M3GAN, M3GAN
M3GAN: Robot, girlboss, best friend, living nightmare, princess, queen, dancer, singer, killer, master swordswoman. We'll say no more, because nothing else needs to be said. —Brady Langmann
The Devil, Le Manoir du diable
Three minutes is all it took to scare the bejesus out of people in 1896. Granted, film for entertainment was a relatively new thing to the world at this stage, but director Georges Méliès was onto something when he clocked that a good scare made for good visual entertainment. The short film may have only been a few minutes in length, but the French illusionist conjured up fear in a character that still haunts us to this day. And yes, that is the whole film. —Justin Kirkland
Ma, Ma
What can I say? She doesn’t drink alone and I respect that. Octavia Spencer’s “Ma” is campy horror excellence because the premise of the film is insane (and somehow uncomfortably relatable). High school went poorly for this woman, so she waited years and years, had a daughter who she essentially holds captive in a Munchausens by Proxy situation, and then invites high schoolers to her basement to make them pay for their parents’ transgressions. It’s vicious, and inspirational. —JK
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Mrs. Carmody, The Mist
Honestly, screw The Mist and its surprise twist that completely deflates the whole movie. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about Marcia Gay Harden’s end-times-style pulpit-eer, Mrs. Carmody. As soon as the titular mist sets in over the town, Mrs. Carmody comes to life as a Bible thumping terror who starts suggesting that maybe the way forward is to deal with the sinners and offer God a child sacrifice. She’s a terror and a real anthropomorphized version of right-wing Twitter. God bless, Mrs. Carmody. Somebody has to. —JK
The Hand, Talk To Me
If the scariest monsters truly are faceless, then Talk To Me's The Hand—is that the name we're rolling with?—takes the cake. If you ever see this thing whipped out at a party, maybe go to the next room. Or, you know, leave. —BL
Annie Wilkes, Misery
It’s called stan culture. Look it up.
But seriously, long before Eminem ever recorded “Stan” there was Annie Wilkes. The Stephen King protagonist (yeah, we went there) ends up caretaking for her favorite author after an accident, which is nice until she starts badgering him about what Misery’s next installment will look like. Annoying, right? Then when she doesn’t like the answer, she holds him hostage and… well, let’s just say there’s a sledgehammer scene. —JK
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Gale Weathers, Scream Franchise
In the pursuit of truth, a great journalist makes enemies. A great journalist gets their hands dirty. A great journalist fucks up serial killers, even if her bangs get away from her every once in a while. Monica be damned, there’s no Courteney Cox role better than Gale Weathers, the scathing dark heart of Scream. While those in Weathers’ orbit may admire her most for her best-selling books or the Stab movie franchise they inspire, let's give her credit for the many near-fatal injuries she has survived (and avenged). But she was never braver than the morning she put on that chartreuse skirt-suit and thought, now I’m TV ready. — JK
Chris Washington, Get Out
It truly is difficult to decide which one of Jordan Peele's characters from Get Out is the most genius. Each one plays an important role in the film's analysis of systemic racism in America. I mean, Lakeith Stanfield is only in the movie for a few minutes and he should have his own entry on this list! But, if we have to choose just one, it must be our hero, Chris Washington played by Daniel Kaluuya, whose single tear remains a haunting image in 21st century cinema. - Matt Miller
Black Phillip, The Witch
In a movie called The Witch, one might not expect the main antagonist to be a huge black goat. But this is no ordinary goat. Phillip is actually the devil in disguise, set to destroy a puritanic Christian family. But in the real world, the goat was also somewhat of a villain himself. The 210-pound billy named Charlie was reportedly a pain in the ass to work with, and seriously wounded his co-star Ralph Ineson. Regardless, his on-set behavior didn’t stop him from becoming a superstar. — MM
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Jack Torrance, The Shining
It is without a doubt the finest performance of Jack Nicholson’s storied career. Never have those insane eyes and brows been put to better use than to illustrate Jack Torrance’s slow descent into madness. There’s a reason his line delivery of “Here’s Johnny” remains one of the best movie moments of all time. This is a movie where he can go from insane to casually sipping a cocktail with a ghost bartender within matter of moments. —MM
Pennywise, It
Since Stephen King first imagined him into existence through two iconic adaptations, Pennywise the dancing clown has ruined clowns for multiple generations. Whether played by Tim Curry or Bill Skarsgård, Pennywise is a terror to behold. Or, perhaps, he’s just a misunderstood demon clown who is legitimately funny. We’ll let you decide. —MM
