Every Halloween monsters make their way back into the pop culture sphere as horror movies and scary shows take center stage. These monsters bring fun and frights to people who love the spooky season. These monsters can be main characters, side characters, heroes, villains or even mindless mobs.
Some Halloween monsters come from ancient tales from far away lands, while others come from a classic spin on something seen in the real world. While the films and shows may humanize them just a little bit, these are still the creatures that can bring nightmares to those not prepared for frights.
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10Skeletons
While this is one that gets a lot less play in pop culture compared to other Halloween monsters, there is one truly iconic skeleton representative. Jack Skellington fromThe Nightmare Before Christmasis Mr. Halloween for many to this day. In the film he serves as the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown.
On topof Jack Skellington, skeletons have been used for fright. The decomposed bones are often placed inside coffins around the spooky season. These can be scary even if only one ever seems to be animate.
9Creepy Clowns
Many people around the world have a fear of clowns, and that fear allows for creepy and evil clowns to be some of the scariest monsters for Halloween. The scariest of these clowns in Halloween is Pennywise fromIt. That clown can control minds, create illusions and shift its shape.
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There are dozens of other clown movies to check out to bring the fright. Although if viewers want to mix creepy clowns and aliens, it’s hard to beatKiller Klowns from Outer Space.
8Frankenstein’s Monster
This monster is more misunderstood than evil, but that was the entire point of Mary Shelley’s novel. Createdby Dr. Frankenstein, this monster was built using the parts of corpses. He looks creepy but is almost always just looking for people to accept him.
Dr. Frankenstein is the true monster of the story, but because he’s human and the “monster” he creates really isn’t, the creation is viewed as the monster. Still the bolts in the neck and the stitch marks on the face can be frightening for younger viewers.
7Zombies
FromEvil DeadtoThe Walking Dead, zombies have been taking over the big screen and the small screen for decades. Zombies are some of the easiest Halloween monsters to escape because of their slow movement, but when this group of undead catches a victim, it’s going to be a gruesome and painful way to go.
Zombies even find their ways to more family friendly Halloween fare like Billy Butcherson in theHocus Pocusfilm series. Still, the best advice fora zombie apocalypseis to damage the zombie’s brain.
6Mummies
The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt were embalmed and worshiped as mummies, but in the present, mummies have become a twisted Halloween monster that’s like a zombie with bandages. Following the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Hollywood took this ancient ritual and put a unique spin to it.
While there have been many adaptations of mummy movies, some meant to be frightening likeThe Mummyand some meant to be kid-friendly likeUnder Wraps, this monster is slightly different from zombies, because a mummy wants more than just to eat. A mummy wants revenge.
5Vampires
The myth of the vampire reaches back to Ancient Greece. The monster is believed to be undead but can act in a manner similar to a living human. Vampires don’t have beating hearts; they don’t breathe; and they survive by drinking the blood of humans. The most famous of these monsters is, of course, Count Dracula.
Vampires have been the villains of most monster movies they appear in withCount Dracula appearingthe most often. Although some movies and shows have flipped the script by having the girl who was supposed to be the victim turn into the vampire killer.
4Werewolves
Unlike vampires, mummies and zombies which are undead, werewolves are humans who have been cursed to turn intowolf-like monstersduring the full moon. Different legends introduce the monsters in different ways. But the most famous version has the werewolves bitten by another werewolf.
Werewolves have shown up in hundreds of scary movies and series perfect for Halloween. These includeThe Wolfman,An American Werewolf in London,and theBuffy the Vampire Slayertelevision show. TheUnderworldseries even looks at a nighttime war fought between vampires and werewolves.
3Ghosts
The most common of the Halloween monsters to appear in films and seriesis the ghost. It’s the easiest monster for a plot device. Ghosts are often the spirits of the dearly departed who have hung around the mortal realm even if the person’s body is no longer there.
Ghosts can be villains or heroes depending on the film or series. They are the easiest to use for family friendly affairs likeCasperor for comedic purposes like the television showGhosts. They can also be terrifying when need be. Ghosts are a universal monster.
2Witches
Along with ghosts, witches are a monster that can translate into whatever type of Halloween story a filmmaker or television show creator wants. Witches can be heroes like inCharmed, family friendly like inMickey and Minnie Mouseshorts, or even villainous like inHocus Pocus.
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Witches are one of the Halloween monsters that have had regular accusations throughout history. There has been plenty of perceived witch hysteria with people claiming witches have cursed them. The most famous in the United States is the Salem Witch Trials, but there are many other cases of believed mass hysteria that have led to allegations of witchcraft.
1Grim Reaper
The ultimate bad guy in life is death, and no one has been connected to more death thanthe Grim Reaper. Following the Black Plague in the 14th-century, the idea of the Grim Reaper was born. While many today think of the Grim Reaper as death itself, the Reaper is actually just a guide for the soul headed to the afterlife.
The Grim Reaper has appeared in numerous movies, television shows, and games includingSupernatural, Final Destination and American Horror Story: Asylum. The Grim Reaper is almost always presented as a hooded figure wearing a cloak and carrying a scythe, although other less ominous versions also exist.
