The Top 35 Slasher Villains of All Time, Ranked

Slasher villains in horror movies Back to 1960, although the slasher horror genre didn’t exist under that name until the 1970s. The earliest movie that many consider to be the grandfather of slasher movies was the Alfred Hitchcock horror movie PsychoBut it wasn’t until the 70s that Movies like Black Christmas And Halloween Created the genre. One of the key elements to a successful entry in the genre is a truly great slasher villain.

Slasher villains are those who mercilessly hunt down the victims of the story, generating scares and collecting high body counts. As with the slasher genre itself, the villains can be seen in a variety of different ways. There are the classic masked killers, like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. There are the killers whose identity is left a mystery until the end. There are even some slasher villains that can also be considered horror movie monsters. However, only the best of the genre really stand out.

35

The collector

The Collector (2009)

While some see him as a lesser version of ​​Jigsaw of the Saw Movies, the collector has still amassed a lot of fans despite only appearing in a couple of low-budget movies. The Collector is a slasher villain whose motivation seems to be that he enjoys torturing and mutilating people.with his lack of reasoning adding to his creepiness.

The Collector wears a leather mask with only his troubled beady eyes showing below. However, he is not the typical kind of slasher villain who constantly attacks and overpowers his victims in one-on-one confrontations. Instead, he sets up traps and watches them painfully work their way through his sadistic maze. He is another villain who has little to say and even his presence is not as noticeable. However, the pain he inflicts on his targets for the sheer thrill of it makes him a memorable addition to the genre.

34

John Carver

Thanksgiving (2023)

Setting slasher movies around the holidays has been a staple of the genre for years and something Eli Roth poked fun at with a fake Thanksgiving trailer he made for Greenhouse. But, how MacheteThe fraud Thanksgiving The trailer eventually grew to the point where Roth decided it deserved to be a feature-length movie of its own, complete with its own slasher movie villain. Appropriate for the holiday in question, the killer wears a John Carver mask and a pilgrim costume while wielding an axe.

John Carver makes a memorable and more recent addition to the long history of slasher villains and draws from many of the genre’s iconic villains. He’s somewhere between a throwback homage and a fun new take on the trope. The costume is amusing, but the movie isn’t as goofy as the original Death proof Fake trailer suggested. He is a formidable killer who scores a number of memorable kills.

33

The urban legend killer

Urban Legend (1998)

Part of what makes a slasher villain memorable is the gimmick they use in dispatching their victims. The Urban Legend Killer takes one of the most unique and exciting approaches as they target people in ways that are based on famous urban legends. This includes memorable sequences like a killer hiding in the back seat of a car and another based on the supposed lethal combination of pop rocks and soda.

While the gimmick is stretched a bit thin even over the course of the first movie, it provides some great moments and a fresh take on one of the most underrated post-scream Slasher movies. The killer is also memorable with the hooded figure reminiscent of the ominous figure from John Carpenter’s iconic poster The thing. It also lends itself well to another slasher villain whose identity is kept a secret until the third act reveal.

32

Johnny

In a violent nature (2024)

In a violent nature is another recent slasher movie, and the Canadian horror movie finds an innovative new approach to the typical slasher villain concept. Johnny is a throwback to classic stripped-down and gritty slasher movie villains with Jason Voorhees being the most obvious reference point. He is a ruthless and relentless force of nature who rises from the dead to find his mother’s stolen necklace and kill anyone he comes across.

Although the premise behind Johnny is relatively straightforward and the idea of ​​him chasing victims through the woods is nothing new to the genre, In a violent nature does something that no other slasher movie has done with its villain, which is to tell the movie from their perspective. The movie follows Johnny as he rises from the pit and sets out on his bloody mission. It makes for an intriguing look at such a brutal character who is responsible for some of the most shocking horror movie deaths in recent memory.

31

Death

Final Destination (2000)

Death may be a controversial choice for a slasher villain, but it fits all the tropes and aspects of a typical slasher villain, with the only exception being that it’s a villain the audience never actually sees. However, instead of detracting from this collection, it only reinforces that Death is a stand-out example of such characters. The commitment of the final destination Kino is that a group of people manage to escape certain death only to be stalked by death itself so it cannot be cheated.

