Horrifying Villains

The scariest villains to me are the ones that also manage to show some common decency, though it is overwhelmed by their inhumanity, the combination of which is pretty rare find in both horror novels and films. If a villain can seem almost like a regular guy, that freaks me out. Makes me think that damn, maybe someone I even know who I think is an average joe could be a psychopath with plans to massacre somebody this very evening. Then I could be like all of the other people saying "But he seemed like such a nice guy" when I'm getting interviewed later.

That aside, other stuff in general that creeps me out include:

Abnormally tall & gangly people (shudder)
Near-harmonic but mangled voice patterns (shudder)
Genuine genius and ingenuity used for the purpose of evil (what if MacGyver was a serial killer? shudder...)

The best villians to me are the human ones. Hannibal Lecter is one of the best that pops to mind right off the bat.

Macgyver would have been a hell of a serial killer. You wouldn't be able to keep that guy in prison.

Funny how the villains that frightened me as a kid were the scariest looking ones but I agree with all of the above. The tall, nice dressed gentleman with a dapper smile and a twinkle in his eye leaving you wondering what's on his mind. I think about a scene in American Psycho when Christian Bale invited a gal from the office over to his apartment and as she talks about life and dating he's pacing around behind her thinking of a way to kill where she sits, and she's completely unaware! We don't know what people do behind closed doors, when they shed their public costumes and masks and become their true, inner selves. I remember a friend of the family from when I was a child. He was a nice enough guy, took me for rides in his truck and played country western music too damned loud but ended up in prison for beating and molesting his daughter. As a kid it didn't really hit me until the real implications sunk in during my teen years. The guys was a creep that I trusted and liked. That's the scariest villain.

The viilain that kills with cold economy of motion, primal cunning, and without remorse or apparent reason. A couple of times in my former life, I had close encounters with the "criminally insane" ( I hate that term, but in this case, I suppose it serves) The first thing that strikes you is the dull eyes, lack of any apprent focus. That "no one is home" look. Then, the abrupt hostility, devoid of any signs of restraint, or of humanity. The violence seems to come from the ether with no apparent catalyst, and you suddently realize fthat, for whatever reason, the universe has ceased to exist for this person. Only you and he are "real" in his mind, and he wants you dead.

Sound melodramatic? Well, sorry. It was a melodramatic moment.

dante-x said:

In addition to these very human psychopaths, what do you think makes the "supernatural" Villain creepy? For example what is it about the mysterious demon from "The Exorcist" that gives people the heeby jeebies (sp)? Both human and supernatural villains seem very different yet share the potential to induce some very troubling feelings.

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Supernatural villains with mysterious, malevolent motives freak me out, and also ones with relatively subtle appearances. Candyman-creepy. The sprawling, spirit conglomerate tar-tentacled thing at the end of the House on Haunted Hill remake, not so creepy. Also the history of the supernatural being adds to the horror for me. The fact that "Pennywise" reappeared every so many years in It was scary to me, for reasons I'm not sure of.

The supernatural bad guys, my own personal writing preference, make for great villains due to the reasons stated by Dante. They pose a problem, both intellectually and physically, that humans aren't hardwired to deal with. We can't understand the thought process unless we're "lucky" enough to distill that process down to a single motive/thought.

If you consider all the demonic entities and aliens that have invaded print or film, they've all been superior to us, not just in sheer number, but in intelligence, physical prowess, etc... Usually when humans defeat such entities, it's either through "luck" or divine providence. In other words, unless we roll 7/11, or God Almighty intervenes, we're toast. Such scenarios make for natural page turners.

Jcomp and Dante identified my all-time favortive nemesis, Pennywise.

I'll add madness to that. It's the sheer unpredictability I find frightening.

Jcomp said:

The scariest villains to me are the ones that also manage to show some common decency, though it is overwhelmed by their inhumanity, the combination of which is pretty rare find in both horror novels and films.

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This makes me think of Annie Wilkes in Misery. She was scary.

The supernatural creeps that do the impossible, making those little areas we deemed safe completely the opposite.

Remember when little Reagan crab walked backwards down the stairs in The Exorsist? How about the creature that pulled a man through the cracks of a crate then ate him in front of Hal Halbrook in Creepshow? It's those reality warping moments that make my skin crawl.