Top 10 Craziest Things Horror Movie Villains Survived
#10: Kandarian Magic
"Evil Dead II" (1987) Ash Williams put it best: ["for God's sake...how do you stop it?"] There honestly doesn’t seem to be anything that can truly stop the evil entity in Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" franchise—it can only be contained. When Annie recites an ancient Kandarian incantation, the evil force appears to be on the ropes, but not even finishing that bit of Necronomicon magic can get the job done. Instead, the evil sucks Ash and his Oldsmobile into the past, where Williams is once again forced to face demonic possession in the sequel, "Army of Darkness." And then again in "Ash vs. Evil Dead." This evil just refuses to stay dead!
#9: Falling
"King Kong" (1976) It's one of the most iconic moments in monster movie history: when King Kong falls from the Empire State building in the 1933 film, shot down by aircraft fire. But for Kong in the Dino de Laurentiis production from 1976? Falling is apparently no big deal! The 1976 "King Kong" ends with Skull Island's finest suffering a colossal fall from the Twin Towers down to World Trade Center Plaza. At the time, all signs pointed to it being the end of Kong. But 1986's "King Kong Lives" reveals that the ape survived and has been kept in a comatose state. Until, of course, he’s not! The film even introduces Lady Kong as a blood donor and love interest. Plus: Baby Kong! Sweet!
#8: Being Buried in a Mine Shaft
Top 20 Horror Movie Villains – Revealed!
"Phantasm" (1979) The "Phantasm" franchise is perhaps among horror’s most underrated. It’s a captivating series of films defined by dream logic, surreal imagery and an all-time banger of a soundtrack. Don Coscarelli's OG "Phantasm" movie sees the series antagonist, the Tall Man, buried alive by falling rocks inside an abandoned mine shaft. This seems to take care of him, until, that is, the last few seconds of the movie… The Tall Man's mystical backstory and evil mortuary minions made him a horror icon. Actor Angus Scrimm returned again and again as the Tall Man in one form or another for four sequels, the last of which was 2016's "Phantasm: Ravager."
#7: Drowning
"I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997) There are few fishermen as difficult to kill as Ben Willis. This one time hit-and-run victim returned for two additional movies—the second time in an undead state. His sole purpose? Terrorizing those who did him wrong. And Willis established a classic nineties horror franchise in the process. In the first film, Julie and Ray are facing off with Willis on his boat, the "Billy Blue," when the Fisherman's hook hand gets caught in some rigging, pulling him up until it's severed. Then, Willis is tossed overboard, presumably drowning. Except we all know that he wasn't really dead. He was just waiting to set up the sequel.
#6: "Puberty Love"
"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" (1978) We know what you’re thinking: "WatchMojo has officially lost it." But no, we assure you that this wasn't a typo. "Puberty Love" is actually the name of a song sung at the end of 1978's "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," and one which, for....er, "reasons," shrivels down the produce so they can be squashed. It's certainly an original way to get rid of your horror movie villain, and the song, believe it or not, is actually sung by future Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron! Oh, and wanna know how the town gets rid of the one super smart tomato that thought of wearing earmuffs? Sheet music. Of course, one killer crop deserves another, and sure enough, the tomatoes returned!
#5: Dr. Channard
Top 10 Hilariously Bad Horror Movie Villains
"Hellbound: Hellraiser II" (1988) It's a controversial opinion, but one could make a case that "Hellbound: Hellraiser II" is even better than the first film in this classic franchise. There's more character development, for starters, but also just plenty of Cenobite action from Pinhead and his crew. The real test for these franchise villains is an encounter with a greater evil, however, in the form of Dr. Channard. At first, it seems as if this evil vs. evil matchup is going to be epic, but the newly Cenobitten Channard makes short work of all the opposing Cenobites, including the legendary Pinhead. It’s a cool scene, allowing us to see more of who the Cenobites were in human form. But it didn't stop Pinhead from returning for many future "Hellraiser" installments.
#4: Being Shot, Burnt, Melted & Blown-Up
Top 10 Horror Movie Villains With the Highest Kill Counts
"Child's Play" Franchise (1988-) We gotta hand it to both Charles Lee Ray and Chucky the Killer Doll: they're quite resilient. It takes real commitment to swap your life force into a doll. But survive Ray does, and in his disarming new form, he continues his maniacal killing spree. Of course, after becoming Chucky, the iconic killer has repeatedly been taken down by some combination of hot, sticky and/or flammable substances. The first "Child's Play" sees the doll being burned in the fireplace and shot in the heart. The sequel ups the ante by covering Chucky in burning, melted plastic and blowing up his head. This didn't stop him, of course, as we're still enjoying the maniacal little doll's rampages to this very day.
#3: Oxygen Destroyers, Volcanoes & More
Top 10 Running Out of Oxygen Movie Scenes
"Godzilla" Franchise (1954-) How many times can we stop Godzilla? Let us count the ways. The King of the Monsters has faced every sort of demise throughout his storied career. And yet he always seems to find ways to make a roaring and triumphant return. It doesn't matter whether it's the Oxygen Destroyer; falling into a volcano in "Return of Godzilla"; or suffering a full blown meltdown in "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah," Big G. takes a licking and just keeps ticking. Of course, we realize that Godzilla isn't always portrayed as an antagonist, and that sometimes the roots of his rampage are outside forces. Still, there are few monsters out there that have died as many deaths as The G. Man.
#2: Just About Everything
Top 10 Horror Movie Villains That Take Zero Damage
"Friday the 13th" Franchise (1980-) Like mother, like son. Killer instincts seem to run in the family. But while Pamela Voorhees stayed dead after her brutal decapitation at the end of the original "Friday the 13th," her son Jason refuses to quit. "The Final Chapter" saw Corey Feldman slice Jason pretty convincingly with a machete, while "Jason Lives" saw Voorhees chained down at the bottom of Crystal Lake. But wait, there's more! Flushed away by toxic waste? Check. Pulled under by the protagonist’s dead dad? Double check! Heck, Jason's even survived being taken to hell, fighting Freddy Krueger and a Michael Bay-produced remake! If that isn't resilience, we don't know what is.
#1: Fire
Top 10 Kids' Movies with the Most Fire Soundtracks
"Halloween" Franchise (1978-) There are few things more final than fire when it comes to the world of death in a horror movie. That is...unless your name is Michael Myers. That's because Myers has been incinerated not once, but twice, and managed to come out the other side with only minor injuries. First, there's the huge explosion at the climax of "Halloween II," where Dr. Sam Loomis sacrifices himself to rid Haddonfield of The Shape once and for all. Except both Loomis and Myers somehow survived to fight another day for several sequels. Meanwhile, the forthcoming "Halloween Kills" shows us that the fiery end of 2018's "Halloween" was apparently not hot enough, because Michael is back at it AGAIN. Not that we're complaining, of course.
