One of the basic rules of storytelling, especially if we are talking about a movie, is that the character of the protagonist, usually a hero of someone kind, must have his dramatic counterpart in the character of the villain. An antagonist who can often achieve great popularity for his dark humor, actions of dubious morals, perverse intelligence, or… claws?
That’s right, if he’s in the horror genre, he may have claws or other elements that make him look terrifying but still have a special charisma.
The 1980s was a golden age for cinema in general, at least in my opinion, but 80s Horror was undoubtedly one of the great beneficiaries, leading to the scariest horror movie villains that continue to terrorize new generations to this day.
But enough talk, let’s move on to the action, or rather, the scares. This is the
Top 10 Horror Movie Villains of the 1980s
Jungle Hunter (The Predator, 1987)
Maybe neither the original Predator movie (from Amazon) nor any other of the series is a classic horror film as such, but the Yautja are scary, really scary. I’ll never forget the first time the Jungle Hunter revealed its horrible face and grotesque mouth, enough to give any child nightmares or make Schwarzenegger say bad words.
This alien from the planet Yautja Prime came to the planet for one purpose: to hunt. But that’s where he separates himself from the usual array of classic villains looking for death everywhere.
Instead, the Yautja, as a highly intelligent being, focuses on the most powerful prey to hunt them down to gain a reputation and increase in rank on their social ladder. Yes, they formed a society almost like us.
But just because he has that goal doesn’t mean he isn’t extremely cruel and bloodthirsty, especially since he rips the spine out of his victims to keep as trophies in his collection. And I haven’t even mentioned his state-of-the-art equipment, as he has daggers, bombs, a plasma cannon and how can we forget his infrared vision mask, whose scenes became iconic thanks to the fact that we could see from the predator’s POV.
In short, the most terrifying villain in horror movies that put Arnold Schwarzenegger himself in serious trouble.
The Thing (1982)
It wasn’t enough for John Carpenter to create one of cinema’s most iconic slashers, he also had to conceive an alien so grotesque he didn’t have a name.
Like the master of suspense that he is, Carpenter set us in the icy and distant Antarctica, with a team of researchers discovering something that should never have seen the light of day.
But most horrifying of all is that The Thing (from Amazon) has no definite form since it can replicate any organism it comes in contact with, thus creating a copy or imitation so perfect that it retains all the characteristics of the original person or animal, from mannerisms and personality to any biological characteristic such as a weak heart.
Oh, I almost forgot, no matter how wounded our titular character is, it can regenerate just the same.
Therefore, the horror of this villain is not only within him, but in the atmosphere of tension and suspense he creates around him.
Although in the few moments when he is seen in his stages of transformation, as in the scene of the dismembered dogs, the creature looks spectacularly disgusting and twisted thanks to the incredible special fx work of Rob Bottin.
Jack Torrance (The Shining, 1980)
I have to say that Jack Nicholson alone already gives me some creeps, but in a role as unbalanced as that of Jack Torrance, I’ll have nightmares for sure.
Unlike the other gems of the era, The Shining (also from Amazon) stood out for its subtle handling of terror and its slow but progressive progress towards the climax of its protagonist, who instead of evolving as a character, does the opposite, losing his temper and wanting to murder his wife and son.
However, in this adaptation of a Stephen King novel by Stanley Kubrick, known for his tense and demanding work environment, Jack was already angry from the beginning. All it took was a creepy place like the Overlook Hotel and its ghosts to awaken the beast within him.
But is it a supernatural influence on him? We don’t know. It could well be a psychotic break originating from isolation and a hatred stored for too long, something that, in my opinion, is much more terrifying because it may be real.
Be that as it may, thanks to a superb performance by Nicholson, the character of Jack Torrance has gone down in history as one of the most fearsome characters even though he has no big fangs, claws, or supernatural powers. He just has a very bad temper and an axe ready to crush.
Pinhead (Hellraiser, 1987)
Having nails in his head should scare more than a few, but this creature is not only terrifying because of its appearance but also because of its immense power and the gloomy dimension from which it comes.
