Halloween is here, which means it’s time for things to go bump in the night, and with Halloween comes horror movies. This year sees the return of the O.G. horror movie monster in Michael Myers, as Halloween returns for Halloween. To that end we run down the ten best horror movie villains and heroes of all time.
Candyman, Candyman
Tony Todd (1992 – 1999)
Coming from the mind of horror meistro Clive Barker, this take on various urban legends carves one all on it’s own. Part Bloody Mary part cautionary tale of ancient folklore, Candyman is the sort of story that will be told for generations. A being summoned by chanting his name in the dark, the motif of bees being the omen of doom as well as Todd’s gravel voiced romantic portrayal have made him – with only three outings – a horror staple, a reboot could add some Black Lives Matter context behind it. But the original is an imposing and somewhat romantic figure.
Norman Bates, Psycho
Anthony Perkins (1960 – 1990)
Taking his inspiration from Ed Gein, the Wisconsin Ghoul, Robert Bloch’s novel was adapted to legendary status by Alfred Hitchcock. The horror of the film comes from the mad man being a timid, somewhat likeable guy, a boy-next-door type, in the words of Bloch – he could be the person sat next to you. Perkins would play him for thirty years and direct some of the lesser instalments which undermine some of what Hitchcock was doing, but even so, that original film and Perkins perfect performance make it a thoroughly scary watch. Later, the character would get even more of a focus in the series Bates Motel — Freddie Highmore portrays Norman Bates, with Vera Farmiga as Bates’ mother Norma, and Rihanna as Bates’ iconic victim Marion Crane.
Ghostface, Scream
Roger L. Jackson (1996 – 2011)
Having a variety of secret identities which add to the whodunit subplots of the horror movies, the voice from former Mojo Jojo voice actor Roger L. Jackson is both imitable and utterly unsettling. The characters behind the voice may vary with impact each time, but from that opening scene with Drew Barrymore, and the iconic mask, a new easy Halloween costume and a masterclass in horror movie intros was born, all thanks to the clever work of Jackson and horror king Wes Craven.
Leatherface (Jedidiah Sawyer), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Gunnar Hansen among others (1974 – 2017)
The idea of going into the wilderness and coming across something unstoppable is something that bothers a lot of people. To this end, the film by director Tobe Hooper reminds us why we are so scared of the unknown. Icelandic gentle giant Gunnar Hansen was the first person to don the apron and face mask as Leatherface. In time his many appearances and extended backstory have undone most of Hansen’s work, but that original appearance of a monster of a man, bullied by his insane cannibal family is unsettling and the final shot of him twirling that chainsaw is enough to give anyone nightmares.
Jigsaw (John Kramer), Saw
Tobin Bell (2004 – 2017)
One of the few times backstory made a character better. Going from plot device villain and plot twist to the franchise’s anchor, Tobin Bell’s compelling display of tragedy roots the Saw series in genuine emotion and not just horrific torture scenes. Showing us a man pushed to the edge, the extended flashbacks that would come the fore in parts three, four, five and six helped turn him from a sinister Hannibal Lecter rip-off into a King Lear figure, undone by his own hubris and a man searching for answers. Bell sell his role, and becomes what the franchise needs. There’s a reason Saw owned Halloween for seven years.
Chucky (Charles Lee Ray), Child’s Play
Brad Dourif (1988 – 2017)
Academy Award nominee Brad Dourif might be best known for turns in TV’s Deadwood, or supporting roles in Werner Herzog films, The Lord of the Rings or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but for the horror fans out there he will always be the gruff voiced Chucky. A doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer, the film’s went from terrifying to silly and then to mediocre, but Chucky has never paled in his depiction as a rude, knee height terror, and Dourif gives the voice performance some absolute welly.
Damien Thorn, The Omen
Harvey Spencer Stephens (1976), Jonathan Scott Taylor (1978), Sam Neill (1981), Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick (2006)
Bowl cuts are scary. Small kids are scary. Small kids with bowl cuts are very scary. Son of the Devil (and son of a bitch) Damien is a tiny tot from hell, looking around like an innocent little thing but causing strange and often crazy deaths for the people who get in his way. Another who’s sequels might have undone the good work of the original, but using a child as your main villain is always a good basis for a horror film because children are very scary things.
Michael Myers, Halloween
Nick Castle among others (1978 – 2018)
This could also have come down to Jason, but Myers was here first, and Myers is back this Halloween to take it for himself, so he makes the list. The large, relentless shape that takes down walls, doors and people like a demented Takeshi’s Castle contestant, his legacy of sinister theme tune, unkillable nature and of course the story that his mask is actually a William Shatner mask are all what makes him so legendary. Just ignore the terrible Rob Zombie version.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs
Anthony Hopkins (1990 – 2002)
Cultured, articulate, polite. Elements that one doesn’t always associate with horror movie villains, but Thomas Harris’ creation original brought to life by Brian Cox, but made iconic in three films with Anthony Hopkins (to oscar winning glory) is terrifying. Lecter is a psychologist, a fan of the arts, a culinary master and a human eating serial killer with a distaste for the rude. Yes, there was nothing new in Red Dragon, and many think the romantic subplot of Hannibal was dumb, but Hopkins sells his role completely, never letting us know if Lecter is absolutely nuts, or just a man who sees more in everyone than we realise.
Freddy Kruger, A Nightmare on Elm Street
Robert Englund (1984 – 2003)
Of course it’s him, even before he started invading the dreams of underwear clad teens, he was a wrong-un as a groundskeeper who molested and killed kids, he deserved to die, no? But now, in the hands of Wes Craven Kruger can be with those teens when they’re most vulnerable. The underlying sexual threat of Kruger is probably more threatening than the actual violence the first film has him not only in bed with most of the victims but in many sexual situations. His hand between Nancy’s legs in the bath, the tongue at the end of the phone. Yes the sequels made him a joke, but Kruger is scary because underneath the burns and the scars and everything else is one basic fact: he wants to touch those teens… then kill them.
