From Mia Goth's riveting character Pearl to the various Ghostface killers in the Scream franchise, there are countless horror villains who only care about getting revenge. Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) is angry that Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) mom had an affair with his dad. Ben Willis (Muse Watson) can't believe that teenagers would run him over and leave him for dead. It's a common reason why villains are who they are and why they go after the main characters in each scary film.
But there are some villains who don't feel that others have wronged them and who have other reasons for their killing sprees. From Kathy Bates's iconic obsessed author to the beloved evil doll in a popular franchise, these killers each have unique motivations.
Jigsaw (Saw Franchise)
Tobin Bell's Jigsaw will return in 2023, which leaves fans wondering about how the killer, who passed away, will appear. Slasher fans first learn about John Kramer in the original 2004 movie. After finding out that he has an illness, he wants to test other people's desire to live and comes up with various painful games and experiments.
Instead of wanting to get revenge on someone who ruined his life or hurt him, Jigsaw wants other people to think long and hard about the paths that they are on. It's a deeper and more philosophical way for a horror movie villain to think, especially an iconic slasher villain, and this is what makes John Kramer fascinating and horrifying.
Annie Wilkes (Misery, 1990)
Rob Reiner was the perfect director for Misery, the 1990 adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Kathy Bates is also the perfect actor to portray Annie Wilkes who is such a big fan of Paul Sheldon (James Caan) that she kidnaps him and keeps him in her home in the middle of nowhere.
The movie explores what being a fan means and how it can go in a terrible direction. Annie doesn't feel that Paul has harmed her. Instead, she wants him to fix the ending that he wrote that she thinks is awful. She has a specific goal and hopes that he will do what she says, but the story goes down a wild path that neither expected. Both actors are brilliant as Annie is unhinged and Paul is vulnerable.
Chucky (Child’s Play, 1988-)
It's possible to say that Chucky has changed from killer doll to franchise mascot, as he's adorable in the SyFy TV series which just wrapped its second season. Whether looking at Chucky on TV or in the franchise's eight films, he is the soul of a serial killer transferred to a toy, which is what explains his desire to kill. He doesn't want to get back at people who have wronged him and he doesn't carry around anger or other emotions. Chucky is pretty simple as he wants to murder people who he comes across and that's about it.
The lore of the Child's Play franchise proves that Chucky is a classic serial killer. While there might be tons of backstory that can be confusing to work through at times, as each movie adds different layers, Chucky knows who he is and what he wants. He even laughs and makes jokes a lot, which separates him from typical slasher villains.
Hannibal Lecter (The Silence Of The Lambs, 1991)
Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) is a timeless horror villain from the 1990s and since he's a cannibal, he sees everyone around him as a potential victim. He doesn't concoct a grand scheme to get revenge or win against someone who has sent his life in the wrong direction. Hannibal is so creepy and evil because of the manner in which he kills people.
The origin of Hannibal's cannibalism is a dark story the 1991 film is one of the most well-crafted horror or thriller films ever made. The movie has haunting performances from Hopkins and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, an FBI Academy student who begins observing the horrible Hannibal.
Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Leatherface came back in the 2022 Netflix movie, and while the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film misses the point of the original, he's still a solid villain. Leatherface is another memorable killer who isn't motivated by revenge. He and his family are cannibals who seem to go after people because they are listening to their base, terrible instincts.
The franchise's title, of course, comes from the chainsaw that the character uses and often holds up above his head in victory. While Leatherface does want to kill the final girl Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), he doesn't think about revenge the way that other slasher villains do. When comparing Leatherface and Ghostface, for instance, Leatherface has a much darker and more primal characterization.