Top 10 Most Iconic Horror Movie Characters On T-Shirts

Hannibal Lector from the famous movie, “Silence of the Lambs” cracks the list at No. 10. When it comes to traditional scary movie characters, Hannibal Lector probably doesn’t jump out to you immediately, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the most famous characters of this genre. He’s a serial killer that eats his victims and has a wittiness to him that is captivating. Hannibal’s face on a T-shirt also makes for a great look this time of year. 

If you were born before 1980, you’re likely very familiar with who Pinhead is. This character made its first appearance on the big screen in 1987 in the movie “Hellraiser.” If you’re under the age of 25, Pinhead might not be all that familiar to you. The Hellraiser franchise has decreased in popularity over the years, but that doesn’t make Pinhead the character any less frightening or famous. To date, Pinhead has killed 35 people, so he’s not someone to be messed with. 

When it comes to some of the best scary movies produced in the past 20 years, look no further than the Saw franchise and its world-famous character, Jigsaw. While Pinhead might be for the slightly older crowd, anyone under the age of 25 should know this character. If you’re unfortunate enough to wake up and see this little guy rolling up on a tricycle, you’re in for a bad day. One you probably won’t survive. 

Who doesn’t recognize that face? Whether you think Chucky is terrifying, or the weakest serial killer to ever live, this list wouldn’t be complete without Chucky. He first graced the big screen in 1988 in the movie, “Child’s Play” and is an iconic character that is recognizable no matter what part of the world you might live in. All-in-all, Chucky has 38 kills to his name. That’s pretty impressive for a doll. 

When it comes to recognizable faces, Ghostface is right up there with the top characters. Making an appearance on the big screen in the 1996 film “Scream,” Ghostface grew in popularity at an extremely fast rate. The character became so popular that a comedy spinoff, “Scary Movie,” hit theaters four years later. And if you’re ever out on Halloween, Ghostface is easily one of the most popular Halloween costumes worn by children. A relatively new character to this list, Ghostface’s popularity will continue to grow over time.

When it comes to purely terrifying scary movie characters, Pennywise the clown is at or near the top of that list. We first came to see the Stephen King creation in the movie “IT” when it hit theaters in 1990. Pennywise is still a relatively fresh name in modern culture thanks to its latest movie, “IT Chapter 1” that hit theaters in 2017. With as much disdain as there is for clowns these days, there isn’t a scarier clown out there than Pennywise. 

Leatherface. The name says it all. Inspired by real-life serial killer Ed Gein, Leatherface appeared in the world-famous movie, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in 1974 and played one of the most horrific characters of all time. Leatherface wears the skin of his victims on his face and also makes furniture out of them. All-in-all, Leatherface has 31 kills to his name. 

Now we’re getting into the Big 3 and if you’re a big fan of Freddy Krueger, you might be a little disappointed that he’s only at No. 3 on our list. First appearing in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” in 1984, Freddy Krueger haunted the dreams of teenagers, eventually killing them the more scared they became. Watching Freddy Krueger as a kid made you not want to fall asleep. Name recognition alone is easily good enough to have him in the No. 3 slot on our scary movie characters list.

Better known to the world by just his first name, the Jason Voorhees character was created in 1980 when he appeared in the ultra-famous movie, “Friday the 13th.” If you ever attended Camp Crystal Lake, odds are you weren’t going to come out alive. Donning his famous hockey mask, Jason is as strong as they come, making him virtually impossible to kill. The franchise has reappeared many times over the years with the latest installment of the franchise coming in 2009. If you’re watching a scary movie for the kills, there’s arguably no better character to watch than Jason, who has 151 kills to his name.  While you could make a case for Jason in the No. 1 spot, we have him as the second most iconic scary movie character of all time.

From the storyline, to the name recognition, to the famous mask and machete, Michael Myers in the No. 1 scary movie character of all-time is a pretty easy one, ladies and gentlemen. From a creative killing standpoint, Jason has Michael beat. But when it comes to the storyline of the two franchises, the “Halloween” franchise has it won by a mile. First appearing in theaters in 1978, the series has been going strong ever since. If you’re out and about on Halloween night, don’t babysit anyone and don’t go anywhere near his sister. If you do those two things, you should be fine.