I know what you're thinking. You've seen this list before on a dozen other websites. You know the usual suspects, and you know your favorite killer probably didn't make the cut. Here's the thing... you've never read my list before, and that's an important distinction -- not just because of who's on it, but because of everyone who's not, and why.

For example, this kind of list almost inevitably includes Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies, but guess what? Pinhead isn't really the villain in that first Hellraiser movie, and I didn't particularly like him or find him interesting, so you won't see him below. You won't find the Babadook, who is seriously overrated, nor will you find Annabelle, because there's only room for one killer doll on this list.

Wes Craven's Scream is one of my all-time favorite horror movies, but don't confuse a costume for a character. Ghostface is an iconic mask, not an actual villain, and as such, didn't make the cut. The creature in Predator wasn't eligible because that's more of an action movie, and you can just stop reading right now if you thought I was ever going to include The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers. As far as Death itself goes, I'll take the unseen force in the Final Destination movies over the entity from It Follows any day, but there wasn't room for either here.

So that's where I'm coming from with regards to this list, and yeah, I cheat a bit from time to time, but I think you're going to like it. There's a method to my madness, so check out my list of the most iconic horror villains below, and have yourselves a Happy Halloween. Stay safe out there!

50. The Invisible Man

Spoiler Alert: This is the only one of Universal's "classic monsters" that is on this list. I understand why each and every one of those monsters would be deemed iconic, but as a troglodyte who can appreciate only a handful of movies made before I was born, I've never felt a close kinship with Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon or The Phantom of the Opera (as much as I love the latter book). Having said that, Universal's classic monsters simply had to be represented on this list in some shape or form, so I chose the character without either -- The Invisible Man. And yes, Leigh Whannell's recent Blumhouse movie starring Elisabeth Moss is the best version I've ever seen thanks to its smart script, killer performances, and one jaw-dropping murder in a restaurant. May all of Universal's forthcoming reboots and remakes turn out like this one.

49. The Animals from 'You're Next'

You're Next is easily one of the best horror movies of the past decade, and The Animals are some of the creepiest villains I've seen in some time. First of all, they're methodical. This isn't some random home invasion, but a day that seems to have been planned for a long time, as there's at least one killer in the house before anyone even arrives. Not only are The Animals handy with a crossbow, but they leave bone-chilling messages on the walls, toying with their victims the way an animal might toy with its prey. The way The Animals move around, as if they have some familiarity with the house and its inhabitants, makes them even creepier, and when we finally learn who's under the macabre masks, the horror hits even deeper, both for the Davison family and for us.

48. The Mad Doctors: Dr. Giggles, Dr. Heiter, Dr. Phibes and 'The Dentist'

Growing up, I can't remember what I hated more -- going to the doctor, or going to the dentist. Either way, both freaked me out, and as such, had to be represented on this list. Dr. Giggles was an early favorite, and he had some genuinely unsettling (if a bit cartoonish) kill scenes, as well as his own seriously disturbing backstory. I also loved Corbin Bernsen in The Dentist, which coincided with my time wearing braces, a retainer, and yes, a headgear. In college, my pearly white teeth and I discovered The Abominable Dr. Phibes, which finds Vincent Price killing in accordance with The Ten Plagues, with the Frog's Head death being particularly memorable. And when I finally made it out to LA, I saw The Human Centipede at the Nuart theater and squirmed in my seat along with everyone else in attendance as Dr. Heiter connected his three patients ass-to-mouth. I don't think I've ever felt so bad for a trio of actors, and if that's not enough to make that visionary German surgeon a horror icon, I don't know what is.

45. The Jokers: Leprechaun and The Collector from 'Demon Knight'

Laugh all you want, but I think that's the point. Leprechaun was one of my favorite horror franchises as a teenager, and though it's the original 1993 movie that gets remembered due to the pre-Friends presence of Jennifer Aniston, it's the sequel that I'll never forget thanks to its bait-and-switch lawnmower kill. Warwick Davis is a devilish delight as the evil Irish creature, who like Chucky, only got sillier with age. But those first two movies are a real hoot!

Meanwhile, Billy Zane reels off one-liners as The Collector in the Tales from the Crypt movie Demon Knight. I loved how he had the power to worm his way inside Jada Pinkett's head as well as command an army of demons. The Collector is charming and funny and he sounds oh so sincere, but you can't trust a word out of his lying-ass demon mouth. Apparently, the film critic for the San Francisco Chronicle gave Demon Knight a bad review, but admitted "If I were 12, I might've loved it." Well, guess what? By the time Demon Knight was released on VHS, I was 12, and that critic was right — I did! Only in recent years has Demon Knight received its due, with Bloody Disgusting calling it "one of the most underrated genre entries of the '90s." I'll drink (some blood) to that!

