The horror movie genre is incredibly lucrative and successful and is regarded as perhaps the seventh highest-grossing genre in the movie industry. Many successful horror movies are still well-known and beloved by many fans across different generations. Several elements make a classic horror movie a hit, from a compelling storyline, relatable protagonists, to the dangerous yet fun-to-watch villain. Check out this list of some of the scariest and most nightmarish horror movie villains to ever grace your screen:

 

• Pennywise

 

Older horror moviegoers were first introduced to Pennywise in ‘It,’ the movie adaptation of one of Stephen King’s best horror novels. But he grew more popular in the 2017 remake of the classic horror movie. What exactly made this antagonist extremely terrifying in both movies? 

Pennywise was known to come out of the sewers to prey on the children of Derry, Maine, every 27 years. Perhaps one of his most distinct features was his bone-chilling and twisted smile or his lack of emotions that caused him to feed on innocent kids to curb his hunger for human flesh. 

The other freaky thing about this clown was that he fed on children’s fears, which made them extremely vulnerable, as everyone naturally has fears. Plus, he always knew where to find his victim and shapeshift into the form of his victim’s fear. But the worst thing about Pennywise is that only the children of Derry were capable of seeing him and not the adults. That’s because children are much easier to scare and manipulate. Pennywise is so powerful that he can choose to show himself to one person in a crowded room and the others wouldn’t see! He is one of the most iconic villains out there.

 

• The Jigsaw Killer

 

The Saw franchise took the first decade of the 2000s by storm with its twisted plots, and the traps in Saw gave an element of surprise that always left moviegoers shocked to the core. Audiences first watched Jigsaw in the franchise’s first film in 2004, and he immediately became a hit. After a series of traumatic events, he was a former engineer who became a deluded serial killer determined to teach his victims about the value of life by creating deadly traps and puzzles and using his puppet to intimidate his victims. 

Although many people consider the Saw franchise scary, it can also be regarded as a psychological thriller, which causes many people to think about how they would survive in such dangerous situations. After ending in 2010, the franchise returned for its 8th installment: Jigsaw in 2017, an origin story for one of the most popular villains in horror movie history.

 

• Freddie Krueger

 

What do you think of when you hear Freddie Krueger? Is it his signature sweater, charred face, claws, or ability to kill you in your dreams? It’s probably all of the above. But one of the scariest things about this great horror movie villain is that he can kill you in your dreams. Insomnia is starting to look pretty good now. Another scary thing worth noting is that once he targets you, and no matter how many times you escape, he will still find a way back into your dreams. The sad thing is that when you land in his nightmare, there’s no one to help you. 

So, there you have it! Some of the scariest villains have terrified horror movie fans over the years. Check out some more villains and some of the most successful horror movies ever produced.