This list doesn’t include any famous spaghetti westerns or dimwitted romantic comedies. Instead, it’s wall-to-wall horror films, the perfect setting for a movie psychopath to ply their trade. If you like to be scared, and one of the films starring these characters are guaranteed to make you jump out of your skin. Just don’t stay out of it too long, or one of the others may have themself a snack.

10 Great Movie Madmen

• Freddy Krueger – With his glove made out of knife blades, his fondness of stalking children, and his ability to manipulate dreams, Freddy Krueger has earned his status as one of the top movie madmen in countless movies. And I don’t care what anyone says, there’s only one Freddy Krueger: Robert Englund.
• Jason Voorhees – He started out as a frightened, deformed boy who accidentally drowned, but he would later return as an unstoppable killing machine with a fondness for hockey masks. His name is Jason Voorhees, and he’s racked up a higher body count than everyone else on this list put together.
• Michael Meyers – One of the “Big Three” when it comes to slasher movie killers, Michael Myers started killing at a young age and never stopped. He’s so deranged that his own psychiatrist tried to keep him locked up forever.
• Ghostface – A number of different characters have worn the costume of Ghostface in the Scream series, but their menacing phone etiquette and obsession with movie trivia still makes the killer a fan favorite.
• Hannibal Lecter – Brilliant and cultured, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) also happens to be a serial killer with a taste for human flesh. But thanks to the smooth delivery by Hopkins, we wind up rooting for him every step of the way.
• Norman Bates – He loves his mother and taxidermy, but the lonely Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) also has another passion: Killing any traveler unlucky enough to stumble across his motel. A classic movie psycho courtesy of Alfred Hitchcock.
• The Hitcher – Rutger Hauer starred as this hitchhiking psycho who might very well be the Grim Reaper in disguise. I had great fun watching him stalk a terrified teen (C. Thomas Howell) across the barren parts of the United States. One of the many cult classic movies that you may have passed by in your local video store.
• Leatherface – A member of a clan of Texas cannibals, Leatherface is depicted as somewhat mentally stunted. He sure knows how to operate a chainsaw, though, and his mask made of human skin provides proof of his willingness to kill.
• Jigsaw – While dying of cancer, a vengeful genius (Tobin Bell) decides to make others appreciate their lives by forcing them to face gruesome deaths. The franchise got old after a while, but the original still holds up and keeps your guessing.
• John Doe – An intelligent psychopath who crafts a series of brutal murders based on the teachings of the Seven Deadly Sins. His real strength comes from the fact that he’s portrayed with calculated creepiness by Kevin Spacey.

Most of the films on this list aren’t considered cult classics, as they made a profit at the box office and kept coming back for sequel after sequel. Yes, most were savaged by the critics, but sometimes getting a good scare is more important than quality dialogue or intricate direction.