Top 10 Scariest Horror Movie Villains of the 80's

The 80's were a great decade for the horror genre of movies. Some of the all-time classic characters were birthed in the 80's. Some of the cheesiest too, but maybe we'll save that for another list.

For this list we're gonna count down the characters that made us go home from the theatre, check under the bed, look in the closet, make sure all the doors and windows were locked and then after all that, still stay up all night hearing creaks and bumps.

So with no further adieu, turn down the lights and get a fresh pair of underwear out, because you're about ready to get the !*$@ scared out of you.

Honorable Mention

Gage Creed (Miko Hughes)

Pet Sematary (1989)

This kid was like the real-life Chucky. This is a case where they take something so innocent and benign as an adorable child and find a way to turn him into your worst nightmare.

To see a pre-schooler running around killing people is just surreal. Your senses just can't put the terrifying images together with the cute fuzzy feelings you should have when seeing such an adorable child.

What makes it even more creepy is the fact he is actually a child who has been run over and killed by a semi-truck, buried in a mysterious cemetery, and brought back to life by that same mysterious cemetery. Things that are dead shouldn't be walking and talking. Creepy!

#10

Rev. Henry Kane (Julian Beck)

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

What's scarier than taking a man who is supposed to be holy and making him evil? This guy still gives me the creeps to this day.

Julian Beck died while filming this movie after a two year battle with stomach cancer. Much of the gaunt haunting look of the character owes itself to the effects of the disease and the chemotherapy treatments.

#9

Christine (1958 Plymouth Fury)

Christine (1983)

Ok, imagine you're a movie producer and someone pitches you the idea for a movie about a demon possessed, jealous, murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury. Back in the early 80's (pre-Christine) the only kind of possessed car you could think of would have been Herbie the Love Bug, so you probably would have laughed them right out of your office.

Although it seemed like this idea was, at best, waaaay too campy and, at worst, downright failure waiting to happen, it worked like a charm. What Jaws did for sharks and beaches, Christine did for the '58 Plymouth Fury. I mean, they are beautiful classic cars, but I wouldn't be caught dead owning one. Well, actually that's the fear. I would be found dead after owning one. LOL

#8

Chucky (Brad Dourif)

Child's Play (1988)

Dolls, especially talking ones, always kinda spooked me in the first place. So what do they go and do? They basically take the "My Buddy" doll and turn him into a deranged serial-killer. Thanks guys. What's next, turning my Grandma into a horror movie villain?

A serial killer about to die uses a voodoo spell to make his soul jump into a doll. Then the doll is bought for a young boy and starts going on a murder spree. This was another idea, like Christine, which on it's face seemed pretty much laughable, but they made the character terrorizing.

The sequels were way over the top campy, but this first version of Chucky measured high on the creep-o-meter.

#7

Isaac Chroner (John Franklin)

Children of the Corn (1984)

Stephen King again creates a character that scares the bejesus out of us. This time he takes two things we would never usually think of as scary, a preacher and a kid and combines them to create a sociopathic cult leader.

John Franklin's voice is creepy enough as it is (he kind of sounds like South Park's Cartman), but in the video above they make him sound possessed while he's in a murderous rage.

#6

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson)

The Shining (1980)

"All work and no play make Jack a dull boy." Well, he was working alright. Working on scaring the living ass-candy out of us.

I think, besides the fact Jack Nicholson plays this character to maniacal perfection, what makes this character so spooky is that he is the father and husband. He's the one that is supposed to be protecting his family from danger and here he is causing that danger. Another great Stephen King character and movie.

#5

Pinhead (Doug Bradley)

Hellraiser (1987)

There aren't too many things more scary than a crazy looking dude with pins stuck all over his head, wanting to drag you to hell and rip your soul apart, is there?

This character actually didn't have a name in the original Hellraiser movie. He was simply credited as "Lead Cenobite". However, fans of the movie began referring to him as Pinhead and the name stuck (no pun intended). Bradley was credited thereafter in the movie as Pinhead.

#4

The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm)

Phantasm (1979)

Although this movie came out in 1979, it also had a sequel in 1988. Therefore, The Tall Man makes this list.

Seeing this movie as a 10 year old probably warped me in ways I'll never know. All I remember is it scared the hell out of me. It so got into my head, I've never gathered up enough courage to watch it again. I don't think I will either.

#3

Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Freddy and the next two on this list are what I consider the unholy trinity of 80's horror.

So now we can't even go to sleep and get away from the monsters. The only way to stay away from Freddy was to stay awake. Freddy was the ultimate nightmare. A nightmare that whatever happened to you in your dreams, killed you in real life.

Freddy was said to be the "son of 100 maniacs", because his mother had been raped in a mental institution by 100 of the inmates. He was a child murderer who had gotten off on technicalities, so the people of Elm Street tracked him down and burned him to death. Therefore, Freddy found a way to invade the dreams of people and carried out his revenge with nightmares that became reality.

#2

Jason Voorhees (various actors)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Here's the 2nd in the unholy trinity. I guess he's probably the one with the most movies too. I lost count way back at the 10 sequel. You just can't keep a hockey mask wearing maniac down, can you?

The hockey mask is scary enough, but when he takes it off, he's hideous. I understand why he wears the mask. I would too if I looked like that. This guy just kills for the hell of it. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. That makes him terrifying to me.

#1

Michael Myers (various actors)

Halloween (1978)

Boy, was that kid ever right. You can't kill the boogeyman. Michael Myers proved that over and over again in the Halloween movies. He is the final member of the unholy trinity of 80's horror flicks.

This movie, like Phantasm, came out in the late 70's, but it had sequels throughout the decade of the 80's. So, like The Tall Man, Michael Myers makes this list. Not only does he make the list but he's at the top of it.

Who would have ever thought William Shatner could be so scary. No that's not William Shatner playing Michael Myers, but that is a William Shatner mask he's wearing. It seems the budget was so minuscule for this movie they sent a guy out to buy the cheapest mask he could find. It just so happened to be a William Shatner mask. So they painted it white, teased out the hair and reshaped the eye holes. The rest is cinematic horror film history.

Well I hope you guys are happy. I won't sleep tonight. The things I do for my readers .

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger