Top Five Female Slasher Villains
For this post, I will be composing a list of some of my favorite female slasher villains in order from my all time favorite to my least favorite. I love each killer on this list for different reasons and the only rule I made was each killer on this list must be a human or human-like villain, which means monsters and vampires do not count. For each character I list I will also supply a paragraph explaining why I like the character and my thoughts on the character. I really hope you enjoy this list and would love to hear about your favorite female slasher villains or any other slasher related topics that come to mind. Feel free to contact me in the contact section if you have any recommendations of slasher movies you wanna read about.
5. Baby Firefly (House Of 1000 Corpses 2003), (The Devil’s Rejects 2005), And (3 From Hell 2019)
Sheri Moon Zombie as Baby Firefly.
Baby Firefly is one of my favorite female slasher villains because she genuinely seems amused and entertained with inflicting the most sadistic form’s of violence. I also really like the character because she is family oriented, although in a sick way, and she really gives off the vibe that she could also fit in with the cannibal Sawyer family from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Baby Firefly is essentially The Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Harley Quinn. The character really feels like she can be considered both a slasher villain and a super-villain because of how much she gets away with and how comical she is. Liking this character gives you a weird feeling because she does some of the worst things a human being can do, but is also super entertaining and fun to watch. Baby is a sadistic serial killer, who is apart of a killer family. She seems to really love her family, which is strange because you would think that she and the other killers around her would be incapable of caring for others because of the sadistic actions they partake in. Baby is evil, but has likable traits. This makes her an interesting character. Violent killers alone are scary, but someone that inflicts violence for simple amusement and to get their kicks is truly terrifying. This is because there is no other real reason for their killings other than enjoyment.
4. Pearl (X 2022) and (Pearl 2022)
Mia Goth as Pearl in (Pearl 2022).
Pearl is one of my favorite female movie killers because of the depths of exploration that were involved with her character. Pearl wanted to be seen as sexually desirable and she wanted to become a big star. Her hope was that her stardom would allow her to escape a life of working on her family’s farm. When her quest for stardom does not go according to plan, Pearl seems to slip into a state of hysteric and psychotic murderous mania. I found Pearl’s story interesting because she always seemed troubled, but when her dreams came tumbling down she became the darkest embodiment of herself. The character appears as an elderly woman in the film X (2022), but the exploration regarding her character’s origin story was really only present in the film Pearl (2022). You spend the entire film with Pearl and really get a glimpse into her damaged and delusional psyche. The film, Pearl, really isn’t so much a slasher film as it is a psychological horror film, which is also a time piece with slasher elements. The stylistic elements of Pearl’s story reminds me of other dark psychological films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Joker (2019), and an obscure psychological horror film titled; Christmas Evil (1980). Unlike another killer I have ranked higher on this list, who got involved with murder to become famous, Pearl only became a murderer because she could not accept a life where she was not famous. Pearl taught me jealousy and desire truly can be deadly.
3. Mrs. Loomis (Scream 2 1997)
Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Loomis in Scream 2 (1997).
Mrs. Loomis is one of my favorite female slasher villains because of how methodical and calculated she was as a killer. Mrs. Loomis was essentially the mastermind, who had an accomplice that did most of the dirty work for her. She only ever killed one victim for speaking too harshly about her deceased killer son, Billy Loomis. Her only reason for planning murders was just so she could kill Sidney Prescott out of revenge because Sidney killed her son, even if it was in self defense. She could have easily just planned to kill Sidney and only Sidney, but she instead orchestrated a series of murders inspired by her son, which makes her a true slasher villain. Mrs. Loomis doesn’t seem to care her son Billy was a killer, which makes her terrifying as a killer and as a mother. I really liked how Mrs. Loomis had everything planned out seemingly perfectly, I enjoyed watching her become more frantic and even more psychotic when her plan was falling apart. This character pays large tribute to another character who is higher on the list.
2. Jill roberts (Scream 4 2011)
Emma Roberts as Jill Roberts in Scream 4 (2011).
Jill Roberts is one of my favorite female slashers for her motivation alone, although I enjoyed other attributes of the character. Jill became a murderer, with the intent of never getting caught and becoming famous. She planned to murder her mother, friends, and cousin. She then tried too frame her accomplice and another victim for the murders. She wanted to become famous and be viewed as a survivor, because she felt the only way she can live her life successfully was to become famous by any means possible. To me, her character represents the horrible and evil things people are willing to do just to become famous or get what they want. Another aspect regarding Jill’s character I liked was how relentless she was in pursuit of what she wanted. She went to the extent of harming herself, so she appeared as a victim. Demonstrating there is nothing Jill wouldn’t do to get what she wants. When she is revealed as the killer, it is truly shocking because the film presented her as though she would be a new final girl. I believe Jill was a sociopath because of how well she blended in with society and the fact she was only interested in her own well being and no one else’s. Jill Roberts taught me there is nothing more horrifying than someone who is willing to do anything for their own gain.
1. Pamela Voorhees (Friday the 13th 1980)
Betsy Palmer as Pamela Voorhees in Friday The 13th (1980).
Pamela Voorhees is perhaps the most iconic female slasher villain of all time, at least in my opinion. Her motivation for killing is tragic as she believes she is avenging the death of her son by murdering teenage camp counselors, even though not all of them had to do with her son’s death or lack of supervision. I previously mentioned Mrs. Loomis (who was somewhat inspired by Pamela Voorhees) as being methodical and calculated in a very similar manner as Pamela. A way Pamela Voorhees contrasts from Mrs. Loomis is the fact Pamela went on a killing spree; which inspired her son, Jason, to become a killer. In contrast, Billy Loomis went on a killing spree, which then motivated his mother to become a killer. Vengeance was the motive for both of these female slashers, but they are both still unique in their own ways.
I found Betsy Palmer’s performance as Pamela to be truly haunting and emotional, you can hear the pain in her voice when she speaks of her son Jason. The way she transitions from a friendly grieving mother, when she first talks to Alice, into a vengeful mother set on bloodlust is truly terrifying. You can sense the psychotic lunacy in her screams and voice as she goes full killer mama mode. She even talks to herself in her son’s voice and answers in her own, which is a nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) because Norman Bates talks to himself in his mother’s voice and answers in his own. It is very clear in the film she has gone completely insane and was consumed by grief in all of the wrong ways. Aside from being a badass, avenging, killer mother; I also like her because she symbolizes how destructive grief can be if not managed properly. Pamela Voorhees taught me there is nothing scarier and more violent than a grieving mother’s wrath.