What iconic horror villains look like in real life

They’re masked menaces. 

Many of the most iconic horror movie villains could walk past you on the street, and you might never know – since they’re most famous when their faces are hidden behind makeup, sinister shadows, or spooky masks. 

From Leatherface to Ghostface to Freddie Kruger, here’s a peek behind the mask at what the most iconic horror movie villains really look like.

Leatherface

The famous chainsaw wielding cannibal (partly inspired by the real life Ed Gein) was first introduced in 1974’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” The hulking murderer has gone on to appear in nine films in the franchise – including the 1990 film “Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw III,” that starred Viggo Mortensen before he was famous, and 1995’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” which starred a pre-fame Matthew McConaughey.

Leatherface disgustingly wears a mask made up of the skin of his victims over nine movies, he’s been played by a variety of stunt men and actors, including Bill Johnson, Robert Jacks and Dan Yeager. But the best known is the original actor from the 1974 film, Gunnar Hansen (who died of cancer in 2015 at age 68). 

Freddy Krueger

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…1994’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” introduced the iconic Freddy Kruger, the undead killer who targets teens through their dreams. His face is disfigured, covered in burns, and his hands have knife-like appendages, thanks to his clawed leather glove. Robert Englund, now 76, is the man behind the burnt face. He’s played Freddy through most of the films in the series, including the first five “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movies, “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” and  2003’s “Freddy vs. Jason.” He also had a cameo in Season 4 of “Stranger Things” (but, not as Freddy Kruger).

Pennywise

Pennywise the clown in the sewer of Derry, Main – as envisioned by the dark mind of Stephen King – has been played by a few actors, including Tim Curry in the 1990 TV adaptation of the 1986 horror novel about misunderstood teens (and an evil entity that most often appeared as a clown). However, Pennywise burst back into pop culture consciousness most recently in the 2017 and 2019 movies, “It,” starring Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis, and “It Chapter Two” starring Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy. 

In both films, Pennywise was played by Bill Skarsgard, 33. He’s part of the Skarsgard acting dynasty family, which also includes his dad, Stellan Skarsgard, and brothers Alexander and Gusftaf (“Vikings”), among others. 

Jason Voorhees

1980’s “Friday the 13th” introduced the hockey-mask wearing, machete wielding killer, Jason, who would go on to appear in twelve slasher films in the franchise. Similar to Leatherface, Jason has been played by a variety of actors and stuntmen over the years – sometimes by more than one in the same film. Past Jasons have included Ari Lehman, Steve Daskewisz, Derek Mears and Ken Kirzinger. But, the best known Jason who played him in four films is Kane Hodder, 68.

Ghostface

The “Scream” movies have seen different characters donning the black cloak and white screaming mask to be the killer Ghostface in every movie, as Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her allies frantically work to unmask the killer. To name a few, other Ghostfaces have been Scott Foley (in “Scream 3”), Emma Roberts (in “Scream 4”) and Jack Quaid (in “Scream V”).  However, the most iconic Ghostface was still the one (or should we say, two) in the first “Scream” movie in 1996: Syd’s boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich, now 53) and his deranged friend, Stu (a scenery-chewing Matthew Lillard, also 53). 

Jigsaw 

The most famous creepy visual in the “Saw” franchise is the small white-faced puppet with black hair, red eyes and bulls-eyes painted on its cheeks. That’s not the villain Jigsaw, it’s called Billy the puppet. But he often uses it to deliver his messages, so, the visual has become synonymous with the “Saw” villain. Jigsaw is played by actor Tobin Bell, 81. He’s been in every movie in the ten-film franchise so far, except for 2021’s “Spiral” (which is a spin-off about a copycat). 

The Creeper 

The demonic entity who is the antagonist in all four “Jeepers Creepers” movies is often cast in shadow, but he’s got a monstrous looking face, a hulking form and wings. He first appeared in 2001’s “Jeepers Creepers” starring Justin Long and has crept and murdered his way through the rest of the movies. Although he was played by Jarreau Benjamin in the fourth movie (2022’s “Jeepers Creepers: Reborn”), the actor best known for playing him in the first three movies is Jonathan Breck, 58.

Michael Myers 

First introduced in 1978’s “Halloween,” Michael Myers has slashed his way through twelve films, wearing a creepy white mask all while haunting Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Similar to Leatherface and Jason, this means that he’s been played by a variety of actors, including George P. Wilbur, Tyler Mane and James Jude Courtney. The original actor, however, is Nick Castle, now 76, who also reprised the role in 2018’s “Halloween,” 2021’s “Halloween Kills” and 2022’s “Halloween Ends.”