When you think of the horror movie genre, you think about the unnatural, the beastly, the morbid and grotesque. What about the everyday creatures? The living are far worse than the dead. If you think about the news and all the murder and damage that humans do to one another, what better way to scare people than to use a normal human being as the antagonist. Some of the most recognizable horror movie characters in the genre are human. Here are some of the baddest of the bad.

Psycho – Norman Bates

Norman and his “mother” were the weirdest. He didn’t even try to hide it. He was weird in front of the motel customers. The big creepy house was an extension of Norman himself. Exposed and creepy. The peeping Tom was one step ahead of the bumbling law. How could he get away with killing people and they had no idea.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Leatherface

The Texas farmhouse was an ominous site. Leatherface was a foreboding monster with a human side that squeaked out once in awhile. Being abused in a house of lunatics, Leatherface was probably the most human of the bunch. Unassuming tourists fell to his bloodlust and his partner, the chainsaw. Leatherface is a classic example of a human being stuck in an unfortunate situation.

My Bloody Valentine – Harry Warden/Axel Palmer

Sometimes urban legends consume a human being. Was Harry Warden real or a mysterious story that people don’t want to dismiss? Axel Palmer took the Harry Warden tale a little too far and the small town suffered. Palmer was not crazy, he knew what he was doing. The crazy miner got what was coming to him…or did he. It was suggested that Palmer got away. We may never know the truth, but now people speak about him in the same breath as Harry Warden.

Scream- Billy Loomis and Stu Macher

Once in awhile a moron gets an idea that he must share with his best friend. Too bad the idea is probably the worst idea in the history of the world. Sadly, this is the premise of Scream. Billy and Stu are high school idiots who decide to go on a killing spree but lack the knowledge to kill everyone on their list. Some people fall prey to them, but the bungling duo are basically beaten by a girl. Not too smart when two guys with weapons are beaten and killed by one girl.

Misery – Annie Wilkes

Former nurse Annie Wilkes lives alone in a wooded area in a secluded area. A homely gal who is tidy and straight or so we think. She’s about to meet her favorite author, Paul Sheldon, and he’s about to meet his number one fan. Sheldon finishes his book about character Misery Chastain in which he kills her. He wrecks his car in the snow. Annie finds him and drags him to her house. She takes care of him and he gets better. He agrees to let her read his transcript. Mistake. She storms into the room with anger. He killed her favorite character and she is not happy! Annie shows her true self when she breaks his ankles with a sledge hammer. She makes him re-write the book and things roll down hill from there. Annie is the least assuming character in history until you take something away from her. Annie is not someone you want to mess with, ask Paul Sheldon.