25 of Horror’s Greatest Bad Girls – A Definitive List of Our Favourite Female Horror Villains - *Spoilers*
Welcome to Knockout Horror. We talked all about 25 of Horror’s Best Final Girls just a few days ago. Let’s be real, though. While good girls are always a great reason to tune into a horror movie. Sometimes, it’s the ladies that turn to the dark side that are the most memorable. In this list, we are looking at 25 of Horror’s Greatest Bad Girls.
To qualify for this list, these horror femme fatales can’t just be ruthless or mean. They have to be charismatic, terrifying, iconic, and utterly memorable. From possessed dolls, to scorned lovers, to horrifying cosmic threats. These women, mothers, girls, and lovers will all make you sorry that you ever crossed them. I have tried to include a little something for everyone here. I have even tried to throw in a few obscure suggestions from films you might have missed.
Now, I won’t lie, my bias does show at a few points but remember, this is my personal preference. Your favourite horror bad girl might not appear here but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve respect and a whole lot of fear, as well. Keep in mind, as well, that this list will include spoilers because we have to talk about what makes these characters so iconic.
From vengeful matriarchs to demonic seductresses, here are 25 of horror’s best bad girls of all time.
25. Jennet Humfrye (The Woman in Black, 2012)
After her son was taken from her, only to later die in a harrowing accident, Jennet Humfrye’s grief manifested into a malevolent force that haunts the causeway and Eel Marsh House. Her ghostly presence acts as a curse on the local village, compelling children to take their own lives in a never-ending cycle of shared misery.
James Watkins, of Eden Lake fame, crafted a properly old fashioned Hammer Horror tale with The Woman in Black.
It’s a traditional story of a vengeful spirit taking her grief out on unsuspecting people. While we do feel a bit sorry for Jennet, it is hard to deny her place as a genuine horror bad girl.
Why You Don’t Mess With Jennet: Unlike many ghosts, the Woman in Black isn’t just a harmless spectre; she is an atmospheric plague hell bent on vengeance. You don’t have to provoke her to become her victim; simply seeing her is a death sentence for a child you love.
24. Angela Franklin (Night of the Demons, 1988)
Everybody loves a big tiddy goth girl until they get possessed by a malevolent demon and start unleashing hell. That’s what earns the host of the chaotic Halloween party at the heart of Night of the Demons a place on this list.
Angela arranges a night of music and fun at the abandoned Hull House, little realising she is about to become the primary vessel for a demon trapped in the crematorium. With a sinister smile and a terrifying gnarly new voice, she gleefully seduces, torments, and possesses her high school classmates one by one in a night of pure mayhem.
Why You Don’t Mess With Angela: Angela is the queen of B-movie demonic hedonism. Once possessed, she wields her sexuality and the knowledge of her friends’ desires as weapons, turning the party into their very own idea of hell. She might actually be the most dangerous host in horror history. Well, apart from the next horror bad girl on our list, that is.
23. Rebecca (Superhost, 2021)
The titular “superhost” of a remote vacation home, Rebecca is a whirlwind of peppy, can-do energy who is all too eager to please. In fact, she lives for five-star reviews and is willing to do anything to impress her latest guests, a pair of travel vloggers.
But as they start to notice odd things around the property, Rebecca’s desperate need for a glowing review curdles into something far more sinister and violent. Superhost would be a very average horror movie were it not for the absolutely sensational performance of Gracie Gillam as Rebecca.
She’s absolutely nuts in the best way possible and a massively underrated horror bad girl. Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Rebecca: Rebecca is a terrifying monster for the social media age. Her menace is hidden behind a mask of relentless, upbeat, wildly smiling customer service. She embodies the dark side of the gig economy and the desperate need for online validation. All while bringing a relentlessly brutal energy that elevates both the film and her character.
22. Santanico Pandemonium (From Dusk Till Dawn, 1996)
A breakout role for Salma Hayek is up next with the fantastic splatter horror movie From Dusk Till Dawn. The star attraction at the Titty Twister bar, Santanico Pandemonium, performs a hypnotic, snake-charming dance that captivates every patron and probably most of the people watching the movie, too.
