Snake Ranks His Top 50 Horror Villains and Monsters

Introduction
Horror is nothing without its villains. Without something to be scared of, to run from, to jump at you, horror just loses its bite. The genre's motley crew of ghouls, murderers, wild animals, and killer inanimate objects are all important pieces of horror, and starting today, I plan to honor my personal top 50 who I feel most provide the scares of my favorite genre. Films, games, television, comics, no medium is off limits here.

This isn't a simple ranking of characters; I took several factors into effect, large among them how effective they are in providing terror.

So join me in this ranking, that is, if you're brave enough.

The Ranking
50. Christine (Christine) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Christine.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5N3fKVz-Z4

If anybody can make a car scary, it's Stephen King. King would go bigger with this concept in Maximum Overdrive (and the short story Trucks predates Christine by a decade), but Christine, directed by the legendary John Carpenter, proves that bigger isn't always better. Christine is hardly the first killer car, but is arguably the most famous, and in my opinion, the scariest. Christine is like any slasher villain, racking up a body count through the book and film and never staying down for the count, even when crushed into a cube (how were there no Christine sequels?!). Christine also has lots of personality, where it's playing classic rock and roll songs and becoming romantically attached to her current owner. As the car Michael Myers, Christine is a high-concept horror villain that works.

49. ChromeSkull (Laid to Rest) http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/characters/images/0/07/ChromeSkull_001.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110604064529 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJJ8jfEYHE

The two Laid to Rest films are very underrated in my opinion, and feature one of the best slashers of recent memory: ChromeSkull. He's a voyeuristic killer who carries a camcorder on his shoulder, calling back to 60s film Peeping Tom which ushered in the slasher genre. ChromeSkull however is even more sadistic, keeping his tapes of victims and playing them back over the next victim he's chasing, since he himself is a mute. ChromeSkull doesn't add too much "new" factor to the genre, but he's cruel and provides plenty of gore over the two Laid to Rest films, and his playing of the tapes gives him a slight psychological edge to his killings.

48. Jacko (Hellblazer) http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/square_small/0/9116/1090180-untitled.png

Hellblazer was the perfect blend of comic fantasy and varying horror styles, from body horror to psychological. There were several I wanted to include on the list, but in the end, I settled with one character, from the excellent single issue #27 - "Hold Me" written by Neil Gaiman. Jacko, a homeless man for whom nobody cares for, just wants to be held and feel warmth. The issue explores themes of loneliness through both Jacko and Constantine, and when the two come face to face, Constantine shares his warmth and by extension shows that he is almost in the same position as Jacko. Despite Jacko killing someone in the issue, he isn't so much of a villain but rather a very sympathetic character and one you feel bad for. The fear of "Hold Me" comes not from Jacko but by feeling that you could very well end up like him someday. As just a single issue long, I highly recommend a read for yourself to do it more justice.

47. The Miner (My Bloody Valentine) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_sFRo4dcVBY/UWNpLPRghYI/AAAAAAAAYbQ/Rc1LkHTcW5k/s1600/revenge+my-bloody-valentine-the-miner.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E8rxZMCldI

Released during the classic slasher era, My Bloody Valentine didn't quite make it to the elite alongside Halloween and Friday the 13th, but is still an underrated film with great deaths and a fantastic twist ending. Throughout the film, you're lead to believe The Miner is a man named Harry Warden, the only survivor of a mining collapse who had to resort to cannibalism to survive. The incident drove him insane and he killed the two main people responsible for the collapse at a Valentine's Dance event. But, Warden gets locked up but when the killings start to happen again the blame shifts to him naturally. It's an unabashedly fun gorefest of a film, and like I said, the ending makes it even better. The Miner himself is a scarily looming figure like any good slasher and earns a worthy spot on my list.

42. Randall Flagg (The Stand) http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/stephenking/images/2/24/Mr._Randall_Flagg.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150801194833 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDEkmQneV0

Randall Flagg is widely regarded as one of Stephen King's best creations, recognized by King himself as the character he had always envisioned from the very start of his writing career and his best villain ever. While I have my own thoughts on who King's best is, there is no doubt that Flagg is every bit as good as people make him out to be. Flagg, despite being the very epitome of evil, has an undeniably charming magnetism to him, and, this is especially true in King's Dark Tower series, a very fun trickster-type personality to him. Flagg has made many appearances over the years in King's novels, and remains one of the most mysterious and enigmatic characters in his books.

