When it comes to scary, Stephen King is the literal king. For decades, the author has created terrifying tales that star beloved protagonists who the viewers just want to see survive the horror.
But there are some characters in his films that will never fail to send a chill down the viewers' spines for their villainous ways. From chilling children to a murderous mother to a killer clown, these Stephen King characters will always be feared due to their scary backstories.
Henry Bowers ('It')
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Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton) may have nothing on a paranormal clown who devours children, but this teenage bully is a pretty scary character in It for his violent behavior toward his victims, mainly the way he slices a knife across Ben's stomach before pushing him over a bridge.
While it certainly doesn't give him an excuse, Henry's home life is revealed later in the film, showing him interacting with his abusive father who he's eventually compelled to kill.
Cujo ('Cujo')
Cujo tells the horrifying story of a Saint Bernard who turns rabid and goes on a murderous rampage with his sights set on a mother named Donna and her young son, who wind up trapped in a car while Cujo hunts them down.
Cujo's sad backstory is also a terrifying one, having been bit by a bat that turns him from a sweet pup to a killer beast until he meets his fateful end during a showdown with Donna that leaves him impaled by a broken baseball bat.
Christine ('Christine')
The titular character of Christine is a sentient 1958 Plymouth Fury who turns into a killing machine after experiencing a traumatic ordeal.
When she's defaced by her owner's bullies, Christine restores herself back to perfect condition before chasing after every last person who hurt her, hunting them down before typically running them over.
Margaret White ('Carrie')
While she may not bear witness to the memorable prom scene in Carrie, Margaret White (Piper Laurie) is considered the main antagonist of the film. In the scariest moment of the film, Margaret comes after her daughter with a knife in her hand and an eerie smile on her face.
Margaret's reasoning behind attempting to kill Carrie (Sissy Spacek) was her deep religious background despite being abusive to her daughter, claiming Carrie's telekinetic powers were due to her being a witch and witches must die.
Gage Creed ('Pet Sematary')
Gage Creed (Miko Hughes) becomes an antagonist of Pet Sematary at just 2 years old after his corpse is buried in a haunted cemetery and he comes back to life zombified and with dark intentions of killing his family and friends.
The toddler was dealt a tragic deal during a fun outing flying a kite with his family, during which he followed the loose kite into the highway where he was hit by a semi truck and later has his corpse dug up by his father and reburied in the cemetery that brings the dead back to life.
Annie Wilkes ('Misery')
Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) appears as the antagonist of Misery, a story of an author who meets his match when his number one fan holds him hostage and tortures him until he writes the book she desires.
Annie's pure insanity is the driving force behind her actions when she stalks author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) and winds up rescuing him from a car accident where her attempts to nurse him back to health turn into torment, her demise coming from a typewriter to the head.
Danny Torrance ('The Shining')
Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) appears as a sweet, little boy at the start of The Shining, but his psychic visions and ability to communicate with the great beyond set him apart from the rest. When he begins his stay at The Overlook Hotel, his powers go into full force and lead him to do scary things like write 'redrum' on his parents' bedroom door and enter a forbidden hotel room.
According to Danny, his imaginary friend named Tony is a little boy who lives in his mouth, and is responsible for all his wrongdoings. Danny is eventually taken over by Tony, speaking in a creepier voice and repeating the word 'redrum' to his mother.
Isaac Chroner ('Children Of The Corn')
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Image via New World Pictures
Children of the Corn follows a married couple who find themselves trapped in a small town run by a cult of killer children, and it was all started by Isaac Chroner (John Franklin), who acts as the cult's leader.
After Isaac's past as a young preacher, he establishes his cult of children and orders them to kill every adult in town, believing that if they don't do as he says, they'll be sinning against their godly figure called He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
Jack Torrance ('The Shining')
At the beginning of The Shining, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) starts out as a hardworking man and loving husband and father, who nails a job interview to be the caretaker of The Overlook Hotel. But when he moves his family into the haunted hotel, his own demons manifest.
Similarly to the former caretaker Delbert Grady (Philip Stone), Jack becomes victim to the hotel's curse and begins losing parts of himself, turning violent against his wife and son until he meets a tragic end when he freezes to death inside a hedge maze.
Pennywise ('It')
Out of all the characters in Stephen King's works, the scariest is, without a doubt, Pennywise from It. Because Pennywise isn't given a tragic backstory in the films, all viewers know is that the killer clown is a paranormal entity who resides in drains and lures in children.
Pennywise uses its ability to shapeshift into a children's biggest fear, tormenting his prey before devouring them and letting their corpses float in the sewer, hence its famous catchphrase, "You'll float, too."