The 5 Best & 5 Worst Horror Villains From Stand-Alone Movies
When you think of the best horror villains, the usual ones always come up, such as Michael Myers, Leatherface, The Xenomorph, etc. However, lists that include these characters have been done to death. In order to make things a little less predictable, the entries on this list are from standalone horror movies.
These films aren't part of any existing franchise and even having a sequel would disqualify them from this list. It’s time for other horror villains to get their turn in the spotlight, for better or for worse.
10 Best: David (The Guest)
While The Guest is mostly an action thriller, it’s very easy to see its horror roots and inspiration. It’s a brilliant mix of Halloween and The Terminator. What makes the film so relentlessly entertaining is Dan Stevens’s outlandish performance as David.
David is both creepy and charming at the same time. He can be polite but there’s always some hint of darkness behind his eyes. He may be seen as a deranged killer, but you then find out it’s due to his programming as a military test subject. He'll do everything in his power to help out the Peterson family, no matter who he has to kill in the process.
9 Worst: Jeremy Melton (Valentine)
To Valentine’s credit, Jeremy Melton’s cherub mask is actually kind of creepy. Aside from that, there’s nothing memorable in this stale post-Scream slasher flick. The worst thing about Jeremy being the killer is how it doesn’t make any sense.
The film hints that Jeremy got plastic surgery as an adult, which turns out to be true. At the very end, it’s revealed that Adam is Jeremy. Therefore, Jeremy had so much plastic surgery that he was able to look like David Boreanaz. Whatever you say, Valentine.
8 Best: The Man (Hush)
The cold-blooded killer in Mike Flanagan’s Hush is never given a name, backstory, or motivation, all of which adds to his terrifying nature. John Gallagher Jr. gives a chilling performance all around, especially with his blank stare.
One of his more sinister moments in the film is his unmasking, showing he doesn’t care if she sees his face. He isn’t just content with killing Maddie. His whole plan that night is to torture her psyche until her fear gives in. This makes him even more disturbing all around. The hunt is his true catharsis.
7 Worst: Slender Man (Slender Man)
It's actually quite shocking that it took a studio this long to hone in on the Slender Man craze. 2018's Slender Man is a prime example of why creepypastas should just stay on the internet. Slender Man works as an internet urban legend, but many felt it should've never been put to screen.
Aside from the fact that many viewers thought the movie was awful from start to finish, the actual reveal of Slender Man was also disappointing. There's nothing scary to see here, just a poorly animated CGI monster. The general concensus was that this was a blatant cash grab to profit off an internet phenomenon.
6 Best: The Entity (It Follows)
In the clever horror allegory, It Follows, an unknown entity is transmitted from person to person through sex. What makes The Entity get under your skin is the fact that it can approach you in the form of anyone, even someone you know.
Throughout the film, you’re never actually sure if The Entity is lurking in the background, causing the characters, and by extension the viewer, a constant sense of paranoia. What The Entity represents is intentionally open to interpretation. Some say it’s STDs, while others believe it shows the inescapable reality of growing up.
5 Worst: Santa (Santa’s Slay)
Santa’s Slay stars former WCW wrestler Bill Goldberg as Santa, only this time, jolly ole Saint Nick is revealed to be a demon that was only giving presents every year due to a bet he lost to an angel.
Now that his punishment is over, he’s able to go back to his murderous ways during the most wonderful time of the year. There is definitely some fun to be had with this horror-comedy, but that doesn't make it any less terrible. You do have to respect Goldberg’s commitment to the role, though, as it's obvious he’s having a blast.
4 Best: Red (Us)
In Jordan Peele's Us, Red is an interesting villain since you’re actually not sure if you can call her the antagonist by the end. It’s revealed that Red was, in fact, the real Adelaide after she was attacked and switched. The tether Adelaide had knocked out the real Adelaide, allowing the tether to pretend to be her for years to come.
This causes you to look at the film in a whole new light. Red had her life completely stripped away from her. This caused her to lead an uprising of doppelgängers to effectively take over the world, which is what happens by the end.
3 Worst: Horny The Clown (Drive-Thru)
In Drive-Thru, teens are killed off one by one by Horny The Clown (Yes, that’s his actual name). Horny’s costume is meant to be a mascot for the town’s local fast-food joint Hella Burger. If there are any killer food puns you can think of, Horny most likely said it in this awful (but still amusing) slasher flick.
Horny is revealed to have been Archie Benjamin, who was accidentally killed by some classmates. Years later, he comes back from the dead to murder the children of everyone involved in that prank. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. It’s essentially the same backstory as Freddy Kreuger, with a few minor differences.
2 Best: Annie Wilkes (Misery)
Stephen King has said that Annie Wilkes is his favorite character that he’s written and it’s easy to see why. On the surface, Annie just seems like an obsessive fan who took things too far, which she is, of course, but there’s much more to her than that.
Annie develops empathy throughout Misery. It’s clear that she has a ton of demons she’s hiding and the Misery books were a way for her to cope with that. After she finds out Misery gets killed, it’s almost as if she’s lost a loved one. Motivation aside, she’s still one of the most unsettling characters in the horror genre. In seconds, she could go from a sweet and tender to downright insane. Kudos to Kathy Bates for giving us one of the best villains in all of cinema.
1 Worst: Charles And Mary Brady (Sleepwalkers)
There's a certain level of creepiness that a horror villain must maintain. However, you generally don't want to jump into "ew" territory, like Charles and Mary Brady do in Sleepwalkers. Somehow, this film was written by the master of horror, Stephen King.
Charles and Mary are a mother and son duo, but are actually shapeshifting creatures in disguise. To add to the gross factor, they're also extremely incestuous and need to feed on virgins. Admittedly, this film is a joy to watch and it's often overlooked in the "so bad it's good" conversation of horror films.
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