10 Horror Movie Characters That Will Chill You To the Bone

The horror genre doesn’t hold back when it comes to chilling, evil characters. Some are what nightmares are made of, and others are based on real-life monsters. Serial killers, supernatural entities, demonic creatures — horror films have the whole lot. 

Want to sink your teeth into a spooky movie with a frightful lead character? Find out all the creepiest, scariest horror movie characters right here in this article. 

10 Most Chilling Horror Movie Characters

Here’s a round-up of the spookiest, creepiest, most chilling horror movie characters in cinematic history: 

1. Jason Voorhees – Friday the 13th (1980)

• Available To Stream On: Apple TV, Google TV 
• Director(s): Sean S. Cunningham
• Cast: Betsy Palmer, Kevin Bacon, Adrienne King

A hockey mask and a machete: Jason’s haunting, distinguishable image is etched into all our minds. He’s silent, hulking, and can’t be stopped. His legend goes back to childhood trauma, and vengeance is the fuel to this killing machine. 

2. Norman Bates – Psycho (1960)

• Available To Stream On: Paramount+, Apple TV
• Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
• Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles

One minute you get Norman Bates, a charming and humble motel owner, and the next you get his alter ego. He’s a psychological fever dream that channels his mother as a murderous persona. 

3. Hannibal Lecter – The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

• Available To Stream On: Stan, Prime Video, Apple TV
• Director(s): Jonathan Demme
• Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Ted Levine

Hannibal Lecter — he’s got an insatiable taste for a very particular delicacy: human flesh. Cannibalism never looked so good!

4. Count Dracula – Dracula (1931)

• Available To Stream On: Apple TV
• Director(s): Tod Browning
• Cast: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler

Count Dracula is seductive, eerily charming, and bears a shadowy presence. And, only one thing quenches his thirst: human blood. He’s based on the classic blood-sucking vampire crafted by Bram Stoker; Count Dracula is an archetypal mythical creature.

5. Pennywise – It (2017)

• Available To Stream On: Netflix, Prime Video
• Director(s): Andy Muschietti
• Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard

Stay well away from Pennywise, a twisted, shapeshifting, demonic clown entity that feeds off of fear. The most chilling thing about him is that he’s got a craving for kids. It’s safe to say Pennywise is what children’s nightmares are made of.

6. The Babadook – The Babadook (2014)

• Available To Stream On: Foxtel Now, Prime Video, Paramount+, Shudder, ABC iView, SBS On Demand
• Director(s): Jennifer Kent
• Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman

The Babadook: it lurks in the shadows and slowly torments your mind until you break. It’s a representation of grief and mental illness, making The Babadook deeply symbolic, yet equally terrifying.

7. Michael Myers – Halloween (1978)

• Available To Stream On: Stan, Prime Video Store
• Director(s): John Carpenter
• Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence

Mix together an emotionless, uncanny mask, a silent demeanour, and pure evil, and you’ll get Michael Myers. The scariest thing about Myers is that he stalks and kills without any motive, so no one’s safe.

8. Annie Wilkes – Misery (1990)

• Available To Stream On: Prime Video, Apple TV
• Director(s): Rob Reiner
• Cast: Kathy Bates, James Caan

She might seem like a sweet, innocent nurse, but Annie Wilkes is harbouring a psychotic obsession with her fave author. It’s safe to say she’s the ultimate fan girl.

9.  Freddy Krueger – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

• Available To Stream On: Apple TV, Prime Video Store
• Director(s): Wes Craven
• Cast: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp

Imagine a nightmare that actually kills you? Well, that’s exactly what Freddy Krueger is. His mortifying, burnt face and knife-fingered glove invade your dreams. And, if he gets a chance to strike, he’ll end your life — so much for ‘it’s only a bad dream’!

10. Jack Torrance – The Shining (1980)

• Available To Stream On: Apple TV, Prime Video Store
• Director(s): Stanley Kubrick
• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

After being secluded in a haunted hotel, Jack Torrence is a writer turned mad. He shows how a descent into madness can bring out a monster and spark evil.

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