In honor of the Halloween season, I thought it only necessary to pay tribute to some of scariest fictional characters ever created with a list of my top ten favorite horror movie icons. These are the characters that haunted my nightmares as a small child, before I was old enough to even see the movies they were a part of. There are so many different kinds of horror movies and its truly amazing to me how awful one horror movie can be, while another can be one of the greatest films ever made. Horror films are always a blast to watch, good or bad, and this is a list of my favorite villainous basterds that star in them:

10. Chucky

I’m not ashamed to say it, dolls, dummies, toys, whatever, can be very creepy and it would be a sin to not include the most iconic killer toy known to film history. The idea of one of your childhood toys coming to life was just a frightening idea all its own. Child’s Play was that idea put into movie form and its villain was a sinister killer “good guy” doll named Chucky.

9. Ghostface

I love Scream. Period. Its the greatest satire on horror films I’ve ever seen, while at the same time being a horror film. It was also the film that introduced us to the killer “Ghostface”, a now classic mask thats almost impossible not to see when your out trick or treating. “Ghostface” was such a great killer in the way he tried hard to be a great killer learning so much from his fictional predecessors.

8. Leatherface

Whether we’re talking the 2003 remake or the original, Leatherface was one of the most disturbingly realistic killers ever put on screen. The intention was to make him as real as possible and it worked. His weapon of choice is a chainsaw and he uses his victim’s skin to cover his disfigured face. He is not the kind of man I’d like to meet in a dark alley.

7. Jigsaw

Sure every movie after the first one was god awful, but it still doesn’t take away from the idea of this now iconic movie killer who finds disturbing ways for his victims to kill themselves. Jigsaw is our generation’s Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers. Yes, with an iconic horror villain you’re going to get a bunch of crappy sequels, but there will always be bad movies with cool characters that stick with you.

6. Norman Bates

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Psycho is the film some believe to be the greatest horror movie ever made. It is quite the masterpiece and it introduced us to one of the most famous death scenes of all time (the classic shower scene) and the iconic horror villain, Norman Bates. Due to the pitch-perfect performance of Anthony Perkins and the brilliant direction of Alfred Hitchcock, we were given one of the most terrifying killers in history.

5. Jason Voorhees

Ever since the release of the now classic horror series, Friday the 13th, the hockey mask has been associated with both death and fear. Jason Voorhees is so mind-numbingly iconic with his mask, his machete and his creative kills. Over 10 sequels and remakes have been created after the first centering around him and his killings. I don’t know if the masses are still entertained by him, but he will surely never be forgotten. For he is a staple in the slasher sub-genre.

4. Michael Myers

Halloween is the movie that arguably originated the slasher movie and if not, it at least made the sub-genre awesome. The slasher film would seriously be nothing without Halloween and its killer, Michael Myers. He’s quiet, he takes his time, oh and its nearly impossible to kill the guy. Michael Myers is the iconic slasher movie killer. This goes with out saying, but I am talking about the 70s classic. Rob Zombie’s remake was awful.

3. Freddy Krueger

In a list of the best horror movie icons, you had to expect to see Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. The only question was where to put them. On my list, they fall back to back and Freddy Krueger is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. A Nightmare on Elm Street took the slasher movie and redefined it with Freddy Krueger who literally kills you in your dreams. If the plot of not being able to sleep at risk of dying a horrific death wasn’t a enough, you got the fantastic charisma of the iconic horror character, Freddy Krueger.

2. Jack Torrance

The Shining is a masterpiece of epic porportions, one of my favorite movies and the greatest horror movie. What drives this fantastic tour de force is the one man’s decent into madness. Jack Nicholson is brilliant as always as one of the greatest horror movie icons in existence. Looking over many other opinions on the web on the topic of horror icons, it seemed that Jack Torrance was for the most part overlooked. Not only is he a horror movie icon, he’s one of the best.

1. Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter is not only the greatest horror icon in existence, he’s also one of the greatest movie characters of all time. Anthony Hopkins earned a well-deserved oscar for his portrayal of the sadistic cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He’s confident, he rarely blinks and he enjoys the little things in life like a bit classical music after biting off the flesh of a man’s face. Hannibal Lecter is one of the most interesting and entertaining movie villains ever put in a movie and because of his lack of screen time, you have to savor every second while he savors something else.