Who needs sleep when we have killer clowns, overseeing overlords, and cannibals to obsess about? That’s right Halloween is almost here so its time to remember some of favorite horror villains from literature. Some are scarier than others, but chances are at least one of the characters on the list has made an appearance in one of your nightmares.
Pennywise the Dancing clown from It by Stephen King
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Pennywise the Dancing Clown is probably the single most nightmare inducing character to ever come from literature. King basically created a fear of clowns with his book and its subsequent movie. Do not read It alone!
Big Brother from 1984 by George Orwell
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There is nothing traditionally horrific about Orwell’s computer overlord, but both the Huffington post and Abe books both ranked it as the scariest character to ever come from literature.
General Woundwort from Watership Down by Richard Adams
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Watership Down is not nearly as popular as It or 1984 but it was able to sneak up and scare thousands of kids who thought the book was a gentle adventure tale featuring rabbits. General Woundwort turns an otherwise calm book into a bunny massacre that will make your jaw drop.
Dracula from Dracula by Bram Stoker
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Bram Stoker’s vampire is very different from what we would expect to see today. The story is eerie, creepy, and filled with disasters. Dracula himself is powerful and cunning, and wouldn’t hesitate for a second to suck the life out of you.
Demon from The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
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The Exorcist is probably one of the most iconic horror films of the 20th century. Few people are aware however, that it was a novel before it was a movie. The movie is scary enough, but you can’t close your eyes when you read this epic horror novel.
Dementors from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
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I may be alone in this but I found the Dementors to be pretty scary when I was a kid. Just the idea of them flying around sucking out souls fit into my nightmares perfectly.
Annie Wilkes from Misery by Stephen King
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One of the most notorious villains out there, Annie Wilkes embodies what all people with fame are scared of, the over dedicated fan. Wilkes forces her favorite author to write a book by torturing him, breaking his legs, and holding him captive.
Hannibal Lector from Hannibal by Thomas Harris
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Hannibal Lector one of the most psychologically twisted characters from literature. His cunning and desire for flesh led to one of the most well known movies in the horror genre, Silence of the Lambs.
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