By Joan Seth
People hold a fascination with horror movies. Is it because we like to be scared? Or is it the visuals, plot, characters or just plain blood and gore? Nevertheless, in this article, we take a look at some of the most notorious killers Hollywood has produced throughout the years.
1. Chucky (Child's Play)
Charles Lee Ray (voiced by Brad Dourif) was a serial killer and voodoo practitioner who managed to transfer his soul into a doll before dying. The doll eventually falls into the hands of various people, who rakes up a impressive bodycount along the way. Seemingly destroyed at the end of each movie (5 so far), but he gets resurrected anyway. Chucky also starts a 'family' with his girlfriend (who he killed and transfered her soul into another doll) and a son.
Preferred weapon of choice: Knife
Movie appearances: 5
Death toll: ~40
Picture is (C) copyright to United Artists
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2. Candyman (Candyman)
Similar to the legend of Bloody Mary, Candyman (Tony Todd) is summoned by reciting his name in front of a mirror 5 times. He will then appear, and proceed to tear your body apart, literally.
Originally, Candyman was Daniel Robitaille, a slave living in New Orleans who had an affair with a white woman. Soon after, he was captured and tortured by a mob, who cut off his right hand and had his body spread with honey. This was then where he acquired the name, Candyman. He was then killed by a swarm of bees, where his vengeful spirit is transfered into a mirror, killing whoever calls him out.
Preferred weapon of choice: Hook arm
Movie appearances: 3
Death toll: ~20
Picture is (C) copyright to TriStar Pictures
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3. The Creeper (Jeepers Creepers)
The Creeper (played by a costumed Jonathan Breck) is a demonic being who awakens every 23 years for 23 days. Its purpose? To feed on any humans who come across his way. Specific details regarding The Creeper's origin have not been revealed.
The Creeper is partially humanoid, with bat-like wings on its back, sharp teeth and claws. It is able to fly, uses a variety of weapons to stalk its prey, disguises itself in various means and drive a car. It is also able to regenerate itself.
Seemingly killed at the end of the second movie, it was revealed to be only hibernating, while its murderous spree will continue in the upcoming third movie.
Preferred weapon of choice: Various
Movie appearances: 3
Death toll: ~300
Picture is (C) copyright to United Artists
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4. Pinhead (Hellraiser)
Elliott Spencer (Doug Bradley) was a captain who fought in World War I and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and survivor guilt. He loses faith in humanity, and finds the Lament Configuration, which is a key to another dimension. He finds his way there, and gets turned in a Cenobite, a extra-dimensional demonic being, called Pinhead.
It is then Pinhead's life mission to kill more humans and collect their souls to create more Cenobites. With vastly powerful supernatural powers, he is near unstoppable, killing at will but showing mercy to others at times, just because he can.
Preferred weapon of choice: Supernatural powers
Movie appearances: 9
Death toll: Hundreds; Thousands
Picture is (C) copyright to New World Pictures
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5. Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Leatherface (portrayed most famously by Gunnar Hansen in the original 1974 film) was born to a family of cannibals. Mildly retarded and disfigured, he serves as the family's enforcer and butcher, hunting down humans for their consumption.
Leatherface does not have any supernatural powers, but he is known for his enormous strength and willpower; once he starts chasing you as prey, he will not stop. His weapon of choice, the chainsaw has now become a icon in horror movie legacy. Cinema will never look at the chainsaw the same way again.
Preferred weapon of choice: Chainsaw
Movie appearances: 4 + 2 remakes
Death toll: ~100, possibly more to feed the family
Picture is (C) copyright to New Line Cinema
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6. The Tall Man (Phantasm)
A mortician by profession, The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) is actually possessed by a lifeform from another dimension. Granted mysterious supernatural powers, he sets out to kill anyone who crosses his path, gets in his way or just anyone he prefers to kill. These people are turned into his minions who are sent to work in the planet he originated from.
Seemingly old and frail, he has been stopped before, but unfortunately, another Tall Man will soon arrive to take his place and begin the reign of terror all over again.
Preferred weapon of choice: Spiked flying spheres and zombie minions
Movie appearances: 4
Death toll: ~80
Picture is (C) copyright to Avco Embassy Pictures
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7. Blade (Puppet Master)
A Egyptian passed on the magic of reanimating lifeless objects to a Frenchman who had sheltered the Egyptian when he was severely wounded and later died. The Frenchman, a puppet maker, then used the spell to create life in his puppets.
Since then, the puppets have been used mainly for various evil schemes and have claimed a lot of victims. However, in some of the movies, the puppets are actually used to do good, for example, foiling a Nazi plot in World War II.
The leader of the puppets, Blade, was originally a Nazi doctor who was investigating the puppeteer. He was then killed by his own people, and his life was put into the puppet.
Blade resembles a man in a hat and trenchcoat, appears in every Puppet Master movie, and is loyal to whoever his owner is, doing their bidding.
Preferred weapon of choice: Blades and hooks
Movie appearances: 10
Death toll: ~40-50
Picture is (C) copyright to Full Moon Features
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8. Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street)
Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund, and Jackie Earl Haley in the remake) was born to a Nun who was accidentally locked in a prison and was raped by the inmates. He grew up to be a pyschopath, torturing animals, abused as a child and killed his own wife. His notoriety grew on Elm Street as a pedophile and killer, until the residents decided to take the law into their own hands.
The legal system had failed to convict him due to a technicality issue and thus, the residents set fire to his house, killing him. However, he was soon resurrected by a dream demon, and given powers to enter peoples' dreams and kill them from within.
Within the dream, he can create any scenario necessary for him to carry out the kill. The thing is, whatever happens in the dream will happen to the victim in real life as well. He was finally defeated and killed, but was soon resurrected to face Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs Jason (2003).
Preferred weapon of choice: Knife glove
Movie appearances: 8 + 1 remake
Death toll: ~40
Picture is (C) copyright to New Line Cinema
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9. Michael Myers (Halloween)
On Halloween night 1978, Michael Myers (played by many actors, including Tyler Mane in the remakes) escapes from the ayslum and returns to Haddonfield to seek out his younger sister, Laurie Strode. 15 years before, he had murdered his older sister and her boyfriend.
Thus, Laurie's life becomes a living hell as Michael relentlessly stalks her, killing anyone who gets in his way. Described as a being of pure evil, he did not have any supernatural powers in the beginning, but later was portrayed as having the curse of Thorn, which grants him invulnerability.
Dr Loomis, Michael's psychiatrist, is seemingly the only person who understands and feels Michael's true intentions and evil. He too, chases after Michael, trying to stop him once and for all.
Preferred weapon of choice: Kitchen knife
Movie appearances: 7 + 2 remakes
Death toll: Hundreds
Picture is (C) copyright to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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10. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
Jason (most famous portrayal was by Kane Hodder in 4 films) was bullied and ridiculed as a child due to his deformity and slow speech. At a summer camp, he was thrown into the river by the other kids as a prank, and the camp counselors were too busy to save him. Thus his mother begins a rampage in revenge, killing almost the entire camp of people, before getting killed herself.
Then, Jason returned. It seemed that he had survived the drowning and was living and scavenging in the woods. Having witnessed his mother's death, he goes out and starts killing everyone who gets in his way to avenge her death, before being killed 2 times. Both times later, he was resurrected by electricity and has become a invulnerable and unstoppable killing machine, creating terror from Elm Street to outer space.
Preferred weapon of choice: Machete
Movie appearances: 11 + 1 remake
Death toll: ~120
Picture is (C) copyright to New Line Cinema
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