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lazypadawanHalloween brings a bounty of horror films on t.v. and in the theaters. No horror movie is truly horrific without a central baddie. Even The Blair Witch Project had the unseen Blair Witch, who may or may not be behind the events that befall the crew of idiotic tenderfoots.
If you have a memorable villain, then you've got not only a potential classic but a draw to keep people coming back for sequels. Your movie might otherwise suck but if there's a charismatic villain, people will show up anyway.
First, the honorable mentions:
Jigsaw: The Saw Movies
I abhor torture porn horror, so I am not a fan of the "Saw" movies. But there's no denying Jigsaw has become a cult figure within the past 10 years just as Freddy and Jason before him. Unlike those two, Jigsaw's not some ugly freak or some quasi-supernatural figure. He was probably Hannibal Lechter's roommate in college or something.
Pinhead: Hellraiser
"Hellraiser" was never more than a cult favorite, but Pinhead, a demonic entity who shows up to collect people dumb enough to open that box, is the reason why it's on the map at all.
Now for the rest, in no particular order:
Norman Bates: Psycho
Like a lot of real life serial killers, Alfred Hitchcock's most famous villain seemed like a normal, nice guy: hard-working, friendly, and devoted to his mom. Who would have ever guessed he dressed up like his deceased mother and killed people? Even 50 years later, Tony Perkins still creeps you out.
Hannibal Lechter: Silence of the Lambs
Pity poor serial killer Buffalo Bill. Even though he was the main one Clarice Starling was trying to stop before he could kill another woman to make his skin suit (ick), Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lechter stole the show and became a film icon. What makes him especially scary is that he as smart as he is vicious.
Freddy Krueger: Nightmare On Elm Street
Let's face it, Freddy had way more personality than most of his "teenage" victims. Robert Englund brought humor to the role and he instinctively knew that in this kind of movie, the monster had to be the star. Freddy would usually be bested in the end but not permanently. As long as his fans demand to see more, he'll never die for long.
Jason Voorhees: Friday The 13th
The irony is Jason wasn't the villain in the original film; it was his mother, out to avenge his supposed drowning that happened decades beforehand as camp counselors were too busy having illicit sex to properly supervise him. Jason only shows up near the end of the movie. He goes on to slaughter many more wayward "teens" in several subsequent films. No matter what is done to Jason--decapitation, exploding dynamite, nuclear bombs--he keeps coming back. Now that is what I call determination.
Samara Morgan: The Ring
Everyone's favorite creepy little goth girl seemed like an innocent victim but was in reality an unappeasable, restless entity. Don't watch the tape!
Annie Wilkes: Misery
The Worst Fangirl Ever.
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Based on a true story that actually happened in Wisconsin, the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface bore no resemblance to farmer Ed Gein, who was the inspiration for the movie. Chainsaws became tools of terror in Leatherface's hands and his trademark weapon, like Freddy's glove or Jason's machete. You didn't want to know what was beneath that horrible looking mask either.
Count Dracula: Dracula
Of all the onscreen incarnations of Bram Stoker's vampire, nobody beats Bela Lugosi's version. In fact, it was Lugosi who changed the popular imagination's vision of a vampire. Lugosi was slick, urbane, almost seductive. You think Stephanie Meyer would have gotten rich off of a girl falling in love with something like the vampire in Murnau's "Nosferatu?" Vampires in Central European lore were basically ugly zombie ghouls. Stoker's Dracula was more or less the guy Lugosi portrayed. The undead haven't been the same since.
Michael Myers: Halloween
Before Jason came along in a mask and a real big sharp machete, there was Michael Myers and his big ol' knife. Running loose on a midwestern town on Halloween, Myers is an escaped maniac out for revenge and by golly, he gets it.
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Alien: Alien
"Alien" was for all intents and purposes a horror movie that just happened to be set in space. Instead of a serial killer or some supernatural being, you have seemingly invincible aliens that burst out of bodies, spurt acidic blood, and chomp on hapless human victims.
Damian: The Omen
Soon after lil' Damian is adopted by his rich American parents, odd things start happening and people mysteriously start to die in awful ways. Turns out he's none other than the Antichrist. Part of the "devil baby" genre of horror film popular in the '70s, Damian came to stand for bad seeds ever since.
The Devil: The Exorcist
Well, you don't actually see the Devil in "The Exorcist," but you do see his nefarious powers and the effect he has on poor young Linda Blair. The other guys are mortal. You can put Freddy or Jason on the bench until the next movie comes out. You can use a silver bullet to kill a werewolf or a well-placed stake to vanquish a vampire. But the best you can do against the ultimate purveyor of evil is exorcise him. He still will do what he's gonna do. It doesn't get more scary than that.
If you have a memorable villain, then you've got not only a potential classic but a draw to keep people coming back for sequels. Your movie might otherwise suck but if there's a charismatic villain, people will show up anyway.