As the music (ahem) climaxes, she reveals her true form and it is pretty damn terrifying. Santanico is a vampire queen who, along with her brethren, locks the doors and turns the bar into a gore soaked, nightmare feeding frenzy.
Why You Don’t Mess With Santanico: She is the ultimate bait-and-switch. Santanico represents the key turning point where this movie sheds its gritty crime thriller skin and descends into a full-blown creature feature splatter horror. She lures in her prey by sending them into a state of mesmerised awe right before she rips their throats out. She’s not just a monster; she’s a showstopper!
21. Nancy Loomis (Scream 2, 1997)
For the second movie in the Scream series, the writers needed to go in a bit of a different direction. After all, how were they going to top the shock and surprise of the first film’s big reveal? Well, they did it using Mrs. Loomis, of course. Posing as local reporter Debbie Salt, Mrs. Loomis is the unassuming brains behind the second wave of Ghostface killings.
Driven by a psychotic need for revenge against Sidney Prescott for killing her son, Billy. She manipulates a student accomplice and orchestrates a bloody and rather theatrical attack on Windsor College.
Why You Don’t Mess With Mrs. Loomis: She embodies the classic horror trope of “a mother’s revenge” pushed to its most deranged extreme. Mrs. Loomis is easy to underestimate, using a meek and unassuming facade to hide a sharp, strategic, and frankly utterly ruthless mind. She doesn’t just want to kill Sidney; she wants to destroy everything about her.
20. Cecilia / Sissy (Sissy, 2022)
Let’s get an obscure suggestion in here that seems to get a bit overlooked when it comes to horror’s best bad girls. A popular wellness influencer known online as Sissy, Cecilia projects an image of mindful, peaceful healing and personal growth. It’s all a big facade, though.
When a chance encounter with an old friend forces her to attend a hen weekend with her childhood bully, her repressed trauma erupts, and her carefully curated world of self-care dissolves into a blood-soaked rampage. Sissy goes on a rampage for the ages, butchering people, pushing them off cliffs, and running them over. It’s a ton of fun.
Why You Don’t Mess With Sissy: Sissy is a terrifyingly relevant monster born from toxic wellness culture. She weaponises therapy talk and the concept of self-love to justify her extreme violence, genuinely believing she is the victim even as she racks up a body count that Michael Myers would be jealous of.
19. The Bride of Frankenstein (Bride of Frankenstein, 1935)
Let’s take a look at one of horror’s original bad girls, next and also one of horror’s first true heart-breakers. Created to be a companion for Frankenstein’s monster, the Bride is brought to life in a flurry of lightning, ill intention, and scientific hubris.
Upon her reanimation, she takes one look at her intended mate, sizes him up, and lets out a legendary, piercing shriek of rejection. Sorry dude! Time to invest in some emo records and start dying your hair. “She hate me! Like others”.. Absolutely heartbreaking!
Why You Don’t Mess With The Bride of Frankenstein: In only a few minutes of screen time, the Bride established herself as an icon of female autonomy. She was created to serve a purpose for the men around her, but her first and only decision is to reject that fate entirely. That’s some truly unforgettable horror bad girl power right there.
18. May Canady (May, 2002)
May is one of those characters who is both easy to sympathise with but just a little bit terrifying. A deeply lonely and socially awkward veterinarian’s assistant, May has only ever had one friend: a creepy doll named Suzie.
After a series of painful social rejections, May decides that if she can’t find the perfect friend, she’ll make one. Which wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t taking all the best parts from the bodies of the people who hurt her.
I love this film and Angela Bettis does such a great job of relating the complexities of May’s character. Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With May: May is a chilling portrait of how loneliness can sometimes curdle into psychosis. Her descent from a quirky, sympathetic outcast into a literal human butcher is both tragic and just a little terrifying. You don’t mess with her because her fragility is her most dangerous weapon. When she breaks, she is going to take a little piece of you with her in the most literal way possible.
17. CW (Influencer, 2022)
This list wouldn’t be complete without Influencer’s very own bad girl CW. A mysterious and enigmatic figure who travels the world, CW preys on lonely social media influencers who are just desperate for clout.
