Today should be the day when the five films in the Saw series, starring the hood-eyed Tobin Bell as the evil Jigsaw, blow past eleven Friday the 13th flicks, starring whatever actor or stuntman they can shove behind the hockey mask as vengeful Jason Voorhees, to become the most successful horror franchise in box-office history. That means a take of more than $320 million. Talk about gross. Come on scare freaks, are you going to take that lying down? It's time for a vote, and I'm not just setting up Jigsaw against Jason. Here's the deal.
You don't have to play the two money leaders. Nothing against Jigsaw, it's just that torture porn isn't my thing. And is Friday the 13th really the best the scare charter out there? Consider these other choices for best horror villain:
Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Since 1984, Freddy—in the person Robert Englund— has been out there haunting our dreams with his disfigured face, striped sweater, brown fedora, and metal-claws in a leather glove. (My personal favorite nightmare)
Michael Myers (Halloween) From John Carpenter to Rob Zombie, directors have been obsessed with the psychology of this mass murderer since the series began in 1974. The masked Michael Myers is referred to as the "The Shape." It's minimal, but terrifying.
Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Since his debut in 1974, this cannibal has been wearing masks made of human skin, every one of them mean scary.
Pinhead (Hellraiser) After four movies and several direct-to-video sequels, Clive Barker's Cenobite killer, played by Doug Bradley, can still stick pins in the toughest cushions.
OK, there you have it. I'm not counting Hannibal the Cannibal (Silence of the Lambs) or Norman Bates (Psycho) since those characters transcend horror. But feel free to mention Candyman, Re-Animator, Captain Howdy or any other freak that suits your twisted fantasies.
Here are my questions:
Jigsaw vs. Jason—who gets your vote?
Who is really the scariest character in any horror franchise?
Name the sequel in a horror franchise that equals or surpasses the original? That's so the rest of us can rent it for Halloween. Treats, please, no tricks.
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Brandon | June 26, 2009 6:53 PM
2.It. I was terrified of It when i was young more than any other
Alice | June 9, 2009 10:21 PM
Hey Mandela, I agree with you that Halloween III is a brilliant, underrated classic, and many feel the same way. Check out the fan groups on facebook and myspace, etc.
Alisa | March 12, 2009 10:56 PM
i think that jigsaw will win because jason might not know what jigsaw's next plan will be. so ya. but then i think that jason might because if he is smart he will know when, where, and what jigsaw will do. so if i had to pick it would be a tose up between both of them.
amberrenner | February 8, 2009 4:53 PM
jason you rule ahh
tye | November 10, 2008 7:03 PM
none of these dudes are real besides leatherface but jason is cool my fav dude
Stage Front Tickets | October 30, 2008 4:07 PM
Scarface- I agree with you on "The Shining" I can't believe I forgot that one. Here's Johnny! Give me the bat....
Scarface | October 30, 2008 8:32 AM
1. Neither Jigsaw or Jason is scary.
2.Chucky is my personal favorite,but the scariest are the ones that are too real and don't belong in this category like Hannibal Lecter,Norman Bates, Anton Chigurgh,Jack Torrence, and Damien Thorn.(But only in the original 1976 version of "The Omen")
3."Aliens" if you consider it to be horror,if not than check out Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining"(yes I know it's not a sequal,but I doubt you'll find anything scarier this Halloween).
totallydude | October 29, 2008 8:52 PM
Jason for sure is scarier than Jigsaw just for his blind bloody rampages alone
Michael Myers
Scream 2, Evil Dead 2
Fernando | October 29, 2008 5:24 PM
1. Jason, he has a machete and attacks kids at sleepaway camp. So much scarier.
2. Michael Myers. Period.
3. The omen remake was ok, but there was no horror villain really, just Damien. Anyway, it was an almost shot for shot remake.
weed | October 29, 2008 5:22 PM
1. Jason would kick jigsaws ass.
2. Gonna have to go with dude with the drill from the Slumber Party Massacre series.
3. Leprechaun II
Cole | October 29, 2008 5:19 PM
1. Neither are scary/worthwhile or original.
2. Hannibal Lecter is definitely the creepiest character ever portrayed. down-right winner.
2. Some of the Halloween sequels are good enough to watch, Hannibal is good as well, none of the original TCMs are worth anything after the first.
L | October 29, 2008 4:49 PM
1. Jason. Common people, Jigsaw is a twisted person who actually LIKES watching people die. Jason just killed people because he was misunderstood.
2. Angela at the end of the first Sleepaway Camp. Terrifying and confusing. Unfortunately, She was horribly tacky and uninteresting in the others.
