Take It From a Lifelong Horror Fan — These 10 Characters Are Too Creepy to Handle
A horror movie is only as good as its villain. Movies with so-so scripts and paper-thin victims are rewatched over and over if the villain captures the audience’s attention. Indeed, these villainous beings can be the star of the movie or lurking in the shadows, but the best horror characters are on your mind for the duration of the runtime, even when they’re not on the screen.
I’m a jaded horror movie fan, but when the right character is brought to life by the ideal actor, I’ll find myself shifting in my chair, sufficiently creeped out by what I’m watching. The following characters are the ones that give me an uneasy dread, even if their time on screen is brief. It might be their appearance or backstory, or demeanor, but the result is the same: they make me shake in my boots.
10
Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton)
‘Terrifier’ (2016)
I’m not a clown guy. I wouldn’t really say I’m scared of them, but I don’t find myself in many clown-related situations to test my threshold. However, I know I wouldn’t last two minutes in the same room as Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) from the Terrifier series, and in those two minutes, I would be looking for an exit. In a genre filled with scary killer clowns, Art stands out from the blood-soaked pack as the top pantomiming psychopath.
The graphic violence in the Terrifier films enhances the reputation of Art, but the credit for the character’s appeal (if we want to call it that) is from the performance of Thornton. His presence fills the screen, and Thornton uses the silence of Art to his advantage, expressing himself with a physicality that requires the audience to pay closer attention to his actions than they normally would.
9
The Mystery Man (Robert Blake)
‘Lost Highway’ (1997)
Lost Highway isn’t technically a horror movie, but the David Lynch neo-noir has one of the creepiest characters in film history lurking around in scenes. Lost Highway follows Fred Madison (Bill Pullman), who is accused of murdering his wife before strangely turning into another man on death row, but before all that Lynchian weirdness takes place, Fred meets a bizarre mystery man (Robert Blake) at a party who is the stuff of nightmares.
Maybe it’s the makeup that leaves the mystery man looking like a grinning cadaver, or the dark, threatening eyes that don’t match the sinister grin, but The Mystery Man is more unnerving than all the axe-wielding psychopaths in B-slasher movies combined. The standout scene is when the Mystery Man approaches Fred and then proceeds to tell him that not only have they met before, but he, the Mystery Man, is currently at his house while he’s standing in front of him. It’s the kind of creepy stuff Lynch did better than anyone else, making the Mystery Man one of his most skin-crawling creations.
8
Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984)
The fedora-wearing villain Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) became an instant horror icon when he first appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street. As a supernatural threat who killed his victims in their dreams, Freddy was the ultimate boogeyman, able to take any shape when he pounced from the shadows. I was young when this series was popular, and the most formidable fictional characters at that point in my life were Freddy Krueger and the Cookie Monster. Both were monsters, and I wouldn’t trust either with my animal crackers.
Sure, by the time the Nightmare on Elm Street series was winding down with the sixth installment, Freddy’s Dead, the character of Freddy was a wisecracking mischief-maker who also happened to kill your friends, but he started out pretty scary. Freddy was always a little quippy, but in the beginning, he was a vicious murderer who could have easily killed his victims instantly, but he enjoyed prolonging their fear as only a true sadist could.
7
Pinhead (Doug Bradley)
‘Hellraiser’ (1987)
Before I knew what Hellraiser was about, I knew Pinhead (Doug Bradley) was one of the scarier characters in horror. All the Cenobites are grotesque, and each could easily make my top ten, but their acupuncture enthusiast leader is the full package. Pinhead has one of the best character designs in horror, with the pins perfectly spaced to create a masterpiece of pain.
There’s a mysterious nature about the character that, especially in the first film, works for Pinhead. Unlike the other Cenobites, Pinhead adds an extra layer of frightening by carrying an almost royal-like aura about him, which lets any other character know they’re in the presence of a special kind of evil. The cold intelligence Bradley brings to the part allows Pinhead to be imposing without saying a word or threatening violence. The violence is implied when Pinhead appears; it’s just a matter of when and how much.
Hellraiser
- Release Date
-
September 18, 1987
- Runtime
-
94 minutes
- Director
-
Clive Barker
6
Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard)
‘Nosferatu’ (2024)
I wasn’t sure what to expect with director Robert Eggers’ version of Nosferatu, especially considering how little had been revealed of Bill Skarsgård as the evil Count Orlok. The movie takes its time revealing Orlock to great effect, because when he finally emerges from the shadows, Skarsgård is unrecognizable and frightening behind the excellent makeup. From his physicality to his gravelly voice, Skarsgård made Orlok a formidable creature for modern movie-goers.