With no physical appearance in the movie, Death still manages to have a presence that he always felt. It is the ominous threat that it can strike at any moment with death setting up elaborate scenarios to take out its victims in cruel ways. This smart approach makes the final destination Movies some of the most entertaining when it comes to inventive kills.

30

Mr. Slausen

Tourist Trap (1979)

A lesser known early slasher, Tourist trap is a strangely charming, or perhaps just charmingly strange take on the classic setup. Mr. Slausen runs the titular tourist trap that the film’s insecure and soon-to-be-dead young people stumble into. And appear as a benevolent and popular presence who only wants to protect the children from his evil brother. But it turns out that Slausen has no brother, and he was playing with his victims all the time.

Nevertheless, the charm of actor Chuck Connors (Lucas McCain of The rifleman) shines through, even if his sad backstory is likely all a lie. The movie shares an inspiration with more surreal projects by directors like Alejandro Jodorowsky (Al Topo) and Luis Buñuel (and Chien Andalu). This was also Ann Early attempts to make the slasher villain supernatural, such as Mr. Slausen having psychokinetic powers. The movie was a cult favorite but was never big enough for a sequel.

29

Billy

Black Christmas (1974)

Billy may be one of the most significant killers In the development of the horror genre. Black Christmas Served as a source of inspiration for John Carpenter’s Halloween And everything that followed. It was the first slasher movie for many, especially if they don’t count Psycho As part of the genre. However, what keeps Billy from matching up with other slasher killers is that he is never actually seen in the original movie, adding to the sense of unease. He is mostly only heard through the rude phone calls he makes to the victims.

Whatever Billy’s exact hangups are, they seem deeply rooted in misogyny, and what little the audience knows makes him disturbing. The villain of the movie slasher is also iconic when he sets the table for the future antagonists who hide in houses, remain unseen and only come out when it is time to kill a new young victim. Billy was the precursor to Jason, Michael Myers, and many more to come.

28

The creeper

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Jeepers creepers is a slasher movie franchise that had an amazing first movie, but lackluster follow-ups since then. The killer in the movies was simply known as the Creeper, Ann Ancient demonic serial killer who goes on a rampage every 23 years and kills and eats people for 23 days. Unlike many slasher killers, the Creeper also blends in with the monster horror movie subgenre thanks to his appearance and supernatural powers, including flight and superhuman strength. The first two movies take place over 23 days and there were two other sequels.

What holds The Creeper down is its lack of memorable moments. The movie franchise was destined for greatness when Victor Salva directed the first movie, but he put the series on hold after the first sequel due to outside reasons, and when he returned to it in 2017, most people had forgotten about the Creeper, so Whatever magic the monster once had is lost forever.

27

Gabriel

Malignant (2021)

Gabriel is one of Hollywood’s newest slasher villains, the killer of Malignant. The movie itself is about a woman named Madison Mitchell, who finds herself haunted by nightmares and real-life murders that seem to paint her as the killer without her understanding what’s going on. The big twist here is that Gabriel is unlike almost any other slasher killer. He is Madison’s parasitic twin, conjoined in the brain, who is left to die after separating from Madison.

However, he not only survived but was able to get Madison to kill for him, trying to eventually get to their mother as well. This was one of the most creative slasher villains in any horror movie, with the connotations and background trauma that goes along with its creation. There is always a good chance that he could return, although it may lack some of the creativity of the first movie since his origin is now known. Even so, with 48 kills in one movieGabriel has a high kill count even if Malignant 2 Never happens.

26

Maniac Cop, by Matt Cordell

Maniac Cup (1988)

In the original Maniac Cap, Matt Cordell is an NYPD officer who is imprisoned, mutilated in an attack by inmates, and then left for dead.. So, naturally, he’s more than a little revenge himself, and it’s easy to see what his motivation for his rampage is. However, one of the reasons Cordell was put in prison in the first place was police brutality, which His behavior as a destructive villain Seems to confirm quite emphatically.

He can only take revenge against those who have wronged him, but instead attacks people seemingly at random at times, striking fear into the heart of the city he has sworn to protect. There were three movies in the Maniac Cap franchise, but the first movie (starring Tom Atkins and Bruce Campbell) remains A true cult classic and showcase everything that is great about this iconic slasher villain. The rest of the franchise has him as an undead monster, which lessens the effect.