41. Crimson Heads (Resident Evil) http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/residentevil/images/2/20/Pachislot_Crimson_Head.png/revision/latest?cb=20100704221131 https://youtu.be/Eu3g1n9uc0I?t=8m38s

I firmly believe that Crimson Heads are the scariest enemy type ever conceived. The first time that you run past one, as seen in the above video, is one of the most heart-stopping moments of my gaming career. I literally had to walk away for 5 minutes just to catch my breath, and I definitely did not want to leave the safety of that armor room. And when you find out that you can have a whole mansion littered with these things, well there's just only one solution: BURN EVERYTHING. Because you do not want to leave any zombies lying around once you encounter your first one. In a way, Crimson Heads encapsulate everything I love about survival horror; one, the fear obviously, but two, the fact that you have to decide if you have enough fuel to burn the zombies you kill or if it's just better to leave one alive. This decision of resource management and fear combined into one enemy make Crimson Heads some of the most memorable enemies of all time.

40. Michael Myers (Halloween) http://www.geeksofdoom.com/GoD/img/2015/06/halloween-michael-myers.jpeg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4rKlI42nSE

You cannot make a horror villains list without including Michael Myers, the character responsible for forever changing the landscape of horror movies by popularizing the slasher genre. Myers is one of the best villains for his simplicity; he never talks, almost has no personality, he's just an unstoppable machine with one goal in mind and he carries out that goal using any means necessary. There's a reason he's listed as one of the main representations of pure evil. Myers is pretty damn scary, but if I had one knock against him, is that he got kind of stale as the series went on, which I guess is true for all the big slashers, but Myers' lack of personality just gets a bit boring.

39. Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas) http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/6/63/OogieBoogie.png/revision/latest?cb=20130128224705 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw0aoVpFCDw

Nothing's scarier as a child than the so called "boogie man", a catch all term for whatever you're most scared of, hiding under your bed or in your closet. Oogie Boogie is this fear personified. Sure, as an entertaining, dancing, singing buffoon, but still! There's a reason even the residents of Halloween Town don't want anything to do with him. Oogie is evil to the core, torturing Santa Claus, one of the most purest representations of good, with one Saw-esque trap after the next. Also, there's something about a bag full of bugs that gets my skin-crawling. Oogie may be one of the more fun villains on this list, but do not for a second underestimate his evilness.

38. The Blue Aliens (They Live) http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/3/35/Blue_alien_3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140314232447 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI8AMRbqY6w

The Blue Aliens, while very visually scary in their own right, are a lot more scary when you think about the subtext that they and in turn, the film, provide. The Blue Aliens, much like They Live itself actually, masquerade as something that they are not, and can only be seen upon closer inspection through the use of special sunglasses. While under the cover of normal human beings, the aliens subliminally warp our minds, controlling us without near anyone being any wiser. I just absolutely love this idea; They Live perfectly conveys a sense of dread and paranoia under the guise of being a big dumb 80s action movie. The late Roddy Piper's John Nada is the perfect viewer surrogate, stumbling just as much as the viewer as he slowly comes to grips with the Blue Aliens' reality. One of my favorite scenes in the film is Nada in the city discovering the messages and aliens for the first time. It's such a fast-paced, whirlwind of scene, and how quickly the aliens react is suspense and horror to its core.

37. Asami Yamazaki (Audition) http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/61FLx0Jp7wPl.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4tu_ro98Pw

Audition is one of those super disturbing horror films, with a high focus on candid gore and psychologically disturbed antagonists. It's one of my favorite styles, and Asami I think is the poster girl for this genre variation. She's deeply disturbed from being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather, and focuses her rage on all men and values trust highly. The protagonist of the story, Aoyama, is widowed and is looking for a new girlfriend. He's interesting because he's doing the wrong thing for the right reasons; Aoyama thinks the best way to find a new girlfriend is to hold mock "auditions" for this "role". This is just begging for someone like Asami to come and make this guy's life a living hell. You could say Aoyama brought this on himself, but Asami is so psychologically insane that you just have to feel bad for him. While I wish Asami was portrayed just a little bit more in a sympathetic light, sometimes going full on crazy makes just as equally memorable a villain.

36. Chucky (Child's Play) http://www.tbo.com/storyimage/TB/20141028/ARTICLE/141029153/EP/1/1/EP-141029153.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YSAlGpGo34

Chucky used to be pretty terrifying to me as a child, and even still, the thought of a living doll still gives me the chills, but in all honesty, outside of the first and latest films, Chucky is a bit of a goofball and his whole movement spectrum can be pretty laugh inducing. Still, Chucky is one of the legends of horror for good reason, and the fact that he did scare me as a child speaks to the character's ability to provide terror and highlights one of the main reasons he works so well: in the films, Chucky is almost always involved with a child and the Child's Play series specifically targets kids, their toys, and wild imaginations. I think it's awesome that a film series generally made for adults tries harder to scare kids; after all, it's natural to watch this stuff when you're young out of curiosity. Chucky manages to be a for-all-ages horror villain and thus definitely deserves a spot on the list.

