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I was challenged by Kimberly Ramsawak to name my favorite villains from horror and non-horror media. This isn’t in any particular order.
Jason Voorhees. Is he the embodiment of evil, a force of nature, a Puritanical avenging angel? Nope. He is the abandoned inner child, condemned to a watery grave, rejected by his father, never given the chance to grow up. He yearns to be seen, and he’ll shed blood to make that happen. The antagonist of the Friday the 13th franchise has more in common with Frankenstein’s creature than we may be comfortable admitting.
Art the Clown. Are the Terrifier movies extremely messy? Without a doubt. However, in an age where we are conditioned to consider the monster’s perspective*, it’s honestly refreshing to see a villain that so closely resembles a professional wrestling heel. In other words, I LOVE to hate him, and (especially in the second) I was begging to see him get his comeuppance. I hadn’t felt that way since watching Dream Warriors for the first time.
Mary Lou Maloney. From her introduction (where she confesses both a laundry list of sins and admits to loving every minute of committing them) to killing someone by using a combination of telekinesis and the refrain from a Little Richard tune, she oozes dark femininity and satanic charisma. Even though Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is a sequel in name only to the original Prom Night, Mary Lou was so compellingly evil, the subsequent entries of the franchise wound up revolving around her.
Michael Myers. I still occasionally have dreams where the antagonist from Halloween is following me, yet I come back to watch these movies every year. The white mask is a blank slate, which is why he embodies so many different flavors of evil depending on the creator writing him. He can be the human equivalent of a shark (1 & 2). He can be the product of an ancient curse (4-6). He can be a vessel for an evil that is always changing Shape (the David Gordon Green films). He can be a more complex character, showing the various types of evil (Rob Zombie’s films). I know I’m in the minority here, but I think what makes MM most interesting is his versatility.
John Doe. The killer from Se7en is so chilling because of how calculating he is, how resolute he is in his beliefs, and how far ahead he is of the lawmen who pursue him. I’ll never forget that first moment he walks into the police station, covered in blood and stating, “I believe you’re looking for me.” So unsettling.
*Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes a monster is just a monster.
I’m nominating Grant Wamack Brandon Rae Rock-Paper-Shadows The Monotriatrium. Drew Valdez