If you love horror movies, then you'll love our Top 10 picks of horror-inspired T-shirts featuring iconic horror movie villains. From slasher films to supernatural horror to classic vampire movies, we've got 'em all!
😱 See also: the full list of Horror T-Shirts | Horror T-Shirts in Big & Tall Sizes
Let's jump in!
Visit Overlook by Good Idea Ryan and DAObiwan
Heeeere's ... Johnny's favorite T-shirt! Visit Overlook by indie artists Good Idea Ryan and DAObiwan features Jack Torrance of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece The Shining (based on the novel by Stephen King). The artwork is a travel postcard-style design beckoning you to visit the Overlook Hotel in Sidewinder, Colorado.
🪓 Get it here: Visit Overlook
Each letter of the "Overlook" features characters from The Shining movie, including Jack, Wendy and Danny Torrance, the super creepy Grady Twins. The text "Come Play with Us Forever and Ever ... and Ever" is located at the bottom of the art, below an illustration of the exterior of the Overlook Hotel.
Leatherface in Japan sumi-e by Dr. Monekers
Leatherface, the villain of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie series, seemed to have traveled abroad to the Far East in this design titled Leatherface in Japan sumi-e by indie artist Dr. Monekers.
🗻 Get it here: Leatherface in Japan sumi-e
The artwork features Leatherface, wearing his trademark human skin mask and apron, swinging his chainsaw in a field in front of traditional Japanese temples in the foothills of Mount Fuji. A red sun fills the background of this sumi-e or Japanese ink wash painting-style art.
I Love Nightmares by glitchygorilla
If you love the supernatural slasher franchise A Nightmare on Elm Street, then this T-shirt titled I Love Nightmares by indie artist glitchygorilla is a dream!
😴 Get it here: I Love Nightmares
I Love Nightmares features Freddy Krueger bursting out of an old television set, inspired by A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (The memorable quote "Welcome to prime time, bitch!" was actually improvised by actor Robert Englund!) Krueger is seen slashing the words "I ❤️ Nightmares" with his finger knives glove.
It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to a good scare ... and a good Horror T-shirt. Like this Retro Knife shirt by artist ddjvigo featuring Michael Myers drawn in retro wave style.
🔪 Get it here: Retro Knife
Retro Knife features Michael Myers, the Halloween movie franchise villain, in his signature mask and jumpsuit holding a chef's knife in his right hand. The word "Haddonfield" - the town in New Jersey where the fictional character was said to be born in, is located at the bottom.
The Vampires by Zascnauta
We can't have a post about horror movie icons without talking about vampires! Bloodsucking vampires have fascinated humans since the early 1700s. In pop culture, vampires reign supreme as horror villains: Bram Stoker's Dracula alone has been made into over 170 films.
🧛 Get it here: The Vampires
The Vampires by indie artist Zascanauta showcases 7 of the most famous vampires in the movies in the style of thriller film The Warriors. Featured are characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula, Nosferatu, Blade, Interview with a Vampire, Buffy, The Lost Boys and From Dusk Till Dawn.
I Survived the Game by MELONSETA
In the 2003 horror movie Saw, instead of killing his victims outright, the killer Jigsaw subjects them to "games" to see if they could survive instead thus giving birth to a new genre of survival horror films.
This also inspired artist MELONSETA to design "I Survived The Game" T-shirt, featuring Billy the Puppet that Jigsaw used to deliver recorded messages to his test subjects.
🧩 Get it here: I Survived the Game
Friday Night Terror by dandingeroz
Now this is the tee to wear to summer camp!
Friday Night Terror by dandingeroz is a "hidden face" style drawing featuring the hockey mask of Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th series. Here, the eyes are made from a grove of trees and a cabin and their reflections on the placid waters of Crystal Lake, and the nose is made out of a boat. The upper half of the hockey mask features a cloudy night's sky. At the bottom of the image, you can see the silhouette of Jason holding a bloody machete, wading into the waters.
🗡️ Get it here: Friday Night Terror
Man is the Warmest Place to Hide by SerhiyKrykun
In the 1982 cult classic The Thing directed by John Carpenter, a parasitic extraterrestrial life-form assimilates members of the U.S. Outpost 31 research team in Antarctica then takes their forms. Artist SerhiyKrykun depicts this otherworldly shape-shifting horror in Man is the Warmest Place to Hide (which also happens to be the movie's tagline).
You'll see the head of Vance Norris (who became the spider-like Norris-Thing), the writhing Dog-Thing in the shape of the husky sledge dog, and others.
👾 Get it here: Man is the Warmest Place to Hide
Clown with the Red Balloon
Leave it to the master of horror writer Stephen King to twist the idea of a playful circus clown into a horrific one named Pennywise in IT.
🤡 Get it here: Clown with the Red Balloon
In Clown with a Red Balloon, indie artist Vincent Trinidad creates Pennywise the Dancing Clown in silhouette with related items from the novel and movie, namely the storm drain and sewer in the town of Derry, Maine, the paper boat that Georgie was chasing, and red balloons used to lure children to their deaths.
Horror Fighter - Trick R Treat vs Candyman by Retro Review
Who'll win when two horror movie villains fight? In his video game-inspired Horror Fighter series, artist Retro Review pits Sam, the demonic pumpkin-like creature from Trick 'r Treat against the urban legend Candyman from the movie of the same name. The two characters are shown in a character selection panel of a versus fighting game, with Sam as Player 1 and Candyman as Player 2.
🍬 Get it here: Horror Fighter - Trick R Treat vs Candyman
Besides the two characters above, Horror Fighter - Trick R Treat vs Candyman also has small "Choose Your Killer" panels featuring horror movie icons Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th series, Leatherface of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, the possessed Regan MacNeil from The Exorcist, Michael Myers from the Halloween series of slasher film, Ghostface from the Scream franchise, Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise, Pennywise the Clown from IT, and Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street.