Elliot Spencer was a well-principled and quite honorable Englishman until he fought in World War I. Because of all the horrible things he witnessed and all the brothers he had to bury, Spencer fell into a pit of absolute sadness, so he set out in search of something that would give him eternal pleasure. Unfortunately, he found it…
Since he solved the riddle of the mysterious cube known as Lament Configuration, Spencer became Pinhead, the high priest of the Cenobites and the most loyal servant of the Leviathan, an entity beyond human comprehension that resides in the Labyrinth, a dimension where pain and pleasure are the same.
Beyond his disturbing appearance, his divine powers, and his voice from beyond the grave, Pinhead has become popular for his tragic past and the complexity of the Hellraiser universe created by the writer Clive Barker, who also took certain elements from Lovecraftian mythology.
In addition, Pinhead goes nowhere without his faithful cenobite lackeys as gloomy as he is, who help him reward those who solve the Lament configuration. That is, torturing them in the worst possible way under the pretext of pleasure.
The Kandarian Demon (Evil Dead, 1981)
And since this is a list of the 10 greatest horror villains of the 80s, what better than the Kandarian Demon, the one responsible for summoning the Deadites that have tormented Ash Williams countless times?
Fortunately, Ash is not the typical protagonist who runs away and asks for help. Nah, he’s the one you call for help.
I don’t know if the same thing happened to you as it did to me, but before watching Evil Dead for the first time, I made the mistake of believing it was about supernatural zombies. What a surprise I got when I met those almost invincible demons that only seek to kill you in horrible ways and turn you into one of them.
And all it took was to open the Book of the Dead (also known as Necronomicon) to open the door to our dimension, where he sought adepts to possess them in those iconic “Shaky Cam” scenes created by Sam Raimi.
Worst of all, it usually doesn’t start with the one who opened the book, so that poor person has to watch their friends transform into grotesque, rage-filled killing machines, all because of what caused their curiosity with a book that has 1000 warnings not to use it.
Anyway, we have to thank those curious characters in 1980s horror movies because without them we wouldn’t have many of the genre’s most popular villains.
The Xenomorphs (Alien, 1979)
The pinnacle of horror and sci-fi, in my opinion, remains Ridley Scott's Alien, which showed us that in the far reaches of space, where we think there are beautiful planets and advanced civilizations, there are horrors that were never meant to cross paths with humans.
The design of the xenomorph was not inspired by the stars. Instead, it came from deep within humanity and somehow became more terrifying than anything from the unknown. It has no superior intelligence, and carries no technology of any kind, much less flies a ship of its own.
Quite the contrary, it walks around naked and is a primitive parasite whose survival depends on the continued abuse and exploitation of other species. Their entire evolution is extremely unpleasant, from being egg-born facehuggers to sprouting from the chest cavity of the body where they were growing, killing their host horribly.
If this sounds like a familiar concept, it is because, it was an accurate, if somewhat pessimistic, reflection of humanity’s most basic function: to reproduce.
And so it reaches its final stage, in which it is already a giant creature with an exoskeleton that makes it almost invulnerable, a tail with a sharp tip, a retractable second jaw, and don’t even get me started on the acid they produce.
Everything in the Xenomorph is ironically made to kill and reproduce. A much more perverse look at alien life that only a heroine like Ripley can cope with.
Chucky (Child’s Play, 1988)
Maybe as you get older this character stops being scary, or even funny, but for a child, there was nothing worse than a killer doll, and on top of that, with a very perverse humor.
Charles Lee Ray was a guy like any other, except for his multiple murders and his fondness for black magic. In a chase with the police, Charles ends up mortally wounded, but when it seemed that his reign of terror would come to an end, he uses his last breaths to perform a voodoo spell and transfer his soul to the inside of a “Good Guy” doll, which already seemed pretty creepy.
Now known as Chucky, the toy found its way into the hands of little Andy, and you know the rest.
You really have to be very sinister to create such a character, dolls are supposed to be children’s first friends. When I first saw “Toy Story”, I liked to believe that my toys had a life of their own and had great adventures, but after meeting Chucky, I was sure they were all watching me at night, ready to kill me.
He is not one of my favorite villains, but I have to admit that his sarcasm and way of giving him a lot of charisma, so much so that his franchise is one of the longest.
