Horror is more than a genre,,, It’s an entire subculture. Over the years, many great villains
have been created. Some are under-appreciated and others have maintained a place in the
darkest depths of our nightmares. But even though these evil-doers seem unstoppable at times, who
has proven to be the most terrifying opponent to face? Who really is the most powerful evil force?
I’m Kyle with WickedBinge and this is Slasher Movie Villains: Weak to Powerful.
There are a few rules we’ll be following for this list... Some will get a higher rank for
any rejuvenation or supernatural traits. But the actual acts they commit will also
affect their ranking. We’ll also be including some villains who didn’t exactly star in slasher films,
but the movie was horrifying enough that they earn a mention on our list.
Now, let’s get started!
We have to place Jack Torrance as our weakest killer. Though he did go crazy and terrorize
his family, he loses points because it was more of the influence of the hotel
and its shady history. We aren’t saying Jack was incapable of committing these acts on his own,
but it was unlikely that he would have ever gone after his family had he not been in such
a sinister setting, being manipulated by the spirits that lingered there.
Really, Jack was a pawn and a victim as much as the rest of the family featured.
Psycho is a classic. And Norman Bates definitely earns a spot next.
This guy takes mother issues to a whole new level. Suffering from a condition known as Dissociative
Identity Disorder. Those with this condition can suffer lack of connections with memories,
thoughts, actions and even their identity. This is represented well with Norman, who takes the
role of his own mother to kill any of the women he finds arousing. This can result in him being
unpredictable and dangerous, but it also results in a lot of slip ups and short-sightedness.
We feel we have to mention the focus of the 2000 film American Psycho,
Patrick Bateman next. While a charismatic guy, he was limited by the ability your
everyday man would have. He has an advantage over Jack and Norman due to his high status.
Not to mention the fact that he’s more in control of his actions, actually taking joy in destroying
lives. While he does suffer from a mental condition, psychopathy, he isn’t being cursed
or influenced to do anything by any supernatural force. He’s doing it because he wants to.
Mrs. Vorhees was an interesting one to place. She is the original Friday the 13th killer,
taking vengeance after her son is thought to have drowned to death in Crystal Lake
after camp counselors failed to protect the young boy from being bullied.
She took her time hunting down everyone she thought was responsible until she became
decapitated at the hands of Alice Hardy. We give her a higher ranking due to her lingering
influence on her son. When Jason continues her work, killing people around Crystal Lake,
Pamala lingers in spirit, encouraging her son to seek vengeance for his fate.
Moving on, Leatherface, we have to give a lower ranking than some would expect. Not that he isn't
terrifying, but while he has some advantage, it isn’t a lot. He has the protection of his family,
including the only sheriff around for miles. But that’s just it: they only have that power
because they’re in the middle of nowhere. Leatherface would likely not be anywhere near
as successful a killer without isolation being on his side, keeping his victims from seeking
help or exposing his crimes. If Leatherface tried to operate in a larger community,
his family would have to try a lot harder to cover his tracks and hide their own shady involvement.
Next up we have Ghostface. The ultimate home invader and copycat, he often calls his victims
to taunt them and make them paranoid as he hunts them down. But we won’t go into detail
explaining landlines to our younger viewers. He hunts down the inhabitants of the homes he
selects, going to gutting and stabbing his chosen victims. While the person playing Ghostface
isn’t an invincible force, the true terror is that anyone can adorn the mask and take
up his work. Billy… Stu, Mrs. Loomis, Ghostface keeps coming back. There are different people
seen taking the role of Ghostface and using the reputation to eliminate their enemies.
The Three: Baby, Otis and Captain Spaulding are worth mentioning next. They were the focus
of the films House of 1000 Corpses, the Devil’s Rejects, and the recent release of 3 From Hell.
This entire family is a good reason to have extra money and a backup plan when hitting the road and
to be cautious of anyone that comes off as a little too interested in your travel plans.
Baby, Otis and Spaulding in particular were the masterminds of the operation,
luring travelers and successfully killing hundreds of people, mainly young women.