She befriends them, gains their trust, and then murders them in order to steal their identities. Expertly maintaining their online presence to convince their followers that nothing is wrong while she lives their stolen lives. CW is a fantastic horror character that flips the attention hungry nature of social media on its head. Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With CW: CW is a uniquely modern predator designed to take advantage of a uniquely modern phenomenon. She completely understands that identity is now a digital construct and uses that to her advantage. Taking the superficiality of social media and using it as the perfect camouflage for her crimes. She doesn’t just kill her victims; she erases them.
16. Kayako Saeki (Ju-On: The Grudge, 2002)
You are going to see this theme repeated throughout the list. Sympathetic characters that became bad girls because of their difficult lives and awful fates. Kayako Saeki is no different. Murdered in a fit of jealous rage by her husband, Kayako’s spirit becomes a vengeful curse known as an onryō, forever bound to her house.
Anyone who enters the home is marked for death, haunted by her spidery facade and horrifying, croaking death rattle until she inevitably claims them.
Onryō are an enduring image in J-Horror. Perhaps they echo a certain form of guilt at Japan’s historically patriarchal society that isn’t exactly renowned for treating women all that well. Either way, they frequently makes for some of horror’s best bad girls.
Why You Don’t Mess With Kayako: Kayako is a relentless, inescapable embodiment of a grudge that cannot be reasoned with, fought, or escaped. Her power is absolute and crosses all boundaries; once you’re marked by her curse, it will follow you anywhere. She’s one of the most terrifyingly persistent ghosts in all of cinema and a definitive horror bad girl.
15. The Woman (The Woman, 2011)
Lucky McKee has something of a talent for creating memorable horror bad girls. I really don’t feel as though The Woman gets enough love from the community, though. The last surviving member of a feral, cannibalistic clan, the Woman is captured by a seemingly nice country lawyer who decides to “civilise” her by chaining her up in his cellar.
She endures his family’s brutal abuse until the moment she is able to unleash a wave of righteous, bloody vengeance. Pollyanna McIntosh is fantastic in the titular role and this movie goes into some very dark and shocking directions.
You aren’t going to feel bad when this bad girl unleashes hell, let’s put it that way. There’s actually a movie in the series that precedes this called Offspring that a lot of people forget about, too.
Why You Don’t Mess With The Woman: She is a force of pure, cannibalistic primal rage. The Woman represents the wild and untamable, and the film’s horror comes from watching the “civilised” family’s attempts to break her. When her restraints finally come off, her retribution is absolute, uncompromising, and actually quite satisfying.
14. Baby Firefly (House of 1000 Corpses & The Devil’s Rejects, 2003-2005)
I am sure it doesn’t need to be said to most discerning horror fans but director Rob Zombie absolutely loves featuring his wife Sherri Moon in starring roles. Sherri, in turn, loves showing her bum and playing absolutely maniacal nutcases. Baby is probably her magnum opus of violence and depravity.
A core member of the murderous, sadistic Firefly clan. Baby is a whirlwind of childish glee and brutal violence. Whether she’s scalping cheerleaders or holding a knife to a victim’s throat, she does it with a manic, giggling energy that makes her rather terrifying and strangely charismatic. Did I mention that she shows her bum a lot, too? Not all of it, though.. Just like, the top half..
Why You Don’t Mess With Baby: Baby Firefly is pure, unhinged cruelty. There is no line she won’t cross, no act too depraved, and she enjoys every second of it. Her charisma is her deadliest weapon, luring victims in with a flirty, playful demeanor before revealing the giggling, bum showing, monster beneath. She finds genuine joy in cruelty, making her one of horror’s most unforgettable sadists.
13. Sadako Yamamura (Ringu, 1998)
The original ghost in the machine, Sadako is the vengeful spirit at the heart of the cursed videotape in Hideo Nakata’s J-Horror masterpiece Ringu.. A powerful psychic murdered and thrown in a well, her immense rage (onryō) was psychically imprinted onto a VHS tape, creating a curse that kills the viewer seven days later.
They don’t come much more iconic that Sadako. That vision of her reaching through the television, long black hair covering her face and pale limbs stretched out, is truly iconic.
