Dead by Daylight pits four Survivors against a single Killer in the deadliest game of hide-and-seek, as the Survivors must try to keep themselves out of the Killers' reach as they complete the generators to make their escape. Securing countless IPs as well as releasing original content, there is a plethora of Killers available to choose from.

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Dead By Daylight: Every Killer, Ranked

Dead By Daylight allows players to play as their favorite killers from horror movies, along with some fresh faces. However, not all killers are equal.

Along with designing the Killer's aesthetics and powers, Behaviour also takes the time to craft the backstory of each Killer, spinning the tale of their lives before they were abducted by the Entity to enact its wishes. Even next to legends such as Chucky and Wesker, some of the backstories of the original Killers stand out from pure excellence.

1 The Legion

Shows The Corruptibility Of Innocence

• Debut: Darkness Among Us

Thought to be an impostor Killer before their release, the Legion is actually four Killers rolled into one; adolescent hoodlums Frank, Julie, Joey, and Susie. Their speed is only rivaled by Killers such as Hillbilly and Blight, as they are capable of short bursts of incredible speed to mercilessly hunt even the most slippery Survivors.

The Legion's backstory mostly explores the main man of the party: Frank, detailing his hard life as he bounced around the care system until he met the other three. They spent weekends up to no good, vandalizing and petty thievery, but one night their mischief ranked up to murderous levels as they all stabbed one cleaner who took unkindly to their trespassing, bonding them together in blood. Ever since that moment, the Legion has been an inseparable quartet, even in the Fog.

2 The Doctor

Ties Into Another Killer's Story

• Debut: Spark of Madness

The Doctor is named after his profession, a brilliantly intelligent man who was fast-tracked to university and offered a job in a place called Lery's Memorial Institute, a place off the books that the Doctor was given free rein over.

His experiments became increasingly disturbing, torturing patients to the point of death or complete vegetative states, and one of his most grotesque and horrific murders was that of Otto Stamper, the cult leader responsible for the creation of the Dredge. He gets his just desserts at the Doctor's hands, even if his methods may have been a little too extreme.

3 The Hag

A Story Of Mysticism, And How it Can Be Tainted For Ill Deeds

• Debut: Of Flesh and Mud

Lisa Sherwood looks like a creature from folklore, but once she was a woman in a secluded village who practiced good voodoo for protection and peace, starting her life as a good woman before the evil of humanity twisted her.

She was captured by cannibals who hung their prey and would carve little bits off them at a time. Against all odds, Lisa survived the torment and torture, forever altering her physical appearance and her personality. She became twisted and vicious, using those charms that were meant for good to further her own evil. Her story is dark, grim, and tinged with just enough tragedy to make the Hag somewhat sympathetic.

4 The Clown

A Backstory That Could Disturb Anyone

• Debut: Curtain Call

The Clown started as a sympathetic enough figure--a mother who died during childbirth, and a father who placed the blame for her death on his son. He was raised in a miasma of neglect and alcoholism, his father mostly leaving him to his own devices. As one can imagine, this had damaging effects on the boy, who would grow up with violent and dark urges.

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Most Terrifying Movie Clowns

Clown tropes in movies is one of the scariest tropes, but these clowns take the cake for being the most terrifying.

Starting with small animals, he eventually moved on to humans, gathering their fingers as gross trophies, even after he found a place for himself in a circus. Eventually, his clown persona became his true self, and he continued feeding these dark impulses, even when he entered the Fog. Whatever sympathy his tough childhood may arouse is quickly smothered by his disgusting tendencies, which are even portrayed in his mori.

5 The Spirit

Her Backstory Ties Directly Into Her Design

• Debut: Shattered Bloodline

Like some other Killers in Dead by Daylight's mythos, the Spirit was once an ordinary girl by the name of Rin, attending university while working a job to try and support her struggling family buckling under the weight of death. Such a normal, if rather unfortunate life, takes a rather dark turn as her father loses his job, and eventually his grip on sanity.

With a katana, he cut down Rin's mother, before turning his blade on his daughter, severing her limbs much like how they appear in-game, providing the horrifying truth behind her wounds, and the reason Rin's vengeful spirit will find no rest.

6 The Unknown

A Folkloric Tale With Plenty Of Terror

• Debut: All Things Wicked

Introduced in the DLC All Things Wicked, The Unknown was quickly touted as the scariest Killer to terrorize the Fog yet. The teaser trailer was like a short horror movie that showed an unfortunate camper becoming the creatures' next victim, and his shambling appearance and voice lines make him a terrifying foe to come across in-game.

The backstory does little to shed light on the mysterious being, as several theories are posited by a researcher trying to find out more about the mysterious creature, yet no conclusion is drawn before Olivia succumbs to the very thing she was trying to research. Though the Unknown only appears right at the very end of their backstory, it is still a terrifying moment that cements it as an excellent read for any Dead by Daylight fan.

7 The Dredge

An Original Tale That Could Easily Be The Plot Of A Movie

• Debut: Roots of Dread

Roots of Dread introduced new Survivor, Haddie, and Killer the Dredge, a being that is quite literally the stuff of nightmares. Able to conjure complete darkness across the entire map, the Dredge might be one of the most frightening Killers in the game, and the backstory only deepens the horror.

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The Most Terrifying Cults In Games

These video game cults are far more terrifying than the one found in Cult of the Lamb and have been responsible for some truly terrible things.

A cult on an island obsessed with happiness and pure thoughts inevitably invites darkness into their lives and minds, and the outpouring of violence and despair causes the birth of the Dredge, in a plot that could be straight out of a horror movie. It's a novel concept that has barely been explored before and one that makes the Dredge one of the most interesting Killers in the entire game.

8 The Deathslinger

A Wild West Tale Of Shooting & Betrayal

• Debut: Chains of Hate

One would think something with a moniker such as the Deathslinger would be some sort of cowboy, and they would certainly be right. In the Badlands filled with dust and discrimination, Caleb Quinn struggled to find a place to belong as a child to two Irish immigrants until he taught himself some very marketable skills as an inventor. Even in those early years, some of Caleb's more disturbed thoughts were emerging in his designs, such as a mask of barbed wire.

In the end, he was sold out by a man he placed his trust in, who became one of the first victims of his dreaded speargun, which was a weapon of his own creation. Cowboys and outlaws are rarely used in horror, but should certainly be utilized more, as the Deathslinger's backstory is among the best.

9 The Huntress

More Tragic Than Terrifying

• Debut: A Lullaby for the Dark

The Huntress is one of the strongest and most popular Killers to play, her hatchets making her a force to be reckoned with even when across the map from her. She can effectively track and take down any of her prey in her path, thanks to her rough upbringing that taught her the valuable skills of surviving even the harshest conditions.

Known as Anna in her lore, she was once a young girl learning to live off the land with her mother, until her mother was killed by an elk, leaving Anna to fend for herself. Once she matured and became a strong hunter, she would move on from animals to humans, but would never kill little girls and instead would try to be a mother without truly understanding what this would entail. It's a surprisingly moving and tragic tale for a Killer as adept as the Huntress and adds a new dimension to her character.

Dead by Daylight

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Stadia , Switch , Mobile

Released

June 14, 2016

Developer(s)

Behaviour Interactive

Genre(s)

Horror , Survival