Being that every horror fan, frat boy, and slumber party has come up with a list of the most prolific movie villains, this list is probably nothing new. However, often times the criteria and research involved are a little relaxed. With that said, this list offers the top ten horror movie villains, but should shed some more light onto the situation and clear up a lot of unnecessary arguments. To properly judge a killer, you have to look at the following factors: death count, origin of the killer, motif, brutality of the kills, and who the victims are. Clearly, thousands were hurt in the making of this list, but it was all worth it!
10. Jigsaw/ John (Saw, 2004)
The old, dying cancer patient may seem to worthy of our compassion, but he responsible for the death of a lot of people. To be fair, he actually does not really kill anyone, but the torture he puts people through is well worth recognition.
9. Billy Loomis/Stuart Macher (Scream, 1996)
The two teenage killers are worth recognition for a variety of reasons. But, while their kills may seem tame in comparison, they did spawn 4 copycat killers. On top of that, the pair was pretty much just killing classmates for no reason, and Loomis even tries to score with Sid after trying to kill her.
8. Chucky/ Charles Lee Ray (Child’s Play, 1988)
Charles Lee Ray, the Lakeshore Strangler, used voodoo to bring himself back from the dead in order to kill more people. While the sequels may be a little bland and funny, the original premise let Chucky kill everyone in his path before he could sacrifice a live boy.
7. Krug, Junior, Weasel and Sadie (Last House on the Left, 1972)
The young gang of killers was not only shady, but rejoiced in the exploitation of young women in the form of rape and humiliation. Adding insult to injury, they knowingly stayed at the house of their latest victims. They of course quickly pay for their sins.
6. Old Man (Wrong Turn, 2003)
It may seem more appropriate to blame the deathly occurrences in West Virginia on the actual killers, but it was this old man who is responsible for it all. After fathering a litter of freak show babies, he brought them up as cannibalistic killers and let them loose on the world.
5. Pennywise (It, 1990)
For centuries, Pennywise would haunt the dreams of children and cause fatal mischief all over town. But it isn’t until our group of heroes tries to stop the old clown that we see Pennywise for what he really is. Aside from killing countless children and being a creepy spider, Pennywise is worth recognition for ruining sewers for everyone.
4. Michael Myers (Halloween, 1978)
Michael Myers is the definition of a patient killer. Having spent so much time in the asylum, he bidded his time before breaking out to kill his baby sister. Much like Chucky, the fact that Myers kills everyone in his path is unsettling. The Halloween series never turned to comedy, which let Myers rack up kills and street credit.
3. The Firefly Family (House of 1000 Corpses, 2003)
Simply put, Rob Zombie’s psychotic family is not to be messed with. They leave nothing to the imagination and spare no one. Living is not an option with the Firefly’s, which is scary because they kidnap and kill at random. Watching Rainn Wilson turned into a fish man is warning enough, but Otis and his fetish for wearing other people’s skin is the clincher.
2. Angela Baker (Sleepaway Camp, 1984)
The angel of death is often forgotten on many best of killers list. Being a boy forced to dress and act as a girl, Angela got her revenge by brutally killing anyone who looked at her funny. She went on to spurn three sequels (and an expected three more). Her tortured childhood, coupled with disregard for people, hoist Angela Baker as one of the all time, most vicious killers.
1. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984)
This may seem like a cliché pick, but looking beyond a killing spree that lasted eight movies, Freddy killed with style and creativity. Even greater than that, Freddy started as a child molester and killer, disposing of countless children before moving onto partying teens and nosy adults. On top of that, he was a living nightmare, killing people in their dreams!