3. Nightmare on Elm Street got better, more creative, and funnier with each release...until New Nightmare screwed it all up.
vargas | October 29, 2008 4:36 PM
1. jigsaw
2. hands down...freddy
3. aliens
BAMF | October 29, 2008 4:29 PM
1. I think Jigsaw is a more creative realistc figure, that satires our society. But you can not surpass a legend like Jason.
2. I would say freddy. Even though he is a little like a circus side show at times there is a natural fear of sleep that this franchise hits on.
3. This is probably the worst movie ever but you have to see Jason X. The only reason is for the scene where Jason takes a sleeping bag with people in it and slams it against a tree. Funny stuff
Shambach | October 29, 2008 3:59 PM
Jason was never scary. Saw is just demented in the psych-ward sense. But Freddy, with his burnt face, eerie striped shirt, vicious knife claw, and chalkboard scratches can haunt you in your dreams when you are most vulnerable.
Mike | October 29, 2008 3:57 PM
Saw is not scary, amazed people think it is.
Hostel is a much better movie.
Barry | October 29, 2008 3:43 PM
basser,you beat me to the punch-how in the world does Peter Travers NOT know the first Halloween was 1978, NOT 1974-DAMN! Also "jacefreely" Jason's mother was the killer in the FIRST Friday 13th, NOT the second-jeez... ANYWAY, Jason over Jigsaw and, because no one's mentioned it, The Tall Man in the Phantasm series(especialy the first) was pretty damn scary!
Stage Front Tickets | October 29, 2008 3:39 PM
1. Jason is much scarier than Jigsaw. Although I'm with the author on this one - I don't like torture porn either.
2. Norman Bates! No - again- writer's right - he doesn't belong in this category - too real and freakish. I think the scariest character is actually "The Thing" from John Carpenter's movie of the same title. What the hell is it?!?! I just re-watched that movie last weekend and forgot how much it truly creeps me out.
3. I really can't think of any movie in which the sequel is better than the original.
Macfisto | October 29, 2008 3:27 PM
George W Bush is the scariest as he is the most realistic!
basser | October 29, 2008 3:21 PM
Michael Myers is the scariest from the first "Halloween" because that could really happen. Leatherface is pretty scarey too, but too cartoony for my taste. (And the "Halloween" movei franchise began in 1978, not 1974, as the RS writer stated above. The movie was filmed in the spring of 1978 by a young John Carpenter, who couldn't find many Halloween masks (because production took place in the spring), so he took a Captain Kirk mask and combed the hair wild and painted it.
For thet surreal, I would think the black, shiny beast from "Alien" would be the spookiest.
Ash | October 29, 2008 2:57 PM
Like I always say Peter Travers is the bad ass critic of my generation, great article, here's my answers in order:
1-Jason-he's misterious, ferious and comes from the supernatural world. My favorite scene:
"Jason vs the horror kid" in part IV The Final Chapter.
2-Leatherface-sick, disturbing and very real.
3-This is a tide, "Evil Dead 2" and "Dawn f the Dead" best horror films ever!
Overall conclusion:
-"Hellraiser" in the hands of Clive Barker have the most nastiest universe in horror films.
-I don't undesrtand how Jigsaw got away with it, for me he's a pussy as Hannibal Lector, probably the most obvious killers in film history and the most overrated too. I take "Henry portrait of a serial killer" anytime before them.
-Bruce Campbell is the KING!
Movie Mike | October 29, 2008 2:50 PM
Leatherface for sure. Absolutey ruthless. The original Tobey Hooper movie, and the 2003 Jessica Biel version....f-ing brutal dude.
He just seems more real than Jason, Michael Myers, or Freddie. They can get shot, stabbed and burned and still keep coming. After a while you stop being scared. Leatherface can get hurt and just seems more believable.
Daniel Coleslaw | October 29, 2008 2:12 PM
1. I'm not too fond of either character, but I'm leaning Jason.
2. Krueger and Meyers are a toss-up, since they both bring something novel to the Horror film. Jason is really just a rip-off of Michael Meyers, but Freddy was much more unique. Call it a draw.
3. 28 Weeks Later doesn't surpass 28 Days, I'd say, but it at the very least equals it.
jacefreely | October 29, 2008 12:28 PM
#1 - Jason's mother in F13 Part 2, where the killer was not Jason but his grieving mama. She gave the whole story kind of a reverse-Psycho twist.
#2 - Scariest character is Pazuzu, the demon from the first Excorcist, voiced not by weird mechanical effects but by actress Mercedes McCambridge. She did the voice on an NPR interview a few years ago, and I thought Satan was talking through my radio.
#3 - Evil Dead 2
Thundercrotch | October 29, 2008 11:08 AM
1. Dawn Of The Red - The terrifying true story that takes place in the year 2000 when a collection of GOP Zombies stole the election and forever changed the landscape of America. So unbelievable yet horrifying, it has to be true. "An Instant Classic"!
2. Sean Hannity II. The Hatred Evolves - Released in Fall 2008 (Still Playing)* "Chills you to the bone"!
3. Sarah Palin as "MooseKiller" in "The Bridge To Nowhere". In this real life financial screamer, she dons the now infamous "Hockey Mom Mask" and proceeds to drain her Alaskan village of it's fiscal lifeforce. A Masterpiece!
Dan Scott | October 29, 2008 11:01 AM
1.) Jigsaw, because he attacks you for real reasons. He punishes you for your own faults. And he pits you against yourself. He is more terrifying, personally than Jason. Standing face to face with the villian though, Jason gets the vote. He is a huge muscle bound psychotic killer with no reasons. Split vote.
2.)Linda Blair's character, in the Exorcist, simply because the chilling loosely based on true events story coupled with the idea that your body can be taken over by a devilish spirit.
Also, Freddy Kreuger, simply because he can attack you in your dreams, where your helpless.
3.) Hellraiser II was superior to the original because it had a faster pace, was equipped with a stronger and more scary story, and of course included cenobites. An improvement as far as moving the story along.
Mandela | October 29, 2008 10:48 AM
"Freaks" is one of my favorite horror flicks. Nothing creeps me out more (obviously ironic to the point of the movie). No one ever agrees with me on this, but I say Halloween 3 is the best sequel in a horror franchise. Yes, it has no Michael Myers, but it does have an entirely original scarey plot, which most sequels lack as they tend to be more of the same. Though I will give a close second to Friday the Thirteenth part 2 since it is Jason's first appearence as a killer.
rmatt | October 29, 2008 10:34 AM
1. Nightmare on elm Street 4:
For the sole purpose that in the end credits we got a glimpse of heaven's glory with Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Love Kills"
Matt09m | October 29, 2008 10:22 AM
1. Every horror character from the original TCM. Leatherface is a classic, but the rest of the cannibal family deserves recognition.
2. Hannibal Lector- come on, how can any horror list not include this psychoatic genius?
3. Jigsaw's little puppet- very distinctive voice, sticks in the head even if the movies don't.
shakespeare | October 29, 2008 8:31 AM
Jason is way better than JigSaw!
As far as the best character in horror I would have to say Zombies. They are characters and they get better with every Ramero movie that comes out.
Far as a sequel I would have to say HELLBOUND the second chapter right after the first HELLRAISER. In many ways it is much better and as for gore all the saw movies combined couldnt compete with it!
val | October 29, 2008 2:30 AM
1. Jigsaw
2. Leatherface
3. Evil dead 2
thezero | October 29, 2008 1:07 AM
1) Jason. No need to explain. Jigsaw is just a lame John Doe wannabe (watch Se7en for the real thing).
2) Freddy
3) Dawn of the Dead
St. Robinson | October 29, 2008 12:59 AM
The Firefly Family from Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. They really are a loving family (to each other anyway) and they bicker like you do with your mom and annoying brother or sister, and you actually get to like them...and then they start the mass-murder thing again. They qualify, having been in two movies, and I think Devil's Rejects is indeed a better movie than HOATC.
This isn't really meant to suggest they're scarier or for lack of a better word "better" than Jason or Jigsaw or Freddie (although, while the two Saw movies I saw were scary I find Jigsaw a little ridiculous) but I thought I'd throw in something new to the mix.
Finally, I can't believe no one mentioned the shark from Jaws. Maybe he wasn't quite as scary in any of the sequels but so what? The first one still to this day makes people afraid to friggin' shower let alone go in the ocean.
TBOT Moneyshot | October 29, 2008 12:50 AM
1. Jason
2. Freddy, scarry as hell when i was a kid, funny as hell when i rewatch the movies now. not cheesy but funny.
3. the newest halloween by rob zombie
Lorne Wright | October 29, 2008 12:04 AM
1 Jason
2 Freddy Kruger simply for being a child molester.
3 Aliens
Ninja | October 28, 2008 11:00 PM
1. Jason. I try to avoid torture movies. Jason was brutal but quick.
2. Alien. Any one Alien can either gut you on the spot or cocoon you so that a facesucker can impregnate you through your mouth, resulting in a baby Alien popping out of your chest.
