Women in Horror: Top 5 killer ladies in horror movies
By Jeremy Dick
We see a lot of female victims in horror movies, but as these five lethal ladies prove, sometimes the women are the ones we need to fear the most.
Typically, the sole survivor in a horror film comes down to one last lady known as the “final girl.” However, there are many wicked women from the genre who can attest that they are not always the victims. Certain female characters from horror films have haunted the nightmares of many people who watched them, and today we’re going to discuss some of the most iconic ones.
Now, let’s take a look at five of the freakiest females in horror to have ever scared us on the screen!
via Lionsgate
5. Baby Firefly
Let me preface this entry by admitting that I’m not the biggest Rob Zombie fan. However, I consider his House of 1000 Corpses sequel The Devil’s Rejects to be his most solid film. A big part of that is owed to the creepy performances of the film’s stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, and, of course, Sheri Moon Zombie.
Captain Spaulding (Haig), Otis (Moseley), and Baby Firefly (Zombie) are all freaky characters. But Baby certainly stands out as seemingly the most sinister one of them all. She seems to get just far too much of a thrill out of killing, and that makes her one of the scariest ladies in horror films from the new millennium.
via United Film
4. Angela Baker
While most slasher films set at a summer camp feature a masked maniac attacking the campgrounds, the Sleepaway Camp series takes a different approach. In the original film, Felissa Rose plays the role of bullied camper Angela Baker. After Angela slaughters every one of her fellow campers that’s done her wrong (as revealed in a rather bizarre twist ending), she moves on to other campgrounds in the sequels, leaving piles of bodies everywhere she goes.
There’s obviously going to be some debate as to whether Angela can be included on this list, given the reveal in the ending of the first film. But when Pamela Springsteen takes over the role starting in the first sequel, the character is revealed to have had gender reassignment surgery and fully identifies as a female. That’s good enough for me.
via Universal
3. Tiffany
You couldn’t possibly make a top 5 list of this nature and snub Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany. Whether she’s in doll or human form, the bride of Chucky is one of the most evil women to grace the screen. It’s clear she enjoys murdering people just as much as her legendary beau, and though she didn’t appear until four movies in, Tiffany has become just as important to the series as her husband.
So much credit here really needs to be given to Tilly. It’s just impossible to imagine anyone else taking on this role and making it as much of a hit as Tilly has.
via MGM
2. Angela Franklin
1988’s Night of the Demons is an underrated gem that would spawn two sequels and eventually a remake. The one that started it all stars Amelia Kinkade as Angela Franklin, a party girl throwing a Halloween bash for her friends at an abandoned mortuary. Unfortunately for Angela (and more so for her friends), an awakened spirit possesses her, turning her into a murderous, soul-hungry demon.
I have fond memories of Angela scaring the hell out of me as a kid. The film still holds up all these years later, and Angela remains one of the all-time most horrifying ladies of the horror genre.
via Paramount
1. Pamela Voorhees
What separates Friday the 13th antagonist Pamela Voorhees from the other women on this list is she isn’t killing because she’s enjoying it. In her demented mind, Mrs. Voorhees only murders the people she feels she has to. After going through the anguish of her son’s drowning at Camp Crystal Lake, Pamela will do whatever it takes — and kill whoever she must — to ensure the campgrounds never open again.
The late, great Betsy Palmer knocks it out of the park as Mrs. Voorhees. The freakiest moment in the film is when she talks to herself as Jason, showing how insane she really is. In her own mind, Pamela feels she’s actually doing the right thing, making her perhaps the scariest person one of them all.
Next: Halloween reboot wraps with single tweet
Do you agree with the order of this list? Were any notable women in horror snubbed? Let’s keep the discussion going by adding your thoughts in the comments below.