Wednesday 23 July 2014

Special Post - Top 10 horror characters

As promised for the awesome 1000 followers I have achieved on Twitter, I have decided to release a special blog post for you guys to reflect my gratitude for the unbelievable support I have received so far. In this post, I am going to inform you guys on who my top 10 favourite horror characters are and why I have chosen them! I will start in descending order, of course leaving the best to last, and I will also include the movie that the characters star in so you can check them out!

#10 - Pinhead

The list begins with the awesome Pinhead who, in my opinion, cannot be left out of the top 10! This epic horror villain belongs to the Hellraiser series, which is a must-see. This character was originally known as Elliot Spencer - being a captain in World War One. However from the moment he solved the Lament Configuration, he was sucked into hell and became a lead Cenobite. It was not long until this new Cenobite, known as Pinhead, rose out of hell. As mentioned previously, Pinhead stars in the Hellraiser films, first appearing in Hellraiser (1987), and his signature weapon is his hooked chains - which he uses to rip apart Frank with in this very film. Something you may not know about this character is that he appears in a Family Guy episode - Meet The Quagmires - where he appears in a flashback and is randomly unscrewing a salt shaker.

#9 - Leatherface

Leatherface is a fictional horror character, although he is based on a real-life serial killer named Ed Gein who was one of America's most brutal serial killers in existence. Leatherface stars in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. Although I have placed him as number 9 in my personal list, to me he is like a grandfather of serial killers, first appearing in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and then a long time later when the remake was made in 2003. His signature weapon, which we can clearly see from the photo, is his chainsaw which he chases poor innocent victims with in order to brutally shred. Another gruesome side to Leatherface is that his mask is actually made out of human skin. Yep, believe it or not, he actually skins the faces of his victims for his mask. He is a very frightening horror character which is why he is better than Pinhead in my opinion. Aside his chainsaw, he is also seen commonly with a sledgehammer which he uses to smash his victims with.

#8 - The Thing


I remember the first time I ever seen this film. I was really scared of the monster in this classic horror. The name of it is the name of the film - The Thing - which was made in 1982 and is a pure classic. Strangely enough, The Thing is originally a dog, until the dog unexpectedly morphs into a strange alien-like creature that begins to attack the scientists. They do manage to fight it off in the film, but the researchers come to the conclusion that The Thing is able to transform and take the appearance of anybody else who is with them. This is when the film gets very tense and suspicion arises, as the scientists are unsure as to whether their fellow scientists are themselves, or are a transformed version of The Thing! This is what I love about the thrilling monster. It builds so much tension in this epic classic, and definitely deserves to be in a top 10!

#7 - Pennywise


In a lot of some 'top 10' lists I've seen, this frightening clown has been closer to #1 than I have set him as. I think the reason for this is because so many people are scared of clowns. However, I, unlike those who are, am not. Pennywise belongs to the miniseries/film - IT (1990), and is usually just a monster however sometimes he morphs into this creepy clown on occasions. He is played by Tim Curry and when he is in a demon state, he grows extremely sharp teeth and red eyes. Oh and razor sharp claws! Pennywise mainly aims for children as he thinks they are easier to catch and he uses his victims' fear as his signature weapon. Basically he finds it fun to intimidate and scare his victims before killing them. There is debate over what the true original form of Pennywise is. The miniseries shows a giant alien type creature, however some argue that he is a spiritual form and is more like a demon!

#6 - Jack Torrance

To me Jack Torrance is an absolute legend - a true horror idol. Jack Torrance stars in the insane film - The Shining (1980), and is played by the actor Jack Nicholson. Most of you guys probably know him from his awesome quote that every horror fan should know - "Here's Johnny!". In this epic horror, Jack literally becomes crazy due to the ghosts in the haunted mansion they are staying in and begins to recklessly and very violently attack his poor film. The reason Jack Torrance sits higher in the top 10 than the others is because the previous horror characters are unrealistic since they are some type of monster. This is what I love about Jack - he is realistic as he is a human being. From this, The Shining therefore shows us how crazy a man can become and the impact this has on his desire to kill his beloved family. He definitely deserves 6th place in my opinion since he's a better character than those listed above, but not the best! Also you might want to check out my review of The Shining on my blog - The Shining.

