From: Resident Evil 4 (GC, PS2, PC, Wii, 2005)

Dr. Salvador, hands-down, is the single most terrifying creature we've ever come across in a videogame. Shodan made us paranoid and Pyramid Head kept us glancing over our shoulders, hoping he wouldn't show up, but every time we heard the motor on Sal's chainsaw, we completely lost our shit. Sometimes almost literally.

If you've never played Resident Evil 4, you might wonder exactly what it is that makes Dr. Salvador so horrific. Except for the chainsaw and the bag on his head, he doesn't look so tough, right? But your tune is guaranteed to change when you see what he'll do to you if he gets too close. It's so ridiculously graphic, and so shocking if you're unprepared for it, that we guarantee you'll want to keep him away at all costs (you can see it for yourself in the video below). And that won't be easy, because the guy can soak up bullets like a sponge.

Making matters worse is that, despite his singular name and insane toughness, Sal isn't a boss, and variants of him will pop up when you least want them to. Sometimes, you'll be able to catch him unawares, hanging out of his range and pounding him with sniper bullets, but other times he'll suddenly roar into view dangerously close to you. When that happens, you'll only have a few seconds to empty everything you've got into his face before his steel murder machine rips you apart.

So while Pyramid Head, Shodan and all the others on this list inspired the "ohshitohshitgetawaygetaway" reactions that good horror baddies should, only Dr. Salvador kept us consistently terrified every time he showed up, from the game's beginning to its end. We weren't always afraid he was waiting in the wings watching us, but just hearing him was enough to make our pulses pound. And given how quickly most horror games wear out their scares, that's no small accomplishment.

Jun 13, 2008