35. Scarecrow (DC Comics) http://cdn5.thr.com/sites/default/files/2015/01/scarecrow_batman.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4b8XD3VymU

Yes, I know neither the Batman or DC Universes are explicitly horror-based, but I would be remissed if I didn't include the Dark Knight's scariest rogue. Scarecrow's gimmick, based on exploiting your worst fear through the use of gas, has provided many Batman stories filled with terror and insanity. Scarecrow's worth as a horror villain can be easily seen when even the most unshakable man in Gotham can be brought to his knees in paralyzing terror. In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow's fear can be felt first-hand in the much-lauded Eternal Darkness-esque sequences, turning the stealth beat 'em up into something more like a survival horror game. Scarecrow's versatility for any medium means you are never too safe from his gas and definitely worthy of inclusion here.

34. Jaws (Jaws) http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/villainstournament/images/4/40/JawsDM0108_468x347.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120123205327 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I91DJZKRxs

One of the most landmark films of all time, Jaws made everyone afraid to go in the water, establishing a great fear of sharks that persists to this day. While our shark paranoia culture is unfortunate, I still commend this monstrous shark for doing its job so incredibly well. Natural horror films, when not done in the in-your-face Sharknado or Piranha style, can be some of the scariest of horror films, with just enough realism to keep you thinking, "Yeah, maybe this could happen." Jaws remains the sole pinnacle of this style, with imitators never quite being able to match its perfect terror, music, and air of mystery surrounding its "killer", who despite some factual errors, is so otherworldly of a shark anyway that it doesn't matter. Jaws' influence and leaking of fear into real life is more than enough to land him a spot here.

33. Pinhead (Hellraiser) http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_264,w_497/t_mp_quality/screen-shot-2015-02-17-at-12-23-05-pm-is-this-the-end-of-pinhead-png-266121.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5_-ZqJKzNc

Pinhead, while of course a classic among horror fans and famous enough outside of that circle, I feel often gets overlooked a lot. I think this could be a lack of true prevalence; Pinhead has famously been thrown into random horror movie scripts for years. But Pinhead is so much better than that. Despite being cruel and sadistic in nature, Pinhead is kind of distant, very articulate, and extremely intelligent. Doug Bradley, the portrayer of Pinhead throughout all of his appearances, even said himself that Pinhead looks back on his human life with grief and sadness for the person he once was, and that he was forever trapped in his own hell. Pinhead is one of the most interesting and fleshed out horror villains, and I think he definitely deserves another higher quality movie than what he gets.

32. Scissorman (Clock Tower) http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/clocktower/images/7/79/Scissorman3.png/revision/latest?cb=20140616134214 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6c5cm4zuE

Hailing from the sadly underplayed Clock Tower series, Scissorman is a very influential figure in the horror video game scene. While being based on any number of cheesy slashers from the 70s and 80s, Scissorman has definitely inspired future nightmares like Nemesis and Pyramid Head. Like those two, Scissorman's sudden appearance is always cause for alarm and instantaneous fear. Virtually unstoppable, the game forces you to stop what you're doing and find someway to get away or stop him temporarily. Scissorman, no matter what version, is just plain freaky to look at as well. You should all definitely check out the series.

31. Mr. Babadook (The Babadook) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lrGApPKjQI/VGmnmS1sNmI/AAAAAAAAIMI/-gtRg4LcUGo/s1600/the_babadook_4.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhM4X3cozdI

"If it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook." One of the scariest and most original horror creations in years, the Babadook's physical and psychological presence can be felt throughout the film. He has one of my favorite horror villain designs, with sharp, pointed fingers very reminiscent of Count Orlok in Nosferatu and a terrifyingly huge shadowy presence. Watching the scene above again reminded me how otherworldly the creature moves, and literally made my stomach drop. What makes the Babadook even more effective is the psychological toll he puts on the mother Amelia, representing the sorrow she feels for her husband's death. The Babadook only grows in power as she goes slowly insane, and you really feel that along with her, a real sense of inescapable fate and claustrophobia. It's a shame Mr. Babadook is still a very underground villain, but after all, you can't get rid of him... he'll be back.

Ba-Ba-Ba Dook-Dook-DOOK!

