As the horror genre has developed over time, many characters have become inarguable icons. From public-domain classics like Dracula and Frankenstein, to newer creations like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, well-liked horror villains have tended to stand the test of time and become memorable mainstays of cinema, with a unique aspect of horror films being their tendency to launch franchise's off the impact and popularity of their villains more so than their protagonists.

While the modern era of horror is less focused on cementing specific villains in popular consciousness and overall less franchise-heavy, some villains are already on their way to iconic status. In some cases, the internet has claimed them for memes; other times, the film simply did so well with horror fans that its villain became a mainstay by default. Regardless of how they earned their stripes, these characters have made an instant impact on fans and are destined to become true icons alongside some of the genre's greatest-ever figures.

15 Gabriel

'Malignant' (2021)

While many horror fans wished that Malignant had been a scarier movie throughout, few viewers would deny that its antagonist was magnificently twisted. Coming from genre maestro James Wan, the film primarily follows Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis), an abused young woman whose terrible visions of brutal killings turn out to be real, leading her to try to help the victims before it’s too late.

The film’s shocking twist reveals that the killer is actually her… in a way. With no memory of her childhood, it is revealed that Gabriel was her parasitic twin who was surgically removed from the back of her head, but his consciousness remained dormant inside her mind. The grotesque physical reveal as Gabriel emerges from the back of Madison's skull made for a striking villain who will not soon be forgotten.

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14 The Entity

'It Follows' (2014)

Shape-shifting monsters in horror tend to lead to fantastic suspense, rising paranoia, and a thematically-charged punch of what it is we fear, however, a transforming antagonist does sometimes come at the cost of there not being a singular image of evil for audiences to connect with. It Follows impressively managed to have its cake and eat it too, with "the Entity" one of the most terrifying figures of 2010s horror.

The film follows Jay (Maika Monroe), a young woman who is hunted by a malevolent entity after a sexual encounter with her new boyfriend. Having seen what the entity is capable of in the film's opening sequence, audiences know that the mysterious villain is bad news. While it takes on many forms in its pursuit of Jay, few viewers will ever forget the heart-stopping fright when the towering figure of the tall man (Mike Lanier) emerges from the darkness of the hallway.

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13 The Tethered

'Us' (2019)

After bursting onto the scene with Get Out in 2016, Jordan Peele followed up his hit horror satire with the chilling home invasion sci-fi, Us. The psychological horror film follows a vacationing family as they are attacked by a band of sadistic dopplegängers who are part of a larger force of lookalikes launching a devastating assault after being stranded in underground tunnels for years.

The sheer visual terror of the ‘tethered’ alone was enough to make them one of the most striking movie villains audiences had seen in years. The sinister, twisted smiles, the unnatural movements, the murderous rage, and the many questions which surround them all contributed to forming a villainous entity that will lose none of its visceral impact in the decades to come.

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12 Pennywise

'It' (2017)

Given the instant hit success of It and It: Chapter Two, an argument could be mounted that the evil, shape-shifting clown known as "It" or Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) has already become a horror icon. The actor's arresting physical performance as the predatory monster was as cynical and twisted as it was sublime, working perfectly as the horrific centerpiece of the film.

With the character’s unsettling physicality, as well as its terrifying appearance and his eagerness to prey on young children, the dancing clown became a hit pop-culture figure. While Pennywise’s immediate impact is plain to see, it will be interesting to see if the shape-shifting clown can experience not only the longevity and popularity of other horror movie icons like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers, but also the ingrained cultural impact those characters continue to have.

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11 The Plague

'Hobo with a Shotgun' (2011)

In the instant-cult classic Canuxploitation movie Hobo with a Shotgun directed by Jason Eisener, The Plague are villains tasked with capturing the titular Hobo (Rutger Hauer) late in the movie. It is eventually revealed that they are immortal and have been responsible for numerous deaths and assassinations throughout history, such as Joan of Arc and Abraham Lincoln.