Summerisle Pagans, The Wicker Man
As far as I could tell, the pagans on Summerisle are actually the heroes of The Wicker Man. Here’s some conservative Christian cop coming into their small village telling them what to believe and how to live. He threatens them. He insults them. He’s kind of an intrusive asshole! Sure, they lured him there to kill him as a sacrifice to their pagan gods in return for a bountiful harvest, but who are we to judge what’s wrong or right? —MM
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Norman Bates, Psycho
Sixty years after Psycho, it’s easy to think of Norman Bates among the likes of fantastical movie monsters in the horror genre. But, what’s easy to forget is that the most terrifying thing about Bates is how even today he remains a very real example of the violent white men who exist in modern day American society. There have been entire psychological profiles written to examine the mind of Norman Bates—an emotionally abused, sexually oppressed man with mommy issues and dissociative personality disorder. He might be one of the most iconic movie villains of all time, but he’s also very real. —MM
The Mother, Barbarian
Don't make me talk about The Mother, even if the real villain of the Barbarian isn't The Mother. Please. I'm still not ready. —BL
Daniel Robitaille, Candyman
You never actually learn Daniel Robitaille’s name in the original 1992 film, Candyman. He’s known only as Candyman, and it’s impossible to think of him as a “villain.” Candyman is a victim of a heinous hate crime. The son of a former slave, Robitaille is brutally murdered for impregnating a white woman. He haunts the Chicago projects that stand atop what was the place of his death, killing anyone who summons him. Certainly one of the most complex, political, and nuanced characters on this list. The terror of Candyman is the terror of America itself—a place that is still haunted by the ghosts of its racist past and present. —MM
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Flying Monkeys, The Wizard of Oz
Is the Wizard of Oz a horror movie? However, if you—from your youth to this very day—prefer to shield your eyes when a character appears on screen, I think they qualify as a horror in and of themselves. And do I ever dread having to look at the Flying Monkeys. From the Wicked Witch’s henchmen’s weird prosthetic blue faces to the very off-putting growl/hoot noise they make when they waddle/fly, I want nothing to do with any of it. So yes, I still cover my eyes during a children’s movie. No shame to admit you do, too. —Lauren Kranc
Alien, Alien
Is there any science fiction shot as iconic as the moment in Alien 3 when the titular alien bestows a slimy kiss on the cheek of a cowering Sigourney Weaver? Forty years and six movies later, the alien’s hijinks never get old—or any less blood-curdling. Each film features a cat and mouse game between new gangs of interstellar travelers, who get progressively dumber, and our old pal the xenomorph, whose familiar tricks include slicing through metal and bone with its acidic blood, chomping on people’s faces, and bursting merrily from the chests of their hosts. If those visuals didn’t horrify you enough, check out the ending of Alien: Resurrection, where a newborn xenomorph is violently atomized into space through a hole in the spaceship’s hull. Truly the stuff of nightmares. —Adrienne Westenfeld
Babadook, The Babadook
I’ve heard that the Australians, generally, are nice and pleasant people. But not this guy! This tall glass of heebie-jeebies is not only an allegory for Australia’s colonial history, but a dude who somehow delivers genuine scares wearing a top hat. Impressive, really. While we all know that The Babadook’s screaming little child was the real monster here, we’re still thinking about Mister Babadook all these years later, too. —BL
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Count Orlok, Nosferatu
You don’t get much more OG than Nosferatu’s dastardly vampire, Count Orlok. I mean, the guy was iconic enough to appear in a silent German film circa 1922 and influence the genre for the next century. But Count Orlok is really just here because of this: He gives a masterclass in horror-movie weirdness. The dude is just weird! Skulks around his castle, flings his talons around like life is a game of shadow puppets, and acts just mysterious enough to make you wonder what the hell his deal is. May your legacy (and chic trench coat) never die. —BL
Frank, Donnie Darko
Behold, the greatest horror-villain zinger in the history of the genre, courtesy of Donnie Darko's rather large, probably imaginary, costumed bunny, Frank. Donnie Darko: “Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?” Frank: “Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?” Frank is galaxy brain personified, the buried corner of our id that would tell us—you know, if it wasn’t buried—that time travel is real! You can get away with anything! The world is ending soon! (Though he’s probably right about that last one.) —BL
Watch Next
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FQrqCrnV6YvK57xKernqqklravucSnq2iln6u2pr%2BOoGpta2ZlhXp9jpucrKxdnbyzvs6rZKanpp6ybq%2FHmqmam6Sav7R7