Here is a list of my favourite slasher villains. Villains must be from a franchise and not a standalone movie.
- Pinhead – Hellraiser
Although there are many horrific and weird sights in the “Hellraiser” franchise, Pinhead stands out as the most memorable. His great voice and iconic look always make it a treat to see him even though most of the “Hellraiser” movies are not so good.
- Matt Cordell – Maniac Cop
Probably the most underrated slasher villain, Matt Cordell from “Maniac Cop” is great. He’s in a cop’s uniform so people mistakenly assume he’s somebody they can trust but then he kills them. He’s a killer that’s not talked about often enough so please check out “Maniac Cop”.
- Ghostface – Scream
Unlike the other villains on this list, Ghostface is never the same person twice. This makes him mysterious because we always guessing who might be the new Ghostface (or Ghostfaces).
- Michael Myers (‘The Shape’) – Halloween
Arguably the most iconic slasher villain, Michael Myers is still popular today with even more “Halloween” films set to be released. While many of the sequels, reboots and remakes have not been so great, the original “Halloween” is still a classic horror flick. Michael Myers was at his best when he was mysterious (something apparent when you then see the Rob Zombie remake films give us too much detail). Silent and always wearing that Captain Kirk mask, Michael Myers is brilliant.
- Norman Bates – Psycho
Probably the most interesting slasher villain ever. Often overlooked as the slasher craze came in the 70s with “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Halloween”. Bates is played brilliantly by Anthony Perkins (“The Trial”). Also, Bates is intriguing because he’s not always clearly the villain (as you can see in “Psycho II” and “Psycho IV: The Beginning”) and this makes him more complex than perhaps any other slasher villain.
Honourable mentions:
Jigsaw – Saw and Pumpkinhead – Pumpkinhead