by Adam McCombs

Typically in this blog I do more research-driven articles about Masters of the Universe. But for Halloween this year, I thought I’d have fun with a good old fashioned top ten list. So let’s get into the top ten creepiest Masters of the Universe figures (as chosen by yours truly):

#10: King Hiss (1986)

King Hiss is perhaps creepier in theory than he is in actuality. Underneath his heroic appearance is a nest of nasty snakes waiting to burst through his human costume. The snakes themselves, however, are a little underwhelming, because of the need to fit within the exterior human shell. A+ for the creepy idea, but a C for execution.

#9: Mosquitor (1987)

Mosquitor is one of the wildest characters in Masters of the Universe, which is really saying something. With an oversized mechanical mosquito head and space-age techno-boots, Mosquitor is more bizarre than creepy, until you get to his chest. He has a transparent bat-shaped chest that oozes blood at the push of a button, which is the best Halloween party trick ever.

#8: Hordak (1985)

Although Hordak doesn’t have any creepy gimmicks, he looks like a vampire from an alien planet. With blood red teeth and a costume festooned with Horde bats, he’s not someone you would want to meet in a dark alley behind an Etherian pub.

#7: Skeletor (1982)

Few of Skeletor’s minions could ever be as creepy as the Lord of Destruction himself. Skeletor is a warlock with a skull for a head, which is not only macabre, but pretty metal as well. Despite his exposed skull and corpse-blue body, Skeletor is tireless in his pursuit of Castle Grayskull. His eyes burn red with hatred for He-Man!

#6: Laser-Light Skeletor (1988)

The original Skeletor concept was creepy enough. But this 1988 variant was even creepier, running the character through an H.R. Giger machine that infused the figure’s flesh with all kinds of wires and embedded machinery. On top of that he has glowing red LEDs for eyes. The end result delivers all the creep-factor of the original with an added dose of body horror.

#5: Mantenna (1985)

Mantenna is no doubt the most bizarre creature in the Masters of the Universe menagerie. Featuring bloodshot eyes on stalks, elephantine ears, a mouth like the Sarlacc pitt, and four insect-like legs, Mantenna is a Kafkaesque nightmare.

#4: Leech (1985)

Leech is an evil blood-sucking green swamp monster with suction cups for hands and feet and a suction cup mouth. What’s not to love? Leech is one of my all-time favorite figures. He reminds me a bit of the salt vampire from the original Star Trek series – the creature also had a sucker face and suckers on its hands. That episode gave me a serious case of the creeps as a kid.

#3: Modulok (1985)

In some ways, Modulok is just a little bit cute looking, until you understand that all of his body parts are interchangable. Modulok can just casually remove his head and replace it with an arm. In his minicomic story, Modulok is mailed to the Heroic Warriors in an unsettling box full of body parts, like the end scene in Seven.

#2: Snake Face (1987)

Snake Face stands out among Masters of the Universe characters as easily the most gruesome-looking. Based on the Medusa monster from Greek mythology, Snake Face is not content to have snakes coming from the top of his head. They also pop out of his eyes, mouth and torso in horrifying fashion.

#1: Scare Glow (1987)

Scare Glow looks like a Halloween decoration come to life. His literal power, besides being invisible during the day and glowing at night, is to scare his enemies so much they became unable to resist him. With his cracked skull and glow-in-the-dark bones, Scare Glow is the embodiment of “spooky” in the Masters of the Universe vintage toyline.

And that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed my picks for creepiest Masters of the Universe figures. I’m sure every fan of these figures would have a slightly different list. I’d love to hear your picks in the the comments. Happy Halloween from Battle Ram: A He-Man Blog!

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