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5 Horror Icons Who Need to Return in the 2020s
The 2020s have been great for horror movies. Every year, it feels like the bar gets raised, with new voices stepping up to the plate and just knocking it out of the park. 2025 alone features its fair share of heavy hitters, including Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which, while not full of jump scares, still utilizes plenty of horror elements, and Zach Cregger’s Weapons, a movie that blends terror and comedy perfectly. Both of those examples are original movies, though, meaning they aren’t part of a larger horror franchise with an established villain. There are a few of those out there still finding success, such as Scream and Halloween.
Horror icons not named Michael Myers and Ghostface haven’t been lucky this decade. In fact, there are a few villains that may not even get a chance in the spotlight before 2030 rolls around, which just wouldn’t be right. Here are five horror icons who need to return in the 2020s.
5) Hannibal Lecter
The Academy Awards don’t treat the horror genre fairly. Time and time again, great performances get overlooked because they are in a movie that’s intended to scare people. Well, Anthony Hopkins made sure the Academy had no choice but to recognize horror when he played serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Mads Mikkelsen picked up where Hopkins left off in the TV series Hannibal, which followed the villain early in his career.
While actors like Hopkins and Mikkelsen don’t grow on trees, it’s a shame that Lecter isn’t more of a priority for Hollywood. There are always rumors about his return, but nothing ever comes to fruition. With the true crime boom, having a villain around that doesn’t need magic rituals or dreams to go after his victims seems like a smart play.
4) Freddy Krueger
There was a time when Freddy Krueger was the big man on campus in the horror scene. The A Nightmare on Elm Street movies introduced a terrifying villain who could haunt audiences long after they left the theater. Unfortunately, like many great franchises, it jumped the shark, sending its villain to ridiculous places from which it was hard to recover.
It’s been 15 years since the last A Nightmare on Elm Street movie, and that’s probably not a bad thing, since the 2010 film was an unmitigated disaster. However, Jackie Earle Haley, who took over for Robert Englund as Krueger, wasn’t part of the problem. He could easily put the iconic sweater back on and get to work in the modern age, going after children who would rather use their phones than get a good night’s sleep.
3) Jason Voorhees
Like Freddy, Jason has been on the shelf for well over a decade. Things weren’t clicking the last time he was on the big screen, and behind-the-scenes issues have led to every project he’s part of ending up in development hell. The world seems to be saying that it’s time to move on from Friday the 13th.
There are a couple of irons in the fire, though. A24 is working on a Crystal Lake TV show that will feature a young version of Jason. But that’s not the whole kit and kaboodle. Whatever A24 cooks up should just be an appetizer for another installment in the Friday the 13th franchise, where Jason hunts down a new generation of victims.
2) Samara
Quietly, The Ring franchise has been a disaster since the first movie, which introduced American audiences to a killer videotape created by a girl named Samara. The Ring‘s sequels failed to reach the heights of the originals, telling generic stories that felt like they should’ve gone straight to DVD rather than a movie theater.
With technology playing a much larger role in everyday life in the 2020s, there could be room for Samara to return and say something new. A creepy girl walking out of a television set isn’t going to lose its scare factor, as long as everything going on around her is up to snuff.
1) Jennifer Check
The only horror icon on this list who doesn’t already have a franchise is Jennifer Check, the lead character in Jennifer’s Body. Megan Fox’s villain targets men who have no respect for women and teaches them a lesson. Despite not doing great at the box office upon release, Check’s story has become something of a cult classic.
There appears to be movement on a Jennifer’s Body sequel, and all signs point to Fox being a part of it despite her character biting the dust. However, there’s no time to waste, as audiences can easily lose interest. Check deserves another chance to hunt, or at the very least to haunt her good friend Needy.
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