Spooky Season may be over for the masses, but we know it’s always Halloween in your heart! With horror media essentially stored in the attic as far as advertising is concerned, you may be looking for some recommendations beyond the big icons; something featuring an antagonist you may not entirely want to see lose in the end. I know I’m usually rooting for them instead of the humans always making the WORST decisions.
We’ve compiled our favorite horror villains from movies and beyond
Yali’s pick: Nosferatu – Nosferatu (1922)
There was a time in my teens when I became obsessed with black & white horror films. Nosferatu completely mesmerized me! Before I was used to vampires being “attractive,” but they never felt relatable or menacing. Nosferatu is complex and flawed. Yes, he definitely murdered a few…hundred…thousand people in his lifetime but come on, he also has feelings! While Nosferatu is a villain in his own right, his films remind us that the line between good and evil is blurred.
Ian’s pick: Mama – Mama (2013)
Mama freaked me out more than any horror film had in the past few decades. As an avid horror fan, it takes a lot to scare me, but I think the idea of this ghost adopting children really hit me in the heart so I felt soooooo much sympathy for the character. Often I feel the best way to portray a villain is to realize they feel they are doing the right thing. This is exactly what this ghost is doing, protecting these lost girls and will do anything to do so. As a parent, I can identify with this crusade and honor this ghost because of it.
Joe’s pick: Kefka – Final Fantasy VI
My favorite villain in like 95% of media is this crazy mass-murdering magician here. His name is Kefka Palazzo, and he’s the main antagonist of Final Fantasy 6. Kefka is what happens if you take The Joker, give him military training, magical powers, and a boss that endorses war crimes. Over the course of the game Kefka uses the main character, Terra, as a living weapon, poisons an entire kingdom because he was “bored with the siege”, kills his boss to become a god, irreversibly changes the surface of his world, and puts it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, starts a cult and holds the world in a psychotic grip of fear. There’s a line from The Dark Knight that always brings me back to Kefka, it’s when Alfred shared “Some men just want to watch the world burn.”, that’s Kefka, and at some point, he says so, that it should all just burn, burn, burn…
Teresa’s pick: Sam – Trick ‘r Treat
I can’t help but love Sam from Trick ‘r Treat. Can he even be considered a villain? Or a monster, for that matter? Either way, I love how expressive this little pumpkin guy is and I also appreciate that he’s not necessarily evil, despite being the “villain” of the movie. The first time I saw Trick ‘r Treat, besides being very into the werewolf transformation scene, I was amazed by Sam’s movements and how Quinn Lord played him. He is just a little god who wants candy…
Editor’s note: I died from the cute when he slid backwards on the floor. I don’t know why but that scene just took me out, he’s just a little guy…
Kyle’s pick: Jerry Dandridge – Fright Night (1985)
He was just suave and cool. And he lived right next door! He had a style about him and used his powers in some truly frightening ways. But when you have nosy neighbors butting in, things can go south in a hurry. Still, he dealt with it and almost managed to win the day. And honestly, what’s a little blood drinking if you’re going to live forever? Chris Sarandon killed it (sometimes literally) in this role. Now many know him as Prince Humperdink, who was a scheming coward. But in this role, we got to see Sarandon exude power as the vampire next door. Always in control, always anticipating all of Charley’s moves. (And sorry, Mae, he was much better than Colin Farrell). Welcome to Fright Night… the good one.
Scott’s pick: Jigsaw – Saw franchise
For me, the Saw franchise gets unfairly labeled as nothing more than “torture porn,” but there is so much more depth to the franchise than it gets credit for. Sure the violence runs high in these films, but the underlying narrative touches on some strong questions about life. John “Jigsaw” Kramer is one of the most intriguing villains of all time. His character is so complex – he doesn’t do the things he does just for fun, rather it’s his own perverse way of testing the human spirit and how much people truly value their lives. The franchise does a great job in exploring his motives whilst creating a truly terrifying foe, which is added further by Tobin Bell’s incredible performances. Oh, and the first Saw ending goes down as one of the greatest twists of all time!
Mae’s pick: Herbert West – Re-Animator franchise
While I’m known for my love of both horror and villains, this wasn’t a difficult choice for me at all. I discovered Re-Animator relatively recently compared to my general knowledge of horror and was blown away by how much I genuinely enjoyed it, considering I went into thinking it would be the classic case of “watching a bad movie just for an actor.” Jeffrey Combs’ portrayal of Herbert was immediately endearing, leading the viewer to kind of want to see him accomplish his goals, however misguided and grotesque they may be. It’s hard to tell who the real protagonist is supposed to be, but there doesn’t need to be one in my opinion. It’s enough to simply watch Herbert try and try again to prove himself and his ideas. And on an overall note, it features some of the best practical effects I’ve seen.
Who or what is your favorite horror villain? And are they actually a villain or do we just live in a society? Let us know in the comments and our socials.