Nowadays, Chucky is a family man, with his wife and son, but to tell the truth, we all prefer him as a maniac who leaves a trail of death on his own.
Michael Myers (Halloween, 1978)
He debuted in the late 70s, but boy, did this horror villain have many appearances throughout the 1980s, and while they were mostly not-so-great Halloweenmovies, they helped establish him in the genre as the legend he is.
Since he murdered his sister in cold blood when he was only 6 years old, Michael Myers grew up in a sanatorium to correct his evil, but that only increased it to inhumanity. That is undoubtedly the best way to define this monster, his appearance may seem simple at first glance, but accompanied by the music of John Carpenter and a knife in his hand, it is more than enough to make it clear that you will not get out of this one.
With a height of over 6 feet tall, superhuman strength, and completely black eyes, the eyes of the devil, Myers has been out hunting every Halloween night, and his favorite target is Laurie Strode, who in later films is revealed to be his younger sister. No wonder he is so determined to kill her.
Despite his myriad of box office sequels playing with the lore so much that it is no longer clear what is canon, including his blood relation to Laurie, Myers remains at the top of horror Olympus. Whether his abilities have a connection to the afterlife or not, this villain is only driven by evil, the most absolute and profound I’ve ever seen.
Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984)
On second thought, Chucky can’t be the worst thing for a kid. In the end, he’s just a possessed doll that can be contained… sort of, but the dream world, the one we all travel to every night to rest, can become our worst nightmare.
Played by actor Robert Englund, Freddy was immediately striking for his twisted sense of humor and his frightening appearance: a face atrociously disfigured by burns, a tattered hat, a green and red striped sweater, and a self-made bladed glove, with which he used to stab his helpless victims.
But even more tetric, if possible, is his origin, as he was the product of the abuse of dozens of psychotic criminals on poor Amanda Krueger, a young nun. Nothing good could come of that.
Freddy grew up full of spite until he murdered several children in his neighborhood. The enraged parents soon took revenge and burned him alive, but Freddy came back more powerful than ever, tormenting the young descendants of his killers in their dreams.
I have to praise Robert Englund, as he struck the perfect balance between quirkiness and unsettling supernatural menace. He’s authentically terrifying as a demonic child killer, but also disturbingly charming, thanks to his witty one-liners and goofy demeanor.
But don’t trust him, my friend, Freddy is going to get you no matter what you do. It doesn’t matter if you build a fortress around yourself, sooner or later you’re going to get tired and fall into the arms of Morpheus, or someone else’s…
Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Part II, 1980)
I know many see Freddy as the winner of the decade, but Jason is my favorite and I’m not going to hide it. In general, most villains have a powerful origin story, but Jason’s seems to me to be the best without a doubt.
Before the Crystal Lake compound became known as Camp Bloody Camp, it was a most enjoyable place where teenagers had an amazing summer.
Pamela Voorhees, a single mother, finds employment at the camp as a cook, so her son Jason could also have fun.
However, he ends up being teased for his hydrocephalus, until a practical joke goes wrong and he drowns in Crystal Lake. And as you well know, a mother’s fury knows no bounds…
Ever since Pamela promised she would wipe out anyone who tries to reopen the camp, Jason has carried on her legacy in a big way, and although he has “died” several times, he always finds a way to come back.
Personality-wise, Jason is conspicuous by his absence, similar to Michael Myers, although his cursed field hockey mask along with his machete gives him an intimidating yet cool look that has become one of Hollywood’s most iconic.
Admittedly, the Friday the 13th sequels can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, Jason never disappoints with his gory scenes and his thirst for revenge for his mother. That’s what makes him so different from the rest of the slashers and monsters because, behind that giant body and intimidating mask (apart from a disfigured face), there is a boy who misses his mother.
Wrapping Up The List Of The Best 80s Horror Villians
What a crazy decade for ‘80s horror icons. It had a little bit of everything, like killer aliens, killer possessed dolls, killer demons, killer killers, killer killers?
Ok, I think you get my point, and that was only the top 10 of our favorite 80s horror movie villains. Whatever your favorite is, we have to keep alive the legacy of the 80s, which gave us so many scary movies and nights of horror stories with friends.
Last update on 2024-04-28 at 12:06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
