Highlights
- Nurses in horror films often break the trust placed in them by viewers, making them some of the scariest villains in the genre.
- Nurses who are portrayed as evil or unhinged tap into the fear of those who are meant to protect and care for others turning towards evil.
- The horrifying nurses in horror movies range from undead zombies to deranged caregivers, using their knowledge of medicine to inflict harm and terrorize their victims.
One of the aspects that makes nurses scarier in horror films is the trust most people place in them. Whenever a family member or person is in a hospital, they place their lives in the hands of doctors and nurses without so much as a second thought. This trust is mostly understandable and very rarely broken unless it's in a film.
It feels like most horror films starring a nurse end up forcing the viewers to watch as they become unhinged or release their psychopathic tendencies on their helpless patients. That breaking of trust and the helplessness of the victim all combine to make some of the scariest nurses in horror movies.
Updated October 31, 2023, by Collins Erasmus: Those in the nursing profession serve as society's primary caregivers. They are highly regarded for the compassion and care they provide to their patients. Hollywood, however, has often presented these workers in a rather distorted way. A number of them are genuine healers; others are just wearing the uniform to hide their actual motives. It's precisely because they're supposed to protect and care for others, that they make such effective horror villains when they turn towards evil. These are some of the most horrifying nurses who have ever appeared in classic horror films and on television.
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13 Zombie Nurse
Dawn Of The Dead
- Portrayed by: Sarah Polley
- Release date: March 19, 2004
In the movie Dawn of the Dead, there are many memorable zombies. One of the most infamous is an undead nurse who causes mayhem without being named. The idea that the people who are meant to assist individuals in recovering from the zombie epidemic are sick themselves and might soon start eating off people's flesh is a terrifying one.
This woman draws attention wherever she goes because of her clean white outfits. Survivalists in Dawn of the Dead face off against the undead nurse as well as the hordes of zombies that have overtaken the mall where they have taken refuge.
12 Olivia
Evil Dead
- Portrayed by: Jessica Lucas
- Release date: April 5, 2013
This Evil Dead film did not hit box-office highs, but it was an entertaining movie with the classic tropes of young friendships while also exploring addiction. When the young adults begin to experience demonic possession, these stop being the film's main themes.
Olivia, the registered nurse, is the second to be possessed, and it just goes to show how scary someone who knows a lot about medicine is when a demon takes over. It's not the classic nurse trope, but it's a great scary movie that will stick in any viewer's mind.
11 Nurse Diesel
High Anxiety
- Portrayed by: Cloris Leachman
- Release date: December 25, 1977
One of the best comedies of the 1970s, High Anxiety is all the more beloved for including the unforgettable and iconic Nurse Diesel. Nurse Charlotte Diesel, the film's main adversary, is increasingly funny, even as she remains slightly unsettling. Although the patients at the institute are mentally ill, she is obsessed with keeping order and discipline there.
This gravelly-voiced lunatic is responsible for numerous deaths at the asylum where she works, and she has a disturbing fascination with witchcraft. It proves, once again, that those in charge of the asylum are more dangerous than the inmates.
10 Abby Russell
Nurse 3D
- Portrayed by: Paz de la Huerta
- Release date: February 7, 2014
In a rather erotic horror film, Nurse 3D, a nurse seems to have had enough of watching men cheat on the women they're dating. The story involves her using any technique she can to get rid of these men, all while seeming to revel in their suffering.
Perhaps one of the most memorable scenes is when Abby goes into the hospital and tries to kill as many innocent patients as possible. It's something no one would ever want to experience. While the only people who should fear her are those who cheat, most fans can't help but hope this never happens to them.
9 Edith Mortley
Death Nurse
- Portrayed by: Priscilla Alden
- Release date: 1987
After seeing what Edith Mortley does to her patients in Death Nurse, no one wants to dine at a hospital again. Both Edith and her husband work at Shady Palms Clinicare, a private nursing facility that euthanizes its patients in order to collect on the latter's life insurance policies, while also profiting from the state's payments for the former's care.
Edith poisons the patients and then acts like a caring nurse as they degenerate. When a nosy reporter starts looking into the strange deaths at the nursing home, Edith's true character emerges.
