The Top 10 Best Horror Movie Masked Killers

5. Ghostface- The Scream Franchise

Director Wes Craven masterfully deconstructed the horror genre with the Scream Franchise, the antagonist of which is the notorious Ghostface (not to be confused with Ghostface Killah). Since his big-screen debut in 1996, this killer has become a modern horror icon. He’s even spilled over from his own film franchise into parody movies and even got a tv series. No matter how many times he goes down, someone else always comes along and picks up the mask again (seven actors have worn it in the films so far, with more to come). With so many aspiring serial killers taking up the Ghostface mantle, it would have been impossible for him not to earn a spot on this list of horror movie masked killers. Afterall, the legend of Ghostface has racked up a pretty respectable kill count over the course of it’s career. Here’s hoping more psychos will find it in their hearts to carry on his legacy. 

4. Jigsaw- The Saw Franchise

If you listen to his side of things, Jigsaw will claim he “never killed anyone”, since all his victims could have escaped if they really wanted to. Of course, he’ll leave out the part about them having to horribly maim themselves in the most painful ways imaginable in order to get out of his sadistic traps. In fact, the way John Kramer (Tobin Bell) tells it, he was helping to free them by giving them a new appreciation for the life they were wasting. I guess his twisted style of life coaching struck home with some, because soon he had himself a couple of acolytes to carry on his work after his inevitable death at the hands of terminal cancer. Honestly, the whole dying thing kinda makes sense, because his brand is all over the place. He’s got the weird puppet on a tricycle but also wears a pig mask when he actually has to get his hands dirty, and somehow those tie into the death traps he builds…. All I’m saying is a marketing firm might be able to help him clean up his message a bit.   

3. Dollface, Man in the Mask, and Pin-Up Girl- The Strangers and The Strangers: Prey at Night

I’m starting to think being a crazed killer is better when it’s a group activity, because this is the second trio to appear on this list. Ever so delicately “based on true events,” The Strangers features a bizarre momma, pappa, and baby team of killers who pick their victims simply based on the fact they were home. Once they choose their targets, they proceed to play cat and mouse, relishing in offering their prey slivers of hope before snatching them away. These three horror movie masked killers take mind games to a whole new level thanks to their mastery of the ancient art of despair. While it might not have gotten the sequel it deserves, The Strangers remains one of the legitimately great horror films of the new millennium. That’s because these three make it clear they could end things whenever they wanted. The only reason their victims are still alive is because they allow it. That sort of spine chilling control is truly terrifying.    

2. The Collector- The Collector and The Collection

I feel like The Collector doesn’t get enough credit. The way I see it, he shows a number of the most terrifying traits from the horror movie masked killers we’ve seen above. There’s an inhuman quality to The Collector as though he were some sort of apex predator simply toying with his prey. That combined with the gut wrenching sadism he displays makes him a horrifying force of nature. His M.O. is to target a house and stake it out until he learns everything possible about it and the people who live there. Then he plots how to turn that home into a deathtrap filled maze (bear traps on the floor, garrote wires strung at inconvenient heights, corrosive chemicals left strewn across the floor…). Once he’s taken everything into account, he picks a night and transforms it while the people inside sleep. He waits until there’s only one survivor left and then snatches them up to torture them to his heart’s content. The one thing he didn’t plan for was legendary final guy, Arkin. 

1. Leatherface- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise

With the roar of a chainsaw, the number one pick on this list of horror movie masked killers burst onto the scene. Ever since his debut in 1974, Leatherface has enjoyed being one of the top dawgs of modern horror. Despite not having any sort of powers, he ranks right up there with the likes of Jason, Michael, and Freddy. The biggest and dumbest of the cannibalistic Sawyer clan, this Texan takes butchering to a whole new level as he literally brings home the bacon for his kin. To make matters worse, he believes in using every part of the “long pig” and likes to fashion the faces of the especially “perdy” ones into masks he can wear. He’s quite the fashionista too, and has a mask for all seasons and occasions. I’ll admit he’s hardly the brightest of the masked killers on here, but that just means he has no idea when to stay down. This enormous brute is practically a juggernaut with a chainsaw, which is why he’s the clear choice for the number one spot.      

Honorable Mention: The Other- Hell Fest

I have to give an honorable mention to one of the few horror movie masked killers who prefers to work smarter rather than harder. The Other takes advantage of the one night a year where he can just walk down the street without anyone giving him a second look, Halloween. As luck would have it, in 2018 he stumbled upon the motherload when he found a horror themed theme park. There he picked off plenty of obnoxious 20-somethings and just hid their bodies right out in the open. People probably took selfies with him while he was actually killing people. Alas, all good things must come to an end and at the end of the night, The Other returned home to patiently wait another 365 days. 

Shout-out: Josef- Creep and Creep II 

The Creep movies are more than a little weird thanks to the jarring performance of Mark Duplass as the enigmatic Josef. His character hires a videographer to help him record messages for his unborn child, since he claims to be dying of terminal cancer. It almost seems kind of sweet, until you begin to realize none of the pieces add up. Josef is, well, a creep and the more he shows his true colors the more you should fear for your life. Once he has his fun gaslighting his victims, he just kills them and moves on to the next one. There’s no telling how many he’s killed, but I’d been willing to bet he’s got quite the movie collection.

That wraps up this list of the best horror movie masked killers of all time. There are a lot more out there and if I missed any of the greats, let me know in the comments below. As always, I’ll be updating this list and new masked killers make their movie premieres. So, be sure to check back from time to time in order to see how the rankings might change.