First, the honorable mentions:
Jigsaw: The Saw Movies
I abhor torture porn horror, so I am not a fan of the "Saw" movies. But there's no denying Jigsaw has become a cult figure within the past 10 years just as Freddy and Jason before him. Unlike those two, Jigsaw's not some ugly freak or some quasi-supernatural figure. He was probably Hannibal Lechter's roommate in college or something.
Pinhead: Hellraiser
"Hellraiser" was never more than a cult favorite, but Pinhead, a demonic entity who shows up to collect people dumb enough to open that box, is the reason why it's on the map at all.
Now for the rest, in no particular order:
Norman Bates: Psycho
Like a lot of real life serial killers, Alfred Hitchcock's most famous villain seemed like a normal, nice guy: hard-working, friendly, and devoted to his mom. Who would have ever guessed he dressed up like his deceased mother and killed people? Even 50 years later, Tony Perkins still creeps you out.
Hannibal Lechter: Silence of the Lambs
Pity poor serial killer Buffalo Bill. Even though he was the main one Clarice Starling was trying to stop before he could kill another woman to make his skin suit (ick), Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lechter stole the show and became a film icon. What makes him especially scary is that he as smart as he is vicious.
Freddy Krueger: Nightmare On Elm Street
Let's face it, Freddy had way more personality than most of his "teenage" victims. Robert Englund brought humor to the role and he instinctively knew that in this kind of movie, the monster had to be the star. Freddy would usually be bested in the end but not permanently. As long as his fans demand to see more, he'll never die for long.
Jason Voorhees: Friday The 13th
The irony is Jason wasn't the villain in the original film; it was his mother, out to avenge his supposed drowning that happened decades beforehand as camp counselors were too busy having illicit sex to properly supervise him. Jason only shows up near the end of the movie. He goes on to slaughter many more wayward "teens" in several subsequent films. No matter what is done to Jason--decapitation, exploding dynamite, nuclear bombs--he keeps coming back. Now that is what I call determination.
Samara Morgan: The Ring
Everyone's favorite creepy little goth girl seemed like an innocent victim but was in reality an unappeasable, restless entity. Don't watch the tape!
Annie Wilkes: Misery
The Worst Fangirl Ever.
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Based on a true story that actually happened in Wisconsin, the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface bore no resemblance to farmer Ed Gein, who was the inspiration for the movie. Chainsaws became tools of terror in Leatherface's hands and his trademark weapon, like Freddy's glove or Jason's machete. You didn't want to know what was beneath that horrible looking mask either.
Count Dracula: Dracula
Of all the onscreen incarnations of Bram Stoker's vampire, nobody beats Bela Lugosi's version. In fact, it was Lugosi who changed the popular imagination's vision of a vampire. Lugosi was slick, urbane, almost seductive. You think Stephanie Meyer would have gotten rich off of a girl falling in love with something like the vampire in Murnau's "Nosferatu?" Vampires in Central European lore were basically ugly zombie ghouls. Stoker's Dracula was more or less the guy Lugosi portrayed. The undead haven't been the same since.
Michael Myers: Halloween
Before Jason came along in a mask and a real big sharp machete, there was Michael Myers and his big ol' knife. Running loose on a midwestern town on Halloween, Myers is an escaped maniac out for revenge and by golly, he gets it.
Alien: Alien
"Alien" was for all intents and purposes a horror movie that just happened to be set in space. Instead of a serial killer or some supernatural being, you have seemingly invincible aliens that burst out of bodies, spurt acidic blood, and chomp on hapless human victims.
Damian: The Omen
Soon after lil' Damian is adopted by his rich American parents, odd things start happening and people mysteriously start to die in awful ways. Turns out he's none other than the Antichrist. Part of the "devil baby" genre of horror film popular in the '70s, Damian came to stand for bad seeds ever since.
The Devil: The Exorcist
Well, you don't actually see the Devil in "The Exorcist," but you do see his nefarious powers and the effect he has on poor young Linda Blair. The other guys are mortal. You can put Freddy or Jason on the bench until the next movie comes out. You can use a silver bullet to kill a werewolf or a well-placed stake to vanquish a vampire. But the best you can do against the ultimate purveyor of evil is exorcise him. He still will do what he's gonna do. It doesn't get more scary than that.
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no subject
Date: 2010-10-25 05:32 am (UTC)More trivia: prior to his turn as Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins was a "Tiger Beat" heartthrob, or its generational equivalent.
Yet more trivia: Damien's smile at the very end of The Omen wasn't scripted. Richard Donner directed Harvey Stephens to "look really mean," but the kid couldn't keep a straight face; Donner thought the smile made him look more evil and kept it in the flick.
I would dispute only one choice: that the alien in Alien was the movie's villain. I think the real villain is the corporation that deemed the crew of the Nostromo "expendable," for the sake of scientific discovery, and probably for military benefit.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-25 07:30 pm (UTC)I think you nailed it on the head why The Exorcist is IMHO the creepiest movie ever. I'd have added The Grudge I guess. There's something about that throat noise. *shudders*