30. Esther Coleman (Orphan) http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/0/03/Esther_Coleman.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120922231836 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywOPNNii9w

Orphan was a movie that really took me by surprise when it came out. It starts out innocently enough with an adoption, but Esther, the girl they adopt, is super creepy even before the twist ending. And that twist ending is brutal man. Has to be up there on my favorite movie endings. It's so good that I don't even want to really spoil it here. But like I said, even before that, Esther is just one creepy little girl. You think it could be because of her orphan upbringing, but you just feel something sinister under that facade. I wish I could talk more at length, but sometimes it's just better to let people find out for themselves.

29. Other Mother (Coraline) http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/coraline/images/2/21/First_appearance_of_the_other_mother.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140517081744 http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/coraline/images/c/cd/The_Beldam's_Third_Form.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150521000535 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBO9Uy4uc_c

Coraline is the pinnacle of horror animation, perfectly portraying a young girl and her problems with inattentive and busy parents. Parents are supposed to make us feel safe and support us, and initially, the Other Parents DO provide this. The Other Father in particular cared for Coraline greatly, but the Other Mother is a whole different story. She slowly warps into a cruel and evil sadist who wants Coraline and her life all to herself. What sells the Other Mother most for me is the little, creepy things, like spying through dolls or messing with her own creations. And then there's her true form, one of the scariest things ever put to animation in my opinion. But above all, Other Mother just goes to show you there is no real replacement for your real parents.

28. Norman Bates (Psycho) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Norman-bates.png https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY

One of the creepiest and mesmerizing performances ever and responsible for arguably the most iconic scene in horror AND one of the best endings in horror history. 'Nuff said.

27. Kurt Barlow ('Salem's Lot) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w4ws3qra2UQ/Uopzp8JBoEI/AAAAAAAAnUo/xKfNm_7hssU/s1600/salemslot_vampire.png https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcHmWLYmwgo

Look at that picture. Kurt Barlow is f***ing terrifying and that would almost be enough for this list. But Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot is so much more. Regarded by some as the "Great American Horror Novel", 'Salem's Lot has a lot to teach us about paranoia and mercurial society, with Barlow at the center providing the metaphor for evil lurking right under our noses. Barlow is pure evil in his design, a true vampire, a soulless, merciless entity that's different from a lot of more affable characters of the category. 'Salem's Lot and Barlow's vampiric portrayal have been very influential, and are very interesting studies in both the realm of horror and in relationship to real life.

26. Walter Sullivan (Silent Hill 4: The Room) http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/silent/images/f/fb/Walter_Sullivan.png/revision/20141112194808 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjm2H6LJutU

Initially referenced in Silent Hill 2 as the killer of a pair of a twins, this seemingly creepy yet unrelated story came to full fruition in Silent Hill 4, which greatly expands Sullivan's character and the reasoning for those murders. Like Silent Hill 3 before it, Silent Hill 4 teaches us a lot about The Order, and is probably an even more close and personal look into their activities and influence than the previous entry. The conduit here for that is Sullivan, a serial killer immensely brainwashed by The Order ever since he was a young kid, susceptible to these teachings because of an extremely hateful and torturous childhood. It's very tragic and you can sympathize with Sullivan greatly, and makes small moments like Sullivan and Eileen's doll feel very bittersweet in their execution. It also brings Silent Hill's more fantastical elements back down to Earth in a realistic fashion, with even the Otherworld feeling more personal than everyone else's (with the exception of James'). In addition to the real life prevalence of cults and the people brainwashed by them, Sullivan makes for a scary and realistic addition to the series lore and to the horror canon.

25. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) http://theyoutubebuzz.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/jason-voorhees.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJsSfJuB0Mw

Next up we have one of the most iconic killers in the business, Jason Voorhees. The hockey mask and machete combination has effortlessly endured in horror history, and with it Jason, the unkillable who never stops coming back in the most contrived of ways. But that's part of the fun of Jason and most slashers, and what sets Jason apart from the rest is an unrivaled kill count and aggression, with over 300 racked up kills (reportedly the most out of any slasher) and some of the most brutal and imaginative too. I really like Jason's black sense of humor, which is the most prevalent in Jason Takes Manhattan; Jason kicking the boombox is one of the funniest things in a horror movie. And to get that out of the eighth film in the series just really proves Jason's durability. We'll be seeing a Jason resurgence very soon, in game, TV, and film form, and you know what, I can't wait!

24. Xenomorph (Alien) http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/aliens/images/f/ff/XenomorphXX121.png/revision/latest?cb=20141005001209 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2XTmjjhC5U

Imagine being somewhere where you can't escape. Somewhere claustrophobic. Somewhere no one can hear you scream! I had to. But yeah, that's the terror incarnate that the Xenomorph is. It's our worst alien nightmare come to life, a scenario bad dreams are made of. Their look is fearsome, their abilities deadly. Xenomorphs are quite simply put the perfect horror creature, finely engineered to cause the most fear possible. And this puts Xenomorph on the list easily.

