A good monster/killer/antagonist design can add terror to a horror film. On the flip side, bad designs break an audience’s immersion in the story (see Bird Box for an example).

This list is to celebrate the most memorable horror monsters whether they be demons, creatures, or even human. Once again…this is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!

10 Memorable Movie Monsters:

10. The Infected (28 Days Later)
FAST…ZOMBIES!! These aren’t your every-day shamblers and walkers and whatever other terms are used to describe zombies. These bastards are fast and filled with RAGE.

9. Predator (Predator)
The perfect hunters. Their whole existence and society is based on hunting the universe’s most dangerous beings. Also…their trophies involve ripping entire skulls and spinal cords from a body. No thank you.

8. Pale Man (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Guillermo Del Toro has possibly the most twisted mind in the fantasy business. He’s like the modern H. P. Lovecraft. And the Pale Man is a nightmare come true. Gangly, eyes on palms, and looks like a weird naked mole rat had sex with Doug Jones (who plays the Pale Man FYI). OH! And it eats children…fuuuuuuuun!

7. Candyman (Candyman)
He has a hook for a hand….and he’s covered in bees under that fancy coat…if that doesn’t scare you, it should at least scare your allergies…

6. Michael Myers (Halloween)
The most terrifying thing about Michael Myers? He’s human…Myers is a man. A large man…with a knife…but a man. AND he killed his sister when he was six-years old! Another reason to fear children…

5. Cenobites (Hellraiser)
Pain is pleasure taken to the millionth extreme! Demons who wish to show whoever solves their weird little puzzle box the wonders and pleasures of pain….by tearing your soul apart…fun guuuuyyssssss…

4. The Thing (The Thing)
An alien that can look like anyone and anything…and has the most terrifying defense mechanism…I mean head spider anyone? Skinless dog with twizzler tentacles? NIGHTMARES!!

3. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
The second most well-known guy in a hockey mask…obviously the first being Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, duh…Jason is an unstoppable killing machine with a giant machete and a little water damage. You don’t want to meet this guy in the woods…

2. Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street)
Nightmares suck. Nightmares REALLY suck when a man with a burned face cracks one-liners while he chases you with his glove of knives. Nightmares F***ING SUCK when that same man kills you in the dream…and then you die in real life…but that sweater does look comfy…

1. Xenomorph (Alien)
Anyone who has played Alien: Isolation will understand just how awful and horrifying this space being is. Let’s look at the list: face huggers, chest bursters, acid blood, SECOND MOUTH!, a long tail that can stab clear through your body, and a shriek that turns your blood to ice…I’m never going to space…

There are SOOOOO many more memorable monsters….this was one of the hardest lists to decide who/what to include. And I didn’t even include any of the Paramount monsters that opened the doors for these beings to even come into existence!! (Don’t quote me on that, that’s probably not true at all…maybe)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

5. Judas Breed (Mimic)

4. The Bear (Annihilation)

3. Gwoemul (The Host)

2. Ginger (Ginger Snaps)

1. Pennywise the Dancing Clown (IT)

Did I forget an obvious memorable movie monster? Let me know in the comments!!