In a movie full of completely absurd characters, The Plague manage to somehow stick out as particularly over-the-top. With their memorable designs and their out-there concept, The Plague immediately cemented themselves in audiences' minds and, while they haven't been seen since - at least not beyond a reference in the video game Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (which was made with involvement from Eisener and Power Glove, the film's composers) - fans have been clamoring for a Plague spinoff for over a decade.

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10 Black Phillip

'The Witch' (2015)

A stunning feature film debut from director Robert Eggers, The Witch ran at an agonizingly slow pace as it teased the presence of evil while following a family's gradual demise at the hands of witchcraft in 1630s New England. Amid the surreal, sickening suspense, Black Philip – a sinister goat – emerges as the embodiment of evil as he is revealed to be the personification of Satan.

While Black Phillip's presence in the A24 horror movie is relatively brief, it is extremely memorable. Black Phillip was almost immediately claimed for memes by audiences, developing an inexorable association with goats as a whole. It's unlikely that Eggers' film will see a franchise blooming out of it, but regardless, Black Phillip is well on his way to becoming one of the most unique yet brilliant horror icons.

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9 Psycho Goreman

'PG: Psycho Goreman' (2020)

While many of horror's greatest icons have been not only terrifying but strangely amusing as well, the titular figure of PG: Psycho Goreman (also known simply as Psycho Goreman) took things up a notch and then some. A twisted splatter comedy, the film follows the aptly-named galactic conqueror as he finds himself trapped on Earth and bound to two bratty siblings who force the tyrant to obey their commands even as his re-emergence sees a litany of old enemies trek across the cosmos to fight him.

Between the physicality Matthew Ninaber brings to the role, the hilariously over-the-top voice performance of Steven Vlahos, and the character's amusing interactions with the children, Psycho Goreman makes himself immediately a joy to watch. The cheesy late-night movie is well on its way to becoming a cult horror classic with its gory sensitivities, its entertaining premise, and its truly unforgettable main character.

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8 Demogorgon

'Stranger Things' (2016 - )

In Stranger Things, the Demogorgon is a creature from the parallel dimension of the Upside Down which terrorized the kids of Hawkins in the show's first season. With its imposing figure, its vicious attacks, and the fact that it was at the center of the haunting mystery being unraveled, the Demogorgon beats out even the season four antagonist Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) as the most iconic villain from Stranger Things.

Over the years since Stranger Things' first season, it has become one of the most iconic and heavily merchandised elements of the series, including a (now-unavailable) appearance in the horror-inspired video game Dead by Daylight. In a series full of memorable antagonists, the Demogorgon is the most likely to stand the test of time.

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7 Annabelle

'The Conjuring' Franchise (2013 - )

Stemming from the popularity of 2013's haunted house/possession horror The Conjuring, the "Conjuringverse" has launched as an extended franchise of horror films rife with many of the scariest movie monsters audiences have seen this century. While the Nun (Bonnie Aarons) was a supremely terrifying villain, it has been Annabelle who has gradually come to define the franchise, with the possessed doll an unnerving presence throughout the films.

While Annabelle was introduced in the franchise's debut film, it wasn't until the following year that the doll got its own film in Annabelle, and even then it wasn't until 2017's Annabelle: Creation that it made the transition from a creepy-looking plaything to a menacing embodiment of evil. Eerie dolls have always had a place in horror, with many of them becoming icons of the genre, and it is almost certain that Annabelle will be included in the conversation going forward.

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6 Raatma

'V/H/S/94' (2021)

While V/H/S/94 flew under the mainstream radar, the anthology found-footage horror film has become something of a cult horror hit, largely thanks to the shockingly disturbing and mentally scarring image of Raatma. The character appears in the "Storm Drain" segment of the film, documenting a reporter and her cameraman exploring a local legend in Westerville, Ohio concerning a rumored Rat Man lurking in the sewers.

The investigative duo get more than they bargained for when they enter the sewers to look for themselves, being captured by a tribe of cultists who worship "Raatma" (Thiago Dos Santos) as a God. With incredible practical effects lending to the striking and sickening visuals, Raatma ensured "Storm Drain" was by far the most terrifying chapter in the film, and his terrifying appearance has lingered on the mind of many horror lovers who saw the film.

