Fear is a tool.  And Batman utilizes it well.  The fear, the dread that once took ahold of him, is the same fear he projects on his enemies.  That bat is no longer a wild animal but a monster, a demon.  Something that strikes genuine fear. Terror though is a common appearance in Batman’s world.  It’s his drive, his tool and his enemy.  Batman has fought numerous opponents that have used terror to their own advantage.  Molded it so it could be in their own style.  At times, they give Batman a good scare.  Many of his villains could be in their own series or stories and really bring in horror elements.  With a character like Batman though, who could easily adapt horror elements as well, it opens up a clear path for fans to speculate how Batman would fair against horror characters outside of the DC Universe.  Cinema has brought to live many iconic, beloved and classic horror characters.  Some of those could also make great opponents to the Dark Knight as well.  They could complete each other very well.  Yet, how would that look like? But most importantly, which horror characters would be dream matchups for The Dark Knight.

At first glance, a rivalry with Batman and Jason Vorhees may not look all that appealing but there’s a lot that they could bring to the fight.  Jason does have this immortal status because he can’t die or feel pain, at least he isn’t bothered by it.  That’s Jason’s biggest threat.  He can’t be killed or even harmed by normal means.  Add the fact that he is a towering unit with his machete, Jason is an imposing, intimidating threat.  More than enough to give Batman some concern.  However, Batman is familiar to this type of enemy.  He has seen some of Jason’s aspects in different enemies.  Ra’s al Ghul has brought that immortality threat to Batman’s attention.  Having to prepare for a rouge Superman possibility, Batman is aware of fighting an opponent that can’t be hurt by regular means.  Seeing Bane and even Killer Croc on a regular basis, Batman is used to fighting big enemies.  Jason though is a powerhouse that has one drive.  Jason just goes.  Once he has sights on his target, there’s little to nothing that will stop him.  Some of the fights with Superman, when Batman is caught off guard, gives a glimpse of what a Batman and Jason fight will look like.  Of course, when Batman gets a sense of what Jason is capable of, he could easily step into the suits he made to battle Superman and Bane, to get Jason down.  Yet, Jason has a tenacity that will rivals Bane.  Due to Jason’s physical superiority, he could nullify Batman’s own physicality and gadgets.  Another interesting layer to this, one that links both of them together, they are these forces of natures because of the negative effects of a bitter childhood.

Batman is a man that does not fall victim to fear.  And goes on for nights without sleep.  And goes after anyone that commits atrocious murders.  A person that could test all that is Freddy Krueger.  This may be a little far fetched fight but Freddy has the flare to be a great Batman villain. Even his origins could directly and personally tie into Bruce Wayne.  Freddy often goes after teenagers because of what they did as kids.  Since Gotham has a few orphanages, this gives Freddy plenty of victims.  As they grow, they could be on Freddy’s list.  Since Batman obviously has empathy for orphanages, this could make the fight between he and Freddy more personable.  Bruce Wayne could be the orphan that ‘got away’ from Freddy so to speak so he goes after Bruce Wayne vigorously.  But since Wayne scoffs at sleep, that just postpones the clash between them.  Also, when these murders do get on Batman’s radar, they could really test his detective skills.  These murders will have no physical proof so that will force Batman to take different angles.  He will more than likely look at the victims, look at their past and discover that they all know each other and perhaps went to the same school, lived in the same block or something along those lines.  Batman will go further into their common ground and it will bring up their history with Freddy Krueger.  This is a fight that will push Batman passed his comfort level.  He is a man that thinks logically and reality first.  Although he has befriended gods and monsters, he still thinks of rational explanation.  So, fighting a literal nightmare that could kill people in their dreams, could force Batman to operate differently which expands his character and lore.

Batman is no stranger to serial killers but having to deal with one like Ghostface is a dream pairing.  Ghostface just looks and feels like a Batman villain.  If he is put in a lineup with all of Batman’s villains, he wouldn’t look out of place.  Ghostface has his own distinct look that is perfect for a Gotham City Killer.  He even has similar aesthetic as Batman.  Both are draped in dark clothing, and lean on a haunting image (ghosts and bats) to put a little more fear into their enemies. Ghostface relies on setup, misdirection, and psychological warfare.  He gets inside the heads of his victims and tears them down mentally.  Puts a strain on them, then goes after them.  And he is able to do it to many people at once with just a few phone calls.  With his cunning skills and his way to stay behind the scenes while driving fear into his prey makes him a great matchup for Batman.  The Dark Knight has seen these types of villains before but what makes Ghostface so different is just his aesthetic.  This could also be a chance where whoever is behind the Ghostface mask to have a grudge with Bruce Wayne.  For whatever reason, the person behind the mask could have a hatred for Bruce Wayne in some capacity.  That person could get a hold of Wayne’s information and start to work him up.  But once the threats start getting personal – Ghostface making it difficult for Wayne’s surrogate family – that’s when Batman comes in.  It starts the mind games between Batman and Ghostface.  And since Ghostface is a legacy character, this could be a problem that Batman has to consistently deal with.  The original Ghostface could point out the flaws of Wayne and set up a legacy to destroy him.  And with each one that comes after, Ghostface becomes much more of a threat.

Batman sees monsters every time he goes out at night, whether they’re nightmares from folklore or as a man.  It’s because of that which makes him a great adversary for some of cinema’s greatest slashers.  And it’s because of their backstory, their traits that make them a great opponent for Batman as well.  As great as his villains are, Batman doesn’t have a villain like this.  Some come kind of get close but not in the ball park.  A pairing like this perfectly capitalizes what Batman is.  It’s another step to further his character.  And to put the slashers in new territory.  A win for both.