TV shows are full of villains but not all of them live up to the name. The ones who made our list stepped it up a notch to become truly frightening.
Villains are a staple of television and practically every genre of small screen has them. We've rounded up some who really made their mark.
Check out these 19 most horrifying villains on TV if you dare. We take no responsibility for the nightmares you may have afterwards.
1. Tony Soprano - The Sopranos
Tony is the best kind of villain. The kind you can't help but love. He's a family man, a man with so many personal issues he sees a therapist. He's also a member of the mob, a thief, and a killer. We shouldn't love him, we should hate his very soul, but how can you hate a villain who puts family and animals first? Our dilemma is probably very similar to Tony's.
2. Norman Bates - Bates Motel
Even if you don't know what he becomes, young Norman is frightening. Watching his dog get killed didn't devastate him, it drove him to taxidermy. He can fool a lie detector test and his mother. He even started dressing up in mom's clothes in order to blame her for his murders. Norman leaves us asking if evil is born or made.
3. The Borg - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Resistance is futile." Join the collective. Anyone who watched TNG and didn't practically have a coronary when Jean-Luc Picard found himself as a Borg, his own worst enemy for a spell, really needs to rewatch. I still remeber sucking in my breath at that sight. What was really weird? I didn't hate the Borg any more than I hated the Cylons. That's good villainry.
4. The Reverse Flash - The Flash
The Reverse Flash was a doppelganger (our favorite) who was on earth by mistake. The mistake meant he had to champion Barry Allen to attain all the greatness he ever would before he was ready. In order to do this, Eobard Thawne (the Reverse Flash) became Barry's mentor and friend, and unbeknownst to any, his most vile enemy. The agony at the bait and switch was incredibly moving and terribly vile.
5. Black Jack Randall - Outlander
Outlander Played to excrutiating perfection by Tobias Menzies, Black Jack Randall seems put on the earth to make Claire and Jamie Fraser suffer. A Red Coat who wants his country to prevail, he's also eager to make Jamie pay for the sins of Scotland and all men because he himself cannot measure up. The pain and anger in Claire's eyes only fuels his passion for Jamie and Jamie's lament.
6. Gemma Teller - Sons of Anarchy
Remember when Gemma came across as a loving, protective mother and grandmother? Then we got to know her. We could write out a list of Gemma's crimes but we think bludgeoning her daughter-in-law to death with a carving fork in the sink and then lying about it and starting a murderous gang war tops that list.