Top 10 Evil Characters from Horror Films February 15, 2007
I've always been a sucker for horror films - ever since I was a kid. From the classic flicks from as early as the 1920's, to the cut and slash gore flicks, the movies have always intrigued me.
For a long while, fans of the horror genre had to suffer with a lot of crap movies that just didn't nail the genre for them. Thankfully, efforts in recent years (such as in the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, and in the Saw franchise) have seen a resurgence in the genre that have proven to be positive moves for fans.
Recently, I read some articles over at Ain't It Cool News, where they were talking about a new effort to launch a horror franchise based on the classic Faces of Death series, in which the central narrator, Dr. Gross, will become the main evil character of the film.
I got to thinking about movies gone by, and decided to put together my own top 10 list - The Top 10 Evil Characters from Horror Films. Here we go:
10. The Blair Witch
Widely acclaimed by many, and widely criticized by others, The Blair Witch Project did something completely different with the film that had never been done before: you don't get to see the evil character. This technique helped the film establish its fright factor with the audience effectively. The film spawned a flop sequel that never went anywhere, but the original flick became a cult classic, and firmly established The Blair Witch as one of the spookiest, albeit unseen, characters ever devised for a horror flick.
9. Michael Myers
The Halloween franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, with great classic horror releases, to cheesy sequels that don't really capture anyone's imagination. Despite this, the series spawned the creation of Michael Myers (aka The Shape), the killer who struck on October 31, 1978. The character has maintained a successful following with horror fans for nearly 30 years - and the current development of an 8th Halloween film to be directed by Rob Zombie is testament to that legacy.
8. John Doe
The spooky serial killer from Se7en deserves a mention here. The film was a creative story, positioning the killer in an obsession with the seven deadly sins. But the evil nature of the character doesn't truly manifest itself until the end of the film... "What's in the box?"
7. Jigsaw
There is no doubt that the Saw franchise has reinvigorated the horror gene. The character of Jigsaw not only suits the archetype of the evil horror character, it actually adds to it, with aspects and dimensions to his psyche and life that open up a whole range of possibilities. The biggest success, however, in the Saw series has been the effective sequel development, which has seen the following movies become not just about "Jigsaw chasing another victim", but more about building upon the story of the original film. There are plans for a Saw IV - how they will manage to successfully do this one, however, I do not know...
6. Leatherface
Leatherface is part of the famous Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, built on the myth that the first film was "based on a true story". In fact, there was no true story, but the character is very loosely based on the serial killer Ed Gein - though Gein never touted a chainsaw. Despite this, the series has held a fanatical following, particularly since the very first film that portrayed some memorable gory moments, and is often held by many as a classic. The recent remake faced mixed feelings from Leatherface fans, but its prequel was a clear indication that there is just something timeless about a guy with a dead skin mask chasing teens with a chainsaw. You just have to love it.
5. Hannibal
Another character loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein, Hannibal Lecter struck the creeps into cinema goers with the release of Silence of the Lambs (though Hannibal's first journey to the screen was called Manhunter). While the character was more or less stooped in the thriller genre, his continuing story was also embraced by horror film enthusiasts (hence, its inclusion here). So then, what is the secret of Hannibal's popularity? His portrayal by Anthony Hopkins, who gave the character of Lecter not only it's evil, spooky feel, but also very keenly displayed the deep intelligence of the killer. His portrayal has made all of the Hannibal stories timeless.
4. Jason
Jason Voorhees has become, like Leatherface and Michael Myers, a timeless horror character. His popularity amongst fans spawned numerous films, and even saw him cross paths with Freddy Krueger. The catch with this character was his image - the killer with the hockey mask. It was the image and popularity of Jason that made the Friday the 13th series as popular as it became among fans, despite its ongoing "final chapters" and "deaths of Jason" movies. Interestingly enough, Jason isn't officially introduced until the second film, and doesn't pick up his trademark hockey mask until the third film. There are talks of a new Jason film, which is rumored to be somewhat of a reboot/remake (like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hills Have Eyes, and Halloween). Rumored titles for this new film have included Jason: The Beginning, though nothing official has been announced for this 2008 film.
3. Pazuzu/Regan
Arguably one of the most popular horror films of all time (with probably the suckiest sequels of all time), The Exorcist is a classic. Pazuzu is the demon that possesses Regan, and appears in nearly all the films (though some have argued that they squeezed him in to the third). Regan is only in the first two films, but it is Linda Blair's portrayal of the little girl in the first film, which made it such at success. The original Exorcist is a fantastic film. The sequels: not so much...
2. Freddy Krueger One, two, Freddy's coming for you... From the 1980's, Freddy Krueger has arguably been one of the most popular, most recognizable horror characters of all time. Not only did the character lend itself to numerous films, but also had his own television series, merchandising, video games, novels, comic books, and so on - the only thing missing was Freddy's very own breakfast cereal. The character was so popular (though not so much with critics) amongst fans, I am sure that many of them, like me, owned a "Freddy glove" at some stage or another. Why was Freddy so popular? Perhaps it had to do with the concept of being attacked within a dream, and never waking up. Perhaps it had to do with Robert Englund's famous portrayal of Freddy. While many argue against remaking classics, it is probably inevitable that Freddy Krueger will come back in a remake of his own in the future - unless of course, the current New Line pitch for a Freddy prequel is given the green light, which is entirely possible. The popularity of the character was evident with the recent Freddy vs. Jason film - and it's always possible that Wes Craven (the creator of Freddy) may revisit this legend of horror once again.
