Since the early days of the genre, the staple of many a great horror film is the inclusion of an equally great villain. From early movie monsters such as Dracula and Imhotep, the mummy, to more recent silver screen slashers such as Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, the history of horror is paved with iconic movie villains. Recent years have been no different, as each year horror cinema manages to conjure up new creatures and killers to further tap into our deepest and darkest fears. Be they demonic nuns, evil entities, or just simple serial killers, the past eight years have granted us some truly terrifying antagonists. While the decade is still far from over, I thought I'd take the time to go through my pick for the ten scariest horror movie villains of the 2010's (so far). So prepare yourselves for a menagerie of the most disturbing and depraved antagonists of the past decade (as of August 2018). Also, possible SPOILERS inbound to tread with care.
10. Doom Head (31)
Okay, so 31 is by no means a good film, even as a Rob Zombie fan myself I found it left a lot to be desired. However, the one standout of the entire film was the sadistic Doom Head (Richard Brake), one of the numerous 'heads' who stalk out protagonists for the duration of the film. From his white-painted face to his self-inflicted bloody mouth, Doom Head is eerie enough to look at, and despite his clownish appearance he is definitely no clown. Doom Head loves inflicting pain and has a lot of fun while doing so, yet he considers himself something of an artist and takes his job quite seriously as well. As unnerving as he is unhinged, Doom Head is not the type of man you want to mess with.
9. Annabelle (The Conjuring franchise)
Based on the real life possessed doll investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, this onscreen version of Annabelle made her debut in The Conjuring and subsequently shot off into stardom. Unlike other scary dolls like Chucky or Toulon's puppets, Annabelle is a lot more subtle with her slaying. She forever remains motionless, instead using her demonic abilities to manipulate the world around her from the comfort of her own chair. Since her creation in the 1940's, Annabelle has caused chaos wherever she goes and looks unlikely to stop anytime soon. While her first solo outing proved to be a bit lacklustre, she soon regained her scare-factor with last years Annabelle: Creation, and I for one cannot wait to see what the little doll does next.
8. Bughuul (Sinister franchise)
Much like Doom Head, Bughuul is a great villain in a bad film, or films in this case. Bughuul, or 'Mr. Boogie' to his friends, is the main antagonist of the Sinister franchise, who uses video tapes to manipulate children into murdering their families. As an ancient pagan deity, Bughuul uses these murders as sacrifices and appears to adopt his ghostly children after using them for his ritual murders. Tall, pale, and featureless, Bughuul is chilling to look at and almost resembles a potential member of Slipknot, but it's his M.O. that really makes him a formidable foe. His ability to turn children against their very own families is a terrifying concept, and while the Sinister films may not have reached their full potential yet, it's safe to say that there is at least some potential once Bughuul is kept around.
7. Rose Armitage (Get Out)
Any member of the Armitage clan could have made this list, but there's just something about Rose (Allison Williams) that makes her even more formidable than the rest. Initially Rose comes across as a kind and generous young woman, unaware of her families suspicious activities. However, as we reach the final act we realise that she had been playing our protagonist Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) all along. Cunning, ruthless, and an impeccable actress, Rose is capable of taking on any persona she pleases in order to get what she wants, using her skills of deception to lure in new victims for the sinister Coagula. In another life, Rose could have been an incredible special agent, but instead she uses her talents to kidnap black people for her family business. The scariest thing of all though? The way she eats cereal with her milk in a separate glass. Ew.
6. Black Philip (The Witch)
Friendly goat or the devil himself? Black Phillip was an omnipresent character in The Witch who acted as one of the families farm animals with whom the children would often play. However, something always seemed off about Black Phillip, and in the final act of the film our suspicions were more or less confirmed. The jet black goat is merely one of the forms of a powerful demon, as he later takes on a more human appearance when summoned by young Thomasin (Anya Taylor Joy). He appears to be capable of granting supernatural abilities to his followers, in return for unconditional worship and sacrifice. While we may never know, it's quite possible that it was Black Phillip who was pulling the strings the entire time. Give in to Black Phillip and thou shalt live deliciously.
