Top Ten Horror Movie Boogeymen
by Ed Zarnawski
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Just to be clear, there is a slight distinction between a murdering lunatic and a Boogeyman. Both kill, torture, dismember and generally incite fear, but while some movie baddies are portrayed as human, they have a supernatural element that puts them in the category of a Boogeyman. Here is my list of the scariest Boogeymen in horror history!
10. The Leprechaun Leprechaun (1993). Okay, not exactly terrifying Boogeymen, but effective nonetheless. The gold-loving midget of mayhem has cut a knee-high path of terror through six movies since 1993. An impressive run for such a diminutive dealer of death. While some of the later films were on the funnier side, the first was a full-on Boogeyman horror.
09. Chucky Child’s Play (1988) small but packs more of a punch than the Leprechaun. Using a Voodoo ritual to transfer his evil soul into a child’s toy, Charles Lee Ray, The Lakeshore Strangler, forever changes the way a generation of kids see dolls. Ruthless, cunning and overall nasty, Chucky is one mean mini-Boogeyman.
08. The Candyman Candyman (1992). An Urban Legend, a creepy voice and a swarm of bees make one of the best Boogeymen in horror.
07. The Tall Man Phantasm (1979). This guy is creepy! Played to eerie perfection by Angus Scrimm, The Tall Man is the embodiment of fear of death. His looming presence, coupled with the dreaded silver-bladed ball make for one of the most visually memorable horror flicks of the 80’s.
06. Pinhead Hellraiser (1987). The leader of the Cenobites (an interdimensional sect of religious surgeons who thrive on giving and receiving pain? Pinhead is a visceral display of what a Boogeyman should and could look like. While he is a more stoic ghoul than Slasher, his very presence is unnerving.
05. Pennywise It (1990). Stephen King’s creation of childhood fears embodied takes the form of many things in both the book and film version. But none are as terrifying as Pennywise, the dancing clown. Tim Curry’s portrayal of the killer clown was amazingly terrifying. The scenes where he changes his face from smiling lark to menacing madman, coupled with the fact that this entity can take the form of your worst fears makes for one of the most horrifying Boogeymen in film.
04. Dr. Satan House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil’s Rejects (2005). Although he was mostly a throwaway character in both films, Dr. Satan is both the device that drives corpses and the ultimate bizarre reveal at the end. Rob Zombie’s non-linear storytelling and the enigmatic relationships of his characters lends to the appeal of the mad Dr. Myth.
03. Jason Friday the 13th (1978). Camp Crystal Lake’s drowned momma’s boy turned immortal killing machine. This machete-wielding antagonist has gone from Camp to Manhattan to Space and holds the body count record. Way before the Saw series came out, Jason was coming up with the gruesome and innovative ways to off his victims. No matter how many times he seems to die, this Boogeyman always gets back up and comes back for another sequel.
02. Michael Myers Halloween (1978). Speaking of sequels, Mike’s had his share of assumed deaths and rebirths over his twenty-two year, ten film (including the Rob Zombie Re-Imagings) career. They actually have the kid that Laurie is babysitting in the movie refer to him as the Boogeyman! The white mask, the overalls, the butcher knife…there is only one…Michael Myers.
01. Freddy Krueger A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Freddy is the quintessential Boogeyman. A child murderer who comes back from beyond his fiery grave to stalk and kill the children of his enemies through their dreams. Boogeymen have always used various weapons and tactics to carry out their evil plans, but Freddy’s weapon is his prey’s subconscious. Drift to sleep and he’ll be waiting to carve you up with his custom-made, razor sharp gloves. Brought to life by Robert Englund, Freddy is the first charismatic slasher villain of horror. Often imitated, never duplicated, Freddy is the greatest horror movie Boogeyman of all time!
