When a horror movie gets it right, it’s easy to forget that what you’re watching is ‘just a movie’. A believable premise, relatable characters, and gripping fear can make nightmarish creations uncannily believable.
Some monsters, creatures, and characters have remained in our collective consciousness and have become iconic for horror film buffs everywhere. These characters are the stuff that nightmares are made of. Viewers’ sleep is often disturbed for weeks after first witnessing these horrific tales.

Such is the power of a good psychological thriller, or slasher film, or any other subgenre that fits the ‘horror’ mould. The following are the most iconic, terrifying creatures and characters in film history that have haunted our collective consciousness since their inception.
  • Sadako/Samara Morgan, The Ring(1998/2002). It sounds like just another urban legend -- a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.

  • Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street(1984/2010). In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?

  • The Creeper, Jeepers Creepers(2001). After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old abandoned church, Trish (Gina Philips) and her brother Darry (Justin Long) watch their routine road trip home from college turn into a heart-stopping race for their lives. They find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force that relentlessly pursues them and gives a new and chilling meaning to the old song "Jeepers Creepers."
  • Name undocumented, Predators(1987/2010). Brought together on a mysterious planet, a mercenary (Adrien Brody) and a group of coldblooded killers now become the prey. A new breed of aliens pursues the ragtag humans through dense jungle. The group must work together to survive, or become the latest trophies of the fearsome intergalactic hunters.
  • Cave dwellers/Crawlers,  A crew on a remote construction site are plagued by a series of bizarre mishaps. As the incidents turn more and more savage, it becomes clear that the sole link to the deadly events - is a 50-ton bulldozer.
  • Descent(2005). A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: Underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.
  •  Ferriman, Ghost Ship(2002).In May 1962, an italian oceanliner carrying dozens of wealthy passengers disappeared without a trace. Forty years later, a marine salvage crew discovered the vessel running adrift in the Bering Sea. Because the ship is in international waters, it can be claimed by whoever brings it to port. They discover the ship is the Antonia Graza, which was believed to be lost at sea many years ago. They discovered large quantity of gold on it, when they prepare to tow it, Strange things begin to happen.

  • Walking Dead, (2010). Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, this gritty drama portrays life in the months and years that follow a zombie apocalypse. Led by former police officer Rick Grimes, his family and a group of other survivors find themselves constantly on the move in search of a safe and secure home. But the pressure each day to stay alive sends many in the group to the deepest depths of human cruelty, and they soon discover that the overwhelming fear of the survivors can be more deadly than the zombies walking among them.

  • Jigsaw, Saw(2003/2010) Photographer Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) and oncologist Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) regain consciousness while chained to pipes at either end of a filthy bathroom. As the two men realize they've been trapped by a sadistic serial killer nicknamed "Jigsaw" and must complete his perverse puzzle to live, flashbacks relate the fates of his previous victims. Meanwhile, Dr. Gordon's wife (Monica Potter) and young daughter (Makenzie Vega) are forced to watch his torture via closed-circuit video.
  • Ckukky, Child's Play(1988/2013). After moving to a new city, young Andy Barclay receives a special present from his mother -- a seemingly innocent Buddi doll that becomes his best friend. When the doll suddenly takes on a life of its own, Andy unites with other neighborhood children to stop the sinister toy from wreaking bloody havoc.
  • Regan MacNeil (The Exorcist). One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd -- levitating, speaking in tongues -- her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.
  • Hatchet, 2006. Ben (Joel Moore) and Marcus (Deon Richmond) are college students in New Orleans, enjoying Mardi Gras, when they decide to go on a boat tour of an allegedly cursed bayou. Meeting up with several other tourists, including quietly beautiful Marybeth (Tamara Feldman), they are entertained by their guide Shawn (Parry Shen), who regales them with tales of a ghostly serial killer who wanders the swamp. They laugh off the stories -- until someone, or something, starts picking off members of the group.
  • Xenomorph, Predator Vs Alien(2004). First appeared in the 1970 film, Alien. Why it's utterly terrifying? Xenomorph is a predatory creature that implants larvae into living hosts, i.e. people.
    • Zombies/walkers;
    • Resident Evil, (2002),
    •  Resident Evil(Apocalypse2004),
    • Resident Evil(Extinction, 2007),
    • Resident Evil (Afterlife, 2010) and
    • Resident Evil (Retribution, 2012).
    • Dawn Of The Dead, (2004).