The chilling villains of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter are unarguably a part of what makes the beloved universe such a tremendously treasured one — throughout the years, worldwide fans have fallen in love with several characters; and although audiences always root for the "hero" at the end of the day, the term only really exists because there's an intriguing, oftentimes creepy antagonist to fight on the other end.

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Fortunately, the prized franchise has never been short on interesting baddies with compelling backstories. From spooky Dementors and The One Who Shall Not Be Named all the way down to Dolores Umbridge and Fenrir Greyback, the well-known films have introduced their viewers to unique characters. Here we gather the scariest ones, according to Redditors.

Severus Snape

Severus Snape looking intently in Harry Potter
Image via Warner Bros.

Alan Rickman's Snape may not be the most friendly face in Hogwarts, and although he can be quite creepy when he intends to be, the character falls relatively short on actually scaring people. Nevertheless, Severus is still a great addition to this list — in the great scheme of things, Snape's ability alone to hide his emotions is frightening.

"He's rudy powerful if he wants to be. And has little to no remorse on who he kills. Lastly, my guy is not only amazing at casting spells and making potions, but he even was so good that he made his own! If he didn't die, who know what else he could have come up with," argues user u/amyfaineh on Reddit.

Rita Skeeter

Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter in 'Harry Potter'

Hogwart's freelance journalist played by Miranda Richardson isn't the scariest character out of the bunch. Nevertheless, the power of reporting inaccurate stories is unmatched — and misinformation is indeed a weapon. With a tendency to base her articles on false information and misinterpreted interviews, Rita Skeeter isn't exactly one to be trusted.

According to Reddit user u/RedAcai20, the character "overanalyzes and twists people's words to paint them as the worst people ever. She has no sense of privacy. Be careful not to offend her, or she can sic hate mobs on you."

Gilderory Lockhart

Gilderoy Lockhart standing proud and looking to the distance in 'Harry Potter'

No doubt, Kenneth Branagh's character is equal parts vain as he is insecure to his core. The award-winning Ravenclaw author — who, as later was revealed, was nothing but a fraud — often strived to be the center of attention, painting himself as an admirable figure, even if it meant going out of his way to steal people's heroic achievements and make them his own.

On Reddit, u/hank_wegs says, "Lockhart is dangerous/scary because he's running around Europe, stealing people's stories and erasing their memories. He continues to get away with it for years and he's never really challenged on any of it, because he's just a steaming pile of handsome."

Albus Dumbledore

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter'

While Michael Gambon's Dumbledore may look harmless at first, there is hardly any doubt that he is one of the most powerful wizards in the entire Wizarding World. The character has made — or rather hasn't — some interesting decisions throughout the films, including the complete disregard for student safety, which frequently makes viewers question his true intentions.

U/BlondeLocks makes some good points on Reddit: "Dumbledore, despite claiming to not believe in Muggleborn prejudice, allowed the bullying to happen to kids like Hermione Granger. He didn't do anything about Malfoy's attempts at assassination despite knowing about it, which led to Katie getting cursed, and Ron almost being poisoned. Plus, he left Harry in an abusive household and raised him like a pig for the slaughter."

Barty Crouch Jr.

Barty Crouch Jr. standing in the middle of a camp in 'Harry Potter'

An avid follower of Lord Voldemort who became a Death Eater and Dark Wizard in his teenage years (and a complicit in the torture of the Longbottoms), Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant) was the first escapee from Azkaban prison in its almost 300-year history. Although the well-written character is compelling and clever, he's also a masterful trickster.

"He played everyone in GOF and the only reason he ever got revealed was because Dumbledore knew the real Moody wouldn't have let Harry leave his side," u/Pagalingling40 remarked. "In fact, I think he's scarier in Voldemort because at least Voldemort forgives the death eaters that lied their way out of Azkaban."

The Dementors

Dementor on the train in 'Harry Potter'

Harry Potter's wraithlike dark creatures are among the most miserable living beings that walk the earth of the beloved universe. Feeding on happy memories and good feelings, Dementors replace positive emotions with fear, despair, agony, and misery. Unlike humans, they aren't able to think twice about their actions; that is essentially what makes them so scary.

Embodying every negative feeling and energy, many agree that Dementors are quite creepy. With 5 upvotes on Reddit, u/mmahv says that the scariest HP character is "Bob, the dementor on the train" — a very valid answer to a very valid question.

Lord Voldmort

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in 'Harry Potter'

Driven by his ambitions, the power-hungry pureblood supremacist character is one of the most well-known villains in movie history; unarguably, the One Who Shall Not Be Named is an iconic antagonist essentially given to how well-written he is. Always one step ahead, Ralph Fiennes' Tom Riddle is surely one of the most legendary characters out there.

As for how scary he is, u/RedAcai20 delineates: "He will kill and torture anyone in his path, even if the only thing they did to him was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And woe betide you if you're one of his followers, you better not mess up, or even imply that Voldemort isn't perfect, unless you want to be tortured and killed."

Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix Lestrange, played by Helena Bonham Carter, looking at something in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.'
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange is a distinctive character for several reasons, but her sadistic and obsessive natures are obviously what makes her stand out the most. Throughout the films, the character has proven herself to be the queen of psychotic outbursts and showcased no remorse when it comes to killing and torturing others.

Fanatical to an extreme degree, Lestrange has always made her appreciation for the Dark Lord crystal clear. U/Zeta42 says: "Bellatrix scares me the most. When the other Death Eaters wanted just to stun Neville, she was the one who suggested torturing him instead. And then she proceeded to murder her own cousin and gloat about it. She was unhinged even by DE standards."

Fenrir Greyback

Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback in 'Harry Potter'

Although Fenrir Greyback (brought to life by Dave Legeno) isn't exactly a big character in the Harry Potter franchise, he was still a relatively important addition to the series. Responsible for turning Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) into a werewolf, the creepy character is fond of eating human meat — especially children — even when he is in his human form, which pretty much makes him a cannibal.

As u/RoseTheOddcontinue suggests, "Fenrir Greyback's behaviour is paralell to that of a sexual predator/pedophile. His victims tend to be young people, such as Remus Lupin. After Lyall offended him, he felt the need to attack his son."

Dolores Umbridge

Dolores Umbridge standing proud and looking to the distance in 'Harry Potter'

According to the majority of the users on the platform, Imelda Staunton's Dolores Umbridge takes home the award for the scariest Harry Potter character, and for good reason — not only is she blatantly evil as she is extremely unnerving. Generally speaking, no one stays indifferent to the condescending manner the character speaks and treats others.

Always striving to be in control, Umbridge will "talk to you in a baby voice while forcing you to carve up your hand, and she'll do it with a smile", as said by u/RedAcai20. On another Reddit post, u/jneugent5 adds: "The fact that anyone can be so sadistic and perform such evil acts with a smile on their face and produce a Patronus while sending innocent people to the dementors makes them scarier by far than lord Voldemort."

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