3. Friday the 13th part 4. This one was more intense than other Friday movies, and it had Crispin Glover doing the funniest dance.
Ryan | October 28, 2008 10:50 PM
1. I don't really care for either of them, but if I had to pick I'd say Jason, 'cause I'm sick and tired of these disgusting, stupid-ass saw movies, enough already.
2. When it comes to the scares, I have to give it to Freddy, Michael Myers comes close, but Freddy has the look, the motivation, and that sick sense of humor that makes him both a hoot to watch, and a terror. Plus he haunts you in your sleep, the one place that's supposed to be safe, talk about derranged.
3. I would say that either Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Wes Craven's New Nightmare come the closest to, but not quite equalling, the original Nightmare on Elm Street.
max | October 28, 2008 10:29 PM
1. Jason, saw is fun to watch but to dam confussing. Friday the 13 has the perfect mix, sex and slashings
2.leather face hands down micheal myers second
3.Halloween, it wouldnt have had the best sequal untill Rob Zombie came out with his
Filguy | October 28, 2008 10:08 PM
1. jigsaw all the way! this is psychological horror.
2. michael myers, hands down.
3. the texas chainsaw massacre with jessica biel
Anonymous | October 28, 2008 8:23 PM
1. Jason, I don't care for either series but Jason scared me as a kid.
2. I like the Michael Myers character from Halloween, but after John Carpenter's classic there was nothing else from that series I liked (except I haven't seen Rob Zombies remake)
3. I think Evil Dead II takes this one by far unless you consider Aliens Horror.
Mitch | October 28, 2008 7:49 PM
1. Jason gets my vote. Gore for the sake of gore doesn't scare me, and "Jigsaw" is, well, lame. Jason was at least somewhat original for his time, and his hockey mask is iconic. More than Mr. Twisted Metal Clown Face for sure (yawn.)
2. I'll tread into new waters here and state that Kinski from the Nosferatu remake is the scariest character in any franchise... if you include the many Dracula interpretations into the mix, then this could be considered a franchise... Maybe... Either way, Kinski's vision of the rat-faced Dracula, is truly frightening in a subtle, intelligent fashion. Also see: Barlow from the original Salem's Lot. A truly scary adaptation of the character.
3. This may be cheating, but there's no such thing as a sequel that's better than the original. Always go with the original. At least if I'm wrong on one or two occasions that I can't think of, it's sound advice 99% of the time.
Cody | October 28, 2008 7:26 PM
Are you kidding me? Chucky from Child's Play. He is small enough to live in your closet for Christ's sake. He can literally jump out of the closet and mutilate you in your own home and your parents would not believe you if he did. That doll can rot in hell, and i am sure he is. Little kids don't make the same mistake I made and wait till ma is out of the house to sneak a watch, it will lead you down a road of fear and toil whenever you are at home, or in a mental facility, or in a doll factory after hours. Movie studios dont make the same mistake Universal did and make chucky a heavily wise cracking version of himself pared up with a stupid wife and a wink wink nudge nudge behind the movie scenes take on itself. "Oops I did it again?" Are you retarded? Chucky is a killer.
BP | October 28, 2008 2:10 PM
1. I grew up watching Jason movies when I was TOO young to be watching horror movies. He will scare me until the end of time.
2. Sarah Palin
3. Saw 2 - pit of syringes is priceless
drinkslinger77 | October 28, 2008 12:15 PM
1. I'm going to go with Jigsaw. Yes, Jason was hellascary when I was a kid, but the entire Saw series (albeit gore porn), has been smarter, better written, and definately better acted than any Friday the 13th movie ever made.
2. Michael Meyers, hands down. Sure the movies may have gotten cheezier over time, a feat considering the franchise baddie never spoke, but unfortuantley the other acting did- and it sucked. Still for the money, Michael is the man. **Close second- Britney Spears, Crossroads
**Honorable mention- Mariah Carey, Glitter
3. I would say that Halloween comes close (and I say close very lightly to being on a par with the original). I don't know, I may go to hell for saying this, but I'm going to have to go with the Saw series, Saw 2 in paticular. Smart script, well acted, freaky. Hard to say.
Shabby | October 28, 2008 10:49 AM
1. Jason, hands down. Jigsaw doesn't have the guts to do it himself, Jason gets in there and makes it dirty.
2. Michael Myers, The Shape. Pure evil that can walk while chasing you and never loose ground.
3. The first Firday the 13th is not a very good flick, but 2&3 are fun. Halloween 2 has some good scare but doesn't come close to the original.