Dead By Daylight: The 15 Scariest Killers

A landmark survival horror game, Dead By Daylight lets one player take up the role of a brutal Killer who targets the other players, in the online multiplayer mode of this game. The Killer is on a quest to sacrifice the others around them to the so-called Entity. There are diverse options to choose from as a Killer, each with its own specific stealth skills and terrifying appearances.

Characters like the Nurse, Clown, and Ghostface serve as tributes to classic slasher horror films like Halloween and Scream and also cult games like the Silent Hill franchise. Then, special Killers like the Stranger Things‘ Demogorgon add to the fear and frenzy of the asymmetric multiplayer game.

Updated on September 10th, 2021 by Melody MacReady: Over the five years since its launch, Dead By Daylight has been the source of fun for many horror fanatics. Playing as the killers themselves are thrilling, allowing players to experience what it’s like to be the slasher villain of their favorite films a la Halloween or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. On the opposite side, playing as a survivor is both thrilling and chilling in the right circumstances and that is due to the ingenious creation of the killers; from their grotesque appearances, their origin stories, and their abilities that can ruin a survivor’s night. The developers have continued to release more and more killers that strike fear into the hearts of players.

15 The Shape

Nicknamed The Shape, this Killer is the cold-blooded stalker Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise. In fact, Meyers prefers stalking the Survivors at his own pace rather than going all-out for a kill. The stalking doesn’t only helps him monitor Survivors but also increases his speed and powers.

The expressionless Boogeyman mask, the kitchen overalls, and the blood-stained kitchen knife (one of Michael Myer’s most famous weapons) are all classic pop-culture symbols that contribute to The Shape’s silent and chilling presence.

14 The Hag

Lisa Sherwood AKA The Hag can place several Phantasm Traps to her advantage and one of her overgrown clawed arms can slash through all flesh and bone.

Even though her speed is quite slow, she can trigger sudden attacks if a player gets near one of her traps. Left alone to die after a storm in her village, her body decomposed to rot and now oozes with pus. Furthermore, her high-pitched gurgling screams make The Hag all the more terrorizing.

13 The Wraith

Philip Ojomo was an immigrant trying to have a fresh start in America. That is until he discovered that his job as a car crusher was also his boss’ way of disposing of executing those provided by clients. In his guilt, Ojomo snapped and put his boss into the crusher which led to Ojomo disappearing and becoming the Wraith.

The Wraith’s signature ability is that he’s able to ring a bell, turning him invisible until he rings the bell again. This stealthy way of stalking his prey can make for some surprise appearances: the moment the bell is heard, survivors can easily panic. Combined with his ax made from the skull and spine of his murderous boss, the Wraith is someone that should be feared.

12 Deathslinger

Deathslinger stalks his prey with a chained harpoon in his hand. If any Survivors are in his way, the western-themed Deathslinger can easily demolish them with his spear or reel them closer through his Redeemer Power.

Caleb Quinn is pure evil, and he devises weapons like his gun-like spear called Death To Bayshore and a mask that can gouge out the wearer’s eyes.

11 Ghostface

Wearing the iconic mask popularized by the Scream films, Ghostface’s strength lies in his ability to become invisible for a few moments, thanks to his Night Shroud ability.

He has had a pretty straightforward modus operandi: stalk and kill. As for his weapons, he just relies on a tactical knife but it’s his skills at silently sneaking up on his victims that delivers several jump-scares. Further, he’s also one of the few Dead By Daylight Killers who doesn’t need any Perks or Add-Ons to instantly kill the Survivors.

10 The Clown

A nightmare for those who are especially scared of killer clowns in horror films, Jeffrey Hawk, or The Clown, relies on strategy rather than outrightly running after his victims. Initially, he throws bottles of a certain tonic that releases toxic gases.

These gases not only blind players and slow down their movement but also make them cough loudly, revealing their location. He often uses a large butterfly knife called Madame Butterfly that he uses to dismember players.

9 The Cenobite

Also known as Pinhead, the Cenobite is the famous face of the long-running Hellraiser franchise and leader of the group of demonic explorers known as Cenobites that view pain and pleasure as the same. He wields a hooked chain as his main attack and has the ability to open a portal, sending a chain to bind his victims.