She inspired dozens of horror villains that came after but, once again, she is a sympathetic character with a genuinely tragic backstory. Check out our review of Ringu right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Sadako: Sadako is pure dread. Unlike her more frantic American counterpart, the slow, creeping certainty of the curse burrows deep into your head. The horror surrounding her is built on the rather terrifying sense of inevitability that comes with receiving that phone call. Her final, glitchy emergence from the television is one of cinema’s most iconic and uncanny moments that changed horror forever.
12. Esther (Orphan, 2009)
The twist in this one seemed to really get people back on release. The fact that our protagonist, Esther, was actually played by an adult (Isabelle Fuhrman) only added to the shock. The Coleman family adopts a seemingly sweet, artistic nine-year-old girl from Estonia named Esther.
They soon discover that their new daughter is manipulative, violent, and harbours an extremely dark secret. She is not a child at all, but a 33-year-old woman with a rare hormonal disorder and a history of violent murder. Orphan is far more enjoyable than it has any right to be and Esther is definitely one of horror’s most memorable bad girls.
Why You Don’t Mess With Esther: Esther is a master manipulator who uses society’s instinct to protect children as her ultimate weapon. She expertly pits family members against each other, exploiting their weaknesses and framing them for her own horrific acts purely to get what she wants. Her combination of adult cunning and a child’s appearance makes her a weirdly terrifying and unpredictable threat.
11. Rose Armitage (Get Out, 2017)
As the seemingly loving girlfriend to Chris Washington, Rose is the perfect picture of a supportive, progressive partner. Just like her loving liberal family who would have voted for President Obama a third time if they were allowed to.
This, however, is a carefully constructed facade. In reality, she is a cold, calculating sociopath who serves as the honey trap for her family’s horrific, racist body-snatching operation. Get Out is a totally groundbreaking horror movie and Rose is, in a lot of ways, the most terrifying member of the family. After all, just how many African American men has she snared over the years? Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Rose: Rose’s evil is so terrifying because of its chilling banality. She is a monster hiding in plain sight, weaponising white privilege and liberal aesthetics to lure her unsuspecting victims. The casual, almost bored way she drops her facade to reveal the calculating predator underneath is actually far more disturbing than if she had charged at Chris with a knife or weapon.
10. Pamela Voorhees (Friday the 13th, 1980)
Friday the 13th really isn’t a great movie. The thing that makes it noteworthy is the fact that so many people still go into it thinking that Jason Voorhees is the killer but that isn’t the case. He wouldn’t make his proper fully masked debut for a few years, yet.
The kindly, middle-aged cook for Camp Crystal Lake, Pamela Voorhees, is eventually revealed to be the film’s true killer. Driven mad with grief over the drowning of her son, Jason, she embarks on a bloody rampage, murdering the new generation of counsellors she blames for his death. Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Pamela Voorhees: She is the original slasher matriarch. Long before her son became a horror icon, Pamela was the one wielding the blade, fueled by a mother’s love twisted into a vengeful, murderous rage. Her folksy, unassuming appearance makes her reveal all the more shocking. In fact, it probably goes a bit underrated when it comes to unexpected killer reveals.
9. Tiffany Valentine (Bride of Chucky, 1998)
Tiffany had to be on this list, right? I mean, there’s time in the series where she genuinely makes Chucky look quite tame in comparison. The former girlfriend of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, Tiffany resurrects her old flame, only to be murdered and have her soul transferred into a bride doll.
Far from being a mere sidekick, Tiffany proves to be just as foul-mouthed, creative, and murderously gleeful as Chucky himself. Jennifer Tilly does an excellent job bringing her to life and the character has gone on to become just as iconic as Chucky.
Why You Don’t Mess With Tiffany: Tiffany is a horror-comedy icon who is every bit Chucky’s equal in all the worst possible ways. She is the perfect blend of homicidal rage and domestic frustration, just as likely to berate Chucky for not doing the dishes as she is to slit someone’s throat. Her charismatic love for the craft of killing make her unforgettable.