25

The Miner, or Harry Warden and Axel Palmer

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

of my bloody valentine, The minor doesn’t actually appear as often as most slasher villains doBeing the antagonist of only two movies (including the remake), But he makes a big impression in both the films. He has become popular enough in recent years to join the pantheon of slasher villains along with greats like Michael and Jason. Unfortunately, however, he doesn’t have much personality beyond the effectively simple costume, as his identity is deliberately kept mysterious.

The motivations of the original killer, Harry Warden, and the copycat killer, Axel Palmer, mostly make them seem spiteful and jealous, but deadly. The first movie was a mostly low-budget slasher movie and Gained an infamous reputation when it took several cuts to achieve an R-rating during the Video Nasties era.. The remake was a bigger budget movie with the gimmick of being in 3D, but it also had a better cast, with Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) and Jaime King.

24

Pamela Voorhees

Friday the 13th (1980)

One of the all-time great horror movie trivia questions is “Who is the killer in the original Friday the 13th?“That’s because a lot of people assume it’s Jason Voorhees but as all big slasher fans know, The The killer in the first movie is actually Jason’s mother, Pamela. Considering that her motivation is revenge for the death of her son, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the counselors, she has always been viewed in a slightly more sympathetic light than most slasher villains.

However, the people that she takes her anger on did not have anything to do with him, however In her opinion, it is all justified after what she lost. The rest of the franchise passed to her son, Jason Voorhees, who, it turned out, survived his childhood drowning incident. Although he remains the most iconic slasher villain of the franchise, it’s easy to remember why the first movie was considered the best in the series, and much of that is thanks to a more human killer in Pamela Voorhees.

23

The tall man

Phantasm (1979)

The Tall Man is another slasher villain that teeters on the edge of other horror subgenres, especially with his demonic status. He is the main villain in the US Phantasm Movies and is a very imposing figure. He stands as one of the greatest horror villains in cinema, however He also uses small sentry spheres that fly through the air and drag the victims with blades.

He’s also mostly immortal, a Civil War scientist who can travel through time and space with a machine he created.And his travels turn him into an evil entity that travels to different cities, killing everyone there, so he can turn them into his zombie minions. He appeared in five movies, and although the supernatural elements of his time travel confused the story somewhat in the later movies, the original look at the towering giant slasher killer hunting down children to kill remains one of the most terrifying moments of the late 1970s s.

22

Victor Crowley

Hatchet (2007)

In 2007, Adam Green created his Hatchet Slasher horror series. The movie was a throwback to the slashers of the 80sAnd Greene was able to really play into that by casting Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees) as the slasher villain Victor Crowley, Tony Todd (Candy) as Reverend Zombie, and Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) as Sampson. Fortunately, Green was smart enough to make the movie worthy of all-time horror icons, and it ended up as a cult classic.

Green directed two of the three sequels Hatchetwith Crowley stalks the swamps of New Orleans, killing anyone who dares enter his domain. What really makes these Hatchet series, and Victor Crowley in particular, so memorable is that Adam Green is a true fan of classic slasher movies, and the respect that he pays not only his killer, but the story and the actors he brought into his world show through. While the sequels after Green are lacking, Crowley remains a great slasher villain.

21

Blissfield Butcher

Freaky (2020)

The 2020 slasher movie Freaky was a mishmash of genres. It was a typical slasher movie where the Blissfield Butcher is killing people in a small town. however, The other half is a body-swap movie like the comedy Freaky FridayBut this time With the Blissfield Butcher and a high school girl named Millie switching bodies. It ends up being a lot of fun, with Vince Vaughn playing the serial killer and then playing the confused high school student, while Kathryn Newton is able to switch easily between her high school persona and her imitation of Vaughn’s mannerisms.

Unfortunately, the butcher died, so there won’t be another Freaky Without a different slasher killer. With that said, the idea of ​​the Freaky Friday A string to the slasher movie genre may warrant another look at the story with a different killer. It might be hard to really capture lightning in a bottle twice with Netwon and Vaughn being so masterful in their portrayals of the killer, but that’s not to say it can’t be done with new actors giving it a try.

