There have been dozens of memorable Slasher movie icons over the course of the last 40+ years. From Norman Bates to Jigsaw, Slasher movie killers are often overflowing with style and personality, leaving a lasting impression on audiences, sometimes for years to come. That said, not all Slashers are created equal, specifically when it comes to the killers themselves.
Sometimes, the killer is a normal person, such as in Psycho, where the aforementioned Norman Bates has no special powers of any kind. Other movies, like Halloween, for example, feature a killer with supernatural qualities. Michael Myers is hardly unique in this, however. There are plenty of Slasher movie icons that have their own set of bizarre powers.
7 Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Freddy easily has some of the most unique and original powers out of all the famous Slasher villains. He was once a normal human male. After he died though, he gained the ability to enter into other people's dreams at will, tormenting his victims while they lay helpless.
Not only can Krueger do this, but he can also exert full control over the dreamscape depending on the circumstances, which essentially gives him near-limitless power. Of course, whatever damage is inflicted within the dream is also inflicted in the real world, making him one of the deadliest Slasher icons around.
6 The Creeper (Jeepers Creepers)
The Creeper might resemble a man, but in truth, he couldn't be further removed from mere mortals. Not only is he practically immortal, with the ability to quickly heal any and all wounds, but he also has enhanced strength and speed. Under his trenchcoat lie a pair of enormous wings which he uses to fly like a bat.
As a hunter, the Creeper has extra senses specifically tailored for tracking and killing his prey. He has an extra nostril for smelling certain organs and the fear of his victims, with the latter giving him the most satisfaction. It is not known where this creature comes from, only that every 23 years and 23 days, it will hunt down and kill virtually anything it wants. The only thing that can truly stop this nightmarish being is this hibernation period.
5 Sadako Yamamura (Ring / The Ring)
The Ring movies and books make it abundantly clear that Sadako (named Samara Morgan in the American movie remake) is an unstoppable force of nature. Once she was merely a child with abnormal gifts, but after being murdered she would return as a vengeful spirit capable of horrific acts. While her origins change depending on the version of the story, her abilities remain consistent.
Sadako is essentially a ghost that can exist in more than one plane at a time. She can influence her surroundings in subtle ways and has psychic abilities that allow her to burn images onto surfaces and into people's minds. She was also the one who created the infamous tape, though it is not known exactly how. Sadako/Samara has a deadly stare, which will kill anyone who is unfortunate enough to witness it firsthand.
4 Chucky (Childs Play)
Charles Lee Ray was a serial killer who used voodoo sorcery to transfer his soul into a doll to evade capture by the police. It is this knowledge of voodoo magic that gives Charles, or Chucky as he would later call himself, most of his powers. Though his soul is trapped within a plastic doll, Chucky still possesses the strength and speed of a human adult male, which makes him deceptively dangerous.
Chucky is also immortal in all practical terms due to his use of Voodoo, as his doll body has been destroyed numerous times and yet his soul persists. Not only this, but Chucky can possess multiple bodies at one time, making him a real force to be reckoned with.
3 Michael Myers (Halloween)
As one of the original Slasher movie icons, Michael Myers is kind of a cross between Norman Bates and Dracula in a way. He takes the shape of a regular human, but his personality and inhuman abilities paint a far more sinister picture. Michael is more of a force of nature than man, a personification of evil; the boogeyman. He possesses inexplicable strength and durability, as well as some sort of enhanced speed (though he is never seen running).
Michael's powers do sometimes change depending on the movie, as the franchise has more than one timeline. In Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, his powers are explained by an ancient druidic curse, though this is explicitly not the case in the Blumhouse reboot series, which is a direct sequel to the original movie only.
2 Pinhead (Hellraiser)
In both the books and movies, Pinhead is a member of the Cenobites: a race of extradimensional demonic creatures that don't recognize the difference between pain and pleasure. Like many of the more paranormal Slasher movie icons, Pinhead was indeed a man once, but, after living a hedonistic lifestyle and growing unsatisfied with life itself, he discovered the Lament Configuration and transformed into the Hell Priest, commonly referred to as Pinhead.
A being of pure sadism, Pinhead is essentially a god who is resistant to all types of damage, whilst having the ability to summon chains and blades out of thin air with which it can attack its enemies. It can also teleport and create illusions at will. Pinhead has to be summoned via the Lament Configuration in order to walk the Earth, with it otherwise residing in an extradimensional realm referred to as Hell.
1 Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
The Friday the 13th franchise has ascribed all sorts of powers to Jason over the course of his 12 movies. Initially, he was simply a large brute who lived in the woods, though he would eventually gain more supernatural abilities as the series went on, especially after he was brought back from the dead in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.
Jason is more or less a zombie at this point, capable of enduring large amounts of damage and pain without it slowing him down. He is also exceptionally strong and rather quick despite his size. He possesses a kind of sixth sense when it comes to the Crystal Lake campgrounds, seemingly having the ability to feel those who tread upon his territory. Jason's spirit can also possess those who eat his heart and has had parasitic qualities at one time or another.