8. Ginger Fitzgerald (Ginger Snaps, 2000)
Is Ginger another sympathetic character? After all, puberty is a difficult time for all girls, right? Anyways, on the same night she gets her first period, high school outcast Ginger is bitten by a werewolf. The subsequent transformation, known as the “curse,” turns her into something completely terrifying as Ginger grows more aggressive, confident, and dangerously feral, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.
It’s probably a good thing that writer Karen Walton was involved in this movie. I can’t imagine a man making a story about a woman turning into a vicious snarling animal when she is on her period would go over all that well. It’s a brilliant movie, though, and Ginger is an awesome horror bad girl.
Why You Don’t Mess With Ginger: Ginger is the embodiment of female rage. Her transformation isn’t just terrifying; it’s darkly liberating and has become a bit of a feminist favourite over the years. She embraces the power and violence that comes with her new form, shedding her mortal anxieties to become an unapologetic predator. With that being said, she is also a tragic anti-hero you can’t help but root for, even as she’s tearing boys apart.
7. La Femme (Inside, 2007)
Now La Femme is a horror bad girl that I find utterly terrifying. It isn’t even just her dark motivation. It’s the relentless, unfeeling manner in which she goes about her business. A lot of that is a credit to Béatrice Dalle’s fantastic performance.
A mysterious and relentless woman dressed in black, La Femme spends one bloody night terrorising a pregnant widow on Christmas Eve. Armed with a huge pair of scissors, her goal is simple and horrifying: to cut the baby out and take it for herself. This movie is horribly gory, really quite shocking, and La Femme is honestly terrifying. Check out our review of Inside right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With La Femme: La Femme is a silent, unstoppable force of brutal intent and unfeeling terror. As a villain of the New French Extremity, she is utterly devoid of camp or theatrics. Her violence is intimate, graphic, and disturbingly purposeful.
6. The Xenomorph Queen (Aliens, 1986)
Look, I didn’t say anything about all of these horror bad girls being human. We absolutely have to include the apex of the hive and the mother of all Xenomorphs. Discovered by Ripley in a massive, bio-mechanical chamber, the Queen is a truly awesome sight.
She’s a towering alien matriarch laying eggs through a giant, pulsating sac. When Ripley torches her nest, the Queen detaches herself and embarks on a furious, personal vendetta. Those final moments among the escape pod are some of the most iconic in horror history and for more reasons than just Sigourney Weaver kicking some alien ass.
Why You Don’t Mess With The Xenomorph Queen: The Queen is pure, primal matriarchal rage. She’s not just a drone hell bent on killing. She is intelligent, strategic, and capable of actual vengeful fury. Her fight with Ripley in the power loader is a legendary clash between two of cinema’s greatest women, and her terrifying design and sheer power make her the ultimate alpha female.
5. Lola Stone (The Loved Ones, 2009)
Am I being bias putting Lola Stone this far up the list because I adore Aussie splatter horror The Loved Ones? Probably but it’s hard to deny what an amazing horror bad girl she is. I mean, she drills into a man’s head for crying out loud! If the noise of a drill bit scraping against exposed skull doesn’t make you terrified of Lola then I don’t know what will.
When high school student Brent rejects Lola Stone’s invitation to the prom, she decides she is going to have her prom anyway. With the help of her equally deranged father, she kidnaps Brent and subjects him to a night of glitter, disco music, and sadistic torture in a private “prom” held in their kitchen.
This is, low key, one of my all time favourite movies and Lola is one of my favourite villains so check out my review if you are looking for a completely non-subjective take.
Why You Don’t Mess With Lola: Lola is the ultimate spoiled princess from hell. Her brand of evil is so terrifying because it’s wrapped in a veneer of pink, sparkly, girlish fantasy. She uses drills, bleach, and scrapbooks with the same cheerful enthusiasm most people have when taking part in crafting hobbies. She’s an awesome bad girl.
4. Pearl (Pearl & X, 2022)
Full disclosure, I am not a huge fan of Ti West’s slasher movie X but man did I ever enjoy Pearl. That’s down to, in large part, how brilliant of a character Pearl is. What an iconic horror bad girl, as well? She’s mean, completely deluded, and weirdly likeable.
