We’re doing something a little different this week, Horror Fam! Something wild and wacky. You see, I just found out that the month of September is both National Mushroom Month (may I direct you to my post about Matango…?) and *drumroll* Fall Hat Month! Now I simply must know which hat-wearing horror movie villain YOU think dons the very best chapeau?

Here are 20 horror movie villains wearing hats who I thought of off the top (heh) of my head. The poll to cast your vote is at the bottom of this post (zero sign-up needed – this is just for lolz and to satisfy my own curiosity). Have fun!

Freddy Krueger from the A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise

Absolutely iconic. In nearly every movie in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise there’s at least one character who mentions Freddy’s brown fedora aloud! I mean, the man is wearing a glove with razorblades coming out of it and people still notice AND talk about his HAT! That’s going to be tough to beat.

The Babadook from The Babadook

“This is what he wears.” The Babadook’s extra tall top hat gives him a striking silhouette that’s always recognizable.

The Creeper from the Jeepers Creepers Franchise

Wide-brimmed and offering plenty of protection from the sun, The Creeper’s open crown cowboy hat is fashionable and functional.

The Invisible Man from The Invisible Man

Why didn’t I choose The Invisible Man wearing the fez from Mad Monster Party? Because a fez would be just TOO stylish and unfair to the other Best Horror Villain Hat competitors! For this poll, The Invisible Man will be by repping his Homburg hat for fairness/balance. Keep that in mind while you’re voting, if you can — though his passion for fashion is undeniable and he’d obviously win any Best Sunglasses contests!

Leprechaun from the Leprechaun Franchise

Nearly head-to-toe green velvet is tough to pull off, but Leprechaun’s doing it! His matching green velvet hat – with the enormous belt buckle on the hat band – is certainly eye catching!

Isaac Chroner from Children of the Corn

Going for a humbler, Quaker-inspired look, we have Isaac Chroner from Children of the Corn. The only child horror villain on this list, Isaac is holding his own with a hat that simply can’t be ignored, even with its modest roots.

Doctor Gogol from Mad Love

“Dashing” and “Peter Lorre” aren’t always words that’re found close together in the same sentence, but no one can deny that Doctor Gogol in Mad Love is looking suave in his two-tone fedora. It brings his outfit together whether he’s out for an elegant trip to the theater or menacing his romantic rival while pretending to be a resurrected murderer.

Rose the Hat from Doctor Sleep

“Hat” is literally a part of her name! It’s going to be difficult to ignore a hat-wearing horror movie villain who loves her topper THAT much…

Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Top hats turn up a few times on this list in their various forms, but Dracula is the only one who decided to opt for a color other than black. And his smoke-colored stovepipe totally works for him! This is a difficult look to pull off and still be taken seriously, but he’s the picture of villainous elegance.

Alex from A Clockwork Orange

Speaking of looks that are difficult to pull of and still be taken seriously… The Bowler hat!! Normally associated with characters falling into the comedic relief or “buffoon” categories, Alex (and his gang, to their credit!) has chosen an intriguing juxtaposition between his fashion choices and his vile actions. Could the crazy contrast be enough to make Alex the winner? Or will you disqualify him because “A Clockwork Orange isn’t a horror movie…” I beg to differ as nothing in that film isn’t horrifying, but please feel free to suggest someone else in the comments’ section and/or write your own HorrorFam.com article! I’m always excited to get guest posts 😉

Jimmy Bones from Bones

Another wide-brimmed hat! However, whereas The Creeper went (relatively) subtle with his look, Jimmy Bones has some FLAIR — especially with that striped hat band.

Bubba Ho-tep from Bubba Ho-tep

You know who else knows the power of visually striking hat bands? Bubba Ho-tep! With his crocodile skin and feather accents, this mummy’s hat is one-of-a-kind.

Jennet Humfrye from The Woman in Black

A black church bonnet with a loooooong mysterious veil? Could Jennet Humfrye’s hat have played a major role in why The Woman in Black set records back in 2012 for being the highest-grossing British horror film in nearly 20 years? Could beeeeeeeeeee!

Blade from the Puppet Master Franchise

Hats on toys/dolls/figures/puppets can look downright bad. Putting a hat on your horror movie villain who happens to be a toy… Risky!! Did it pay off? Obviously! Blade’s scarecrow/hobo chic works for him and it’s no wonder he’s front-and-center in any Puppet Master marketing campains!

The Tall Man from the Phantasm Franchise

Is this a bit of a cheat? You tell me! But can you truly deny that the old photo of The Tall Man from back when he was hat-wearing Jebediah Morningside stuck in your memories? No, you can’t.

The Grabber from The Black Phone

The Grabber is giving total London After Midnight vibes and we all know that’s a great look! (Note: For anyone wondering why Detective Burke/The Beaver Hat wasn’t included on this list… He was the hat-wearing hero. This poll is to determine the best horror movie villain hat!).

Art the Clown from Terrifier I & II

Who doesn’t love a teeny hat…?

The Hat Box Ghost from Disney’s Haunted Mansion

The villain of Disney’s Haunted Mansion (2023) may be named for the box his hat resides in, but his actual hat is pretty darn impressive!

The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz

Is The Wizard of Oz really a horror movie? Depends which generation you ask. Out of respect to the traumatized Boomers, I’m including her. Besides, the Wicked Witch’s villain hat is an absolute masterpiece that demands to be seen! It takes the classic Halloween witch hat to unreachable heights of conical wide-brimmed awesomeness. And that hat sash? Gorgeous! The Wicked Witch’s lid of pointed perfection is so extremely “extra” in the best ways, especially when compared to her far more drab Miss Gulch headgear.

Collie Entragian from Desperation

Credit to my husband, Frank Spear, for coming up with this one (I really wanted to give you a full 20 horror movie villains who wear hats to vote on but my brain broke after I thought up the other 19!). Collie Entragian, the possessed sheriff, manages to stay menacing, even in light beige. Not an easy feat! Traditionally, villains wear black hats but ol’ Collie decided to bust some stereotypes while he was busting heads.

Time to Vote! Which Horror Movie Villain’s Hat is the Best?!

THIS POLL HAS ENDED!

We’ve tallied the votes!

The winner is… Freddy Krueger!!

Second place was a tie between Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and The Phantom. Third place was a tie between Rose the Hat and Leprechaun. Fourth place as a tie between the Wicked Witch of the West and Art the Clown (which I thought was funny because their hats are polar opposites! Tall & pointy vs. tiny & rounded).

Fifth place was, appropriately, a five-way tie between Mr. Hyde, Mr. Dark, The Creeper, The Invisible Man, and Dracula (Gary Oldman). And sixth place was a tie between Ardeth Bay/Imhotep, Mr. Krabs/Sheriff Gus Gilbert, Prof. Henry Jarrod, Bubba Ho-Tep, and Puppet Blade. All the other candidates got zero votes.

Thank you to everyone who voted from September 2023 – September 2024! Happy Fall Hat Month and CONGRATULATIONS to Freddy Krueger for winning BEST HORROR VILLAIN HAT!!

Did you enjoy this? Should we run another poll in the future? Let us know!

UPDATE: Check Out Part Two!

After I wrote this post, my dad (Robert Tharp) felt so passionately about characters I’d left out that he ended up writing his debut HorrorFam.com guest post featuring 18 MORE hat-wearing horror villains! Check it out:

We’re keeping the polls open until September 2024/Fall Hat Month 2024 and then we’ll collect the votes from both polls to determine which hat-wearing horror favorite truly has the BEST hat!!

Images were purchased via MovieStillsDB.

This post was updated on September 2, 2024 to close the polls and show the final results.