Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid

Sinistar is an AI life form created from crystals that are mined from asteroids. As enemy worker ships gather crystals to construct Sinistar, the player aims to use the same crystals to build special bombs that can potentially destroy the being. Sinistar doesn’t even technically exist at the beginning of the game, but the entire premise is for players to stockpile their weapons in preparation for his arrival. When Sinistar’s construction is complete, he darts into battle and immediately starts running his mouth. You know a dude means business when his first words are, “Beware, I live!” Sinistar orders his opponents to run away, calls them cowards, and makes threatening noises. He can swallow up ships like a black hole, but his biting insults are just as hurtful. The pioneering use of digitized voice in Sinistar made the insults sting even more.

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within was weighed down by an unnecessary M-rated makeover, and the series lost a lot of its charm by adopting a grittier art style. That said, the Dahaka was an amazing antagonist and a source of anxiety. The horrible beast pursues the Prince throughout the entire game in an effort to protect the timeline that was disrupted when the Prince avoided his predetermined death in The Sands of Time. The Dahaka is apparently summoned whenever the chain of destiny is broken and serves as the physical manifestation of fate. He’s relentless, mysterious, and nearly invincible. The entire game is driven by the Prince’s attempts to elude the creature, but this is easier said than done. Escaping from a giant monster would be difficult enough, but it’s virtually impossible to escape from fate itself.

As a troubled child gifted with psychic powers, Alma was experimented on by an evil corporation. When she began using her abilities against her captors, she was placed into a coma and locked in a secret facility where the experiments continued. Alma was justifiably upset and sought revenge. She killed a number of soldiers and researchers, but was drawn to Sgt. Michael Becket due to a shared psychic connection. Alma was positioned to kill Becket at one point, but spared his life. She appeared to Becket a number of times and even took on the form of a shapely young woman in order to express her desires. Alma later established a psychic bond with Becket and trapped him in a hallucination. With Becket’s mind elsewhere, Alma had her way with him in the real world and impregnated herself in the process. Too far, Alma! Too far!

Ganon is the most prevalent and best-known villain in the Zelda series, but the Moon from Majora’s Mask is more destructive and a heck of a lot creepier. The plot of Majora’s Mask revolves around the sentient moon’s catastrophic collision course with the planet, and the entire point of the game is to prevent the impending apocalypse from occurring. The Moon was pulled out of orbit by the power of Majora’s Mask and is apparently under the influence of Majora’s magic. Regardless of the reason for its descent, the Moon is downright menacing when it announces his intent to consume everything. Unlike most characters on this list, the Moon doesn’t have to sneak up on anyone to instill fear. It’s enraged face is a permanent fixture in the sky and serves as a constant reminder of the imminent destruction it brings.

If you were to mic someone who was playing SkiFree, you would be able to tell precisely when they encounter the abominable snow monster based on audio alone. The sense of panic that gamers experience when the beast appears is almost universal. SkiFree is essentially a never-ending series of obstacles, but moguls, trees, and stray dogs can’t possibly prepare players for their inevitable encounters with the snow monster. His gangly limbs and yellow teeth make him one of the most grotesque creatures in gaming history, but the reason he’s so feared is because he’s impossibly fast and has a nasty habit of eating skiers. After gorging himself, the monster will add insult to injury by rubbing his belly and picking his teeth with the leftover ski pole. It’s technically possible to evade him, but there’s no way to stop him.

A lot of villains in the Resident Evil series have been known to burst through walls like the Kool-Aid man, but Nemesis was significant enough to be referenced in the title of the game he was in. Nemesis is a bio-organic weapon created by Umbrella Corp. for the sole purpose of eliminating surviving S.T.A.R.S. members who bore witness to their unethical experiments. Nemesis appears many times during the game and is able to pursue Jill Valentine from one area to the next. Not only is he significantly stronger than Ms. Valentine, but he’s nimble enough to dodge incoming fire and durable enough to survive grenade blasts. As though the deck weren’t stacked in his favor already, Nemesis also has the ability to use a rocket launcher as a weapon. It took a prototype rail gun to take him down, and they followed up with a nuclear missile just to be certain.

Pyramid Head was first seen in Silent Hill 2 and has become the most iconic villain of the series. The faceless, voiceless monster relentlessly stalks James Sunderland as he attempts to unravel a mystery concerning his deceased wife Mary. Pyramid Head is encountered several times during the game and is generally unfazed by any attacks. He appears out of nowhere, he murders multiple characters in plain site, and he even defiles a couple of helpless mannequins. Pyramid Head’s imposing appearance and apparent invincibility make him a frightening foe, but the true reason for his existence is to represent James’ guilt, sexual repression, and his wish to be punished for Mary’s death. Silent Hill has always relied heavily on psychology and symbolism, and Pyramid Head is a clear example of this.

Scissorman is a relentless stalker in the vein of iconic villains from slasher films like Michael Myers or Jason. The apathetic serial killer is an unstoppable force who uses an oversized pair of garden sheers to stab and cut his helpless targets. His pursuits could be described as elaborate games of hide-and-seek, and players can never be sure where he will show up next. He’ll pop out of elevators, emerge from behind curtains, and put the drop on anyone who stands around for too long. His cruel sense of humor makes him seem even more psychotic, and he displays a childlike delight as he dances over his fallen victims. Various characters have assumed the Scissorman identity in various Clock Tower games (there was even a Scissorwoman!) but they all instill fear an panic regardless of who is playing the role.

Five Nights at Freddy’s follows the exploits of a security guard at a family restaurant not unlike Chuck E. Cheese. Freddy Fazbear is the chain’s mascot and one of many animatronic characters designed to entertain children through song and dance. Freddy and his friends come to life at night, however, and they have been linked with numerous deaths. Watching over the restaurant at night is basically a game of survival, and you can never be sure when Freddy will emerge. He doesn’t look especially dangerous, but Freddy is literally a killing machine. He derives great pleasure from staring down his victims during their last moments, and the jingle that plays before he commits a murder is downright unsettling. Freddy has gained notoriety in the streaming community for the numerous jumpscares that he’s involved in.

The goal in Berzerk is to navigate through a series of mazes inhabited by killer robots. The electrified walls force players to exercise caution through the mazes. If they drag their feet, however, Evil Otto will appear and chase them relentlessly. Evil Otto could not look more harmless, but the bouncing happy face is lethal to the touch and completely invincible. There is no way to defeat him, so the only option is escape. Evil Otto has been responsible for countless deaths in Berzerk and its sequel, but he’s also contributed to deaths in the real world. In 1981, a teenager suffered a heart attack mere moments after achieving a world record in Berzerk. The following year, another teenager died in a similar fashion after reaching a high score. Evil Otto smiling while teenagers die in front of him is more frightening than any of Scissorman’s antics.