They earned a higher spot than most because in their films, we see them use every advantage and
form of manipulation they can and they are far more successful than one would expect.
The terrifying part of their story is how in the third film, despite all the evidence against them,
much of the public came to their defense and demanded their release.
Samara we have to put a little further down due to her being limited by the tape and the rules
surrounding it. Samara’s story is a sad one. She was once just a mistreated girl, tossed into a
well and left to die before finally passing after seven days. Her own death is the basis of her
curse, hunting down anyone that watched the tape displaying her end. While it can be argued that
she got enjoyment out of her hunt, terrifying her victims as they reached the last day,
we have to place her here since there is a clear supernatural influence. How much of the spirit is
truly Samara as she was and how much of it is the embodiment of her pain and anger is hard to say.
This may be a little surprising but we’re placing Hannibal Lector next on this list. Now, we know
some people are going to likely make a fuss in the comments but hear out our reasoning. Lector, while
he is imprisoned, still manages to be one of the most capable and merciless killers on our list.
He understands the human mind enough to mess with the people who are imprisoning and interrogating
him. He is able to distance himself due to being incapable of forming real relationships.
But we want to point out one moment in particular. When Agent Sterling is attacked by Migs
while leaving after her first interview with Lector, the man calls her back to his cell
to give her a bit of information, feeling bad she experienced the assault.
When Sterling returned, she learned that Migs died, with Lector being responsible.
Making a man swallow his own tongue like that? Doctor Lector is a formidable man.
Next we have Chucky. Once a convict, his soul was transferred to the doll
we’ve all come to recognize. Creepy dolls are a popular item among horror stories,
but not every doll has the soul of a strangler. After being given as a last minute birthday gift,
he uses his new body to get people’s guards down. He goes on a rampage,
but survives being stabbed, melted and shot. It’s revealed that the only way to kill him for good
is shooting him in the heart. Really, Chucky is incredibly resilient for his size and material,
and his kill count shows us that he’s more than capable of doing damage.
And given his supernatural strength, Chucky is certainly a lot of power for a toy…
Jigsaw, being the mastermind behind the terror of the Saw movies, earned a higher
spot on our list. Even if he isn’t supernatural. A master manipulator, he is the sadist of your
worst nightmares. First off, we want to give a special respect to the first movie in particular,
being a well done film that instilled terror while having minimal set or costume
changes. It was just a great setup to get the audience curious about the madman that
caused all of the pain and torment we see on screen. Jigsaw has a way of getting in your
head and making you into the monster you always feared lingered in the dark corner of your home.
On an unrelated note, have you checked the dark corner of the room lately?
The Hook Killer, Ben Willis, is next. The idea of a hook handed killer is a popular urban legend.
But in I Know What You Did Last Summer, it took the form of a fisherman who met
his end at the hand of some teenagers taking him out with their car before hiding his body.
While his vengeance is somewhat justified, just wanting to eliminate the people that killed him,
he’s also shown to have an interesting set of abilities. He’s able to use an impressive amount
of physical strength and even comes back as a weird zombie creature in one of the sequels.
Now Carrie did not show the full potential of her powers. The closest we get is during
the conflict at her dance when the pig’s blood is poured on her. But in this scene,
we see what damage she’s capable of doing. Simply focusing her attention on a person for a second
and she has their fate sealed. While she could possibly control the very people that make
her miserable with a little practice, when Carrie snaps she gets far more satisfaction
out of the victim being helpless and knowing their fate as they’re taken out.
Micheal Myers is next and we had to place him pretty high on our list. Lacking a normal
childhood, he spent years in therapy only to be locked up for most of his childhood when he was
deemed dangerous. Michael had the influence of something dark pushing him to commit his
acts. After a lifetime of being plagued with visions of centuries before him and being
locked away from his family, he went on a hunt to take out the last remaining relatives he had.
During his time on screen, he is shown to have endless durability and strength. The idea that
he has rejuvenation to some degree is hinted at, though is mostly speculated. He survives
multiple gunshot wounds and is able to sneak up on victims with little to no detection.
Possibly the only things that can really stop him might be decapitation or fire. This is one
of those killers who just won’t die… He comes back over and over… Which requires tremendous power.
Though we already covered his mother on this list, we have to place Jason Vorhees far higher. The man
gets one of our top spots due to being pretty much immortal. It’s easy to feel bad for Jason
once you learn about his childhood and what happened to him, but taking up his mother’s
work to kill counselors that had nothing to do with his own death was not a proper response.
The man keeps coming back. After drowning, after being stabbed, after being buried.
Fate seems to be a huge ally to Jason when he’s even reanimated by a lightning bolt
after being dug up for a cremation. I suppose we only dock him a little bit due to the fact
that we don’t really know what compels him… and in some cases we question if
he’s even in control of his own actions or is being controlled by an outside influence.
Candyman has very interesting abilities and odd rules surrounding him, though he claims he is
all powerful. He keeps the fear of his hauntings and killings alive as it is directly linked to
him being able to continue existing. While he met his own end through unjust means, it’s hard to see
him as someone to sympathize with when he chooses to kill anyone who claims that he’s just a myth.
It’s revealed through his films that he is immortal, not being restricted by human needs such
as food and water, and can regenerate his form. He keeps living bees within his hollowed out form,
able to get them to attack others at will, even once covering an entire city
with them. He’s also shown to be able to levitate and uses a form of telekinesis.
Freddy Krueger is up next. There have been so many parodies of Freddy that just about everyone knows
the ability he’s most known for: entering people’s dreams. This power gives him a lot of free range
on how to take out his victims. He’s given the option to either lure them into a false sense of
security- blurring reality with dreams- or make them fill with dread at their impending doom.
His tactic is one that cannot be easily avoided, as sleep is something everyone needs. Even though
we might be in total denial as we stay up till three AM binge watching the Good to Evil playlist,
but that’s beside the point. Freddy’s power level is pretty much through the roof due to the fact
that he has the ability to come back over and over and over… But also has the ability to hunt his
victims in a place that they can’t run away from… their own dreams. Victims can run away from most
of these other killers… But it doesn’t matter if you’re in your own house, in the woods, at
school or the safest place imaginable… You aren’t going to escape catching some Z’s eventually.
The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers is next. An underrated killer, if I do say so myself.
Much like Pennywise, he has a hibernation period, hunting for twenty three days every twenty third
spring. Taking on a humanoid appearance during many of his kills, he takes out those he finds
isolated, often traveling through the state. His death toll is said to be in the thousands. It
consumes everything it can, and uses its batlike wings to fly over plantations and seek out others
that may escape or reveal his acts. Unlike many on this list, the Creeper doesn’t appear to have a
preferred type of victim. He takes men, women and children if it means his continued survival and
chance to feed. He can rejuvenate an injured or lost part of his body by devouring the same body
part of one of his victims. He’s survived being impaled, shot and even stabbed in the head. His
durability makes him an intimidating opponent, and is only made worse when you realize he wasn’t just
impaled, but impaled by a harpoon. He wasn’t just shot, but shot by a machine gun. He’s a very well
built predator, even possessing a third nostril to sniff out specific organs in the people he hunts.
Pennywise we’re giving the gold medal to. His arc is an interesting one, going from being a being
that’s practically the embodiment of nightmares to being revealed as a creature not of our planet.
He’s dubbed a cosmic spirit of consumption. While his true form is seen by humans as a sort of
giant spider, he most often seeks out his victims while taking on the appearance of a clown.
While on the hunt, he not only horrified his victims by appearing around every corner,
but was able to take all sorts of different forms and created a distorted reality,
making the victims isolate from anyone that could help and question her sanity.
This is a really impressive tactic, messing with a person’s mind as well as their body.
But what do you think? Who are the most powerful among the horror movie villains?
Let us know in the comment section. Don't forget to hit that notification bell
and binge our Good-to-Evil playlist. We actually broke down Slasher Movie Villains
from Evil to Most Evil… So go check it out.. But most importantly, stay wicked!