Pinhead’s ability instantly puts the victim into an incapacitated state, keeping from interacting or escaping. It also removes the ability to sprint, making it harder to escape the Cenobite.

8 The Huntress

Wearing a bloodied hare mask, Anna is a ‘huntress’ who can inflict great harm upon foes from a distance, throwing her Broad Axe (in a move known as Hunting Hatchets) at them. With considerable hunting experience in the woods, she is a skilled tracker, and Personal Perks like Beast of Prey bear testimony to this.

One of the most brutal Killers in the game, she also hums a lullaby that she picked up from her late mother. Her lullaby is an actual Russian lullaby warning children to not sleep too close to the edge of their bed, and it adds a haunting aspect to her personality.

7 The Demogorgon

From its flower-like face to its haunting screeches, this beast is one that can easily keep survivors on their toes. Its biggest scare factor is its power to traverse across the map in seconds thanks to portals. Sometimes the portals blend in which can lead to jump-scares and panicky chases.

Most will know Demogorgon as the main antagonist of the first season of Stranger Things which he remains the most iconic threat thus far from the series. So it made sense that Dead By Daylight chose it over the other monsters seen so far.

6 The Nightmare

Even Nightmare At Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger features in Dead By Daylight as The Nightmare. Similar to his cinematic avatar, the character pulls survivors to the Dream World and fills them with existential dread. Escaping the Hunting Ground becomes quite a Herculean task in front of The Nightmare’s dream projection abilities.

As expected, he sports the quintessential homemade clawed gloves that he uses to inflict torture. The Nightmare also seems to be directly inspired by the Jackie Earle Haley version from the Nightmare On Elm Street reboot that had fans divided.

5 The Blight

Originally, Talbot Grimes was a genius chemist until his ambition led him down a dark path of murder and mutation that transformed him into the monstrous creature known as The Blight. His melted facade with a mutated body is enough to make anyone shiver with fear.

The Blight is able to use an ability known as Rush which allows him to sprint faster than anything else in Dead By Daylight. He can use walls and obstacles to chain his rush, making him even deadlier. The speed and ferocity of the Blight can frighten survivors, forcing them to dodge and weave around the map to avoid the Blight’s attacks.

4 The Executioner

If the pyramid on this Silent Hill character’s head doesn’t seem creepy enough, his blood-stained Great Knife increases the fear among players. The size of his blade makes it difficult to dodge his attacks. The health of the Survivors can also be drastically affected with The Executioner’s perk, Forced Penance.

He can also send players to the Cage of Atonement, also referred to as the Deathbeds. Compared to other Killers, Pyramid Head boasts of a plethora of ways to kill Survivors. He can perform a Mori or kill them in the Cage or sacrifice them to the Entity, and so on.

3 The Nemesis

Much like in Resident Evil 3 which he derives from, Nemesis is big but he’s fast and deadly. His deadly fists can quickly wound his victims while his tentacle attack can break through pallets and walls with ease. The same tentacle has quite the range, able to attack a survivor from a distance thus infecting them with the T-Virus.

Nemesis’ size, presence, guttural growls, and horrid appearance make him one of the biggest threats in Dead By Daylight, particularly in maps with tight corridors. He’s one of the most powerful monsters of the Resident Evil franchise, so he makes for a heart-stopping killer in Dead By Daylight.

2 The Nurse

Sally Smithson, the so-called Nurse, can warp through long distances and has skills that would be quite hard initially for the players to master. Additionally, her bone saw makes for a visceral tool with which she can mercilessly cut through her victims.

Smithson was originally an optimistic nurse who wished to serve. However, years in a cruel setting altered her perception of life, so now she is a cruel and terrifying killer. The hospital setting in horror movies is already creepy but the Nurse takes that to the next level.

1 The Plague

The Plague is a creature that can pop out of nowhere and release Exorcist-like projectile vomit on the Survivors. The blood-filled vomit is heavily injurious and infects the Survivors as well as the objects around them.

Once revered highly for her powers, Adiris’ glory faded when a plague had infected her and her followers. Resurrected in the same timeline as the game, she continues spreading the disease that ruined her appearance and caused her to cough out phlegm and blood.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(726 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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