Humanity is fascinated with monsters. We love zombies, ghosts, aliens, and humans gone bad. Due to this, there are a ton of horror movies where it is the villain that is truly the star of the show. They are as diverse as our collective fears and each has its own set of powers and backstories.
Weak monsters in horror do not exist because then they would not scare us. They are all-powerful beings, but who is the most powerful? In this list, we discuss twenty famous horror villain characters and rank them from least to most powerful.
Last updated October 14th, 2020 by Julian Beauvais: Horror films remain one of the favorite genres of movie fans, with viewers loving to give themselves a thrill and a possible heart attack with the jump scares and all-out gruesomeness of some of the most horrifying films out there.
Of course, when it comes to horror films, there are characters that have become synonymous with the genre and who spring to mind when discussing the scariest films you've ever seen. There are so many icons of on-screen horror, but which are the strongest? Take a look at these updated rankings of the brilliant bad guys out there.
Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of the Lambs
There’s nothing overtly powerful about a middle-aged psychopathic psychiatrist/serial killer, but Hannibal Lecter’s power lies less in his fists and more in his head. From the minute Anthony Hopkins entered his first frame of Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling was more than a little unsettled by his cold and calculating elocution, as was the audience.
Although Hannibal Lecter’s deeds were beyond abhorrent, it wasn’t that that contributed to his fearsome reputation. What kept audiences frozen to their seats was his ability to get inside their heads and terrify them from the inside out, as well as eluding confinement in prison.
Annie Wilkes - Misery
Speaking of psychopaths, there’s one cinematic character who would even give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money in the deranged department: Annie Wilkes, the villain of Misery. A serial killer obsessed with author Paul Sheldon, Wilkes nurses him back to health following a car accident that broke both his legs.
Unfortunately for Sheldon, she keeps him prisoner, subjecting him to all kinds of hellish physical and psychological tortures, as the unforgettable hobbling scene stands testament to. Wilkes’ power comes from Sheldon’s being completely helpless, drawing the audience into his own sense of impotence. When he finally launches his attack on her to free himself, the audience is literally cheering for his success, even though Wilkes remains close to indomitable.
Jigsaw - Saw Franchise
There’s nothing worse than feeling utterly helpless, unless it’s feeling utterly helpless in the face of impending doom and almost certain death. This is how a majority of the main characters of the Saw franchise feel, having been kidnapped and placed in horrendously torturous catch-22 situations by the sadistic Jigsaw.
Jigsaw’s power lies in his ability to render his victims completely incapable of defending themselves from his perverted traps, all the while projecting an air of moral superiority. This has been evident through the series on multiple occasions, from leaving a victim to saw their own foot off to affixing their jaws to a reverse bear trap. Whatever the horrific scenario, Jigsaw's influence reaches beyond the grave, through the work of his protege.
Ghostface - Scream Franchise
Mimicking the visage of Edward Munich’s subject in the famous painting, The Scream, Ghostface is the white-masked serial killer of the Scream films. The “man-behind-the-mask” has been revealed as everyone from a teenage boy to his crazed forty-something mother, but what makes this villain particularly powerful is his legacy.Despite surviving assaults that would incapacitate or kill a normal human being, the succession of Ghostface killers draw their power from the mystique and mystery of the character. The fact that any psychopath with a grudge can pick up a "scream" mask and stalk their prey adds another layer of powerful allure to him.
Leatherface - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
This psychotic cannibal character is plain human. He is not even undead like a lot of the characters on this list. Due to that, his powers are pretty basic. He is fast, durable, and good with weapons. It is pretty amazing that he stands among so many horror icons and yet is so different in that he is not paranormal.
He is horrifying, and undoubtedly a monster, but not very powerful compared to the others on this list.
Michael - Halloween
Michael is a lot like Jason to the point where they even share the screen at one point. Unlike a lot of characters on this list, he is a monster while still a living human. That does make him incredibly scary, though. Later on, he does seem to come back from the dead many times, so he becomes more paranormal later.
What makes him very different from others on this list is that it is debatable whether he has superpowers. A lot of the time, he just seems like a crazy man with some major pain tolerance. That can honestly go a long way though.
Pazuzu - The Exorcist
Though at one point it claims to be the devil himself, the demon that possesses Regan in The Exorcist is actually revealed to be Pazuzu. This powerful demon is capable of supernatural powers, incredible strength, poltergeist activity, and can take on other forms, such as a swarm of locusts as shown in The Exorcist 2.
Pazuzu seemingly cannot be defeated and is only ousted from its hosts or perhaps even sent back to hell; regardless, the demon reappears in various sequels and is never truly destroyed.
Pinhead - Hellraiser
Pinhead is one of the most iconic horror characters out there and has featured throughout the many Hellraiser films that have been released. The leader of the Cenobites, Pinhead is extremely powerful, not only being able to kill people in gruesome ways in the real world but also being able to subject them to endless torments in hell, both physically and mentally.
The caveat here is that Pinhead can only gain access to the real world by someone opening the Lament Configuration, so for all his powers, he's largely not a threat as long as you don't go messing around with puzzle boxes.
Chucky - Child's Play
Chucky is a doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer. He has to be on this list since he is one of the most recognizable horror icons out there. His list of crimes is long and his powers include immortality, speed, stealth, voodoo magic, the ability to detach and reattach his limbs, and your typical murder skills such as combat proficiency, marksmanship, and a devilishly-high intellect.
However, he is not rated highly because he has had several failures in his goals. Though it is a mixed bag of successes as well. He has his ups and downs.
