*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
Thanks primarily to NECA, we horror fans are the luckiest we’ve ever been on the collectibles front, as kickass new horror toys are almost literally released every single week these days. So when we look back on an entire year, needless to say, picking a “Top 10” is no easy task.
But now that the year is coming to a close, we combed through this year’s archives to dig up the 10 best horror toys that were released between January 1 and December 31, and we’re pretty happy with the list we came up with. Again, it’s almost entirely a “Top 10 NECA Horror Toys” list, but Funko also made the cut this year for a couple of really cool offerings.
So let’s get on with it, shall we?!
In no particular order…
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors Accessory Pack – NECA
We’re kicking off the list with one of this year’s most recent releases, an accessory pack from NECA that pays tribute to the most beloved sequel in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, director Chuck Russell’s Dream Warriors. The pack, which is in scale with NECA’s 7″ figures, includes two “Elm Street” signs (Regular and “Nightmare” versions), as well as “Freddy TV” and “Freddy Worm” display pieces that allow you to recreate two of the most iconic nightmares from the third installment. Now we just need the Dream Warriors to go along with it!
Michael Myers, Halloween (2018) – NECA
Slasher icon Michael Myers got a pitch perfect 40-years-later makeover for David Gordon Green’s Halloween, and NECA absolutely nailed the look with their action figure. Equipped with “heart eyes” jack-o’lantern, severed head and Judith Myers tombstone props, NECA’s Myers 2018 figure includes two heads and the Shape’s trusty knife, and it’s part of their “Ultimate” line of deluxe edition action figures. The head sculpts perfectly capture the movie’s redesigned mask, and the figure is all around one of the best Michael Myers toys ever made.
Chucky POP! Vinyl Toy, Child’s Play 2 – Funko (Hot Topic Exclusive)
The folks over at Funko are obviously massive horror fans, and their POP! vinyl toys of our favorite icons often take deep cut inspiration from the franchises they call home. Take, for example, this year’s Hot Topic Exclusive POP! toy of battle-damaged Chucky from Child’s Play 2, based on the sequel’s kickass finale. “Chucky on Cart” depicts a bruised and bloody Chucky, with his legs missing and his right hand replaced by a knife. Now that’s one sequence from the franchise I never would’ve expected to see in the form of a POP! vinyl toy!
Ricky Chapman, Silent Night Deadly Night 2 – NECA/Scream Factory
Last year, Scream Factory and NECA joined forces to release a figure of Billy from Silent Night, Deadly Night that was initially exclusive to a deluxe Blu-ray set from Scream Factory, and that figure made last year’s list of our favorite horror toys. This year, Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2‘s “Ricky Claus” makes the cut for obvious reasons, similarly released as part of a Blu-ray package from Scream Factory. Yes, we’re living in a world where an official Eric Freeman action figure actually exists, and you’ve just gotta love that perfectly goofy head sculpt.
Another winning NECA/Scream Factory collaboration this year saw the release of the first ever figure of Angela from Night of the Demons, which probably belongs on the list too!
Nubbins Sawyer 2-pack, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1 & 2) – NECA
Portrayed by Edwin Neal in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the Hitchhiker got his first action figure several years back courtesy of Mezco’s Cinema of Fear line. It’s a great figure, but it was totally one-upped by NECA with their “Hitchhiker/Nubbin’s Collector’s Set,” a two-pack that includes the first film’s Hitchhiker and his corpse from the 1986 sequel. The head sculpt on the original classic’s figure, in particular, is absolutely perfect, and the set is another wonderful example of NECA’s outside the box thinking. More fan service from true fans.
Captain William Blake, The Fog – NECA
If any figure on this list earns the title of being the biggest surprise of the year it’s no doubt this retro-style, clothed action figure of Captain William Blake from John Carpenter’s The Fog, an offering from NECA that it’s safe to say nobody saw coming. The figure was initially shown off ahead of Toy Fair and then was subsequently upgraded with glowing red LED eyes before its release later in the year, ensuring its inclusion on this list. Granted, it would’ve been on here no matter what, but the sinister glowing eyes really put this one over the top.
Savage World: Horror – Funko
I realize they’re not for everyone, but as someone who grew up playing with the classic Masters of the Universe toys, I absolutely love Funko’s “Savage World” line, shown off at Toy Fair back in February and then released over the summer. The line of 5.5″ figures reimagines the most iconic slasher villains as jacked up Masters of the Universe characters, and the translation results in an incredibly fun line of toys that are quite unlike any we’ve seen before. Funko combined two of my favorite things for this line, and for that I’ll forever love them.
Pennywise, IT (1990) – NECA
NECA released a handful of different Pennywise toys based on the 2017 film this year, including a deluxe edition figure and a GameStop Exclusive variant (more are on the way in 2019), so it was no easy task to pick a favorite from the bunch. But I was most impressed this year by NECA’s figure of the *original* iteration of Pennywise, of course played by Tim Curry in the 1990 mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying novel. Classic Pennywise hasn’t gotten much love on the collectibles front over the years, so this one was great to see. As always, NECA nailed the look, paying “Ultimate” tribute to Curry’s nightmare clown.
Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning – NECA
NECA was the very first toy company to release a figure of Roy Burns from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, and this year they returned to the polarizing fifth installment with an “Ultimate Part 5 Dream Sequence” figure of the film’s Jason Voorhees, highlighted by multiple different heads. One of those heads featured worms crawling out of the eye holes of Jason’s iconic hockey mask, while another was based on the film’s classic VHS art. Another “outside the box” figure from NECA that proves just how dedicated they are to making horror fans happy.
“Atomic Breath” Godzilla, Shin Godzilla – NECA
The nighttime-set “Atomic Breath” sequence from Shin Godzilla was legitimately one of the coolest things I’ve seen at the movies in recent years; the Big G unleashed the full fury of his might in the epic scene, opening his mouth wide and spitting straight fire into the city below. It was totally glorious, and NECA released this equally glorious figure based on that scene earlier this year. Equipped with “Atomic Blast” effects for both his mouth and tail, the new figure took their existing Shin Godzilla toy to a whole new level of jaw dropping awesomeness.
Honorable mentions include NECA’s Herbert West, Funko’s Part 2 Jason POP! vinyl toy, Mezco’s One:12 Michael Myers, and McFarlane’s “Stranger Things” x Ghostbusters set.