A young woman trapped on her family’s isolated Texas farm in 1918, Pearl has big dreams of becoming a movie star. When her ambitions are thwarted by her oppressive family and the harsh realities of the world, her cheerful, star-struck facade crumbles to reveal a deeply disturbed, axe-wielding psychopath.
This prequel had a totally different vibe and the retro styling makes it stand out. It’s almost like Wizard of Oz does horror. Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Pearl: Pearl is a tour-de-force of ambition curdled into complete and utter madness. Mia Goth’s stunning performance allows us to see the world through her twisted, Technicolor perspective. You don’t mess with her because her desire for fame is a fire that threatens to consume everything around it. She will feed anyone and everyone to it with a smile on her face, a tear in her eye, and a song in her heart.
3. Asami Yamazaki (Audition, 1999)
If you actually saw Asami Yamazaki in the street, you would probably be stricken by her stunning appearance and unassuming nature. Don’t be fooled, though. That’s what makes her truly terrifying. As Juice WRLD so astutely put it “Who knew evil girls had the prettiest face?”. Shigeharu Aoyama was definitely tangled up in Asami’s drastic ways when he fell for this beautiful, quiet, and seemingly perfect former ballerina.
Her demure exterior actually hides a past of horrific abuse and a present of sadistic vengeance. Her audition is not for a film role, but for her next victim. Asami is one of the most iconic horror movie bad girls of all time and Takashi Miike’s Audition is one of the greatest J-Horror movies of all time. Check out our review right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Asami: Asami is the ultimate slow-burn threat that waits for her perfect opportunity to strike. Her placid, gentle demeanor makes the final act’s reveal of her true nature one of the most shocking and stomach-churning in cinema history. Her methodical use of piano wire, all while whispering “kiri, kiri, kiri,” is one of the most intimate, terrifying, and unforgettable moments in horror ever.
2. Carrie White (Carrie, 1976)
My fiancee and I debated this one a lot when working out who should find a place on this list. We knew that there were two obvious contenders for the top spot but we didn’t know who deserves it most. The tie breaker came down to something pretty simple. Carrie White is actually quite a sympathetic character that just wanted to be accepted.
She’s a shy, sheltered, and mercilessly bullied high school student who discovers she has telekinetic powers. After being pushed too far by her abusive mother and cruel classmates, she unleashes her powers in a fiery, bloody act of apocalyptic revenge at her senior prom.
Alright, so she went a little bit too far, but it’s still tough not to feel just a touch of sympathy for this horror bad girl and that’s what keeps her from the number one spot. Check out our review of Carrie right here.
Why you don’t Mess With Carrie White: Carrie is horror’s ultimate tragic “bad girl.” She is both victim and villain, a painfully sympathetic figure who becomes an unstoppable force of destruction thanks to years of pain and suffering. Carrie represents the power that lies dormant in the meek, and her prom-night massacre is the ultimate revenge fantasy for anyone who has ever felt like an outcast. She is a haunting reminder that the quietest people can sometimes have the most explosive rage.
1. Annie Wilkes (Misery, 1990)
The “number one fan” of romance novelist Paul Sheldon is also the number one horror bad girl on our list. After Annie Wilkes rescues her favourite author from a car crash, she holds him captive in her isolated home and forces him to write a new book just for her. When he resists, she reveals the true depths of her obsessive, violent, and utterly unhinged nature.
There’s so many reasons why Annie Wilkes deserves the number one spot on the list. Only one of those reasons is because she terrified me so damn much when I first watched Misery as a kid. The violent outbursts, the maniacal yet strangely cheery disposition, the amazing performance by Kathy Bates…. The hobbling scene.
Annie Wilkes is all the more terrifying because she is so human. She is utterly believable and that’s what makes her stand out against a litany of cartoon like horror bad girls. Check out our review of Misery right here.
Why You Don’t Mess With Annie Wilkes: Annie Wilkes is terrifyingly real. She is not a ghost or a monster, but a deeply disturbed person whose sweet, matronly facade can crack at any moment into terrifying, ankle snapping rage. Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning performance created the ultimate portrait of toxic fandom, a monster of obsession whose weapon of choice isn’t a knife, but a sledgehammer.
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