In the ‘spirit’ of Halloween this month we are going to be featuring some lists with a Halloween theme.  October is a great month for watching plenty of horror movies leading up to Halloween.  Here is a list of the top 10 scariest horror movie characters/villains/killers.

#10 Jack  Torrance

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…” – Jack Torrance

Jack Torrance is probably the least well know horror movie character in this list. He is the fictional character  in the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King. He was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 movie adaptation of the novel.  Jack was a writer and a redeemed alcoholic who lived with his wife Wendy and his son Danny, who wields a special psychic power known as the Shinning. Jack eventually got possessed by a demonic spirit.

#9 Pinhead

“I’ll tear your soul apart” – Pinhead

Pinhead is a fictional character from the Hellraiser series.  Pinhead was created by Clive Barker and portrayed by Doug Bradley.  Pinhead was originally a Captain during World War I, but believed he didn’t deserve to live after watching so many men die he turned to Black Magic and Satanism. Unlike many of these notable horror icons Pinhead does speak, and kills only because he feels summoned to do so. He believes in torture and his weapon of choice is usually some type of hooks and chains. He also has considerable magic skills.

#8 Hannibal Lecter

“I ate his liver with fava beans and a nice chianti” – Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter, M.D., is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.  He is known to be a brilliant psychiatrist who spends his time writing for medical journals whilst in prison.  In 1991, Anthony Hopkins won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the character in The Silence of the Lambs.  Hannibal’s choice for killing a person is cannibalism and torture.  Hannibal Lector is described in the novels as having small white teeth and dark, slicked-back hair with a widow’s peak.

#7 Jigsaw

“Live or die, make your choice.” – Jigsaw

John Kramer, commonly referred to as Jigsaw, first appeared in the 2004 movie ‘Saw’.  He is the most recent scariest villain on this list.  Jigsaw is portrayed by Tobin Bell.  Jigsaw is seen as more of a scientist than your average serial killer.  He kills people unconventionally by placing them in symbolic death traps which they can escape from via self-mutilation and other forms of psychological and physical torture. The tests were typically symbolic of what Jigsaw perceived as a flaw in each person’s moral character or life.

#6 Leatherface

Who will survive and what will be left of them? – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tagline

Leatherface  is the main character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror movie series.  Leatherface first appeared in the first film in the series (1974).  He wears masks made of human skin (hence his name) and engages in murder and cannibalism alongside his inbred family. His weapon of choice is a chain saw, and sometimes a sledgehammer.

#5 Chucky

“Hi I’m Chucky, wanna play?” – Chucky

Chucky is the main character (he is a doll) in the Childs Play series.  Serial killer and voodoo practitioner Charles Lee “Chucky” Ray (Brad Dourif), is shot and mortally wounded, and hides in a toy store. Before dying, he finds boxes of talking “Good Guy” dolls, and uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into one of them. The doll is found by a homeless peddler, and sold to Karen Barclay, who gives him to her son Andy as a birthday gift.  He spends a lot of time trying to transfer back into a human and killing a lot of people with anything weapon he can get his hands on.

#4  Jason Voorhees

Fridays will never be the same again. – Friday the 13^th  tagline

Jason is the fictional character from the ‘Friday the 13^th’ movie series.  He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980).  The character has been represented by numerous actors and stuntmen, sometimes by more than one at a time. Jason’s physical appearance has gone through many transformations, with various special makeup effects artists making their mark on the character’s design.  The trademark hockey goalie mask did not appear until Friday the 13th Part III.  Since Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, filmmakers have given Jason superhuman strength, regenerative powers, and near invulnerability

#3 Freddy Krueger

“1,2 Freddy’s coming for you! 3,4 You better lock your door! 5,6 Grab your crucifix! 7,8 Better stay up late! 9,10 Never sleep again!” – Freddy Krueger

Freddy Krueger is the main fictional character in the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ movies.  He was created by Wes Craven and portrayed in the movies by Robert England.  Freddy attacks people in their dreams, thus killing them in their sleep.  He is recognizable by his face scarred by burns, his stripped shirt and metal glove that has sharp razors extending from the fingers.  He uses his gloved hand to slash his victims and has super natural force.

#2 Pennywise

“I’m every nightmare you’ve ever had. I’m your worst dream come true. I’m everything you ever were afraid of.” – Pennywise

This clown was originally created by Stephen King in his 1986 horror novel “It”.   In 1990 “It” was made into a TV movie.  “It” primarily appears in the form of a sadistic, wisecracking clown called “Pennywise the Dancing Clown” in order to attract it’s preferred prey of young children.  Tim Curry plays Pennywise in the movie.

#1 Michael Myers

The Night HE Came Home – Halloween tagline

The scariest of all horror movie characters is Michael Myers.  He first appeared in John Carpenters Halloween (1978).  He is the fictional character from the Halloween movies.  Michael Myers usually commits his murders on Halloween.  He also prefers to use knives and scalpels rather than guns.  Michael doesn’t say anything and has a methodical demeanor, usually walking after his victims.  He is considered by many as being the first “slasher villain”.