The character design seems to divide those who have seen the new Nosferatu, but I found it to be an ingenious design that made Orlok look like the walking corpse he’s meant to be. Sticking close to the original design would have invited unnecessary comparison, so I appreciate the risk of trying something new. When there are so many different takes on Dracula and vampires in general, I was impressed to see something unexpected and thoroughly imposing.
5
The Children
‘Village of the Damned’ (1960)
The emotionally cold, telepathically gifted children in Village of the Damned left a strong impression on me the first time I saw them. Based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, the story follows a town where a select group of women mysteriously become pregnant and then give birth to a group of children with oddly adult behavior and powers to control the actions of those who cross them.
The 1995 remake of Village of the Damned is passable entertainment, and the kids are creepy in that as well, but the original 1960 version nails the unique eerieness of the dangerous kids. The children are calm and adult-like in their mannerisms, which only adds to how unsettling they are to watch. More than ten children together is a powder-keg waiting to go off on a good day, but when they have murder powers… that’s the cue to throw on Inside Out and leave town while they’re distracted.
4
Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Debatably not a horror movie, but The Silence of the Lambs was the introduction to Anthony Hopkins in his most famous role, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. There’s something even more creepy about a killer with genius-level intelligence because it implies he is very aware of where the line of right and wrong is and willfully, gleefully steps over it. Dr. Lecter’s future appearances in Hannibal and Red Dragon are hit-and-miss, but he’s bone-chilling in this Best Picture winner.
Many have stepped into the shoes of Hannibal, like Brian Cox in the 1986 film Manhunter, and Mads Mikkelsen in the fantastic piece of stylish melodrama television, Hannibal, but Hopkins owns this part. Lecter has the capability to charm anyone in his company, but when Starling meets him, he’s a caged animal that doesn’t need to wear his societal mask to speak with her. He’s only a man, but even behind unbreakable glass, it’s hard to feel safe when in Lecter’s presence.
3
Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum)
‘The Fly’ (1986)
Before Jeff Goldblum became America’s favorite cool uncle who will let you drink when your parents are out of town, he was one of my favorite doomed protagonists of the 1986 version of The Fly. Goldblum plays Seth Brundle, a scientist who has mastered the art of teleportation but is still working out the kinks in his pest control situation. When Seth accidentally mixes his DNA with a common housefly during a teleportation trial, he slowly turns into a grotesque, human-sized fly monstrosity.
Goldblum does some of the best early work of his career, commanding sympathy from the audience as he slowly loses his humanity both mentally and physically. However, my empathy for the deteriorating situation is tested when Seth becomes more mutated, turning into a character that is hard to look at. The final stages of Seth’s transformation showcase some of the best practical effects in horror that still hold up today.
2
Reverend Henry Kane (Julian Beck)
‘Poltergeist II: The Other Side’ (1986)
Although Poltergeist II: The Other Side was not as strong as the original Poltergeist, it did introduce one of the creepiest villains to ever exist in a horror movie. I had seen pictures of the character before actually seeing the movie, and my expectations were exceeded when seeing him menacingly approach Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) for the first time.
The supernatural threat of Reverend Henry Kane (Julian Beck) is the scene-stealer in the high-profile sequel, delivering his lines in a melodic mock kindness that drips with malice and evil intentions. Unfortunately, the reason behind Kane’s frightening appearance was not due to the makeup department, but rather to actor Beck’s fight with stomach cancer. Beck wouldn’t survive to see the finished film, but his legacy will live on in the form of the iconic evil Reverend.
1
Pennywise (Tim Curry)
‘It’ (1990)
Of all Stephen King’s most famous creations, Pennywise the Dancing Clown has always been my favorite. He’s pure evil, possessing no redeeming qualities or sympathetic backstory; a character that exists to fear and hate, but manages to also be charming. Although the made-for-TV movie of It is a flawed production, Tim Curry as Pennywise will always be the one I think of as the source for any fear I have about circus performers.
Skarsgård is a talented actor, but I prefer Curry’s take as he incorporates the concept of the clown more integrally into his performance. If the concept of being a clown is to lure children close, then there needs to be a sense of disarming mischief present to lower the guard of his victims. Curry is fantastic at jumping back and forth between the two emotional extremes, adding an unpredictable danger to every scene he’s in.
