The Scariest Archie Horror Comics Characters, Ranked

There are many sides to Archie Comics. From the classic, wholesome originals of the '50s and '60s to the new, hilarious relaunch, Archie Comics has seen a lot of different identities. But none so different as Archie Horror. Archie Horror Comics brings palpable darkness to the once-lighthearted world of Archie Comics, and it does that through its menu of terrifying characters. We collected some of those characters into this list, ranking them by just how scary we thought them to be. So grab a milkshake and turn on all the lights, here comes The Scariest Archie Horror Comics Characters, Ranked.

10. Sabrina Spellman

Sabrina’s at the bottom of this list because, at heart, she’s a good person. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a modicum of terror in her character. Sabrina is an extraordinarily powerful witch, one who gives Lucifer himself a reason to fear. Plus, for all her good intentions, Sabrina is still very young. She makes decisions that older, wiser people might not, which can sometimes save the day, for sure. But other times, like in a particular resurrection case, her impulsive actions can have dire consequences. Such is the life of the Teenage Witch.

9. Vampironica

Here’s another character that we know to be good in the long run. Before her transformation into a vampire, Veronica Lodge ultimately had her heart in the right place. Even now, after becoming a fully-fledged creature of the night, she’s still in the side of angels. In fact, she uses her vampiric abilities to crush the darker, more sinister forces surrounding Riverdale. Still, Veronica is dangerous. Like every vampire, her method of survival is to drink the blood of others. This undeniable hunger makes her something of a monster, even though she might retain her morality and connections to humanity.

8. Zombie Jughead

Finally, we’re getting into the truly evil characters of the Archie Horror world. And it’s only appropriate to start listing those with the monster who introduced us to Archie Horror in the first place. Zombie Jughead Jones is the first monstrous face we see on an Archie Horror comic, because of his appearance in the first issue of Afterlife with Archie. Jug-dead is a kind of sick twist on the character’s constant hunger in the innocent world of Archie Comics, a twist that gets even worse when he comes after his best friend in life, Archie Andrews. Still, this isn’t even the worst twist on the “hungry Jughead” trope. We’ll get to that later.

7. Franken-Moose

It’s kind of tragic that the big, lovable lug called Moose in Archie Comics gets warped into an undead beast in Jughead: The Hunger. However, we’ve got to hand it to Archie Horror, that makes his character downright terrifying. Moose’s misadventures in that book turn him from gentle giant to titan of terror, a modern but respectful tribute to the classic character of Frankenstein’s Monster. Fans of the big guy can at least take solace in the fact that the Moose we all came to love is actually gone, replaced by an unthinking brute that wears his image. And it’s that fact that makes him deserve a spot on this list.

6. Uncle Brucie

Not familiar with old Uncle Brucie? That’s ok, he doesn’t come up too much in Archie Horror. Actually, he only shows up in one short story published in the comic Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, a reprinted collection of horror tales from Archie Comics past. But don’t let the fact that Uncle Brucie is old school fool you. From his sinister look to even his name, this character is a horror villain through and through. Check out Chilling Adventures in Sorcery to find out why.

5. Werewolf Jughead

Here’s what we were talking about when we said Zombie Jughead wasn’t the only nightmare version of the character on this list. The titular character of Jughead: The Hunger, werewolf Jughead pushes the idea of hungry Jughead to a violent extreme. He quite literally has an insatiable hunger, one driven by an awful curse and focused on the consumption of human flesh. If you know Jughead from the old Archie Comics, or even the burger-loving character in the 2014 Archie relaunch, you know just how relaxed and non-violent Jughead is. The terror of The Hunger is just how far he’s fallen.

4. Ivan

As we mentioned earlier, Veronica isn’t exactly a villain in her gothic comic book, Vampironica. No, that’s Ivan. Ivan is a centuries-old bloodsucking beast, a Dracula-like arch-villain and frequent murderer. He’s actually the vampire that turns Veronica in the first place, setting her on a dark path of vengeance and bloodlust. Ivan is a perfect horror villain, a creature with such power and mystery that even the most noble attempts to defeat him might not work. Or even when they do, might not work for good.

3. Cheryl Blossom, Anti-Christ

We won’t lie, one of the reasons evil Cheryl Blossom is up here is just how fun the idea for this comic is. In Blossoms 666, Cheryl and her brother Jason are up for the title of ruler of Hell. The Blossom Family gets switched from devious businesspeople to literal devil-worshippers, and the contest between Cheryl and her brother doesn’t just end in a winner, but in the Apocalypse itself. Blossoms 666 just hit stores this week and is written by the fabulous Cullen Bunn. Check it out if you get the chance, it’s sure to be one hell of a book.

2. Madam Satan

Whether it’s in the original Chilling Adventures of Sabrina book or on the Netflix adaptation, Madam Satan is one of the most terrifying comic-based characters ever created. She is a devoted agent of the Devil himself, and will commit the most heinous of acts to see that she accomplishes his goals. And if her actions weren't enough, her horrifying character design alone would get her on this list. With two skulls for eyes and a face that has a tendency to peel off, Madam Satan is one of the most nightmare-inducing characters Archie Comics has ever produced.

1. Cthulhu

Yes, you read this correctly. The High Priest of the Great Old Ones makes an appearance in the world of Archie Horror Comics. But we're not going to tell you much more. The inclusion of this character into that world is as terrifying as it is worthwhile to discover, so pick up some Archie Horror Comics to find out. If you do, you'll see exactly why we put him at the top of this list. We suppose that you could just Google it too, but you'd be missing out on some fantastic comic-based horror if you do. Plus, you'd be disrespecting the name of Cthulhu, and usually, that doesn't go very well.

What's your favorite Archie Horror Comics title? Who do you think is the scariest character to come out of them? Let us know in the comments section below!

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