10 Scariest Characters In Horror TV Shows
If you're looking for nightmare fuel, look no further than this list.
If you want to make a memorable horror film, a sure-fire way to do this is by creating a terrifying antagonist. This could take the form of your classic psychotic killer, ala Ghostface or Norman Bates, or you could utilise different horror tropes to ignite a primal fear in your audiences - spooky ghosts, evil children, crazy women, etcetera etcetera.
A good villain, ghost or killer is pretty much a straight road to becoming a horror legend. You've got Freddy, you've got Jason, you've got the dozens upon dozens of knock-off brand versions of iconic horror villains from Cabin In The Woods. Your writer could go on.
But Horror TV is not as followed and beloved as movies, or even comics and video games. While the genre in television has been around for a very long time, it's only very recently that people have started to take notice. We can thank people like Ryan Murphy, Mike Flanagan and the Duffer Brothers for that and we can also thank the iconic characters that they invent in their slightly disturbed, minds.
We can also thank these characters for the countless nightmares they've caused.
10. The Bent-Neck Lady - The Haunting Of Hill House
When this Mike Flanagan Netflix horror show came out in 2018, no one could have predicted the fanfare it caused. The drama, the scares, the theories and most importantly The Bent-Neck Lady.
While every ghost of Hill House is objectively terrifying (including my own personal nightmare fuel: The Tall Man) it is widely recognised that The Bent-Neck Lady is the most horrifying of all.
From the opening scene, The Bent-Neck Lady is set up as the star of the proverbial creep-show; poor baby Nellie is tormented right off the bat with the sick twisted image of the ghastly crooked woman.
The true pinnacle of this ghost's fearful image comes in the form of episode 5, titled in her name. Yes, that's right, we had to wait 5 whole episodes to see the frightful spirit again and we sure weren't disappointed.
The episode follows the troubled Nellie as she slowly unravels after the death of her husband while simultaneously being haunted by the literal ghost of her past (and future). The Bent-Neck Lady is shown in all her glory time and time again. A woman, conveniently hidden in shadows, with black flowing hair and a distinctly crooked neck; a disturbing ghost if we've ever seen one.
But the horror of this ghost doesn't end here, as the final few moments of the episode reveals that poor Nellie, sent to her death by hanging, WAS The Bent-Neck Lady all along.