One-slash wonders: 20 horror villains who never got another stab at fame

One of the foundational films of the slasher genre, Black Christmas is notable in part because its villains, while terrifying, never appear onscreen. We only get their voices in the form of demented arguments between what sounds like a brother and a sister named Billy and Agnes. Is it two people? Is it one person with two voices in his or her head? We don’t know, and that’s part of the horror.

Should They Come Back? Black Christmas has proven popular and enduring enough over the years to get two reboots, but we’ve never seen a sequel, even though the original film leaves the killer alive and opens the door for more mayhem. So, should we get a sequel? Do Billy and Agnes deserve to kill again? It’s a tough call because the film is so iconic, but the right filmmaker with the right sensibility could latch onto that original story and deliver a legacy sequel to chill our bones on a winter’s night, so let’s see what happens.

My Bloody Valentine is one of the best slasher films to come out of the early 1980s boom of the subgenre, in part because its villain is so memorable. A local legend returned to life, the Miner delivers brutal kills and a great look, so it’s no wonder the film eventually got remade in 2009. What it didn’t get, though, was a sequel, and that’s honestly kind of a shame.

Should They Come Back? The eventual reveal that The Miner was a new killer taking over from the original legend means a follow-up film could put yet another killer behind the mask, and the premise is so good that there’s no reason it couldn’t work with the right talent.

A lesser-seen slasher that remains a favorite among horror devotees, The Prowler’s title killer has a great design, a solid backstory, and plenty of brutality to his name. Sadly, the original film just didn’t do the kind of business necessary to drum up sequel interest, and the Prowler himself went silent save for repeat viewings among slasher fans.

Should They Come Back? Well, the character’s look is good enough that it could be replicated in the right hands, and the premise could easily be adapted for a new generation, even updating The Prowler’s look to incorporate more modern military uniforms.

One of the great summer camp slashers to come out of the 1980s, The Burning features one of the most memorable slasher backstories of all time, because it’s so simple. A camp caretaker, horrifically burned in a prank gone wrong, comes back to exact his revenge, and leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.

Should They Come Back? Summer camps aren’t quite as ubiquitous now as they were back then, but they’re definitely still around, and the legend of Cropsey could still work today, even if filmmakers ditch the summer camp entirely and just gave us the killer terrorizing hikers out in the woods. So hey, bring back The Burning, if you can find the right way in.

Hell Night’s villains are a pair of deformed family brothers, the sole survivors of a horrific massacre that made the mansion they called home into the stuff of local legend. In the film, when a group of pledging sorority sisters and fraternity brothers break in for an all-night initiation, the brothers decide to protect their home no matter the cost.

Should They Come Back? Hell Night is a solid little slasher, and it’s gained a better reputation as the years have gone by, but even setting aside the fact that the Garths are dead by the end of the film, there doesn’t seem to be much of a reason to bring these killers back. They’re just not especially iconic, even if some of the film’s kills are.

Based on a short story by Clive Barker about a legendary monster who rises to terrorize the Irish countryside, Rawhead Rex flopped upon its initial release, but has since garnered reappraisal as a folk-horror film with a memorable (and memorably ’80s) creature design at its center.

Should They Come Back? It seems unlikely, but there’s definitely something chilling to be done with Barker’s material. A legacy sequel or even a simple remake, with the right creature design, could prove memorable.

The setup for Chopping Mall is delightfully simple: A mall buys a state-of-the-art security system featuring a trio of security guard robots, the robots go berserk and start killing people one night. That’s it, and the movie delivers exactly what you’d expect over the course of its runtime. Over the years, the film became a VHS staple despite a muted theatrical reception, and it’s a cult favorite now thanks to its over-the-top style and sense of fun, but that’s never been enough to spur on Chopping Mall 2.

Should They Come Back? The Killbots concept would need to be tweaked, particularly since malls aren’t what they used to be, but in the age of AI, strikes, and concern over the dangers of capitalism, another film about killer robots protecting a product at all costs could work.

One of the great horror-comedy creations of the 1980s, the titular Killer Klowns are both unforgettable in appearance and in the wacky way they go about terrorizing an entire town. There’s something delightfully unhinged about every aspect of Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and it’s no wonder the title villains have remained icons despite no true sequel ever materializing.

Should They Come Back? As recently as 2018, filmmakers the Chiodo Brothers were working to launch a new version of the story, and we say it’s high time someone let them.

One of the wilder high-concept horror ideas dreamed up by writer/director Wes Craven, Shocker has endured thanks to some truly distinctive visuals and a great central performance by Mitch Pileggi as deranged killer and TV repairman Horace Pinker. The film doesn’t rank among Craven’s greatest hits, but it’s certainly got a devoted following, and it’s gaining new fans all the time.

Should They Come Back? A sequel is certainly plausible in the world of the film, but since Craven is no longer with us, it also feels like an iffy prospect. Better to leave this one as is, particularly after so much time has passed.

One of those slasher films that has earned a cult following because of how strange it is, Dr. Giggles takes its name from Larry Drake’s performance as the title character, a would-be doctor who makes a lot of medical puns and giggles maniacally as he dispatches his victims. Drake is wonderfully odd in the role, and the kills are undeniably memorable, but the film never quite hit with audiences enough to warrant a sequel.

Should They Come Back? It’s not unimaginable to think of a remake that could put a creepy new spin on this, but Dr. Giggles was never quite impactful enough for a sequel, and that’s still true today.