43. The Old School Creeps: M and Peeping Tom

Fritz Lang's M may be more of a crime movie or a psychological thriller than an outright horror movie, but it's about a serial killer who preys on children, so yeah, I made an exception. Peter Lorre stars as Hans Beckert, who can't seem to control the evil inside of him -- "the fire, the voices, the torment!" Though other criminals seem to be able to stop themselves, Hans feels a compulsion to kill, and as such, doesn't appreciate being judged. Seeing as how M came out in 1931, there's no question it became a major influence for the horror genre, though it certainly wasn't nearly as graphic as some of the films it went on to inspire.

Peeping Tom may very well be one of those films, and its influence also cannot be argued, as it is widely considered to be the first slasher movie -- preceding Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho by five months. Carl Boehm stars as Mark Lewis, who records himself murdering women and reliving the experience, turning the audience into exactly what he is -- a voyeur. Though fear is a feeling that cannot be photographed, director Michael Powell comes damned close to capturing it with Mark's camera, which is often the last thing his victims ever see. Chilling stuff, indeed.

41. The Hitcher

The Hitcher is another film that may be more of a thriller than a proper horror movie, but that doesn't make its titular villain any less iconic. As played by Rutger Hauer, the vicious hitchhiker John Ryder is all the more terrifying because we don't know his motive. Why is he going on this brutal rampage, and why does he want young Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) to stop him before he kills again? The guy is an absolute psychopath, and that's never more apparent than the climactic scene in which Jennifer Jason Leigh is tied between two trucks and torn in half when Jim finds he can't bring himself to kill Ryder, who eventually gets what's coming to him. The Hitcher was remade in 2007, and I'm sure we'll see another variation on the story again, but nothing will top the original and the deranged energy that Hauer brought to that terrifying part.

40. The Child Killers: Rose the Hat and La Femme from 'Inside'

I didn't much care for Doctor Sleep, but it was immediately clear that Rebecca Ferguson's character Rose the Hat would be a new horror icon, not just for her taste in headwear, but because of that early scene in which she kills Jacob Tremblay, aka Baseball Boy. Rose is the leader of the True Knot, a cult that feeds on people with psychic powers, and she's a supernatural force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, there's nothing supernatural about Beatrice Dalle's La Femme in Inside, she's just a mysterious stranger who will stop at nothing to take an unborn baby away from its pregnant mother. This French horror movie is extreme, to say the least, and Dalle spends the movie with a crazed look in her eye and a soul as black as the gap in her teeth. She's terrifying because she seems to have no motive, and it's the crimes we can't explain that haunt us the longest.

38. Lecter's Contemporaries: Buffalo Bill and The Tooth Fairy

Ted Levine's Buffalo Bill may not be remembered the same way as his Silence of the Lambs co-star Hannibal Lecter, but he's nearly as iconic, albeit in a different way. For starters, it's easier to explain his psychology, as Buffalo Bill is a transvestite who has never felt comfortable in his own body, and was rejected for sexual reassignment surgery, forcing him to assemble his own body suit made out of women's flesh. His dance to "Goodbye Horses" is unforgettable, shoring up his icon status, though I couldn't overlook his predecessor, the Tooth Fairy, from Michael Mann's '80s gem Manhunter. The character was brought back for Red Dragon, where Ralph Fiennes did a damn good job, but to me, I'll always think of Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde, who is so obsessed with looking and watching that he inserts shards of broken glass into his victims' eye sockets so he can see himself in their reflection. He's a voyeur who feels compelled to kill, and though Lecter owns this Thomas Harris-created franchise, it's the psychos on the periphery that have helped the author's most popular creation last as long as he has.

36. The Sexual Predators: Max Cady and Krug from 'The Last House on the Left'

Of all the iconic villains on this list, these two guys are among those who scare me the most, largely because of the sexual violence they're both capable of. The Last House on the Left put Wes Craven on the map, and follows two teenage girls who are taken into the woods and tortured by a gang of thugs. A major part of its success is the performance of David A. Hess as their leader, Krug, who instructs one of his victims to "piss her pants." Then there's Max Cady, the violent criminal at the center of Cape Fear, and though I know Martin Scorsese's 1991 film is a remake, Robert De Niro is my generation's Cady, and he's scary as hell. It's not just the good-'ol-boy accent and all the startling tattoos, it's the way Cady carries himself -- like a man with nothing to lose. Watching him bite off Illeana Douglas' cheek or dress as Nick Nolte's housekeeper are the images that haunt me from this movie, which is unfairly dismissed within Scorsese's filmography.

