The Top 10 Best Killer Women From Horror Movies

5. Asami Yamazaki- Audition 

Some of the most terrifying films in modern cinema have come out of Asia (as well as some of the most disturbing). That’s why we’re heading to Japan for the next murderous mama on this list of killer women. Eihi Shiina gives a chilling performance as the unhinged Asami in Takashi Miike’s gut-wrenching film. At first, Asami seems like a shy and submissive little thing, but deep down she’s an obsessive psychopath with serious abandonment issues. So much so, that she’s taken to abducting and torturing the objects of her affection so they can never leave her. In her twisted mind, this is the most romantic act that she’s capable of, though her boy toys might not agree with that sentiment. Watching Asami casually perform sadistic acts without a flicker of emotion is enough to convince any guy to think twice about ghosting that gal they’ve been seeing if they want to keep all their body parts where they belong. Hell, Asami is almost enough to make me swear off dating altogether.

4. Angela Barker- The Sleepaway Camp Series

At first, I was hesitant to include Angela Barker on this list of killer women, not because she’s transgender, but because her aunt originally forced her to identify as a girl. However, in sequels, it’s revealed that Angela willingly pursued a sex change operation. Underlying mental health issues aside (she is on a list of killer women from horror movies, after all), in my book, transgender women are women, period. Angela is one of the few killer women ever to get her own franchise, with Sleepaway Camp spawning multiple sequels. Some might argue that the series went downhill fast after the first entry, but that didn’t stop Angela from racking up dozens of kills over the course of her career as a big-screen slasher. Those numbers alone could earn her a spot on this list, but Angela is also a cult icon in horror circles thanks to the fact that she flipped the trope of a juiced-up psycho in a mask on its head. She’s just another reason to think twice about shipping your kids off to summer camp.  

3. La Femme- Inside

Motherhood is a joy that only women can experience. However, some killer women can take their maternal instincts a bit too far. Originally called À l’intérieur in France, this home-invasion film tells the story of a pregnant woman, Sarah, who gets a VERY unwelcome visitor late one night (Béatrice Dalle). The visitor reveals that it’s no coincidence that she’s arrived on Sarah’s doorstep that evening and has been stalking her for months. Why? Because she wants a bouncing ball of joy all her own and she’s had her eye on the one growing within Sarah. What makes La Femme so chilling is not just how calculating she is, but also the lengths she will go to to get what she wants. La Femme not only tricks several police officers into believing she is Sarah’s mother and that everything is alright but when they do catch on she dispatches them Tout de suite. This psycho just reaffirms my belief that not everyone who wants kids should have them.  

2. Annie Wilkes- Misery

Leave it to Stephen King to come up with one of the most terrifying women in movie history. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) is a nurse by trade, but that doesn’t mean that she takes the Nightingale Pledge (aka The Practical Nurse Pledge) seriously. When she comes across her favorite author after he’s been injured in a car accident, Annie takes it upon herself to nurse him back to health. That is until she reads his new manuscript and discovers that he’s planning to kill off her favorite character. Enraged, she forces him to rewrite the book and when he tries to escape, she gives him a little “incentive” to stick around. Misery doesn’t reveal exactly how many people Annie has killed over the years, but it’s implied that she racked up quite the kill count back when she used to work in hospitals. Annie embodies the collective nightmares of a caregiver taking advantage of our weakened and vulnerable state to inflict more suffering upon us.  

1. Pamela Voorhees- Friday the 13th

Jason Voorhees is one of my favorite big-screen slashers of all time. It turns out that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and he has mommy dearest to thank for inspiring his reign of terror. While he might have been the star of the Friday the 13th franchise, Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) was the killer that started it all. In the first film, she plays the summer camp matriarch in charge of all the no-good councilors who are always slacking off instead of watching the campers. Turns out that’s a serious trigger for Mrs. Voorhees, since her baby boy, Jason, drowned in the lake when the councilors were supposed to be keeping an eye on him. Furious that their hanky panky cost her boy his life, she’s sworn an oath of revenge against the lot of them. Mrs. Voorhees rampage was enough to make me take my job as a camp counselor seriously and I never lost a camper thanks to her motivation. For being the mother of the most deadly big screen slasher in movie history and having plenty of blood on her own hands, Pamela earns the top spot on this list of killer women.     

Honorable Mention: Lola “Princess” Stone- The Loved Ones

Robin McLeavy is incredible in the underappreciated horror flick, The Loved Ones. In it, she plays a high schooler who is desperate to find true love. So desperate, that she and daddy have abducted a few boys and tortured them into going on bizarre home dates with her. When she’s done having her fun, she and daddy perform home lobotomies on them and lock them in the cellar. The Loved Ones is a deliciously twisted film with scenes that will make you grimace and gasp in horror at what “Princess” is capable of. The only reason Lola isn’t featured in the list above is that it’s unclear if she actually kills anyone herself. Though, I’m certain she would be more than capable of murder, which is why she’s getting an honorable mention. 

Shout-Out: Red- Blood Fest

I’ve been ranting and raving about the horror-comedy Blood Fest since I saw it at the beginning of the 2019 pandemic. The film features a horror lover’s dream come true in the form of the ultimate haunt, Blood Fest. It contains all sorts of classic monsters, (fictional) movie slashers, and celebrities in attendance. However, the actual star of the show is the newcomer Red (Rebecca Lynne Wagner). Premiering at the haunt, Red quickly proves to be a skilled and effective masked killer willing to spill the blood of everyone locked inside the park. It’s revealed that the reason Red prefers to use speed and skill over brute force is that she’s actually a teenage girl who has been preparing for this massacre for years. While I might not have been able to justify a spot on this list of killer women from horror movies, I knew I had to give her a shout-out.

Those are my picks for the best killer women from horror movies. If you think I missed an especially deadly damsel, let me know in the comments below. As always, I’ll be updating this list as new and improved blood-crazed babes hit the big screen. So, check back from time to time in order to see how the rankings might change. Until then, keep this list in mind just in case you need another reason to treat the women in your life well.