The Ones Who Stay in Your Head
Some video game villains are only scary because of their enormous weapons or impossible boss fights, but do you know who really gets under the skin? The creepy ones. They don't need either. They just need a little time alone with you to make you regret ever buying this game in the first place. Come with us as we explore 20 villains who aren't gaming's strongest bad guys, but are certainly among the ones we hate most.
1. Eddie Gluskin — Outlast: Whistleblower
Calling Eddie Gluskin a romantic is…technically accurate, just in the worst way possible. This creep stalks around in search of his perfect "bride." It doesn’t sound half-bad until you remember this is a horror game and he does it by violently mutilating male patients. His cheerful manners make things even worse, especially when you realize you’re next on the list.
2. Walter Sullivan — Silent Hill 4: The Room
Long before Henry gets trapped inside his apartment, Walter has already murked ten people. Blame the 21 Sacraments. Long story short, his childhood led him to believe Room 302 was literally his mother, and his killings are connected to an attempt to "awaken" it. It’s as bad as it sounds.
3. David — The Last of Us
You know what we hate the most in villains? That at first, you actually trust some of them. In the beginning, David almost seems reasonable for someone you stumble across in this dump. That all falls apart when you find out what his group practices. That, and how he develops an increasingly uncomfortable fascination with Ellie.
4. Sander Cohen — BioShock
Fort Frolic tells you almost everything you need to know about Sander Cohen before he even introduces himself. The deranged artist murders his former disciples and forces Jack to photograph their bodies so they can become part of his so-called "masterpiece." If that wasn’t bad enough, other people's suffering is basically valuable to him.
5. Gaunter O'Dimm — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Gaunter O'Dimm doesn't look especially threatening, especially when you’re a guy like Geralt. Yeah, well, don’t let that fool you. He’s actually a supernatural being who grants wishes, traps people, and you know, just pushes a spoon through a guy’s eye. Even Geralt never fully discovers what O'Dimm is.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe on Wikimedia
6. Professor Pyg — Batman: Arkham Knight
Joker and Riddler often get so much credit that we forget Gotham has more theatrical criminals. Lazlo Valentin kidnaps people. He surgically alters them. He turns them into obedient victims called Dollotrons. This freak lives up to his name, and you can’t ask for more in a psychologically horrific villain.
7. AM — I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
If you’ve ever read this story, you already know where this is going. Destroying humanity just isn't enough to satisfy AM. No, no, the supercomputer has to keep five people alive for years, all so it can torture them. Its hatred is frighteningly personal, too, and the whole plot sends shivers down your back.
8. Lucas Baker — Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The Baker family may be infected, but Lucas already had serious problems. His section of the game is packed with traps, sadistic puzzles, and a birthday scenario that’s anything but celebratory. Rather than chasing Ethan, Lucas is just happy that someone has finally arrived to play his games.
9. Monika — Doki Doki Literature Club!
Oh, what’s that? You want to woo cute anime girls with your poetry? Okay, good luck to you. Monika’s in your head. She’s in your game. And once she realizes she's inside of it, she tries her hardest to leave herself alone with you. That’ll teach you to join the literature club.
10. Stefano Valentini — The Evil Within 2
Stefano Valentini is…interesting. He basically views murder through the eyes of a photographer. That means his victims are displayed throughout Union. Even his camera becomes threatening, and it only gets worse once Sebastian realizes he’s the subject of Valentini’s latest fixation.
11. The Master — Fallout
Fallout's Master is unsettling, there’s no bones about it. Richard Grey has mutated into a horrifying mass of flesh and technology, and several voices compete within his consciousness. More disturbing, he actually does believe that transforming humanity into Super Mutants will end conflict.
12. Lionel Starkweather — Manhunt
You rarely need to see Lionel when hearing him’s bad enough. After kidnapping James Earl Cash, he directs him through Carcer City, enthusiastically demanding more and more violence while cameras record everything. Your survival is entertainment to him, and it doesn’t matter whether you like it.
13. Flowey — Undertale
A smiling flower sure sounds cute, so color us surprised when we discovered it was prime nightmare fuel. Flowey understands the game’s save mechanics, remembers events, and very happily explains his worldview that everyone eventually becomes willing to hurt someone. His friendliness is always slightly off, too, which gets much more disturbing the more you learn about him.
CERO, Nintendo, 8-4, Ltd, Temmie Chang and Toby Fox on Wikimedia
14. Dr. Richard Trager — Outlast
This is far from an ordinary appointment. Dr. Trager has become a sadistic inmate who restrains Miles and cuts off two of his fingers before going about his business. His constant joking also gives everything an especially unpleasant quality. This guy isn’t remotely bothered by what he's doing.
15. Scissorman — Clock Tower
Forget about defeating some supernatural demon. Your biggest threat is Bobby Barrows, a small killer who pops up with an enormous pair of scissors and forces you to hide. Hearing those blades is the worst part, and it makes an otherwise ordinary room extremely unsafe.
16. Eveline — Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
How many times do we have to encounter a creepy child? We know that Eveline just wants a family, but this isn’t how you do it! Now we’re left with a kid capable of infecting people with mold, controlling their minds, and forcing them into the roles she wants them to play. Talk about an uncomfortable dinner.
KniBaron from Bangkok, Thailand on Wikimedia
17. Sullivan Knoth — Outlast 2
Sullivan Knoth doesn’t need to chase you; the entire settlement already accepted his authority. As leader of Temple Gate, he uses supposed divine revelations to control everyone and sanction horrific violence. Finding recordings of his sermons is one of the creepiest things you’ll stumble across in a game.
18. Daniella — Haunting Ground
An emotionless maid obsessed with fertility? Yeah, this will go well. Daniella believes her own inability to bear children makes her an incomplete woman, which encourages her to chase Fiona around. Her sudden switches between eerie politeness and violent jealousy make every encounter unstable.
19. Ruvik — The Evil Within
Ruvik's childhood was already marked by cruelty, let alone the fire that killed Laura. The thing is, he later conducted grotesque experiments while pursuing research into shared consciousness. Worse still, since Sebastian spends much of the game trapped inside Ruvik's trauma, escaping him means trying to escape somebody else's mind.
20. The Origami Killer — Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain’s plot is simple: there’s a murderer snatching boys and leaving them to eventually drown in rainwater. The killer then subjects their fathers to brutal trials, supposedly testing whether they're willing to suffer enough to save their kids. But once motivations are revealed, earlier scenes take on a much uglier meaning, and this one villain is arguably creepier on a second playthrough.