34. Bad Moms: Red from 'Us' and Mrs. White from 'Carrie'

I didn't even love Jordan Peele's Us, but I have to give credit where it's due, and Lupita Nyong'o's dual performance is due -- in particular, her raspy-voiced turn as Red, the leader of the Tethered. She seems able to command an entire army of ghouls in red jumpsuits, and she's particularly hands with a pair of scissors. As a mom, she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect her children, even as she sends them off to kill. Meanwhile, Carrie White may be responsible for most of the death in Brian De Palma's 1976 movie Carrie, but the real villain of that film is her mother, Mrs. White, as played by Piper Laurie. Mrs. White is a religious zealot who locks her daughter in a closet after she gets her period. She's a total nutjob, and she looms large in the pantheon of murderous moms.

32. The Tall Man, The Pale Man and The Fisherman

Three very different men, but all iconic in their own way. First up is The Tall Man from the Phantasm franchise, played by Angus Scrimm. He's a malevolent undertaker who turns dead people into zombies who can be used as slaves on his planet. Then you've got The Pale Man from Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth, and even though the character only appears onscreen in one scene for a few minutes, he makes his presence felt, and is arguably the lasting image you think of when you think of that film. As for The Fisherman, I was just the perfect age when I Know What You Did Last Summer came out, so that film and Scream represented a solid 1-2 punch for me. Also known as Benjamin Willis, The Fisherman uses a hook to mutilate the teenagers who nearly killed him, as well as anyone else who gets in his way.

28. The Actual Animals: Cujo and Black Phillip from 'The Witch'

I'm an animal lover, but I don't think I'd want to curl up on the couch next to these two. We know that sharks and lions and bears are scary, but Cujo, from the warped mind of Stephen King, remains the ultimate Scary Animal. He's a rabid Saint Bernard who traps a mother and her young son in their car, and the tension that situation creates is practically unbearable. Meanwhile, Black Phillip from The Witch seems to represent an ancient evil, if not the Devil himself. The scary-looking billy goat boasts two horns that recall Lucifer, and asks the film's young protagonist, Thomasin, if she would like to "live deliciously." If anyone ever asks you that, run far, far away.

26. The Shapeshifters: The Blob and The Thing

There have been a few different movies called The Thing, but when I hear that title, only one version comes to mind, and that's the 1982 movie from director John Carpenter. It's about a parasitic alien that imitates a group of American researchers in Antarctica, led by Kurt Russell's MacReady. The Thing works for several different reasons, but mainly the suspense, because at first, you're not sure who is really The Thing, and all the characters are paranoid. When The Thing finally does reveal itself, in several scary forms, the transformation is unforgettable thanks to the amazing creature effects from Rob Bottin. As for The Blob, it's just a big pink monster that swallows up everything in its path, but there's something about its appeal that has endured over decades. It's an unstoppable force that landed on Earth via a meteorite, and watching it devour numerous people, who only make The Blob bigger and more powerful, was a guilty pleasure of the late '80s.

24. The Creatures: Queen Xenomorph and The Shark from 'Jaws'

I'm more of an Alien guy than a Jaws guy, but I couldn't put the Xenomorph over Bruce the Shark, so they're just gonna have to settle for a tie. Both of these creatures have an intimidating number of teeth, for starters, and both invoke pure terror, even if one is more realistic than the other. It's hard to say which creature enjoys stalking its prey more, as the shark in Jaws seems to get off on toying with Quint and his crew, while the Xenomorph enjoys picking up the crew of the Nostromo one by one. Directors Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg maximize the terror by drawing out the suspense, and though Bruce suffered plenty of mechanical failures during the filming of Jaws, the Xenomorph is a feat of design, courtesy of genius H.R. Giger. Both Alien and Jaws are '70s classics that inspired a wave of imitators, but none of them hold up like the originals, both of which have stood the test of time.

