There are many villains across the DC Universe but none are more twisted than the Gotham City variant. Batman does have his devious villains who are nothing more than a nuisance he has to deal with on the nightly. However, for every normal supervillain, there is also the sinister kind that is pure nightmare fuel.

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These are the villains that make everyone glad they don't live in Gotham. They are either demented or twisted to the point of becoming actual monsters in some cases; whether it's their methods, their appearances, or their abilities. Who are the scariest villains in Gotham worthy of a horror movie?

10 The Calendar Man

Batman Speaking With Calendar Man

Originally, Calendar Man was a joke character who would commit crimes based on Holidays and specific dates. However, later on in The Long Halloween, Julian Gregory Day would get revamped as a quiet and haunting serial killer.

Calendar Man, similar to the Riddler, prefers to toy with the heroes: giving them cryptic hints to decipher. In a way, he's very similar to Hannibal Lecter and just as scary; he gives off a quiet composed vibe that can put anyone on edge. He's also a man who kills on or near Holidays, which can make anyone paranoid around times like Halloween.

9 The Mad Hatter

MAD-HATTER-BATMAN

Jervis Tetch is a poor soul mistreated by his fellow man. Unfortunately, he's also a genius which made his descent into madness all the more dangerous. Obsessed with Alice In Wonderland, Jervis wears a hat that allows him to control or manipulate the minds of others.

This usually results in The Mad Hatter kidnapping young women in an attempt to make them his Alice. One of the more terrifying depictions of the Hatter comes from the Arkham games where he usually puts Batman through a beautiful yet creepy hallucination. Plus, any person who speaks in rhyme is objectively creepy.

8 Jane Doe

DC Jane Doe

As impressive as Clayface can be, there is another shapeshifter who manages to be even scarier than him. Meet Jane Doe, a woman without her skin and has the ability to shapeshift and mimic her victims. This makes her nearly impossible to track and a difficult threat for the Caped Crusader.

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This serial killer character first debuted in Arkham Asylum: Living Hell in 2004 and his since faded into obscurity. DC should bring Jane Doe back since she's a villain whose motivation remains unclear and mysterious, kind of like a certain Clown Prince Of Crime. So knowing Jane Doe could be any person on the street watching is horrifying in concept.

7 Doctor Phosphorus

Doctor Phosphorus ripping off his skin

Many villains don't start off evil and that's the case for Dr. Alex Sartorius. However, when an accident at a nuclear reactor killed and transformed him into a radioactive monster, he became willing to go as far as possible for revenge. In a way, it's impossible to blame him for his rage.

That doesn't stop him from being worthy of a sci-fi horror movie villain. With glowing transparent skin that unveils the dark skeleton underneath, Doctor Phosphorus is a creature nobody wants to see chasing them.

6 Victor Zsasz

Victor Zsasz

No flashy costume, no powers, he's just a man. So how does Victor Zsasz manage to beat monsters like Doctor Phosphorus? Well, Zsasz is easily one of Batman's most realistic villains which makes him more terrifying; he could happen to anyone in the real world.

Zsasz is a man who believes that every person deserves to be freed from life. So he usually kills them brutally with a knife before carving a tally mark into his own skin. Zsasz is the perfect example of a serial killer who could be lurking in the shadows on a calm night.

5 New 52 Doctor Death

Doctor Death Zero Year

One of Batman's oldest foes in comic book history. However, Doctor Death did not become scary until his reboot in New 52's Zero Year. Why is the good doctor terrifying? Well, just take one look at him to see why. Doctor Death is a mutation of Cronenburg-like imagination; stretched out skin, overgrown bones, and teeth that would make Killer Croc shiver.

Doctor Death is also a more personal villain as he is an ex-Wayne Enterprises employee who blames Bruce Wayne for his son's death. So it's another case that shows how much revenge can twist somebody to the point of recognition...quite literally in this case.

4 The Joker

Joker War

Sure, there are the depictions of Joker who is nothing more than a manic prankster of chaos. A threat but nothing too bad. However, there are also depictions like in The Killing Joke or the Arkham games where behind the charisma and bombastic personality lies one of the most twisted minds of all time.

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Even with Heath Ledger or Joaquin Phoenix's portrayals of the Joker, there are plenty of moments where the audience is gripping their seats because at any moment, Joker could snap and bludgeon someone to death. Joker is unpredictable, especially with his (usually) unknown origins that keep anyone from understanding what he wants.

3 Man-Bat

Man-Bat Jumpscare From Arkham Knight

An even more disturbing version of the Jekyll and Hyde story. A scientist trying to do good tests a formula on himself which transforms him into a dark and evil version of himself. The twist? The evil side of himself is a giant anthropomorphic bat creature who stalks over the skyline.

Much like the aforementioned Jekyll and Hyde, Kirk Langstrom is more sympathetic in his plight. Kirk doesn't want to harm anyone but the Man-Bat side of him has a mind of its own. This makes the character more disturbing but the visual of a giant bat monster is terrifying as well: the character's first appearance in the Arkham games is one of the scariest jumpscares in recent years.

2 Professor Pyg

Professor Pyg

Oh, how can this be scary? What is he a mad scientist who dresses like a pig? Sounds like a villain out of the Silver Age of comics. Well, it's easy to think that by the name but Professor Pyg is actually one of the most disturbing DC villains in general. Pyg is a surgeon obsessed with perfection and so he mutilates innocent people and turns them into mindless drones called Dollatrons.

Everything about the character is just unnerving; his methods, his evil transformation of his victims, the way he talks. It's reminiscent of the killers featured in Hannibal stories like Buffalo Bill or the Tooth Fairy. Arguably, he is just as scary as the final character on the list.

1 Scarecrow

DC Scarecrow 6 Cropped (1)

Is this a surprise to anyone? Now, this also depends on the version of Scarecrow. Some versions are nothing more than a creeper in a sack mask a la the Christopher Nolan movies or his debut in Batman: The Animated Series. Then there are the horrifying designs like the Arkham games or The New Batman Adventures.

However, what makes Scarecrow so terrifying is his fear toxin and how it affects each individual. Your worst fears transforming the world around you as Scarecrow taunts. Crane in many ways is not insane, he's just pure evil with his love to make others afraid. That makes him the scariest villain in Gotham City.

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