23. Sister Jude Martin (American Horror Story: Asylum) https://wallpaperscraft.com/image/mental_hospital_sister_jude_martin_american_horror_story_hospital_nun_jessica_lange_93967_1080x1920.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI_eJOYA63c

Sister Jude represents everything wrong with mental health care in the 20th century, preferring to treat patients not as humans but as things to torture and play with. Jude shows remarkable cruelty, even wrongly imprisoning reporter Lana Winters. Sister Jude uses her position of power and Christian faith to do bad things, and once again, it's the realism that truly brings Jude and the horror she brings to life. Later on, when Jude becomes imprisoned in the asylum herself, she gets to experience the horrors on the other side of the fence as a victim. Sure, she eventually becomes a sympathetic figure despite her former evil, but I think this only serves to enhance her original traits in the first place. Also, she has the best scene in AHS history right up there.

22. Leatherface (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) http://a.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/poster/2013/08/3016628-poster-p-1-leatherface-speaks-chainsaw-massacre-star-revisits-sweltering-house-of-horror_0.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gax1swkMILE

While the years have certainly not been very kind to Leatherface, with almost every installment after the original a big mishmash of suck, the original Texas Chain Saw remains a seminal classic, popularizing exploitative pseudo-documentaries and bringing a scarily realistic edge that remains a stagnated hallmark of the genre in the form of found-footage. But despite that, no film since has truly captured Texas' style, all at once a product of passion and it's filming complications like rotting food and no air conditioning. And of course, Gunnar Hansen's Leatherface, loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein and one of the most terrifying maniacs to ever grace the silver screen. Hansen was able to make Leatherface all his own, and this always works for the better, with Hansen actually doing research on mentally disabled kids to enhance and more accurately portray the character he thought Leatherface was. We now have one of the msot iconic horror characters thanks to him, and the rest is history.

21. Ghostface (Scream) http://blogs-images.forbes.com/merrillbarr/files/2014/10/ghostface.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae5TX2QEH9I

In part 2 of our "face" series, comes Ghostface, the pop-culture questioning, multi-identity taking serial killer from Wes Craven's pivotal Scream series. Of course, those two things I just mentioned just happen to be what makes Ghostface such a great character. The idea that Ghostface could be anybody keeps the elements of mystery and horror firmly alive throughout the films, and a little bit of phone taunting, horror trivia spewing brings an element of comedy to the character that effectively hides Ghostface's murderous tendencies. This bit of subversion extends past the character and is what makes the Scream series so great in the first place. Beyond that though, Scream has become a true mega icon of horror, nearly becoming synonymous with Halloween thanks to a really iconic and simple mask and cloak design. He might very well be the most famous of any of the icons in my opinion.

20. Predator (Predator) http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/avp/images/7/74/Classic_Predator.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100709170427 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMQgVDrwOU

Invisible, ugly, and 100% deadly, the Predator is easily one my favorite alien horror monsters. An alien hunting for sport is an amazing concept, and putting him against 80s quintessential action hero Ahnold works both as a fun action film and a great cat-and-mouse tension filled horror film. Predator's versatility as a character is shown further in the urban setting of Predator 2, the Middle Ages in little known fan film Predator: Dark Ages, and most famously versus the Alien in AvP, acting heroically. Personally, I find the Predators' culture very fascinating and I enjoyed visiting their planet in Predators. No matter which Predator you're talking about, there's sure to be an interesting new angle to what makes the alien hunter work so well.

19. Dahlia Gillespie (Silent Hill) http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/silent/images/d/d5/DahliaGillespie.png/revision/latest?cb=20140216082415 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8ZK6BiKBuA

This crazy cult-obsessed lady is basically responsible for the entirety of Silent Hill and it's strange soul-crushing town. I think that's plenty to land you on ANY horror-related list. As the leader of the Order, Dahlia believed her own daughter Alessa to be a vessel for the God the Order worshiped. A ritual gone bad initiated by Dahlia ended up resulting in a house fire and the severe burning of Alessa. The fact that Dahlia would do this to her own daughter for a crazy cult shows just how truly insane she is and is utterly unredeemable. Dahlia is for sure an eccentric lady, as evidenced by her dress and mannerisms, and this juxtaposition with everyday normal guy Harry Mason can lead to some amusing scenes. But even if she can be goofy sometimes, Dahlia is still as evil as evil comes.