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5 Esther

'Orphan' (2009)

A now iconic horror film famous for its breathtaking twist, Orphan follows a husband and wife who, after losing their baby, adopt nine-year-old Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) to fill the void in their lives, but they soon discover that the child may not be as innocent as she seems. In actual fact, Esther is Leena Klammer, a 33-year-old Estonian woman with a rare form of dwarfism who is an active serial killer.

Despite not being an instant success, Orphan remained relevant because of its shocking twist until the advent of TikTok saw it become a surprise sensation among younger audiences. Eager to capitalize on the character's newfound popularity, Orphan: First Kill was released in 2022 as a prequel exploring how Leena made it to America. Both films realize the antagonist as a mortifying yet intriguingly unique horror villain, one with a proven ability to appeal to new waves of horror fans.

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4 Rose the Hat

'Doctor Sleep' (2019)

Released in 2019, Doctor Sleep was a brilliant though criminally underrated film from Mike Flanagan which served as a legacy sequel to The Shining. Following a now adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor), it tracks his mentoring relationship with a young girl who shines and the lengths he goes to protect her when she is hunted by a band of cannibalistic travelers who feast on those who shine to gain immortality.

A major reason why the sequel worked as well as it did was Rebecca Ferguson’s chilling performance as Rose the Hat, the immensely powerful and driven leader of the antagonist clan, the True Knot. As Flanagan’s reputation in horror continues to grow, there is every chance that Doctor Sleep will become a retrospective cult classic, and Ferguson's performance will get the widespread praise it so thoroughly deserves.

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3 The Babadook

'The Babadook' (2014)

In this Australian horror film by director Jennifer Kent, the Babadook is a demon summoned from a children's book, Mister Babadook. While the film initially went under audiences' radar, it experienced a surge of popularity when the LGBTQ+ community adopted The Babadook's titular villain as a meme, resulting in a memorable reference in What We Do in the Shadows.

In addition to this unlikely source of popularity, the film was also well-reviewed by critics and has steadily evolved to be a relatively instant cult classic of the genre and a pivotal film in the horror resurgence of the 2010s. The Babadook is definitely a dark horse choice, but its visceral terror and its representation of trauma mean that the villain – and the film – will likely stand the test of time for years to come.

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2 Art the Clown

'Terrifier' (2016) & 'Terrifier 2' (2022)

A slasher killer to define the horror subgenre for a whole new generation of fans, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) made a noteworthy impact with 2016's Terrifier before becoming an overnight sensation seven years in the making with 2022's sickening smash hit Terrifier 2. The second film in particular stood out with its graphic gore and sadistic violence as the resurrected killer clown stalked a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.

Excelling at delivering ultra-violence with a cynically humorous twist, Art the Clown thrives as both a throwback to the horror monsters of old while also being a shining light for the genre going forward. The character's popularity doesn't appear to be fading anytime soon either, with Thornton's unusual yet captivating physicality in the role marking Art the Clown an instant icon of slasher horror amped up to the ridiculously extreme.

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1 M3GAN

'M3GAN' (2023)

A horror hit of 2023, M3GAN burst onto the scene as a well-executed meshing of horror and comedy which embraced a distinctly silly yet engaging tone, delivering both laughs and chills in equal measure. It focuses on the titular M3GAN (Amie Donald), a lifelike doll created by roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) and implanted with a prototypical artificial intelligence that programs it to be a child's companion and protector. However, the robot begins to malfunction with alarming consequences when Gemma takes it home to befriend her young niece.

Whether she's making her snarky remarks or committing mass murder, M3GAN had a brilliant horror effervescence which defines the tone of the movie while also giving modern horror fans a lovable villain to cheer for. The character's instant impact on pop culture, and the fact that a sequel film is being made, makes it easy to predict that the killer doll will become a cinematic icon for the ages.

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NEXT: The Best Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked