10 Greatest Horror Movies Villains Of The 2020s So Far
The 2020s have already thrown some amazing horror villains our way, but which are the best?
What is a horror movie without its villain?
Where would the Friday the 13th franchise be without Jason and his hockey mask? Or Nightmare on Elm Street sans Freddy Krueger? How would Halloween cope without Michael Myers?
Actually, Halloween tried that in 1982 and everyone hated it. Point proven.
Without an evil to go up against, there is no hero for the audience to get behind. Without a monster to slay, an ordinary person cannot be transformed into a god. Without an iconic villain, there can be no merch to sell! The horror!
Villains aren't always blood-drenched beasts; there's room for more subtle baddies in the horror genre. They just have to be compelling, like these lot are.
The 2020s have served up plenty of incredible horror movies in its relatively short lifespan, and it also certainly hasn't scrimped on the great antagonists. There's no doubt we'll still be talking about some of these entries even by the time 2029 rolls around.
From the bloodiest of murderers, to the most calculating of puppet masters, to future franchise tentpoles, we've seen them all and been scared witless every single time.
10. The Creatures - Underwater
Though they may seem a little basic by today's standards, there's nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned creature feature.
After all, the subgenre helped establish horror in the mainstream around a century ago. Justice for Boris Karloff!
One movie that sought a return to simpler times was 2020's Underwater, starring Kirsten Stewart as a medical engineer aboard a stricken submarine. Whilst drilling in the Mariana Trench, the craft gets struck by an earthquake, which means it's up to Bella Swan and her pals to save the day.
The movie is... it's fine. Like, there's nothing particularly special about it. It's a perfectly acceptable disaster movie. However, what really makes it stand out are the fantastically-designed aquatic monsters that stalk the crew at every turn.
The creatures are a real throwback to the likes of the Xenomorph from Alien or Bruce the shark from Jaws - single-mindedly ruthless animals with a terrain advantage over the humans. They are frightening in the very simplest of senses, as they pick off the submerged survivors one by one.
Sometimes it's okay to go back to basics when you do it right.