It’s Monday the 13th. OoooOOoooo! Happy Spooky Season, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’re continuing our Halloween coverage with slash films. Grease your chainsaws. Sharpen your machetes. It’s time to discuss the five best slasher film villains of all time. All time!
5) Art the Clown (Terrifier Franchise)
Art the Clown is a demented killer clown mime who kills people on Halloween nights. He carries a multitude of crude weapons and mutilates his victims in gruesome ways. Art the Clown’s manner of killing–which includes lots of kills and gore–cause his movies to verge on torture porn (popularized by the Saw franchise), but the Terrifier films maintain their slasher film status because of Art the Clown at their center.
Art the Clown has appeared in three movies and two shorts, and in a short time span, he’s become a horror icon. He’s easily the best slasher villain of the past decade. Given enough time, Art the Clown could climb this list, but I’m not so sure. The names above him are horror mainstays. Still, Art the Clown and the movies that feature him are more hardcore than most slasher killers throughout the years. He causes a glorious mess with every kill.
4) Candyman (Candyman Franchise)
Candyman, or Daniel Robitaille, is as much an urban legend or myth as he is a slasher villain. This is only one way he stands out. He’s tragic backstory goes beyond slasher movie tropes. Rooted in themes of racial violence and injustice, Candyman’s origin adds a layer of empathy, making his vengeful actions terrifying and, in an odd way, justified. His phrase, “Be my victim,” adds to the sense of dread and serves as a reminder of buried societal traumas.
The Candyman series had me scared to say his name five times. The first Candyman film remains the best. Tony Todd (rest in peace) gave Candyman a sense of purpose and grace that separated him from any slasher villain of his era. The second film went deeper into Candyman’s lore, while the fourth movie, produced by Jordan Peele, brought back the iconic killer while honoring the Black culture within the story. I love the Candyman series. Its villain just misses out on our top three, but the top three are horror movie royalty.
3) Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise)
Freddy Krueger’s ability to invade dreams sets him apart from other slasher movie villains. He transforms the safe haven of sleep into a terrifying killing ground. With his burned face, razor-sharp blades, and sinister laugh, Freddy taps into primal fears. He is the boogie man under the bed, in the bed, above the bed, hiding in the closet, and so much more. But Freddy isn’t all horror. He adds enough dark humor and charisma to make him repulsive and magnetic.
There’s no escape from Freddy. He follows victims into their most vulnerable state. Created by Wes Craven, Freddy Krueger will haunt the audience’s dreams long after his movies end. I’m haunted by the children’s song that serves as Freddy’s preamble. One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, Eight, gonna stay up late. Nine, ten, never sleep again. Try singing that right before you go to bed. You may just stay up an extra hour or two or five.
2) Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Franchise)
At the end of the first Friday the 13th movie, and after his mother died, Jason rose from the depths of Camp Crystal Lake to become the franchise’s new villain. He machetes his way through the camp and into the audience’s hearts with his bloody kills. Jason is a killing artist. He became more flamboyant through the years. He’s been killed and reanimated more times than a comic book hero, which actually matches his demeanor of an unstoppable zombie-like killer.
Interestingly, Jason is the more sympathetic character in his big crossover movie with Freddy Krueger, despite Jason being an unfeeling killing machine in his solo movies. Few slasher villains are more prolific than Jason. We can only think of one other slasher villain who tops his kill count and takes the number one spot as the true face of evil.
1) Michael Myers (Halloween Franchise)
Black Christmas may have come first, but Halloween’s Michael Myers is the first name and face people think of when they think of a slasher villain. There’s something about a bleached William Shatner mask. Michael Myers completes the slasher villain big three of Michael, Jason, and Freddy. Michael Myers doesn’t claim our haunting number one spot because he’s physically imposing. He’s the shape of evil. He’s the one who began killing when he was a child and never stopped.
John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween didn’t create the slasher subgenre. The genre bloomed in the wake of Michael Myers’ butcher knife. This horrifying classic had a simple premise. A silent serial killer stalks a quiet town. After decades of movies (and more on the way, we’re sure), Michael Myers petrifies audiences. Michael’s theme music is the stuff of legend. As soon as I wrote this post’s title, it played in my head. Not going to lie, I played the song. Pure movie magic.
That’s our list of the top five slasher film villains. Did we get the list right? Who would you add or take away? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, we hope you’re having a great day.
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