Happy Father’s Day to our favorite Dads Of Horror. Sure they don’t get a ton of recognition, but they’re always there to lend a helping hand when their family needs them most. These dads aren’t just useful for killing spiders or running off unwanted ex-boyfriends. Oh no, they’re here for so much more! Here’s our list of the top 10 Dads:

10. “Insidious” – Josh Lambert 

What starts as an un-original haunted house story, daddy dearest Josh does everything in his power to keep his family safe. He even moves them from said haunted house early on, which isn’t a move we see made often in the scope of horror. When he realizes it’s his son that’s being haunted, he dives deep into the realm of the dead to try and save him.

9. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” – Lt. Don Thompson

This dad takes matters into his own hands by lending a helping hand in the BBQing of town creep Freddy Kruger when his daughter, Nancy, was just a little girl. Year’s later when Nancy is all grown up and her friends are being brutally murdered, ol’ Lt. Thompson starts taking names and kicking ass to try and keep his daughter safe for the second time. Guess teaching his daughter all that self defense paid off, as Nancy is the one to take Freddy down in the end.

8. “Jeepers Creepers 2” – Jack Taggart, Sr.

When his youngest son is scooped up by the Creep, this daddy makes a bad ass death truck and chases the son of a bitch down to avenge his son. He takes a giant spike and bashes the creature’s face in until he’s an oozy pulp of a monster mess. He even hangs the Creep up in his barn and lets tourists come pay him a visit, for $5 a piece of course.

7. “Near Dark” – Loy Colton

His son goes missing, and when the local authorities wont help him, Loy Colton takes matters into his own hands. He searches high and low for his son and finally tracks down his abductors, who turn out to be a bloodthirsty pack of vampires (whoops). Loy’s awesomeness doesn’t stop here. When he discovers his son has been turned into a vampire, he figures out a way to CURE HIM. Talk about a handy dad to have around in a pinch.

6. “Sinister” – Ellison Oswalt

Although this may not have a happy ending, Ellison Oswalt tries his best to make it one. When he discovers home movies of children murdering their families, Ellison tries to find the a solution to this demonic problem before it hits home. Literally.

5. “The Walking Dead” – Lt. Rick Grimes

After waking up in a post-apocalyptic zombiefied world, Rick pulls up his scrubs, finds a gun and tracks down his family. Though things go terribly awry at times, he battles the dead and the living to keep his family safe.

4. “The Omen” – Robert Thorn

After his wife has a violent miscarriage, he swaps out his dead son for a living one in hopes of sparing his wife any additional heartbreak and pain. Although the son he brings home is actually the spawn of Satan, he still loves him and raises him as his own, even when the body count starts to rise. While he did try to kill his evil spawn, he just can’t do it, fatherly love trumps murder.

3. “Jaws” – Chief Martin Brody

When a giant great white shark is chomping up the town of Amity, this water-fearing Sheriff puts his safety at risk in the hopes of preventing his family from becoming the shark’s next meal. His son has a close encounter with the shark, and that is the last straw for this dad. NOT IN HIS HOUSE!! He takes the shark down in the end and henceforth becomes reigning Dad of the Year.

2. “The Last House on the Left” – John Collingwood

First, he seems like a stand up guy who opens up his home and hospitality to strangers stuck out in a brutal storm. When the strangers he’s been stitching up turn out to be the same people that raped and tortured his daughter (the strangers left her for dead but this little trooper turns up on her parents front porch bloody and beaten), then real justice is served. Although father and mother work together to take these menacing bastards down, it’s the dad that sets up the sweetest revenge for his daughter to take upon her rapist. Justice well served, daddy-o.

1. “Poltergeist” –  Steven Freeling

When his sweet little daughter is sucked into another dimension, this dad will do and say just about anything to get her back and keep his family from being taken into the same hell dimension. Although it’s the fault of the sleazy real estate developer that his family is being tortured by spirits that are unknowingly buried under their house, Steven risks life, limb and sanity to save his daughter and get his family the hell out of their haunted house. Well done Steven, you continue to amaze us all with your smart ass remarks and giant heart.

Honorable Mention:

Old Boy – Oh Dae-su:  Sure this turns dark and twisted and you kind of throw up in your mouth a little when you reach the climax of the film, but this dad means well. After being locked away in a strange hotel room from which he can’t escape for 15 years, this dad searches for his long lost daughter once he escapes. Talk about dedication.

If we forgot your favorite Dad of Horror, feel free to let us know in the comments section below! Happy Father’s Day!