One of the scariest questions of the '90s was the one posted in Scream: "What's your favorite scary movie?" It wasn't because viewers were scared of the answer, but because they knew the question was being asked by a chilling and evil murderer wearing a Ghostface mask. Ghostface, though, is just one of many '90s characters who scared the hell out of you, because after all, this was the decade that gave us Chucky, Hannibal Lecter, the Blair Witch, Candyman, and so many more. Even worse? All of those horror villains are still giving us all the creeps.
The '90s was an era filled with teen soaps (Beverly Hills 90210), teen rom-coms (She's All That, Clueless), and then ultimately, teen slasher flicks (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Final Destination) that ushered in a whole new cast of evildoers out to haunt our nightmares. But several classic villains were also revived through sequels, like Michael Myers from Halloween and Freddy Kreuger from Nightmare on Elm Street, because apparently, one movie with them just wasn't scary enough.
Here are 11 other '90s characters who probably scared the bejesus out of you — and remember to keep the lights on while you read the list below.
11. Angelica From Rugrats
What? When I was little, this spoiled little girl scared the crap out of me! Any time she walked into the frame of the Nickelodeon cartoon, I knew she meant trouble for the other babies — or just lots and lots of meanness and whining.
10. Dr. Claw From Inspector Gadget
Even though you only saw this villain's hand, he was still super creepy as the inspector's cat-loving nemesis, who thankfully, was always defeated.
9. Scar From The Lion King
According to Business Insider, Scar's scene for the song "Be Prepared" was based on a Nazi propaganda film called Triumph of the Will. Also, Scar murdered his own brother. Enough said.
8. John Doe From Se7en
In the 1995 film, Kevin Spacey played this chilling murderer, who killed his victims according to the Seven Deadly Sins. And one of those murders famously included a head in a box. Shudder.
7. Annie Wilkes From Misery
Stephen King's novel came to life in this 1990 thriller, and Nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) still terrifies anyone who ever hears the words "number one fan."
6. The Girl From Ringu (The Japanese Original Of The Ring)
Before Hollywood's version of The Ring, there was the even more chilling Ringu, the original 1991 Japanese film that introduced many people to the girl who could crawl through your TV and kill you.
5. Candyman From Candyman
Don't go into the bathroom, look in the mirror, and say Candyman five times. Just trust me. You really don't want summon this 1992 movie villain.
4. Chucky From The Chucky Movies
Nothing terrified me more than this evil doll coming to life and terrorizing everyone in 1990's Child's Play 2, 1991's Child's Play 3, and the 1998 movie Bride of Chucky.
3. The Blair Witch From The Blair Witch Project
Say what you will about this indie 1999 horror movie — but that ending is still super scary, despite the audience never really meeting the Blair Witch.
2. Ghostface From The Scream Movies & TV Series
Ghostface took on many identities during the Scream franchise, but let's face it — he or she always scared you to your very core whenever the evildoer wielded a sharp knife.
1. Hannibal Lecter From The Silence of the Lambs
Anthony Hopkins played this cannibalistic serial killer in the 1991 film, as well as the sequel Hannibal and prequel Red Dragon. Lecter is one of the most fascinating anti-heroes and chilling villains of all time, and the American Film Institute agreed, letting him top their 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Heroes and Villains.
Scared yet? Trust me, you're not alone.
Image: Dimension Films