#5 - Norman Bates

Now this guy deserves extra credit since he stars in possibly the best oldest horror I have seen - Psycho (1960) This is the main reason as to why he sits higher up the ranking table than Jack Torrance. They are fairly similar, both aiming to kill and it was very tough to decide who I preferred out of Norman Bates and Jack Torrance. I prefer them equally as each other, however Norman Bates steals this place just since he starred in a film made 20 years before Jack did. This man became insane due to the manipulation and abuse he received from his mother. As a result of this, he killed his mother and a man she was dating named Chet Rudolph. From this, he owns the Bates Motel, and basically kills anyone who stays overnight in it. His signature weapon? You tell me - the kitchen knife! He uses a kitchen knife on all the poor victims he kills. Psycho is a complete horror classic and is definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it. In my opinion, it is the best oldest horror movie out there!

#4 - Chucky

Some of you may have a large shock at seeing this, but I can explain why he is so far up for me! You have to remember this is a list reflecting who my favourite horror characters are; not who the scariest ones are. I personally admire Chucky even though he is a silly little Good Guy. I think the voice of Brad Dourif for Chucky is what makes him so special to me. His voice is so rough, and very nasty - he curses and swears a lot. This fantastic horror character belongs to the Child's Play franchise and is portrayed as a frightening wee maniac containing the soul of Charles Lee Ray. Before Charles takes the body of Chucky, the doll is very nice looking I guess, but oh you should see the state of the doll at the end of most of the movies in the series! You also may think of him being very easy to counter and too small to cause any damage. Well your completely wrong. He is a violent, savaging little doll who loves to kill his victims in the most brutal ways possible. Another epic feature to this little character is his evil laugh! It makes him sound so cruel and careless about anything! He genuinely is one of my most favourite horror characters from the Child's Play series. However, without the voice of Brad Dourif, he may not have made the top 5!

#3 - Michael Myers

Michael Myers is an absolute legend in the horror genre, and is the main villain starring in the Halloween franchise. The background of his character is very imaginative  - he was admitted into a psychiatric hospital soon after he stabbed his sister (Judith Myers) a countless number of times with a razor sharp knife. However, 15 years later, he broke out of this hospital which is where the first Halloween film begins after covering the background. From this moment, Michael Myers follows his plot to kill his remaining family members and any innocent victims who seem to get in his way. I'm pretty sure the photo on the right shows him in Halloween (1978) which was the first film in the franchise, being a total classic! As you see, his white mask is very frightening, and it basically represents himself. His signature weapon, similarly to Norman Bates, is the good old-fashioned kitchen knife! Another thing I love about this character is that he is perfectly human, and his mental problems are what cause him to be driven with so much determination to kill his family. Another thing which makes him so special is his walking. Most of the victims he 'chases' are running for their lives! However Michael, unlike them, is completely calm and suave in pursuing his victims and never runs! He is a true horror god, definitely within my top 3 horror characters!

#2 - Jason Voorhees

I found it extremely hard to decide who was the best villain out of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees from the Friday The 13th series, but Jason just clinched it! He is a horror legend, and I just prefer him to Michael Myers. One reason why I prefer him to Michael Myers is because he is a more creative killer. Okay, it may seem easier and quicker to kill with a knife, but always seems to think outside the box, and use whatever comes in handy! His signature weapon is his machete, but he has killed with a weed whacker, slamming someone against a tree and squeezing some dudes head until it pops! On the other hand, Michael seems more conservative in how he kills since he always uses a kitchen knife. How depressing can my life get, comparing how two serial killers kill their victims haha! Another intriguing aspect of Jason is his background. He technically is dead, whereas Michael Myers, although very difficult to kill, is perfectly alive! That's why I have chosen Jason ahead of Michael Myers, and I hope all you guys have agreed!

#1 - Freddy Krueger

Undoubtedly, for me, this guy is the best horror character in existence! I had no problem at all deciding number 1, and it was all because of this awesome guy. He is a fictional character, being the killer from A Nightmare On Elm Street. In 1971, he was burned to death by the citizens of Springwood. From this he was offered the spot as "dream killer" by three demons from hell. Ever since this, he used this to murder the children of his killers in their dreams. Pretty awesome isn't it? That's something I love about Freddie Krueger. There was a lot of imagination put into his background and I love the idea of him killing people in their dreams. He's something special, honestly. His signature weapon is pretty obvious - the claws! I really love his ability to appear in other people's dream and twist the end as he liked to, and how any physical damage that he would cause in dreams would be carried on into real life! I don't even really know what else to say about him. Well, except if you haven't seen this guy then I'm sorry but you are not a true horror fan! Seriously, if you haven't watched A Nightmare On Elm Street, then where have you been!? Get it watched!

So I hope you enjoyed my top 10 horror characters! Again, thanks so much for the blog support guys and the Twitter support especially since I hit 1000 followers! Please keep it up guys! Please share this post in order to help me reflect my appreciation for the support, and as usual, the next post will be on Saturday.









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