Top Ten Horror Movie Action Figures for Halloween!

As any parent wandering down the aisles of a toy store with their kids must be aware, no action movie these days hits the big screen without endless merchandising accompanying its release, with action figures topping that list. There are legions of adult action figures collectors too, however, and over the last decade or so, companies such as McFarlane and NECA have produced some stunning action figures specifically for the adult market: miniature works of art, with exquisite detail and limited articulation, designed more for admiration on the collectors' shelf, rather than hard play.

Horror action figures based on movie icons are hugely popular amongst adult collectors, this is a personal list of what I consider some of the very best and scariest of the bunch! Happy Halloween!

Pinhead photo © Sir Mildred Pierce

Please remember, many of the action figures listed here have an age advisory warning on the box - they may not be suitable for young children to play with!

Chucky photo © Luis Villa del Campo

Relive Linda Blair's finest hour as Regan in the terrifying head spinning scene of demonic possession from William Friedkin's classic 1973 horror movie The Exorcist!

The film has been parodied endlessly over the years, yet it still has the power to shock and scare viewers even to this day! Regan MacNeil / Pazuzu was voted ninth in the AFI 100 greatest screen villains!

Since Clive Barker's Hellraiser was first released in 1987 it has gone on to achieve cult status with its fetishistic appeal. The film is truly horrific and often very gory earning it 80th place in the Time Out London list of the 100 Best Horror Films ever.

The special effects used to created Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley, have made him an enduringly popular horror movie icon and a must-have item in any horror movie action figure collection.

Freddy Krueger is literally the stuff of nightmares. First appearing in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, he is now one of the most instantly recognisable horror villains of all time with his distinctive stripey sweater and scarred face. Robert Englund would reprise the role in several sequels - watch out for a young Johnny Depp as one of the young people he terrorises in the first film!

Wes Craven's 1996 horror movie Scream was a sophisticated post-modern take on the genre, which managed to parody horror movies whilst being genuinely frightening at the same time. Spawning numerous sequels, each Scream movie in the franchise has used a Ghostface figure as its main antagonist. This spin on Edvard Munch's iconic 'The Scream' painting, has in turn become instantly recognised and is now also horror movie icon and popular Halloween costume.

Anthony Hopkins chilling portrayal of psychopathic serial killer Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter in Jonathan Demme's 1991 horror movie The Silence of the Lambs earned him both an Academy Award for Best Actor and a place in horror movie history. Indeed Dr. Hannibal Lecter was voted top spot in the AFI 100 greatest screen villains!!

When Tobe Hooper made the low-budget horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 it was seen as so violent that he had difficulty finding anybody prepared to even distribute it. Banned from many countries because of its gore, its notoriety guaranteed cult status and a box smash back home in the US. Main antagonist Leatherface is now a legendary horror monster and the film is seen as a hugely influential classic. I confess, however, that I STILL haven't been able to watch it all the way through!

There have been many sequels and prequels, with a straight remake appearing in 2003, heralding a new line of action figures.

Since the first Friday the 13th movie was released in 1980 riding the wave of the success of Halloween, there have been almost a dozen sequels and prequels making the franchise one of the most successful box office ventures of recent decades. The main antagonist of most of these films is the masked monster Jason Voorhees, whilst his mother is the antagonist of the very first movie. His distinctive hockey mask disguise makes him an instantly recognisable movie icon.

In 1978 modern horror maestro John Carpenter brought the slasher classic Halloween to cinema screens and introduced another movie horror icon - psychotic murderer Michael Myers. I still find the original movie absolutely terrifying! Halloween has also seen numerous sequels and prequels, but few match the creepy power of the original and best. Rob Zombie's 2007 Halloween remake was a critical flop yet a box office success, with fans snapping up a new wave of Michael Myers action figures along with the film.

No horror movie list would be complete without at least one zombie on it, and of course, a nod to the genius zombie creator George A Romero whose 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead practically invented this sub-genre of modern horror movies. Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985) may not have had the intensity of the first movie, but are nevertheless classics of zombie cinema. Who can forget Bub, a thinking zombie, and unlikely hero of Day of the Dead?

Last, but by no means least, we have a vintage horror movie icon from the Universal Studios – the Monster from James Whale's still stunningly good 1931 black and white movie Frankenstein starring the then relatively unknown Boris Karloff. The Frankenstein Monster from that movie, with his neck-bolts, flat head, and lumbering gait, is instantly recognisable the world over. THIS is the point of reference for Frankenstein monster costumes worn at Halloween parties to this day! The film recently placed 30th in the Time Out London list of the 100 Best Horror Films ever.