The release of fright flicks Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Final Destination 5 over the last two weekends got me to thinking about scary movies, sequels, the legendary killers that are portrayed in them, and the combination of all three of those things. It especially got me to thinking about how one really interesting character can carry a horror film franchise for years. And much like the movie franchises that these characters are a part of, these guys also just won’t seem to f*cking die (73 combined movies… so far).

10 Norman Bates
Number of films: 4
Signature move: Killing people while wearing his mother’s clothes.
Norman’s spree of killings sets the bar for longevity as the four Psycho movies were spread out over 30 years. Loosely based on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, Norman never quite got over the emotional abuse he received from his mother as a child. Bonus points for being a sly, peeping-tom pervert, and that boss sweater. (Note: There are talks that the original Psycho is going to be remade. Again. For the third time.)

9 Hannibal Lecter
Number of films: 5
Signature move: Eating someone’s liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
A brilliant psychiatrist with cannibalistic tendencies, Hannibal Lecter apparently didn’t take being orphaned as a child during World War II very well. Although his behavior may also have had something to do with the band of Nazi deserters who killed and then ate his sister right before his eyes. Maybe.

8 Leatherface
Number of films: 6
Signature move: Doing very bad things to people with a chainsaw.
Yet another slasher inspired by the legendary Ed Gein, this time for Ed’s lovely practice of wearing masks made of human skin. Leatherface is unique amongst the people on this list as he also works with his super cool inbred family, who assist him in his efforts to master things like murder and cannibalism, going so far as to enter human-flesh dishes in local cook-offs! There really is nothing like the support of one’s family. (Note: Another one of these films is scheduled to be released in 2012. IN 3D!)

7 Leprechaun
Number of films: 6
Signature move: Bringing Jennifer Aniston to the world’s attention.
He’s a Leprechaun, which pretty much means you shouldn’t mess with his f*cking gold; a story every kid in the world knows except for the idiots in these six movies. Especially troubling for them is the fact that this particular leprechaun has the ability to come back from being impaled by a spike, being turned into stone (twice), being blown up only to be reborn by exploding out of the groin of a man, *closes legs*, and being shot into space.

6 Chucky
Number of films: 5
Signature move: Continuing to be reconstructed by idiots despite being a killer doll.
Chucky is a doll inhabited by the soul of an evil man. In other words, he’s made of plastic. Really, really tough to destroy plastic. However, being made of plastic didn’t stop the Chuckster from procreating with his girlfriend (that he naturally killed and also transferred into a doll), thus creating, hold on for it… the Seed of Chucky. (Note: There’s also another one of these set for 2012. Seriously.)

5 Pinhead
Number of films: 9
Signature move: Being summoned from hell and uh, loads of pins in his head.
Pinhead was originally Elliott Spencer, a captain in the British Expeditionary Force, until he suffered post traumatic stress disorder and survivor guilt after participating in the Battle of Flanders. He then lost faith in humanity and God, went on a hedonistic binge, and found a puzzle that makes him part of a dimension of endless pain and suffering. In other words, pretty much your typical soldier returns home story. (Note: This series is also getting a reboot with a scheduled release date of 2013. Truly, you can’t kill these guys.)

4 Jigsaw
Number of films: 7
Signature move: Really, really f*cking with people’s heads.
Jigsaw, aka John Kramer, the civil engineer (no, really, that’s who he was before, you know, all the killing and stuff), thinks he is doing his victims a favor by creating deadly trials to help them better appreciate their lives. Unfortunately, pretty much all of them end up dying soooo… whoops? Fortunately for us, ole John isn’t one to be dissuaded by a few minor failures and keeps trying, and trying, and trying…

3 Freddy Krueger
Number of films: 9
Signature move: Killing kids in their dreams with his man-made Wolverine claws.
Freddy, known for his horrifically burned and disfigured face, and that sweet, sweet, red and green striped sweater, was based on a series of stories in the Los Angeles Times about several mysterious deaths where all of the victims reported having recurring nightmares about a man named Mr. K. Freddy is also one of two guys on this list to have actually met one another in a film (read on). He also gave us this… 1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you; 3, 4, Better lock your door; 5, 6, Grab your crucifix; 7, 8, Better stay up late; 9, 10, Never sleep again… plus he killed Johnny Depp in his very first movie, which is nice.

2 Michael Myers
Number of films: 10
Signature move: Walking reeeally, reaaally slow, yet still catching all his victims.
Michael rivals the number one guy on this list for being most invulnerable as there really isn’t anything that can kill him (thus the 10 movies). Also, he has been referred to as the “embodiment of pure evil,” which is kind of a cool nickname. But does anyone else wonder what he does the other 364 days a year? Fish? Write a scrap-booking blog? I’m curious. (Note: Didn’t actually appear in Halloween III, nor did the story have anything to do with him, which makes one wonder, what the hell was going on there? This too is scheduled for another go-round in 2012. Also in 3D.)

1 Jason Voorhees
Number of films: 12 (Seriously? Not 13? C’mon!)
Signature move: Killing people while wearing an old-school hockey goalie mask.
Of all the killers on this list, Jason probably has proven to be the most invulnerable with regenerative powers that Jesus Christ himself would have been proud of. Jason himself didn’t actually kill anyone in the first film in the franchise as it was his mother (man, she was a biggun’) who actually did all the killing while thinking that her sweet boy Jason had drowned in the water at Camp Crystal Lake. (Ha! Wrong!) And it was Jason who met up with Freddy Krueger in Freddy vs. Jason after Freddy resurrected him from Hell… naturally.