1. Dracula
It is inevitable that the famous vampire would top this list. True, Frankenstein's monster and the wolf-man could have been in the list, but Dracula arguably has the most appearances in films. From versions of the Bram Stoker classic, to cameos in films such at Blade III, Dracula is a timeless character, portrayed by fantastic actors including Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Gary Oldman. The character has been immortalized on film, in books, comics, in action figures, and (unlike Freddy Krueger) had his own breakfast cereal (though I'm not sure what Vlad the Impaler would think about being named Count Chocula). He may be undead, but the legend and timeless popularity of Dracula will never die.
I've always been a sucker for horror films - ever since I was a kid. From the classic flicks from as early as the 1920's, to the cut and slash gore flicks, the movies have always intrigued me.
Widely acclaimed by many, and widely criticized by others, The Blair Witch Project did something completely different with the film that had never been done before: you don't get to see the evil character. This technique helped the film establish its fright factor with the audience effectively. The film spawned a flop sequel that never went anywhere, but the original flick became a cult classic, and firmly established The Blair Witch as one of the spookiest, albeit unseen, characters ever devised for a horror flick. 
The Halloween franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, with great classic horror releases, to cheesy sequels that don't really capture anyone's imagination. Despite this, the series spawned the creation of Michael Myers (aka The Shape), the killer who struck on October 31, 1978. The character has maintained a successful following with horror fans for nearly 30 years - and the current development of an 8th Halloween film to be directed by Rob Zombie is testament to that legacy. 
The spooky serial killer from Se7en deserves a mention here. The film was a creative story, positioning the killer in an obsession with the seven deadly sins. But the evil nature of the character doesn't truly manifest itself until the end of the film... "What's in the box?"
There is no doubt that the Saw franchise has reinvigorated the horror gene. The character of Jigsaw not only suits the archetype of the evil horror character, it actually adds to it, with aspects and dimensions to his psyche and life that open up a whole range of possibilities. The biggest success, however, in the Saw series has been the effective sequel development, which has seen the following movies become not just about "Jigsaw chasing another victim", but more about building upon the story of the original film. There are plans for a Saw IV - how they will manage to successfully do this one, however, I do not know...
Leatherface is part of the famous Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, built on the myth that the first film was "based on a true story". In fact, there was no true story, but the character is very loosely based on the serial killer Ed Gein - though Gein never touted a chainsaw. Despite this, the series has held a fanatical following, particularly since the very first film that portrayed some memorable gory moments, and is often held by many as a classic. The recent remake faced mixed feelings from Leatherface fans, but its prequel was a clear indication that there is just something timeless about a guy with a dead skin mask chasing teens with a chainsaw. You just have to love it. 
Another character loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein, Hannibal Lecter struck the creeps into cinema goers with the release of Silence of the Lambs (though Hannibal's first journey to the screen was called Manhunter). While the character was more or less stooped in the thriller genre, his continuing story was also embraced by horror film enthusiasts (hence, its inclusion here). So then, what is the secret of Hannibal's popularity? His portrayal by Anthony Hopkins, who gave the character of Lecter not only it's evil, spooky feel, but also very keenly displayed the deep intelligence of the killer. His portrayal has made all of the Hannibal stories timeless. 
Jason Voorhees has become, like Leatherface and Michael Myers, a timeless horror character. His popularity amongst fans spawned numerous films, and even saw him cross paths with Freddy Krueger. The catch with this character was his image - the killer with the hockey mask. It was the image and popularity of Jason that made the Friday the 13th series as popular as it became among fans, despite its ongoing "final chapters" and "deaths of Jason" movies. Interestingly enough, Jason isn't officially introduced until the second film, and doesn't pick up his trademark hockey mask until the third film. There are talks of a new Jason film, which is rumored to be somewhat of a reboot/remake (like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hills Have Eyes, and Halloween). Rumored titles for this new film have included Jason: The Beginning, though nothing official has been announced for this 2008 film. 
Arguably one of the most popular horror films of all time (with probably the suckiest sequels of all time), The Exorcist is a classic. Pazuzu is the demon that possesses Regan, and appears in nearly all the films (though some have argued that they squeezed him in to the third). Regan is only in the first two films, but it is Linda Blair's portrayal of the little girl in the first film, which made it such at success. The original Exorcist is a fantastic film. The sequels: not so much...
One, two, Freddy's coming for you... From the 1980's, Freddy Krueger has arguably been one of the most popular, most recognizable horror characters of all time. Not only did the character lend itself to numerous films, but also had his own television series, merchandising, video games, novels, comic books, and so on - the only thing missing was Freddy's very own breakfast cereal. The character was so popular (though not so much with critics) amongst fans, I am sure that many of them, like me, owned a "Freddy glove" at some stage or another. Why was Freddy so popular? Perhaps it had to do with the concept of being attacked within a dream, and never waking up. Perhaps it had to do with Robert Englund's famous portrayal of Freddy. While many argue against remaking classics, it is probably inevitable that Freddy Krueger will come back in a remake of his own in the future - unless of course, the current New Line pitch for a Freddy prequel is given the green light, which is entirely possible. The popularity of the character was evident with the recent Freddy vs. Jason film - and it's always possible that Wes Craven (the creator of Freddy) may revisit this legend of horror once again. 
It is inevitable that the famous vampire would top this list. True, Frankenstein's monster and the wolf-man could have been in the list, but Dracula arguably has the most appearances in films. From versions of the Bram Stoker classic, to cameos in films such at Blade III, Dracula is a timeless character, portrayed by fantastic actors including Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Gary Oldman. The character has been immortalized on film, in books, comics, in action figures, and (unlike Freddy Krueger) had his own breakfast cereal (though I'm not sure what Vlad the Impaler would think about being named Count Chocula). He may be undead, but the legend and timeless popularity of Dracula will never die. 
