The scare factor of any good horror movie comes down to the effectiveness of its antagonist, and some of the most memorable villains of all time come from the genre.
While many horror villains are crazed killers or bloodthirsty monsters, some of the scariest is the otherworldly entities. Many horror movie characters have found themselves tormented by supernatural entities but some are scarier than others. From The Exorcist's Pazuzu to Hereditary's Paimon, some of these horror entities are truly terrifying.
"Toby" (The Paranormal Activity Series)
The entity from the Paranormal Activity series remains largely unseen, but this is what makes it so effective. The entity, later nicknamed "Toby," is especially terrifying in the earlier installments of the franchise. The moment when Katie is dragged out of bed by the entity in the first movie is particularly shocking and the kitchen cupboards scene in the sequel provides a jump-out-of-seat scare.
However, the more the audience learns about this entity, the less scary it becomes. This entity is at its most effective when it's hiding in plain sight and stalking sisters Katie and Kristi, and less so when it's being worshipped by a cult of old women in the later movies.
Bathsheba (The Conjuring)
Unlike some of the other entries on this list, Bathsheba started out her life as a mortal. However, by the time she's introduced as the antagonist of The Conjuring, she's long since dead. Her connection to Satan sets her apart from the other spirits living inside The Peron household and she is far more powerful and malevolent than your average spirit.
Bathsheba's quest to possess mothers and then kill their children is especially disturbing. In life, Bathsheba cursed the land before taking her own life and the existence of the curse after her death would suggest that she did possess some otherworldly powers. Also, while she is humanoid for the most part, her appearance is grotesque, and the scene where she jumps down from the wardrobe to attack the Peron girls is pure nightmare fuel.
Freddy Kreuger (A Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise)
One of the most iconic horror villains is A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Kreuger. Although at first, he may seem like a typical slasher villain, Freddy is not of this world. The entity of Freddy Kreuger resides within the dream world and that's what sets him apart.
Nightmares are a very real and relatable phenomenon, so the idea of an entity that kills you in your dreams is particularly chilling. While some of Freddy's one-liners have aged poorly, his recognizable appearance and his undeniable power in the dream world make him a force to be reckoned with. After first seeing Freddy in action back in 1984, audiences were surely left too terrified to fall asleep.
Pennywise (The It Duology)
"It" (or Pennywise) originates from another dimension and is known for its shapeshifting abilities. The most common form this entity takes is Pennywise the dancing clown. Many people have a fear of clowns, so seeing one peering out of a grate at the start of It was bound to give audiences a scare.
This entity feeds on people's terror and, with its unique shape-shapeshifting abilities, uses people's fears to its advantage. If audiences aren't scared of clowns, that doesn't mean they're safe from Pennywise -- this entity is ready to transform into anyone's worst fear.
Death (The Final Destination Series)
While this entity might not be as visually terrifying as Pennywise or Bathsheba, its sheer brutality and high success rate make it one to be reckoned with. Perhaps one of the most unforgiving entities in horror, Final Destination's Death stalks down and takes out its victims in a gruesome fashion.
The lack of a physical form doesn't take away from this entity, either, as Final Destination has some of the best death scenes in horror. Although Death kills a lot of its victims in elaborate and sometimes over-the-top ways, it has a cruel habit of turning irrational fears (like an Elevator or The Dentist ) into very real threats. After watching the entity in action, it's difficult to see a logging truck on a highway without fearing imminent death.
King Paimon (Hereditary)
It could be argued that the true horror of Hereditary stems from grief. Paimon, and the supernatural threat as a whole, remains in the background in this movie. The Graham family are slowly infected by their grief and Paimon in equal measure, and together, they become the perfect cocktail for creating a horribly uncomfortable atmosphere.
Paimon's mission to find the perfect host leads him to Peter, and while this is chilling, it's the effect Paiman and his cult have on the family that creates the true terror here. Annie's obsession with her mother's past only serves to strengthen Paimon's hold on the family and Paimon's cult gets exactly what they wanted by the end of the movie, which is always the sign of an effective threat.
Samara Morgan (The Ring Series)
Samara is another entity who was once living, and although there are hints that she wasn't quite right when she was alive, she has gained substantial power in death. Anyone who watches The Ring videotape soon receives a phone call from Samara with an ominous message that promises the receiver will die in seven days. But if Samara's phone calls weren't creepy enough, the images on her videotape are chilling.
Samara takes her time to show up during the first movie, but this is what makes her such an effective threat -- the audience is waiting to see just what happens to people once their seven days are up. Samara appearing out of the well and crawling out of the TV is iconic and it ends the movie on a terrifying note.
Bughuul (Sinister)
Bughuul, like Pennywise, is yet another entity that preys on children. Once overtaken by Bughuul, the child in question will brutally murder their entire family and record the carnage for good measure. Sinister begins as a dark mystery with both the audience and lead character, Ellison, in the dark about who is behind the strange and chilling snuff films.
Bughuul remains unseen for most of the movie, but the brief glimpses of his inhuman form are spinetingling. Bughuul's ability to turn seemingly innocent children into murderers is scary enough but it's the video evidence he ensures is left behind that elevates his threat. The eerie music and the sudden jumps from mundane family life to murder make the tapes a shocking sight to behold, no matter how many times you watch the movie.
Pazuzu (The Exorcist)
Exorcism movies aren't exactly a rarity, but one of the earliest and perhaps most famous is The Exorcist. Thanks to the brilliant performance by child actor Linda Blair, Regan's slow and painful possession is horrifying to watch.
At the beginning of the movie, she's sweet and well-mannered, but it's not long before she's using obscene language and exhibiting strange behavior. During the possession, Regan's physical appearance even changes making her look haggard and demonic. Although Pazuzu is mostly seen through Regan, there is a brief scene where we see its face. The pale-white face with sharpened teeth comes as a surprise and while the image is brief, it's enough to leave viewers cowering behind a cushion.
It (It Follows)
The idea of a curse passed on through sexual intercourse may sound more like the basis for a comedy villain than an actual threat, but that's what makes this one so effective. The entity from It Follows is so unexpectedly scary that it leaves you with a chill to even think about it. Once someone finds themselves with this curse, "it" will stop at nothing to hunt them down and kill them.
"It" constantly changes form when following its victims in order to remain inconspicuous -- this entity could be anyone out on the street. The idea of someone simply following you may not seem overly terrifying by horror movie standards, but the way it's presented here is genuinely disturbing. We never see how the entity transforms, which adds to the unsettling feeling that it could be anywhere and anyone ...