In most movies, when the protagonist finally offs the villain, they usually stay dead. In the world of horror movies, when the protagonist gets around to killing the villain, they usually shake death off and go right back to hunting down unsuspecting teens.
Horror villains have become the stuff of legend in Hollywood. Ranging from supernatural beings, deranged serial killers, and otherworldly beings, iconic horror villains always seem to die in over-the-top ways... and then rise from the grave no matter how many times they bite the big one to many fans joy and horror.
Jigsaw
Sometimes, it's hard to truly kill an idea. Fans of the Saw franchise know all about the likes of John Kramer, Jigsaw, the serial killer who brought tons of gore, brutal torture scenes, and terror to the big screen. Although John Kramers been dead since the third movie, Jigsaw still lives on.
For years after Kramer's death, his voice, name, and Billy doll were used by many pretenders, disciples, and apprentices to keep the brutal legacy of Kramer alive. Even when one apprentice died, there always seemed to be five others ready to take his place and the mantel of Jigsaw.
Bruce The Shark
Like with Jigsaw, the title of a villain can be transferred over thanks to the magic of cinema. As such, the more that happens, the more likely it is for the villain, like Bruce the Shark from Jaws to keep on swimming.
No matter what seems to happen, from being blown to pieces to electrocuted, a giant shark always returns to terrorize Amity Beach or the Brody family. With four sharks dead, it's only a matter of time before another rises from the deep and claims the title of Bruce and Jaws.
Xenomorphs
There are times when an alien horror species really should stay dead. For eight movies, the Xenomorphs, the horrifying Alien race from the iconic films have hunted down and killed explorers. While the first few times made sense, the times after a little less so.
Thanks to either plot convenience or Predators, the Xenomorphs have a nasty habit of coming back from the dead despite their planet being nuked. From spin-offs, prequels, an upcoming tv show, and disappointing sequels, the Xenomorphs will keep on causing screams to pop up in the depths of space.
Dracula
In the modern age of Hollywood, reboots and remakes are a franchise's best friend. For the likes of a legendary monster like the vampire Dracula, his legacy is long-reaching and never-ending as the undead monster never seems to die no matter what franchise he's a part of.
From the classic Universal monster series that saw him rise from the grave time again, the remakes with Christopher Lee that allowed him to live again, and a movie like Dracula 2000 has made it clear that Dracula is a horror villain that will never die as long as there's a Hollywood.
Samara
While most horror villains have franchises that have dozens of movies in them, there are somewhere the monsters only have a few, like Samara. The freaky TV ghost girl from The Ring American series based on the Asian horror movies, Samara has been bested a few times now and yet, never seems to be willing to stay down.
Given peace in the first movie, stuck in a well in the second and supposedly killing her abuser in Rings, Samara keeps coming back to haunt people for 'seven days" before offing the protagonists. If anything, it makes Samara an annoying foe, with no real weakness or end in sight.
Leprechaun
Plenty of horror villains have died more than once over the course of their franchises. Some have become icons for sure while others are seen as absolute jokes. While the titular Leprechaun is a goofy, maniacal villain who's seen as more of a joke than an icon, he's died just as many times as the big wigs and still come back.
From Vegas to the hood and even outer space, the Leprechaun's seen it all and then some. Blowing up, getting sent back to his world, and suffocated in the vacuum of space, Leprechaun never stays down for long. Time again, the vicious prankster always finds a way back into the world of humans and the living.
Chucky
Dolls always seem to be a source of horror in the realm of monsters and demons. In a way, it can be traced back to the foul mouth doll of Chucky, the "best friend" of a boy who's actually a doll with a serial killer's soul. Over the course of seven Child's Play movies, Chucky has suffered dozens of deaths.
Burned alive, shot through the heart, torn apart, and even buried alive, the maniacal doll keeps getting back up. No matter what's thrown his way, Chucky keeps crawling back from the grave to torment Andy and any other helpless victims.
Freddy Kreuger
Even dreams can eventually die. Born from the nightmare of horror master Wes Craven, Freddy Kreuger has become a nightmare monster like no other. With some creative kills under his belt, Freddy's also known for dying in truly wonderful and spectacular manners.
And yet, every time the snarky, devilish humorous monster meets his end, he always finds a way back. Over nine movies, Freddy's died, and yet each time, he outsmarts Death itself to return and haunt one's nightmares.
Michael Myers
Although Freddy's been finding ways to cheat death for nine different movies, Michael Myers, the terrifying silent shape from the Halloween universe, has broken through the walls of life and death a total of ten times.
Whether it's by the hand of Sam Loomis, Laurie Strode, or another one of Myers's victims, the silent killer keeps finding ways back to Haddonfield, Illinois. Nothing short of a nuke can stop Michael and the most recent films have proven that.
Jason Voorhees
As all horror fans know, there's no one who's escaped the grave more times than Jason, the slasher of Camp Crystal Lake, and the terror of Friday The 13th. Over the course of nearly 13 movies, Jason has done the impossible over and over.
Taking on New York, traveling to space, suffering his "final death," and facing off against Freddy Kreuger himself, Jason has always overcome death no matter the stakes. Blown apart, shot, sliced to bits, and sent to Hell, Jason's become the king of cheating death.