None come close to horror icons of our youth

I came across an online discussion in which the participants were trying to determine whether a new Nightmare on Elm Street could work in 2025.

Someone argued that not only was that franchise dead, but Freddy Krueger was no longer relevant, which blew my mind. For most of my life, every conversation about horror icons revolved around the same set of names: Freddy Krueger, Micheal Myers, Chucky, The Creeper, Leatherface, Pinhead, Jason, and Candyman. I suppose you can add Jigsaw and Kayako (The Grudge) to that list.

No discussion about the horror genre’s past, present, and future was complete without a mention of one or more of these legendary characters. They have haunted our nightmares for decades. But every attempt to keep them alive has failed.

Hollywood’s most recent Halloween trilogy started strong, only to fail spectacularly. Each passing year compels us to reach one unavoidable conclusion: the sun has finally sunk on the horror icons of our youth. So, what comes next? Who are our modern-day horror icons?

The Babadook gets an immediate mention when you ask this question, but I don’t think that answer counts. Horror villains become icons and even legends when they escape their genre of origin to find a home in the hearts of mainstream audiences.

Some of you have never watched a single Nightmare on Elm Street film, but you can pick Freddy Krueger out of a lineup. You have heard of the girl that steps out of your TV screen (The Ring), the creepy doll that frightens and amuses in equal measure (Chucky), and the unstoppable monster in the hockey mask (Jason).

The Babadook was incredible when it debuted in 2014, but it failed to dominate pop culture. Megan from M3GAN is a far better pick because fans cosplay as the comedic android all the time. Also, if you frequent TikTok, you have probably seen Megan’s iconic dance from the 2023 film.

Admittedly, Megan has the benefit of a sequel. Same for Annabelle. The creepy doll made a brief appearance in the first Conjuring film and immediately captured our hearts and minds, compelling Hollywood to produce a highly disappointing spinoff in Annabelle.

Fortunately, they redeemed the character in Annabelle: Creation. Valek the Nun, also from the Conjuring universe, is more frightening. In fact, the two Nun films we have received thus far are superior to the Anabelle movies by a significant margin.

However, Anabelle gets more mentions than Valek, and I don’t know why. The fact that she’s an inanimate object probably helps. Creepy dolls are as timeless as creepy clowns. It would explain the persistent interest in Pennywise.

The popular Stephen King character should have joined Krueger and Myers in the annals of stale horror film characters, but the success of IT and IT: Chapter Two, not to mention the upcoming TV prequel, has given the shape-shifting clown a new lease on life.

The Demogorgon from Stranger Things is confusing because the monster seemingly has more staying power than Vecna from season four, even though the creature appeared in season one.

Some critics are convinced that Stranger Things season 1 succeeded primarily because it tapped into viewer nostalgia for the 80s, and the Demogorgon is still riding that wave. The Entity from It Follows should dominate this list.

I can’t think of a more frightening moment in horror than that scene where that tall man with vacant eyes emerges from the shadows to stalk Jay. The last ten years have given us so much great horror. I’m interested in knowing which of those recent horror creatures and monsters would secure a place on your list of modern horror icons.

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