) | Re-Animator (1985)
Herbert West gives new meaning to the term “mad scientist.” His pursuit of bringing the dead back to life is so insane that he makes Frankenstein a pillar of mental stability by comparison. West is a terrible human being but since Combs’ performance is so delightfully madcap, you can’t help but love him. This is quite impressive considering he kills the same cat three times, creates a headless rape monster, and subjects his roommate/lab assistant and his girlfriend to a litany of nightmare scenarios.
Dan Cain: [Dan’s cat died and has been found in Herbert’s refrigerator] You can call, or write a note.
Herbert West: I was busy pushing bodies around as you well know and what would a note say, Dan? “Cat dead, details later”?
12. Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) | The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Created by Thomas Harris for the novel Red Dragon, Hannibal Lecter’s first appearance on screen wasn’t The Silence of the Lambs but actually Manhunter. Brian Cox did an admirable job bringing the insane doctor to life but when it comes to Hannibal Lecter, nobody fills those shoes quite like Hopkins. Winning an Oscar for less than 15 minutes of screen time, Hopkins, much like his on-screen counterpart, makes a meal out of every scene he’s in.
Unlike most villains, his power comes from words, not actions. He’s a spider drawing everyone in with his charm and undeniable charisma but the second you let your guard down, he cuts off the top of your head and makes you eat part of your brain or drugs you up and makes you cut off chunks of your face. He’s the smartest person in the room, which automatically makes him the most dangerous and that’s before taking in account his willingness to kill anyone who gets in his way.
11. Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) / Pazuzu (Mercedes McCambridge) | The Exorcist (1973)
Is there a character (besides Jesus), that’s been through as much as Regan in this film? The amount of shit this demon puts her through (and the amount of shit the director put her through during the making of the film) is insane. She’s simultaneously one of the most tragic victims and terrifying monsters in film.
Between the effects, the makeup, and McCambridge’s gravely voice, you’ll believe in possession. The Catholic church declared the film a work of evil and the Pope himself said the devil lived within the celluloid. That’s a testament to the power of this film and the effectiveness of Pazuzu. While not the devil, this is the closest cinema has come to convincing me that he could exist.
“Your mother sucks cocks in Hell!”
10. Xenomorph | Alien (Franchise)
When you think of the Xenomorph in the first Alien film, your mind conjures up all of these images of the alien stalking the crew and killing them in various ways but the Xenomorph is the greatest villain with the shortest amount of screen time. People complained that there wasn’t enough Godzilla in the 2014 reboot but nobody ever complains about the lack of Xenomorph in Alien. Because even though he’s in it less than half of the time, every second matters.
There’s nothing more terrifying than the dread, the anticipation of seeing something and that’s the brilliance of Alien. You barely see the monster but the escalation of dread makes you think he’s always there. The sequels added different versions that were faster and stronger but nothing beats the original’s design or the fear it creates. He’s the greatest monster cinema has ever produced.
09. Dracula (Various) | Dracula (Franchise)
There have been multiple iterations of Dracula over the years. Some are sympathetic, and others have been monsters. He’s been comedic and other times an action star. Except for maybe Sherlock Holmes and Ebenezer Scrooge, there isn’t a character with more adaptations than Dracula. There’s something about the cape-wearing bloodsucker that audiences never tire of seeing.
He’s a villain that has been around forever and everyone has their favorite. Bela Lugosi set the mold (although it could be argued that Max Schrek was the first because of lawsuits and what have you I don’t feel like arguing semantics) that others have either copied, added to, or reinvented over the years. Gary Oldman made him a sympathetic ghoul who’s still obsessed with his long-lost lady love, Duncan Regehr loved his team-ups and blowing shit with dynamite and Frank Langella had glorious fucking hair but Christopher Lee made him a legit threat. He’s a heartbreaker, blood taker, corpse maker–don’t you mess around with him.
08. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) | Alien (Franchise)
The role that made a star out of Sigourney Weaver and helped redefine what an action hero is almost never happened. In the original script, Ripley was a man but thank god Ridley Scott decided to hire an actress because, in addition to unintentionally changing cinema, he guaranteed Ripley a spot on this list. Honestly, would we still be talking about or even giving a shit about this character if it was a man?
Warrant Officer of the Nostromo, Ellen Ripley is not only the most capable member of the ship, but she’s also the most capable protagonist in all of horror. She doesn’t survive due to narrative convenience or dumb luck. She survives because she’s smart and except for her trying to save that goddamn cat, she never makes the wrong decision. She’s sidesteps every final girl cliche and easily would’ve made the list if they never made a sequel but Aliens takes everything great about the character and further expands upon it.
More of an action film than its predecessor, Aliens turns an already strong character into an indomitable force of nature. Her one-on-one fight with the xenomorph queen is still an all-time “fuck yeah!” moment.
07. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) | Psycho (Franchise)
The third villain on this list based on serial killer Ed Gein, Bates isn’t as scary as Leatherface or monstrously cruel as Buffalo Bill but he might be crazier than both. Throughout four films, we learn more of his backstory, which makes him more of a tragic victim born from an insane mother’s wrath but that’s just subtext. It adds to his character but it doesn’t detract from his insanity.
Whether the sequels existed or not, everything we needed to know about Norman was in that first film. He tends to a motel, has an odd relationship with his mother, and people end up dead. With the final reveal, we realize how insane he truly is and no amount of backstory will change the fact that he dresses up like his mother and hacks people to death.
But even after he brutally knife fucks Marion to death, you never stop rooting for him. He’s violently insane but he’s also a victim of said insanity. He’s tormented by the ghost of his mother who makes him an unwilling participant in numerous murders. He’s a morally complex and sympathetic monster; who’s monumentally influential and looks great in a dress.
06. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) | Halloween (Franchise)
Horror is at its most effective when it puts you in the shoes of its protagonist. When you’re feeling the same dread and anxiety as they are. What none of the Halloween knockoffs or copycats bothered to imitate, was creating a protagonist the audience actually cared about. Co-writer Debra Hill was in charge of making sure all the female characters felt authentic and helped mold Laurie into more than just a one-dimensional character. She has insecurities. She’s unsure of herself. She talks to herself and is timid but she never feels weak.
She’s the first and most important final girl not because you’re waiting for her to finally fight back but because you’re praying she’ll just survive. The sequels made her slightly less interesting by making her related to Michael but the 2018 reboot/sequel wisely retconned that. The latest film might’ve turned her into a kickass Sarah Conner clone but no amount of guns or training will erase the image of a scared teenage girl trying to survive the night he came home.
05. Jason Vorhees (Various) | Friday the 13th (Franchise)
The first film had his mother doing all the killings. The second one involved a Jason with a burlap sack over his head. It wouldn’t be until the third film in the series that we’d finally get the iconic look. A look that catapulted him into the upper echelon of horror icons.
There’s something about that machete/hockey mask combination that really struck a chord with audiences and has made him one of the most recognizable figures in pop culture. And that’s just his look. Based on his body count and the variety of kills, Jason is easily the big screen’s most violent killer.
The fact that Jason looks different in almost every film, has a backstory that makes literally no sense, has starred in more gimmick-based sequels than actual legit releases, and has not a single great movie in his filmography is a testament to how beloved a character he is.
As beloved as he is, the thing that fans love about him, is also a detriment to his character. They love that he’s an unstoppable machine of murder but that love comes at a price. The price of fear. He hasn’t been scary since 2 but since he’s not wearing his iconic mask in that one, it feels like a completely different character. The only thing Jason has going for him is the look and the creativity of the kills but to the fans, that’s more than enough.
04. Michael Myers (Various) | Halloween (Franchise)
After viewing Carpenter’s film Assault on Precinct 13, independent film producers Moustapha Akkad and Irwin Yablans approached the director with a film idea about a killer who stalked babysitters. After writing the first draft titled The Babysitter Murders, Yablans suggested the film be set on Halloween. He rewrote the script and with a new setting and title, Halloween was officially born. I wonder where cinema would be if Yablans didn’t suggest that change or if the prop department went with a clown mask instead of a $2 William Shatner mask.
The gods of cinema must have been shining on Carpenter (which, if you know his career, is deeply ironic) because every element somehow worked. He somehow overcame his budgetary limitations to create one of the most important horror films in existence. And it’s all due to the success of Michael Myers.
We are given a flashback to his childhood but never a backstory. The only explanation given in the film to account for his murderous behavior comes from the film’s psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis, who simply states, “That boy is pure evil.” Tommy was right, he is the boogeyman.
03. Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) | Evil Dead (Franchise)
Starting the franchise as an unassertive wimp that kind of wins by default, the man formerly known as Ashley Williams pulls a complete 180 in the sequel. Gone is the cowardly boyfriend of The Evil Dead and in his place, a live-action cartoon that spouts one-liners and kicks an ungodly amount of deadite ass. But make no mistake, even at his most badass, he’s still an idiot. But his idiocy is actually an asset. He’s too fucking dumb to be afraid of all the crazy shit that’s happening around him. With his chainsaw hand, shotgun, and the Necronomicon, Ash’s transformation from zero to hero, is one of the most jarring but satisfying arcs in all of horror. Hail to the king, baby.
02. Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) | A Nightmare on Elm Street (Franchise)
For at least five years, Freddy Kruger was a rock star. He skyrocketed past horror icon status to become an omnipresent figure in pop culture. Everywhere you looked, he would somehow appear. He had tons of merchandise, a television show, a book series, a comic series, bubblegum, and even a rap song. His fame was almost immediate and equally inexplicable considering he’s a child killer but that’s a testament to his Craven’s designs and Englund’s performance, that it was never an issue. Hell, I dressed up as him for at least three Halloween’s.
I think a huge chunk of his appeal stems from the fact that, compared with his rivals in horror film serial murder, he’s cut from a different cloth. Unlike Leatherface, Michael Myers, and Jason Vorhees, he doesn’t hide behind a mask, so there’s no discontent. The audience isn’t separated by a wall of artifice. Which means they can connect to him on at least some level.
They’re also all mutes and Freddy is a regular ol’ chatty Cathy, and talking, as you know, is one of the defining pillars of personality. And it’s a hell of a lot easier to love someone who talks as opposed to someone who doesn’t.
He also brings a level of creativity to his kills, that no other villain can match. Since he’s cursed to the haunted dream world, his power is only limited by his imagination. If he can think of it, he can use it to kill you.
01. The Monster (Boris Karloff) | Frankenstein (Franchise)
Greatness is almost impossible to quantify. In order to determine something’s worth, there must be a set of parameters apart from personal bias. If you remove subjectivity, you can compare anything. Creating a list is no different. Although horror has the most varied set of subgenres, the algorithm remains the same.
Using popularity, longevity, performance, and importance as my grading criteria, the only character that exceeds those qualifications is Frankenstein’s Monster. He’s instantly identifiable by almost everyone in the world, has been in the public consciousness for almost 100 years, is massively influential to both horror and sci-fi and Karloff gives an unnaturally great performance as the Monster.
With his gaunt appearance, sunken eyes, big-ass boots, and trademarked flat-top head and neck bolts, every element of his design is iconic. Jack P. Pierce’s makeup was groundbreaking but it would’ve been for naught if it was applied to any other actor. Mary Shelley might’ve given him life but Karloff gave the monster a soul.
Unlike his contemporaries, Karloff didn’t play him as a one-note, lumbering zombie. He added a child-like innocence to him, which is all the more tragic after he accidentally murders a little girl. Even still, you never lose sympathy for him because he never asked to be born again. He’s hated simply because he’s different, which is something far too many of us relate to.
Because of his undeniable importance to cinema, The Monster is the #1 Greatest Horror Character of All Time.
50-26 | Underrated Horror Characters
Who do you think should have made the Top 25? Discuss down in the comments!
