Horror bosses are a different breed when it comes to boss fights. They can change the dynamics of the fight in a heartbeat, deprive players of ammo or valuable items, and still manage to ooze out an extra scare or two for players just trying to stay alive.
Some of the most iconic moments in horror games have been boss fights. There is something about a hulking creature stomping towards the screen that makes neck hairs tingle. Horror game players can never get too comfortable — and the boss fights tend to make a fine point of reiterating that if they've gone too lax.
10 U-3
A cage match in a survival horror game sounds like a far-fetched pipe dream, but Resident Evil 4 never shies away from successfully pulling off wild boss fights. Once on the cult's island, Leon Kennedy has to face off against some pretty gruesome creatures, including the ugly U-3. This experiment gone awry meets Leon in hanging cage obstacle course, forcing the boss fight to be in extremely close quarters. It moves to a nearby cliffside, but U-3 only gets stronger and tougher as time passes.
9 Adam MacIntyre
Clowns will always have a place in horror games — that's no surprise to the many people that have experienced a profound fear of them. The first Dead Rising turns the creepy clown theme up to eleven with Adam the dual chainsaw-wielding clown. Frank West squares off against this children's clown who has gone insane from the zombie infestation near the mall's indoor roller coaster. Using two juggling chainsaws and some pretty nasty balloons, Adam proves he is tougher than he looks.
8 Pyramid Head
Some of the toughest boss fights involve enemies who can't seem to die. A manifestation of protagonist James's inner guilt, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2 is a time-based boss battle, with the close quarters fight based around avoiding attacks rather than shooting the creature a hundred times.
Although Pyramid Head doesn't appear in every game, the monster has become an iconic character for the series in its own right. The distinctive oversized knife and eerie inhumane head have made this monster memorable and nightmare-inducing.
7 Nemesis
Here we have another unstoppable brute from the Resident Evil series, this time coming from the classic third game which was just recently reimagined. Nemesis is the biological weapon developed by the evil corporation, Umbrella, to eliminate all remaining S.T.A.R.S. members. Smarter than your average zombie, Nemesis is a master at using weapons and dexterity to make life difficult for players. The creature is fought several times throughout the game, taking on different forms as the story progresses. His refusal to quit and capacity to change into more dangerous designs makes him one of the most memorable bosses in the series.
6 Laura
Creepy long-haired girls are a staple in horror thanks to a few key movies, like The Ring. It should come as no surprise that horror video games have picked up on this fad and introduced some spookily similar designs of their own. Laura is a depraved manifestation from the first The Evil Within game, a multi-limbed demon that's susceptible to fire but also dangerously fast and brutally quick, fully capable of one-hit killing players. As with many survival horror games, normal weapons will not work — players will have to think on their toes and use their surroundings to stay alive.
5 Magician
Biologically engineered monsters don't have the best track record of bringing peace and love to humanity in horror games, and Magician from the House of the Dead series is no exception. This synthetic humanoid is a boss in several of the games, first appearing in the initial game as the final boss of the mansion. Being that the games are all rail shooters, players need perfect accuracy to hit his limbs and avoid his speedy movements as he flies around hurling fireballs.
4 Frank Fontaine
Mob bosses are intimidating villains in any media, but a super-powered plasma splicing crime lord is a new ballgame altogether. Frank is the cruel and manipulative criminal mastermind whose battle with Andrew Ryan for control of the underwater city of Rapture in the first BioShock game leads to its destruction. As the final boss of the game, Frank takes on several forms based around different plasma abilities, forcing players to switch up their tactics each time he morphs.
3 The Bear
One of the more insane boss fights from a horror game occurs in the second Condemned game when a large aggressive bear pursues the character through a dark cabin in a snowy forest. It's more of a chase sequence filled with jump scares than a typical boss fight, but the tight quarters of the cabin and sheer speed of the vicious bear make it memorable. Players will have to use their speed and intelligence to avoid being instantly slaughtered by this strange boss.
2 Tank
Tanks aren't your average boss fight. There is no method of preparing to go into battle against these hulked-out zombies as they mostly occur at random and take the Left 4 Dead survivors by surprise. A shift in music will indicate when a Tank is approaching, sending survivors into a frenzy to kill the monster as quickly as possible before they wipe out every single player.
Things get complicated when more than one Tank appears and especially when a player or two is knocked down by them. Teamwork is essential in ensuring everyone makes it out alive.
1 Chuck Greene
Many fans of the Dead Rising series will recognize Chuck Greene as the protagonist of the second game, a motocross ace dedicated to saving his zombie bite-infected daughter. In the reimagining of the second game, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, players control the protagonist of the first game, Frank West, instead of Chuck. But that doesn't mean Chuck isn't in the game. In fact, he returns as a boss fight, having turned into a psychopath, presumably after his daughter died, as indicated by him carrying a doll on his back that he calls by her name. It's a silly non-canon "what if" scenario that adds to the intrigue and mystery of the zombie horror series.