The Creeper - Jeepers Creepers
The Creeper is the main antagonist of the Jeepers Creepers franchise, a hellish bat-like humanoid creature that awakens every 23 years to kill humans and feed off their bodies. He also uses their bodies to rebuild his own.
This particular demonic nasty is shown to be physically strong, skilled in weaponry and booby-traps, and also can regenerate itself from the bodies of others. It seemingly can't be killed and instead will just go into a state of hibernation for another 23 years.
Freddy Krueger - A Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy has many adaptations so his powers often change a lot. He was once a dangerous man but became a paranormal monster after he was burned to death, so he kills children in their dreams.
A pretty interesting power indeed. The more he kills, the more powerful he gets to the point where he can blur the lines between dreams and reality. However, he does get defeated in various films. There is even a film where he and Jason from Friday the 13th fight, and Jason appears to be the closest thing to the winner at the end, though it's a pretty dramatic and prolonged fight, to say the least.
Jason - Friday The 13th
Like others on this list, Jason was once human, but he is still not one you would never want to meet. Despite his human origins, he has superhuman strength, regenerative abilities, and is near invulnerable. While he has often been the villain, though some adaptations make him more sympathetic.
While some of these villains target anyone unfortunate enough to come across them, Jason typically only those who are immoral.
Candyman - Candyman
The first Candyman film debuted in 1992 and went on to have two sequels in 1995 and 1999. A new sequel is set to release later this year, following on from the events of the first film. Candyman is an angry ghost who was murdered by a mob in the 19th century for having an interracial love affair. He was beaten, mutilated, and ultimately left to be stung to death by bees after having honey smeared all over his body.
Candyman now appears to anyone who says his name five times in the mirror, as well as seeking out any naysayers of his urban legend in order to kill them and further fuel his legacy. Candyman shows the ability to be able to hypnotize his victims, and has returned to life multiple times after being "destroyed".
Sadako - The Ring
Also known as Samara in its English adaptation, this paranormal girl is the subject of several films and novels. Each has their little differences, but they all share some commonality. She is the vengeful ghost of a physic little girl who was murdered by being thrown down a well. As a ghost, her revenge comes in the form of a video. The video works like a virus; after watching it, you will die in a week unless you show the video to another person.
While some may pity her due to being a murdered little girl, Sadako is unrelenting, unreasonable, and monstrous. She is avoidable, though; you just have to share her video around and be an overall bad person.
The Demon - Annabelle
Though the Annabelle doll first appeared in The Conjuring, it went on to have more than one spin-off movie, with Anabelle: Creation unveiling exactly how the doll came to be. A dollmaker made the doll for his daughter Annabelle, though she is more commonly referred to as her nickname of Bee. Unfortunately, Bee is killed when she is hit by a car.
Devastated by their loss, Bee's parents pray to see her again and their prayers are answered. Bee begins to reappear again in the house, but it is eventually discovered that it is not their daughter at all, but is instead a demon that is using the Annabelle doll as a host until it can find a living human host. The demon is unnaturally strong and is shown to be able to shape-shift, making it a particularly difficult foe to defeat.
Pennywise - IT
The main power of Pennywise is shape-shifting, and that is a very significant power. He also has no limitation to where he can appear. If you watch or re-watch the films, he is in the background of a lot of scenes. He is also a master of illusions and can possess others.
That is a lot of power, and it seems like he would be unbeatable. Despite those abilities, he is defeated by a ritual. So while he is powerful, he is not the most that this list has to offer.
The Monster - It Follows
This creature is a more recent addition to the list of film monsters in general. It is also pretty unusual in terms of what it is because we do not know. All we know is that it works like a sexually transmitted curse where you get followed by a paranormal creature disguised as a human. However, it only walks and only you can see it. That is very unsettling.
What makes it rank so highly is that we do not know if it gets defeated in the end. It has super strength and is an unstoppable and patient force. It just constantly hunts you until you are exhausted.
The Xenomorph - Alien
The alien is very different from a lot of the villains on this list, mostly from the fact that it is the most inhuman. It does not even have eyes to look into. It is a living creature that acts more like an unfeeling machine. It ranks high on the list because it is never defeated, it is only survived.
Its habitat is anywhere, cause it can survive anywhere. They are never in a form that is not merciless and horrifying. As babies, they are parasites that kill their hosts and they develop into giant killing machines.
Death - Final Destination
Though never seen physically in any of the franchise's films, Death, or the Grim Reaper as he is also referred to, is often spoken of as an individual in Final Destination. These references to Death as a being, and a vengeful one at that if his design is messed with, are largely made by the character William Bludworth, who is the one to inform the survivors of their chance to cheat Death.
Of course, Death is omnipresent and seemingly has limitless powers, which makes it particularly powerful as far as horror villains go. Though there have been occasions of characters successfully "cheating" death, their life is either not worth living as they are sheltered in a mental institute, or Death eventually catches up with them anyway.
Kayako - The Grudge
Killed by her husband, Kayako is a vengeful ghost who seeks to curse everyone unfortunate enough to meet her. What may be the scariest thing about her is that she succeeds in her merciless goals to torment and kill people. Her films do not have happy endings. She is undefeated, which makes her number one on this list.
She is also number one because her powers are insane. You cannot fight or escape her because she can warp reality itself. She can possess people, paralysis people, has super-speed, teleportation, regeneration, immortality, telepathy, and phasing. That is a lot of power and shows that nothing can save you if you get in her way.