8 The Krueger Nurse
Nightmare On Elm Street 4
- Portrayed by: Robert Englund
- Release date: August 19, 1988
The Krueger Nurse is never what it seems. This character is not, in fact, a nurse. It's just legendary Freddy Krueger in disguise, so he can pray for the children at the school. This is what happens when one of the main characters faints and ends up in the nurse's office.
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The reveal is often regarded as one of the best moments in the Nightmare on Elm Street series, and is one that many will never see coming. Even if the school nurse is just Robert Englund without the Freddy mask on.
7 The Corpse Nurses
Silent Hill
- Portrayed by: Chantelle Leonardo, Onika Ndukwe, Zsuzsanna Cseh, Melissa Panton, and Rhoslynne Bugay.
- Release date: April 21, 2006
Silent Hill is often regarded as one of the most successful video game movies ever made. It's tense, creepy, and outright terrifying at times. Both the atmosphere and horrifying characters and villains in the movie help with this.
One such group of characters is the Corpse Nurses. Their entire look sends chills down most viewers' spines, and they are among the scariest nurses many have seen portrayed. They don't even need to be a psychopath disguised as a nurse to terrify even the hardiest of horror fans.
6 Amelia
The Babadook
- Portrayed by: Essie Davies
- Release date: January 17, 2014
While Amelia is undeniably a nurse, it's not until the end that viewers really get to see her as scary. Even then, it's not something she is directly controlling, even if it does end up causing so much harm and stress for her family.
Essentially, Amelia is a widowed nurse who seemingly hates her son so much that she creates a monster to haunt him. It's not something done intentionally, but it's scary enough to make sure to never cross this nurse again.
5 Elle Driver
Kill Bill Volume 1
- Portrayed by: Daryl Hannah
- Release date: October 10, 2003
Nurses and assassins tend not to go together. Typically, the last thing on a proper nurse's mind is killing their patient. This is likely why viewers fear these deadly killers when they see them on the big screen.
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Nurse Elle Driver is no exception in Kill Bill. She's an assassin who pretends to be a nurse so that she can get to Beatrix and kill her. The whole scene is tense, since the comatose Beatrix can hardly fight back. When Elle is ordered not to go through with it, many viewers see just how cold this assassin is.
4 Mildred Ratched
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
- Portrayed by: Louise Fletcher
- Release date: November 19, 1975
A control freak, a manipulator, and a woman of intense power over her patients, Mildred Ratched is a woman to be feared. She brought shivers down many viewers' spines in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and will continue to do so whenever the film is watched.
Ultimately, she stands for everything a nurse hates, and uses her power to keep her patients under her thumb. She is a cruel character that neither viewers nor the patients she controls want to be around for long.
3 Nurse Bridget & Nurse Miranda
American Horror Story
- Portrayed by: Jenna Doolittle and Areana Cirina
- Release date: October 5, 2011
The majority of scary nurses try to be a little subtle about their murderous tendencies. Many of them will use concoctions to manipulate their patients, or they'll at least have a reason why they kill the people they do. For American Horror Story's resident evil nurses, the only reason behind their killings is to spell out the word "murder."
While they were undeniably creepy, it's worse knowing these two were based on the true stories of Nurse Wood and Nurse Graham. It's truly bloody and enough to make any viewer check the history of their house before moving in.
2 Annie Wilkes
Misery
- Portrayed by: Kathy Bates
- Release date: November 30, 1990
Nurse Annie Wilkes, played by the legendary Cathy Bates, is a former nurse who appears to look up to the man she assisted and the author of one of her favorite books. However, after torturing this poor man in an obsessive and horrific way, both the viewers and the main character get a glimpse of just how sinister she is.
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There's something about Cathy Bates playing an evil character that just works. This combination of great storytelling and wonderful acting makes this nurse one many will see in their dreams.
1 Laura Harriman
The Nurse
- Portrayed by: Lisa Zane
- Release date: June 17, 1997
Losing a beloved father is one of the toughest things for someone to go through. This was witnessed when Nurse Harriman's father died at the hands of another. In typical fashion, she seeks revenge on this man.
However, she takes it one step further, which turns into a bloody, psychotic mess that will leave everyone watching stunned. It's not the best film to ever grace the earth, but this nurse is extremely sinister. The film makes it interesting to watch her go from grief to murder in just a few days.