A horror video game is only as good as its villain is. Often time, it is the main antagonist of a horror game that takes the spotlight and serves as the "face" of the game; and a truly good and effective horror villain should strike fear in audiences' hearts and make them want to flee as if their lives depended on it.
However, with all the common horror tropes and clichés, it's rather difficult to make a fresh new villain that audiences haven't seen before. However, in that endeavor to birth something new and creative comes some strange designs that are more questionable than scary. Here are some of the most bizarre villains in horror games.
8 Clock Tower: The First Fear - The Scissorman (Bobby Barrows)
The Clock Tower series has been a long-time fan favorite and staple in horror game culture. The infamous Scissorman is the man that steals the spotlight as he is one of the most unique horror game villains most gamers have ever come across. The Scissorman, real name Bobby Barrows, is the very first Scissorman to appear in the Clock Tower series.
Most horror game fans expect the main villain to be a daunting figure that towers over them, yet Bobby Barrows is a mere child. Barrows may appear both deformed and demonic, but at the end of the day, protagonist Jennifer is running from an 8-year-old boy dressed in an old-fashioned school uniform, breaking the cardinal rule of running with scissors.
7 SCP Containment Breach- SCP-173 "The Sculpture"
While the SCP Containment Breach game features a healthy plethora of dangerous entities and creatures, it is SCP-173 that takes the main stage and serves as the "face" of the game (despite it not really having one for itself). SCP-173, a.k.a. The Sculpture, is terrifying in the sense that it can easily kill those around it, of course, but in terms of its appearance, it's a little silly, to say the least.
SCP-173 is scary because of what it does and how it can only mysteriously move only when line of sight is broken; and while it may look a bit spooky at first, after taking a good, long look at it, SPC-173 looks no different than a strange gingerbread man. If that isn't enough to make players struggle to take 173 seriously, according to the official SCP page, the dark portion on the backside of 173 is canonically a mixture of blood and feces.
That's right. The big scary gingerbread antagonist of this game had a big accident that no one helped clean up!
6 Escape From Bug Island - Lizard Women & Canine Men
The 2006 Nintendo Wii horror game, Escape From Bug Island (known as "Necro-Nesia" in Japan) is filled with bizarre enemies. Between the giant glowing-eyed gorillas and vampire moths, the Lizard Women and Canine Men almost look normal! Almost.
When it comes to the strangest enemies in Escape From Bug Island, there are two candidates that are a clear tie for number one. Despite its name, Escape From Bug Island has many different kinds of enemies and isn't exclusive to insects.
The Lizard Women are just what they sound like and are large, anthropomorphic lizard beings that have an eerie female anatomy that puts them straight into the uncanny valley. However, the Canine Men, on the other hand, may (loosely) resemble a human man, but somehow don't look anything like dogs. They maintain their human-like face and head shape; and while they do walk on all fours like canines, they still have very human-like hands (thumbs and all) with the only change being the addition of claw-like nails.
5 Outlast - Dr. Rick Trager
Many of the enemies found throughout Outlast do a fantastic job of spooking the player and Dr. Rick Trager is no exception. Upon meeting Richard Trager, the player is immediately terrified; wondering what could this mad doctor want, and what will he do if he finds the player? However, it is one particular moment that many long-time Outlast fans will remember as being the instant that the pressure of the intense situation was released. The doctor's face and skin appear mangled much like the other enemies in the game, but he wears an apron that covers his lower half and nothing else, nothing at all; including underwear. This leaves his bare behind out for all to see, taking out a just little bit of the edge he once had.
While he still manages to stand out as one of the antagonists that maintain his overall fear factor, it doesn't stop gamers from letting out a laugh or two whenever he turns a corner.
4 Granny - Granny Herself
Despite being a rather low-budget indie horror game, Granny managed to become a popular pick among the horror game community. The game is rather simple in its premise: the player must escape the house in the next five days, or they will succumb to her deadly torture games. However, Granny herself makes for quite the interesting villain.
Due to the game's lack of budget, the overall visuals are a bit difficult to find scary. Aside from the hilarious idea of an old, undead granny being the main antagonist of a horror game, she lacks any kind of texture on her face, and although she may seem a bit creepy at first, a closer look at her will reveal her design as much more goofy than terrifying. In addition to her looking a bit silly, she sounds hilarious as well, as she often sings out a little "I see you!" when looking/hunting for the player.
Hopefully, the player doesn't let out a laugh, giving away their position!
3 Resident Evil 4 - Ramon Salazar
Ramon Salazar is one of the most unique horror game antagonists when it comes to triple A games. Despite his confusing appearance of having aged facial features and a short/small statue, Salazar is neither a child nor an elderly man, but a mere man in his twenties.
Prior to Salazar's run-in with the ancient cult of Los Illuminados, his appearance wouldn't be anything worth noting as he seemed rather normal. It was after he had joined the cult and gained the power of the Plaga parasite that his appearance changed drastically and formed him into the strange tentacled nobleman all Resident Evil fans know and love.
2 Ao Oni - The Blue Demon
There is not much known about the monster of the 2008 RPG Maker gameAo Oni. Translated into "blue demon", the main antagonist of this game takes the form of a bluish-purple man with a large head and deformed facial features. It is clear that the Oni lurks around the supposedly abandoned mansion that the player character, Hiroshi, and his friends investigate, but most information about their origins remains unknown.
The Oni works much like a zombie and seems to have the ability to turn others into Onis as Hiroshi's friends eventually morph into Onis as well. The Ao Oni may be a threat in terms of gameplay, but his bizarre appearance makes him a bit more laughable than scary!
1 Resident Evil 8 - Lady Dimitrescu
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Big (literally large) fan favorite of the Resident Evil fandom, Lady Dimitrescu, may be a popular villain but perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Lady Dimitrescu, as a villain, naturally should scare players and make them feel the uncontrollable need to run from her and avoid her wrath at all costs. However, much of the Resident Evil fandom found themselves drawn to her instead!
In a series where zombies were the norm (with the occasional tyrant or licker), a giant, beautifully dressed, vampire lady was quite the twist.
Many of the enemies throughout the RE series (such as Mr. X or Nemesis) are incoherent or don't speak entirely, taking away a large portion of their humanity and making them feel like more of a threat, as they cannot be reasoned with. However, Lady Dimitrescu is often seen berating poor Ethan for being the stupid "manthing" he is. A good horror game villain should scare its players, yet it seems like many fans flock to her instead in hopes of her using her stylish heels to step on them.