The best slasher villains have several elements that make them hard to forget, whether Ghostface's black and white mask in Scream or Freddy Krueger's claws in A Nightmare On Elm Street. They have a certain look, their motives are revealed in a logical manner, and people associate them with their films or franchises. Unfortunately, there are some killers who are part of this subgenre who look like carbon copies of what came before, or they fail to make an impression for another reason, such as a lackluster motive that doesn't make much sense.
The worst slasher killers leave audiences wanting more and wishing that they were more like Michael Myers from Halloween or Jigsaw/John Kramer from Saw, characters who are impossible to forget about as they are so terrifying and shocking.
Curt Duncan In When A Stranger Calls (1979)
One of the earliest horror movies featuring phone calls is When A Stranger Calls, which tells the story of Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley) targetting babysitter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane). While the movie is a great example of a slasher and influenced many films that came after, the killer is definitely forgettable. It's possible to look back on the film and not even recall his name, as he looks like a regular, ordinary man and doesn't have any distinguishing features.
Unlike slasher villains who are iconic and wear masks and costumes that are easily recognizable, Curt could be anyone. While this does make him scary, since the point of When A Stranger Calls is that a random stranger can be dangerous, it doesn't put him in the category of Ghostface or Michael Myers. It's too bad since otherwise, the movie is great.
Professor Solomon In Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
The Urban Legend sequel is lackluster for several reasons, including the poorly crafted killer. Professor Soloman (Hart Bochner) is upset that years before, when he was a student at Alpine University, he wasn't seen as a success. He has always wanted to be a famous filmmaker and thinks that if he kills students by copying urban legends, he will get what he wants.
This is a confusing motive that isn't properly explained. While wanting revenge is a common slasher story motive, being a killer has nothing to do with making movies. There is another reason why Soloman fails as a horror villain: his mask and costume look too generic and like everyone else's. He needs more elements to help him stand out.
Leonard Marliston In Cherry Falls (2000)
Starring the late Brittany Murphy as Jody Marken, the underrated 2000s teen horror movie Cherry Falls sees a small town horrified by a killer who is going after virgins. The reveal of the high school English teacher Leonard Marliston (Jay Mohr) isn't very exciting as there are enough clues pointing to him as the one behind these recent murders.
While he has a dark backstory, Leonard isn't otherwise memorable. When looking back on Cherry Falls, the fact that teenagers are dying because they haven't had sex yet is always going to be the most unforgettable aspect of the story. The title will always stick out as well. Because the premise is so attention-grabbing, it feels like the villain could be anyone and the story would still have an impact.
Zach Sanford (There's Someone Inside Your House, 2021)
While Stephanie Perkins's YA novel is well-written, fascinating, and terrifying, the Netflix adaptation of There's Someone Inside Your House has many problems. It waters down the main character Makani Young's (Sydney Park) story and changes the motive behind the killer. In the book, David is the killer, but in the movie, popular and rich kid Zach Sanford (Dale Whibley) is the one targeting teenagers in his small town.
The slasher has too much in common with other movies, as Zach reveals people's secrets before he murders them, and his mask doesn't feel unique. At the end of the film, it seems like he is doing this because he's a terrible person. That isn't a very satisfying answer or conclusion.
Corey Cunningham (Halloween Ends, 2022)
For many fans of Halloween, Corey Cunningham is a controversial part of Halloween Ends, and Rohan Campbell's character didn't need to be included. For one thing, it's strange that there is a second killer besides Michael Myers since the movie was meant to be a showdown between Michael and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). For another, Corey is an uneven character, which makes him fail as a villain.
During the first part of the film, Corey is a somewhat sympathetic young adult who is bullied and tormented in his town. He doesn't fit in and is haunted by that fact. By the time he begins dating Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak) and killing alongside Michael, even stealing his mask, he is supposedly evil personified. It doesn't work and makes him one of the weakest slasher movie killers.