Horror movies often depict the Devil, angry ghosts or a vampire as the ultimate monster, but often, human beings are the scariest monsters of all, and these villains feel all too real. No one will ever forget the likes of Hannibal Lecter or Jigsaw, for example.
The world of anime knows this too, and while some horror anime have monsters or creatures from beyond the void as their villains, human characters are capable of true evil, and they represent the darkest side of the human condition. A variety of human anime characters, often villains, would make great horror movie monsters if they ever got the chance. Who are they?
10 Sawa Nakamura Is A Deeply Disturbed Girl (The Flowers Of Evil)
The original The Flowers of Evil might not have been a dedicated horror manga, but it did have many unsettling elements that bordered on horror. In this grim story, impressionable and insecure adolescents become ever more perverted and twisted, and eventually, they come to like it.
It's all because of Sawa Nakamura, a strange and spiteful girl who scorns the world and takes pleasure in corrupting her classmates and peers. She could be the monster of a psychological horror movie where the horror is scarily realistic.
9 Yoshikage Kira Severs Women's Hands For Fun (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Nearly every villain in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is perfectly human, and they are far more chilling for it. A good example is Yoshikage Kira the serial killer, who served as the main antagonist in the Diamond is Unbreakable story arc.
Yoshikage can blend right into a crowd and charm anyone he meets, the perfect disguise for a cruel predator like him. Yoshikage targets women with beautiful hands, then severs the victim's hands and "dates" them before moving on to the next target. Yoshikage is truly despicable, and he should definitely get his own movie with this premise in mind.
8 Kureo Mado Is Sadistic & Merciless (Tokyo Ghoul)
Kureo Mado was a CCG investigator, meaning he fought for humanity, not against it. However, Kureo was villainous due to his cruel personality and his creepy appearance, though his daughter, Akira Mado, wasn't bothered by any of this. In fact, she looked up to him.
Kureo Mado can easily be modified to become a horror movie villain, perhaps a police detective-turned-brutal vigilante who loses his grip on reality. He would start killing innocent people in the name of his own twisted justice, and he'd make those horrible facial expressions the entire time.
7 Cioccolata Was A Bloody Doctor (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Another JoJo villain has arrived to get a part in his own horror movie: Cioccolata, a Stand user from the Golden Wind story arc. Even without his gruesome Green Day Stand, Cioccolata is a truly cruel and deadly person, and he knows how to rack up a body count in a hurry.
Cioccolata worked as a doctor, and this heartless thug drove many of his elderly and vulnerable patients to take their own lives, unable to endure Cioccolata's constant psychological torture. He also has a minion, Secco, who is truly bizarre and disturbing.
6 Himiko Toga Is A Yandere Stalker (My Hero Academia)
The League of Villains welcomes rogues and misfits of all sorts, from Dabi the flame villain to the creepy Moonfish and the brutal Muscular, among others. Soon, the bloodsucking stalker Himiko Toga joined the crew, and she set about finding her true "love."
Himiko is a classic yandere type, a twisted and reckless girl who treats her love interests like toys, and the more blood, the better. She could be the disturbed villainess of any horror movie, with or without her Quirk, and no hero could outrun Himiko and her knives.
5 Light Yagami Made A Deal With The Devil (Death Note)
Light Yagami is the antihero of Death Note, a brilliant 18-year-old who uses the notebook to slaughter criminals and enforce his own vision of justice on the world. Light soon becomes the centerpiece of a cult following, with millions of Kira worshipers all over the globe.
Light is seen as a villain by many, and he would make an excellent horror movie villain with his intelligence, cold-blooded nature and most of all, his notebook. Such a movie's tension would be through the roof, because Light might kill the heroes at any time just by learning and writing their names.
4 Orochimaru Is Like Dr. Frankenstein (Naruto)
Orochimaru is one of the three legendary Sannin, elite ninja who were trained by Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. Unlike Tsunade and Jiraiya, though, Orochimaru went rogue and sought his home village's destruction, and he even founded his own village, the Sound Village, as a base of operations.
Orochimaru is obsessed with learning all ninjutsu and becoming immortal, and he uses mad science to create the perfect body and experiment on helpless test subjects. Many characters have already commented on his nightmarish laboratories, in fact.
3 Shou Tucker Created Chimeras In Horrible Ways (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Shou Tucker was a state alchemist, but his research into chimeras went badly, so he resorted to extreme measures to keep his license. He once fused his wife with an animal to kickstart his career, and when pressed, he infamously fused his daughter Nina and his dog into a single creature.
Shou Tucker is a mad scientist like Orochimaru, and he believes that progress must come at any cost. It's easy to imagine Shou Tucker being the star of a horror movie, where he keeps fusing people with their pets or captured zoo animals to make the ultimate specimen. The police had better catch him, and soon.
2 Thorkell Could Become A True Monster (Vinland Saga)
Ordinarily, Vikings aren't associated with the horror genre, but anything can become horrific with some creative twists. In the original Vinland Saga story, Thorkell was a powerful and bloodthirsty Viking who would fight for anyone who could provide him with a steady stream of worthy opponents to keep him entertained.
In a more horror-oriented take of Vinland Saga, Thorkell would snap and go berserk, and stalk the night like a werewolf, wantonly killing and drinking people's blood and gnawing on their bones. Now no one is safe, not even the Vikings who rule England, and Thorkell strikes when people least expect it.
1 Shion Sonozaki Is Truly Horrific (Higurashi: When They Cry)
Many anime fans consider the brutal Shion Sonozaki as the quintessential yandere type, alongside Yuno Gasai and Himiko Toga. Shion is known for many things, from her obsessive nature to her willingness to use tasers, guns, and other weapons to harm anyone who gets in her way.
Shion is already horror material, and she could have an entire horror movie series built around her, like a new version of the Friday the 13th or Halloween movies. She doesn't need a hockey mask to terrify viewers, that's for sure. In fact, it's better to leave her face exposed, so viewers can see just how twisted she is.