20

Angela Baker

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Angela Baker has gone down in history as one of the most infamous slasher villains in movie history after the first one Slipaway camp. At first, the 1983 slasher movie seemed like a generic copy of Friday the 13thWith kids at a summer camp killed by a mysterious villain. Throughout most of the movie, Angela looks like one of the unfortunate victims running for her life. This turned out to be a strain, because Angela was the killer’s killer With the twist that she was born a boy but raised as a girl by parents who wanted a daughter instead of a son.

The movie remains problematic with the transphobic and homophobic implications surrounding the final twist. However, Angela is still a favorite slasher Icon that appeared in four films in the series and the first movie in the series remains one that slasher movie fans revisit often. While it is bordering on offense in the same way as you look back on Silence of the lambs It’s also more of a campy splatterfest that doesn’t take itself seriously enough to deserve the depth of a look.

19

Mick Taylor

Wolf Creek (2005)

The 2005 Australian slasher movie Wolf Creek is based on a true story of the backpacker murders in the 1990s. In this movie, three backpackers in Australia end up Captured and then hunted down by the evil Mick Taylor. What makes Mick such an intriguing slasher villain is his nihilistic worldview.

As he tells his victims, it is his job to wipe out the weak in society and that is the only reason he has to kill his victims.. Unlike other slasher villains in movies who torture pasts and kill almost nonchalantly, Mick is sadistic and bloodthirsty and does it almost for sport.

Mick enjoys killing tourists and feels that it is his right since he is the dominant of his species, and he is just wiping out those who do not match. Although this is a common idea to accept, it makes him such a different slasher villain than others who are killed for much more abstract reasons. Mick Taylor is just a bad guy who loves what he does, and that makes him very dangerous. Mick Taylor survived the first movie and returned in a sequel and TV series, and he wins in every version of his story.

18

Frank Zito

Maniac (2013)

Maniac is one of the hardest slasher movies to watch for many viewers. That’s because the entire movie is shot from the point of view of the slasher killer, Frank Zito. He is only shown on screen when he is looking in a mirror (And that’s when viewers see that he’s being played by Elijah Woods). Frank took over his family’s restoration business after his mother died, but he also deals with trauma from his childhood when his mother, a prostitute, forced him to watch her engage in sexual acts with various men.

By forcing viewers to watch the murders from the slasher’s point of view, it creates a disturbing experience that is hard to forget. The movie is actually A remake of a 1980 slasher movie starring Joe Spinell and directed by William LustigWho was going to produce the remake in 2012. The original was released unrated in 1080, although it was never labeled as a video nasty. It also didn’t play into the killer’s first-person POV, which actually made the later version of Zito even more terrifying.

17

The digger

The Black Phone (2022)

Ethan Hawke has been a big part of the recent horror renaissance. He appeared as a victim in one of the scariest horror movies of the century Evil and in Black phoneHawke took on the role of a slasher villain who kidnaps and kills children. The movie is based on a story by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, and Focuses on a boy the Grabber abducts who starts getting phone calls from the spirit From a former victim. The former victim then sets out to help the new boy escape the clutches of the grabber.

While his backstory was never fleshed out, he killed five boys before catching Finney, and between his mask and his personality, he was one of the most memorable modern-day slashers. with Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) in the director’s chair, he was able to really make Ethan Hawke’s Grabber into an iconic and scary villain. That he targets children makes him even scarier And even when the supernatural works against the slasher killer in the movie, it doesn’t take away from its status.

16

Leslie Vernon

Behind the Mask (2007)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was a 2006 horror movie that completely deconstructed the slasher genre as it was set up in two halves. The first half was a Mockumentary, with a film crew following slasher killer Leslie Vernon to create a documentary about how a slasher killer operates. Leslie shows them how things in houses always fail when a victim needs them and how a slasher can look like they’re going slow, but always catch up. Explaining the unexplained makes this movie one of the best slasher movies in the genre.

After this brilliant deconstruction, the movie switches to a regular slasher when Leslie lets the documentary crew know that they are his next targets. The fact that it goes from a mockumentary similar to a found footage movie to an actual straight up horror movie really shakes up the story and helps it rise to another level. Unfortunately, Leslie Vernon only appeared in one film, although he survived in the end – as another homage to old-school slasher movies.