This Is the Horror Villain Who Probably Still Haunts You, Research Shows
This terrifying character has been nightmare fuel for generations of kids and adults.
Everyone has a horror movie that's permanently etched in their psyche, whether you won't repeat the word "Candyman" or are still avoiding lake swimming after watching Friday the 13th. However, a new survey reveals there's one horror movie villain more likely to live rent free in your brain than any other. According to the 2020 edition of Frontier Bundles' Most Popular Horror Movie Villain by State survey, the most searched horror movie villain in the U.S. is none other than Frankenstein's monster.
The survey examined 12 months' worth of Google searches about 15 popular horror movie villains, figuring those were the ones most people can't shake. The findings showed that Frankenstein's monster was the most-searched villain in 11 of the 50 states.
The prior year, Jack Torrance of The Shining held the top spot as the most-searched villain in 10 states.
Those movie terrors are in good company, however—just read on to discover the most popular villain in your state. And for more frightful fun, This Is the Scariest Horror Movie of All Time, According to Science.
11
Dracula
Where he's from: The Dracula movies
Which states are most scared of him: Wyoming
And for films that still keep you up at night, check out The Scariest Movies '90s Kids Can't Forget.
10
Jack Torrance
Where he's from: The Shining
Which states are most scared of him: Maine
9
Hannibal Lecter
Where he's from: Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and the Hannibal movies
Which states are most scared of him: Alaska, North Dakota
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8
Carrie
Where she's from: Carrie
Which states are most scared of her: Michigan, New York, Washington, D.C.
And if you want to scare yourself silly, This Is the Best Horror Film of 2020, According to Critics.
7
Leatherface
Where he's from: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies
Which states are most scared of him: Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee
6
Pennywise
Where he's from: The It movies and miniseries
Which states are most scared of him: Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, West Virginia
5
Norman Bates
Where he's from: Psycho
Which states are most scared of him: Hawaii, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia
4
Alien
Where it's from: The Alien movies
Which states are most scared of it: Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, Washington
3
Chucky
Where he's from: The Child's Play and Chucky movies
Which states are most scared of him: Alabama, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas
2
Ghostface
Where he's from: The Scream movies
Which states are most scared of him: Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, South Dakota, Wisconsin
And for more terrifying characters you can't forget, check out The Biggest '90s Horror Icons, Then and Now.
1
Frankenstein's Monster
Where he's from: The Frankenstein movies
Which states are most scared of him: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina
