And plenty of other characters who were downright creepy. The Harry Potter movies have a cult status among fans, chiefly for Harry Potter’s adventures with his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in tow, along with the villains they encounter. From the very start, we saw characters like Argus Filch and the unmasked Professor Quirrell. Later on, the creepy Lord Voldemort came back to subject the world with his equally-as-creepy Death Eaters. But who of them stands out as the creepiest? Here are our picks for the creepiest characters from the Harry Potter films.
5. Lord Voldemort
While he’s certainly the darkest wizard in the books, Lord Voldemort isn’t the creepiest—even if he’s pretty close. Lord Voldemort is the primary antagonist of the franchise, a wicked creature who’s known as the vilest wizard in hundreds of years. He’s a bona fide psychopath with no ethics or remorse for anything he does. From the first film, we know that Voldemort was the killer of James and Lilly Potter, the biological parents of Harry Potter. We later learn he killed them off due to a prophecy about a child with powers that would rival his own, and he believed Harry Potter to be that child. In the grand scheme of things, Voldemort’s agenda was to achieve immorality, viewing death as nothing more than a shameful human weakness—one that still scares him. As if that weren’t bad enough, Voldemort was a vicious xenophobe who desired to kill everyone who wasn’t a pure-blooded wizard, which included all the muggles within his presence. Lord Voldemort was so powerful that wizards across the country dared not speak his name, and if that doesn’t qualify someone as creepy, what does?
4. Aragog
If you’re afraid of spiders, you should definitely avoid Aragog, who was seen in Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Half-Blood Prince. So, what’s the story behind Aragog? Well, he arrived in Great Britain as an egg in a tourist’s pocket. Rubeus Hagrid, who was a Hogwarts student at the time, discovered the egg—then kept it and raised Aragog himself. Aragog is known to have a thing for people, and he can even converse with them. It’s not just his dark black eyes and hairy body that makes him creepy, but the fact that he actually planned to attack humans. The only reason he doesn’t? Out of respect for Hagrid.
3. Dobby
Dobby is a three-foot-tall, green-eyed house-elf who was enslaved by the wealthy Malfoy family. Throughout the Harry Potter movies, we saw this house-elf doing all kinds of things, like working in the Hogwarts kitchen and spying on Harry Potter from the hedges. We can see Dobby as most creepy in the stalkerish sense rather than the spine-chilling sense. His small stature and odd presence highlight his creepiest features, and at one point Dobby even tried to seriously harm Harry Potter so he would be sent home away from danger. He’s also a bit smug and had a habit of putting himself in dangerous situations to appear brave. Fortunately, even though his behavior was rarely beyond reproach, Dobby did have a positive impact on Harry’s life.
2. Argus Filch
Argus Filch, the creepy-looking Squib, is caretaker of the Hogwarts School during the day. Filch is your typical bossy authority figure, the kind of person you might have a love-hate relationship with. As successor to Apollyon Pringle, Filch took over as caretaker—but despite his caretaking job, Filch is a cranky old grinch. He’s envious for not being able to perform magic, as noted when Harry found his Kwikspell letters. You might believe he’s friendly when you see how he treats his cat Mrs. Norris, but don’t be fooled. His rude attitude towards Hogwarts students and his hatred of kids drives him to dole out harsh punishments for petty transgressions.
1. Bellatrix Lestrange
And to cap things off, we have Bellatrix Lestrange. Played by Helena Bonham Carter, Bellatrix isn’t just one of the best villains in the Harry Potter films—she’s one of the best villains in cinema history. She’s a pure-blooded witch from the ancient House of Black and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, who was trained by the notorious Lord Voldemort himself. Bellatrix became a powerful mistress of the Dark Arts, which makes her creepier than most of her colleagues. Between her unbalanced mental state, barbaric personality, sharp intelligence, and reckless demeanor, there’s little room for redemption in her. You’d be tempted to assume she’s likable, but don’t be deceived—Bellatrix Lestrange is an untamed woman with no boundaries.
