Slashers remain a fixed staple of the horror genre, dwelling somewhere beside the gorier zombie films of George A. Romero and palpable demonic possession narratives like The Exorcist, The Conjuring, or Paranormal Activity. While it’s difficult to explain slashers’ appeal to mainstream audiences, one feasible reason for the genre’s continued popularity has to do with its infamous antagonists – many of whom rank among the most twisted and loathsome in the entire entertainment medium.

While almost every slasher villain is deplorable in their own unique way, only a select few possess a personality that can only be accurately described as “mentally unhinged.” From amoral serial killers to giggling mass murderers, here are some of the most abominable villains in the slasher genre, ranked from the most to least mentally stable.

Michael Myers

Yes, yes, we’re aware that without Michael Myers, there’d be no slasher genre to speak of. But when it comes right down to it, Michael doesn’t suffer from the same deranged need to kill as his fellow horror counterparts in Freddy or Jason. Instead, the Shape merely appears as the physical personification of evil – a living, breathing avatar of pure malevolence incarnate. Murdering everyone in his path with the casual indifference of a kid clobbering ants, Michael doesn’t kill for revenge or jealousy or even a wanton love of killing. He just kills because that’s what he does. Period.

Jason Voorhees

In a very bizarre way, Jason Voorhees’ prevalent naivety makes him one of those rare horror villains audiences can actually sympathize with. Fatally drowning at Camp Crystal Lake while still just a boy, Jason rose from his watery grave to punish the meddlesome teenagers he believed responsible for both his and his mother’s death. Lumbering his way through Friday the 13th like Frankenstein’s Creature in a hockey mask, Jason’s childlike view of the world makes him every bit as dangerous as he is pitiful – although it’s hard to excuse his casual approach to murder, of course.

Chucky

In life, Charles Lee Ray lorded over the streets of Chicago as a morally bankrupt serial killer who murdered for the apparent thrill of it. Cheating death through the help of a magical voodoo curse, Ray manages to intertwine his soul into that of an average Good Guy talking doll. Using his outward guise as a rosy-cheeked toy doll to his advantage, Ray somehow managed to become an even more sadistic serial killer under his alter ego as “Chucky,” a demonic doll that makes Annabelle look calm and well-mannered by comparison.

Norman Bates

The granddaddy of practically every slasher antagonist in modern horror, Norman Bates also continues to top any list of depraved slasher villains (with good reason, too). Initially appearing as the mild-mannered proprietor of Bates Motel, it soon becomes apparent that not everything about Norman is quite what it seems. Harboring an alternative identity as his dearly departed mother, Norman carries out swift and brutal murders under his feminine alter ego, literally losing sense of who he is, what he wants, and what he’s done until well after the fact.

Leatherface

Like his stylistic successor in Jason Voorhees, Leatherface isn’t truly evil in the conventional sense of the word. Rather than murdering people out of malicious delight, this hulking Texan hacks up hapless teens out of fear and desperation (thanks in large to the overwhelming abuse he faced at his family’s hands). The masked muscle of the cannibalistic Sawyer brood, Leatherface nevertheless proves himself a massive threat whenever he revs up his chainsaw, chasing after his would-be victims with the speed and determination of an overly caffeinated Michael Myers.

Freddy Krueger

Whether looking at his original form or his classic resurrected appearance, even the most kind-hearted viewer will find it difficult to condone the actions or personality of A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger. A soulless child killer initially known as “The Springwood Slasher,” Freddy soon found new life as a dream-dwelling serial killer out of our very worst nightmares. With a physical appearance that reflects his own warped inner character, Freddy’s flagrant sadism, predatory stalking, and psychological manipulation of his victims makes him a villain we all love to hate.

Art the Clown

We know it probably seems sacrilegious to put Terrifier’s Art the Clown above other iconic horror villains like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees – but remember, we’re talking about these characters’ maniacal psychology rather than their established place in pop culture. And with that in mind, who on earth is more psychologically demented than dear old Art the Clown?! A hyper-violent demon who hides beneath the twisted grin of an average party clown, Art has the literal power to make sure his victims keep on living even as he inflicts the most painfully gruesome deaths imaginable on them. Say what you will about Freddy or Jason, but at least they kill you once, rather than murdering you again and again … and again.