5. The Entity (It Follows)
Quite possibly the most unique villain on this list, this nameless entity has one goal and one goal only: to follow. Well, also to kill, but that comes after the following. This shapeshifting entity only makes itself visible to those who carry the curse, which is spread through sexual contact. If you are cursed, you must pass it onto somebody else so that the entity will follow them instead, and so on. While the forms taken by the entity generally look like random bystanders, at times it seems as though it can almost get inside your head to take on the form of a loved one. For example, at one point it takes on the appearance of a characters mother, making their ultimate gruesome fate even more disturbing. The most terrifying thing however, is that it's unclear if you can even kill the entity, the best you can hope for is to simply pass on the curse and hope that the next person will do the same.
4. Pennywise (IT)
While Pennywise was already something of a horror icon after Tim Curry famously brought him to life in the IT miniseries, Bill Skarsgard breathed new life into the vicious clown in the more recent adaptation of Stephen Kings novel. Pennywise the dancing clown is the most prominent form of the creature known as IT, a malevolent entity who resides under Derry, Maine, emerging every 27 years to feed on childrens fears. While he initially comes across as friendly, Pennywise is a terrifying being with the ability to tear young children limb from limb. Skarsgard managed to make the character even more unnerving, with his unusual voice and rolling eyeballs, he managed to bring this horrific being back to terrorise a new generation of horror fans.
3. Valak (The Conjuring franchise)
How could James Wan possibly top the evil doll Annabelle I hear you ask? Well, with a nun of course! Valak (Bonnie Aarons) is a demonic entity who takes on the guise of a grotesque nun, its own means of blaspheming against the church. Tall, pale, and with the blackest eyes, Valaks appearance is absolutely chilling, but their actions are what make them truly terrifying. Along with possibly manipulating the events at Amityville in 1974, Valak also conjured up the Enfield poltergeist several years later in order to terrorise the Hodgson family. The demon also paid particular attention to Lorraine Warren herself, appearing to her in visions and haunting her dreams for long after the events at Amityville. Lorraine may have exorcised the demon in The Conjuring 2, but don't get too comfy, because Valak will return in the coming weeks with her own spinoff entitled The Nun.
2. Mr. Babadook (The Babadook)
If it's in a poem, or if it's in a book, you can't get rid of the Babadook. After reading a disturbing childrens book to her son about the titular villain, Amelia (Essie Davis) soon finds herself being stalked by the creature itself. With its tall black hat, spindly fingers, and unnerving pale face, Mr. Babadook is an unmistakable figure. While he doesn't get much screentime, preferring to lurk in the shadows, his eventual appearances are incredibly haunting. Be he hiding in corners or crawling on ceilings, there's always reason to be afraid when Mr. Babadook is around. Perhaps what makes him so terrifying is the reality surrounding him, in that he is essentially the embodiment of grief itself. Unlike most of the villains on this list, he's not something that can be defeated or conquered, rather, something one must come to accept and eventually live with. It's that notion that makes him seem all the more terrifying.
1. Josef (Creep franchise)
Our top contender however is not a demon or a ghost, but just a regular ol' weirdo. Josef (Mark Duplass) is a disturbed man who lures in potential victims under the guise of a friendly man looking for a videographer. He then gets to know them before eventually stalking them and, well, doing what killers do best. From time to time, he will also don a bizarre wolf mask and take on the persona of 'Peachfuzz', who happens to come with his own catchy theme song too. However, his playful nature and penchant for getting to know his victims makes Josef an almost likeable character, and we can't help but wonder whether or not we would fall for his act if we were in his victims shoes. The first Creep establishes this character and his motives, while Creep 2 essentially builds upon that and develops Josef even further. One thing we learn is that he likes to keep certain traits from each of his victims, which probably explains why he has changed his name to 'Aaron' in the second film. Not only is Josef a terrifying villain, but he is also profoundly fascinating, and in a way that makes him even more dangerous.
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