One of the bigger slasher films to come out of the post-Scream boom of the late ’90s and early 2000s, Valentine benefits immensely from a killer wearing an unforgettable cherub mask that’s meant to remind us all of Cupid. It’s a great look, and while the film did well enough upon release, it was never enough of a hit to land a sequel, despite the setup for one at the very end.

Should They Come Back? It’s doubtful that the energy is there among fans for a legacy sequel more than two decades later, but the Cherub is a good idea with a great mask, so if someone out there has a take worth exploring, we say bring it on.

The titular Leslie Vernon from Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon is a fascinating creation, a horror villain who allows himself to be the subject of a documentary about his grisly plans, yet never seems to truly reveal who he is. His film emerges as a mockumentary classic that also manages to deliver the slasher goods.

Should They Come Back? At the end of the film, there’s a tease that he’s still alive, setting up a sequel that we still haven’t seen. Is it time? Well, the film’s reputation has only grown in the years since its release, the filmmakers have talked about it, and horror fans would be thrilled, so we say go for it. Leslie’s too interesting to stay a one-film wonder.

One of the best anthology horror films of the 21st century so far, Trick ‘R Treat follows an interconnected series of scary stories all unfolding at the same time on the same Halloween night, with much of the action centered on a mysterious little child in a burlap sack. That child, better known as the demonic Sam, has since become one of horror cinema’s great modern mascots, beloved by fans and constantly replicated in toys and decor everywhere.

Should They Come Back? So, why hasn’t there been a sequel? Creator Michael Dougherty swears something is in the works. It can’t happen soon enough.

It’s been nearly 15 years since its release, and it’s safe to say that Jennifer’s Body has had one of the all-time great horror movie afterlifes. It did fine at the box office back in 2009 despite middling reviews, but has since been hailed as one of the best horror films of its era, and with good reason. Megan Fox is undeniably powerful as teen girl turned demonic presence Jennifer Check, and the film ends with a perfect sequel setup in which her best friend, Amanda Seyfriend’s Needy, will carry on her man-eating legacy (plus, there’s always a way in films like this to resurrect the original villain).

Should They Come Back? It would take the right creative team, including writer Diablo Cody and director Karyn Kusama, but Jennifer’s Body feels more ready for a legacy sequel than most other films of its era.

A modern Aussie horror classic, The Loved Ones has a simple premise: A young man turns down the prom invitation of a young woman named Lola Stone (Robin McLeavy), who then abducts him and takes him to her house to stage her own magnificent torture prom. It’s a brutal film, and McLeavy is fantastic as Lola, cementing the movie’s reputation as a great under-the-radar film of its era.

Should They Come Back? A sequel seems unlikely at this point, but the ending is just ambiguous enough for Lola to make some kind of return, so if writer/director Sean Byrne is ever so inclined, we say go for it.

The story of a party clown who dies in a horrible accident then comes back to “finish” his last birthday performance with murder, Stitches is a horror-comedy with a gloriously black heart and a great central performance from Ross Noble in the title role. The film wasn’t a box office hit when it was released, but there’s a perfect sequel setup right there in the ending, and Stitches has since won over fans around the world.

Should They Come Back? With that ending in mind, it would be wonderful to see Stitches the Clown come back for another party. You could bring the surviving characters back as parents trying to have a birthday for their own kids, only to have their lives upended by another Stitches resurrection. Get Noble back in the makeup and you’ve got instant fun.

Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook is one of the most influential films of the 2010s, a chilling, tense, hauntingly atmospheric journey into the depths of one family’s particular darkness, and the spirit that seems to be lurking behind it all. The title character himself, Mr. Babadook, is one of the most instantly recognizable characters in modern horror, and the film is pretty much universally regarded as a modern classic. So, why no sequel? Well, Kent’s film is so singular, so steeped into the particular vibe of a moment in time, a set of performances, and a particular world, that it seems impossible to replicate or even build on.

Should They Come Back? We got one classic out of this character, so it might be best to leave him where he is.

Like The Babadook, It Follows emerged as an instant classic in the mid-2010s thanks to a wonderful sense of time and place, some great scares, and of course an unforgettable monster. What’s great about It Follows is that the mysterious entity could be anyone, at any time, constantly changing shape and unnerving characters and audience members with its presence. That also means that the entity is adaptable, and could move into any number of other stories.

Should They Come Back? Producers did float the idea for a sequel back in 2015, including the possibility of a prequel, but we haven’t heard much since. Could it still happen? Definitely. Should it? That’s another matter, but if creator David Robert Mitchell is on board, so are we.

While it didn’t do big business when it was released in theaters, The Autopsy Of Jane Doe has since become one of the most revered horror films of the 2010s, and it’s easy to see why. This atmospheric chiller, about the corpse of a beautiful woman and the dark energy she brings to a local funeral home one night, is packed with great scares and precise storytelling flourishes, complete with an open-ended conclusion that leaves the title character open to more terror.

Should They Come Back? There’s a perfect setup for another Jane Doe story, and the character’s supernatural origins offer lots of opportunities to change up the tale, so we say go for it. It’s a creepy premise that could easily be adapted to another funeral home, another time, another place.

Octavia Spencer in the title role of Ma is instant, unforgettable fun, even if you’re not sure that the movie lives up to her performance. She makes a great villain, injecting some real humanity into the story of a killer with a dark past, and it’s easy to imagine her doing it again and again. Plus, the film did well enough in its initial release that a sequel seems like a decent proposition, and it hasn’t been that long since Ma hit theaters.

Should They Come Back? Sue Ann seems to be resigned to death in the end, but she’s not definitively dead, so if Spencer wanted to come back, we’d welcome Ma with open arms.