22. The Preachers: Harry Powell and John Doe from 'Seven'

John Doe from Seven and Harry Powell from Night of the Hunter seemed like a good fit, as both seem to be preachers, albeit with a very warped sense of right and wrong. John Doe believes himself to be on a mission from God to turn each sin against the sinner, but he derives pleasure from the pain he inflicts. Kevin Spacey is incredible as the devious serial killer, while Robert Mitchum is just as good as con man Powell, who has "love" and "hate" tattooed on his knuckles. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get his hands on a fortune, even if it means offing a couple of kids.

20. The Pure Psychos: Henry and Patrick Bateman

I had to pair Henry with Patrick Bateman, because both of them are pure psychopaths from the '80s -- if we believe Bateman's story, of course. The depravity of American Psycho knows no bounds, whether the yuppie banker is murdering a friend with an axe or dropping a chainsaw on a prostitute, while Henry's behavior in Portrait of a Serial Killer merited an X-rating, which at the time, was reserved for porno movies. That's how lurid the true story of Henry Lee Lucas is under the visceral direction of John McNaughton, who is careful not to judge his protagonist, for lack of a better word. Both of these guys are capable of some true evil shit, but only one of them is based on a real person.

18. The J-Horror Superstars: Sadako, Kayako and Asomi from 'Audition'

Whether you prefer Sadako from Ringu or Kayako from Ju-on: The Grudge, I think we can all agree that Asami from Audition is scarier than both of those J-horror superstars. There's no question that Sadako and Kayako are better known thanks to the English-language remakes of their films, but there's something to be said of the fact that Hollywood doesn't have the hubris to even attempt a remake of Audition, which centers on a woman who uses a wire saw to amputate her victims' feet, among other horrors she inflicts. For example, Asami has a real passion for needles, something that gets under my skin even more than the idea of a videotape that kills you within a week after you watch it, or even a vengeful spirit. All three characters are deserving of icon status, but no one penetrates my psyche quite like Takashi Miike.

15. The Killer Kids: The Bad Seed and Damien from 'The Omen'

When people think of the youngest horror icon, they tend to think of Damien from The Omen, who may have looked like an innocent young boy, but was actually the Antichrist. And let's be honest, he didn't look all that innocent to begin with. The character struck such a nerve with audiences that the sequel was titled Damien: Omen II. And yet, The Omen wasn't my first exposure to the killer kid genre, nor would it be my last thanks to The Good Son, Orphan and The Prodigy. No, the OG was Rhoda from 1956's The Bad Seed, which was a favorite of my mother's, and had a lasting effect on me. The scene where Rhoda's mother discovers a dead boy's medal in her daughter's possession and the realization starts to dawn on her is chilling stuff, and in general, The Bad Seed doesn't get its proper due. Rhoda may not have had the same powers that Damien had as the son of Satan, but she wasn't a product of nepotism either, so she gets some bonus points in terms of her icon status.

13. Pazuzu from 'The Exorcist'

The Exorcist is considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made, if not the greatest, and for good reason. Directed by William Friedkin, the outrageous film hasn't lost an ounce of its power 40-some-odd years later. Linda Blair's parents must've been insane to let their little girl play Regan MacNeil, who becomes possessed by a demon to the point where her head spins around and she starts penetrating herself with a crucifix. And you thought it was hard enough being a 12-year-old girl going through puberty! Pazuzu is an ancient evil entity and even the most God-fearing men, like Father Karras and Father Merrin, seem powerless to stop this violent intrusion. The demon is a powerful force, and though the immediate sequel failed to capture the same lightning in a bottle as that first film, a third installment directed by author William Peter Blatty does right by Pazuza, even if it's the Gemini Killer who's positioned as the ultimate villain. But then again, he can't spider-walk, can he?

12. Pennywise the Clown from 'It'

Truthfully, when I think of Pennywise the Clown, I still think of Tim Curry from the 1990 miniseries, but this is a list about movie villains, so while I couldn't include that interpretation of It, I felt like I had to make room for Bill Skarsgard's take on the character. Skarsgard is truly impressive in that first film, and even though I didn't love the movie itself (the sequel is even worse), I humbly acknowledge that millions of people all over the world think of him as the definitive Pennywise, a malicious entity who feeds on the children of Derry, Maine. Clowns have always scared the crap out of me given their limitless need to entertain, but when you give a clown a sinister smile full of razor-sharp teeth and glowing eyes, I'm going to be even more freaked out. Pennywise is a villain for the ages who has been around for ages, and over time, he has learned the best ways to take advantage of children and lure them to their deaths. I haven't though of the sewer system the same way since.