This week I am going to look at my favourite horror movie villains who have appeared in more than one film. I have overlooked some very well-known ones as I want to look at horror heavy films rather than thrillers, some that I have passed on Hannibal Lecter (Silence of The Lambs), The Shark (Jaws). I have also ruled out just creatures from The Descent, Mimic and multiply family members Wrong Turn and Hills Have Eyes; I am just focusing on a figure involved.
10. Sil – Species
Sil is a creation from a message sent through space that will meant to improve human DNA. Once she escapes she soon starts evolving and soon is driven to find a mate, she will stop at nothing to find a mate and breed. Sil leaves people plenty of bodies in her wake and a generation of future creations.
With four films in the series each generation from Sil is just as sex driven as the last. If you don’t make them pregnant you will probably end up dead.
9. Pinhead – Hellraiser
Once you open the Lament Configuration Puzzle Box you open the door to hell and for Pinhead to come into your life to torment you. His main quest is too harvest human soles before turning his intentions to the apocalypse.
Pinhead has managed to get through nine films and comes from the brilliant mind of Clive Barker and was portrayed by Doug Bradley in eight of the films. He will always be remembered for his look, how could you forget the image of Pinhead?
8. Victor Crowley – Hatchet
Victor Crowley haunts the swamplands of New Orleans and once you go into his territory you will be very lucky to get out alive. Being born deformed his father tried to hide him from the world, but after some local kids set fire to his house a terrible accident leaves him trapped re-living the awful events of his death.
Victor is the most recent addition to the genre that made my list and it is down to his pure brutality. Given he has only been in two films that I have seen Hatchet 3 has yet to be released in England he could easily become as much of an icon of horror as the bigger names on my list.
7. Daniel Robitaille – Candyman
If you look in the mirror and say Candyman five times he will appear if you are a non-believe. He will haunt you before eventually taking your soul. With a good origin story of being tortured and losing his arm, this hook handed man never be stopped.
Only appearing in three films each time being portrayed by Tony Todd, Todd makes a great screen presence who will intimidate all he encounters. Another character from the mind of Clive Barker, that will leave you wondering if it is a good idea to say Candyman in the mirror.
6. Michael Myers – Halloween
Michael stalks his victim around Haddonfield where he was raised. He was sent away after killing his big sister at aged six but not killing his baby sister. He returns to kill her and everyone who gets in his way.
Michael is a part of nine films, seven of which he is a blank slow moving killer and two where he is a rampant killing machine. Out of the big three he has always been my least favourite but he still hard to knock out of my top ten.
5. Sadako or Samara – The Ring
The Japanese and American versions of the same film haunt their victims through a video. Once you have seen the video you have seven days before you die. These two have one of the most haunting entrances to the film you will ever see.
These characters created a new form of horror villain as well as a new trend in horror which is often copied but never gets the same achievement.
4. Jigsaw – Saw
When Saw first came out I don’t think many people saw Jigsaw becoming such a major horror icon. He did and along with his apprentices he teaches the characters to want to live by testing them in his torturous traps. The line ‘I wanna play a game?’ will become one of the most remembered quotes in recent years.
Jigsaw finds the fine line between good and evil as he is the only character who kills people who waste their lives. Some consider him a good guy because of this rather than the bad guy the other killers are. He is the only human character on the list as all the rest either were or become immortal.
3. Chucky – Child’s Play
Serial killer Charles Lee Ray last act before dying was to put his soul into a Good Guy doll called Chucky. Chucky wants to put his soul back into a new human with his voodoo spell and his first choice is a young boy, but when people start getting in his way the good guy doll goes on a killing spree.
Getting through six films Chucky has left bodies lying everywhere, got married to another doll and even has a child doll. He is always good for a cheap pun which makes his killing spree somewhat more light hearted and Brad Dourif’s haunting laugh makes the character perfect.
2. Freddy Krueger – Nightmare On Elm Street
When child killer Freddy Krueger is hunted down and murdered by the people of Elm Street his killings don’t stop there. When the children of the parents who murdered him sleep he haunts their dreams well nightmares which he hunts them down and kills them in their sleep.
Freddy has been around for nine films, seven of his own franchise with number seven breaking barriers in horror, one against Jason as well as a remake that is heavily criticized. He will always be remembered for his tongue in cheek lines and his twisted ways to haunt and kill his victims.
1. Jason Voorhees – Friday The 13th
Jason the king of Camp Crystal Lake where are a young boy he drowned while the teenage camper counsellors were not paying attention. Even though Jason body count doesn’t start until Part Two and the hockey mask doesn’t appear until Part Three he haunts Camp Crystal Lake for nearly two decades.
Jason never says a word and his presence scares every teenager around, being able to survive seemingly every injury he gets he is by far the most destructive serial killer in horror.
Being in a grand total of ten films, even though the franchise has twelve films. He gets out of Crystal Lake a couple of times once to Manhattan and even ends up in future space. He also is another character on the list who got a remake and much like Freddy it was awful.
Honourable Mentions
- Ghost Face (Scream)
- Leprechaun
- Leather face (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
- Dracula
- Jobe (Lawnmower Man)
