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I hope everybody is having a nice Halloween. You know, sometimes I'm not quite sure how large my audience actually is. But earlier today, I saw some kid in a Masked Emotions costume, and it really put the enormity of this blog into perspective. Anyway, as promised in my last video, here's the return of Top Ten Cases, ranking my ten favorite horror movie villains. For the most part, I've limited this to "slasher flicks," so you won't see memorable killers like Hannibal Lecter (despite being a marvelous character).
Oh, and this list in part out of my appreciation for those who have filled out my quick blog survey. If you haven't participated yet, please take a moment and answer a few questions. They've been very enlightening so far:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Dn2gP3OIv0b6ObU_2bwb50Sg_3d_3d
Now, click the "Read More" link for the list!
10. Samara ("The Ring") - The thing I like about Samara (the creepy, watery TV killer from The Ring) is that she's painted in a sympathetic light -- yet she just continues to kill and kill. Near the end of the movie you're thinking, "Aw, poor thing." But then seconds later, she's killing the heroes' boyfriend and threatening her son. Part of me appreciates that sort of character complexity, in addition to the unwillingness to sacrifice the sense of danger for the sake of compassion. Plus, she was creepy as all hell in the psychiatric hospital scenes from the first movie.
9. "Mr. Ghost Face" ("Scream") - Sure, there's nothing supernatural about the killer in the Scream movies, but it was loads of fun trying to predict who was lurking behind that ghastly mask. The constant hints (bruises appearing on various characters' faces the night after an intense struggle) and teases ("That character is wearing the same shoes!") added a suspenseful level to the franchise. It wasn't simply a matter of who would survive. It was also a question of who was the killer. Along with that, the idea of a bunch of high school kids going out and buying some cheap costume (which actually existed years before the movie was released) and massacring people is pretty unsettling.
8. Leatherface ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre") - As I noted in a previous edition of Top Ten Cases in which I ranked horror movies in general, the story of Leatherface and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is so powerful because you can genuinely feel the utter desperation expressed by the protagonist. No matter what they do, no matter who they turn to, it all brings them back to this grim fate. And wearing a mask made of human skin? It doesn't get much grizzlier than that.
7. Pennywise ("It") - Whether you call him "Pennywise" or simply "It," there's nothing creepier than a demonic, dancing clown with sharp fangs and long claws (and this is coming from somebody who doesn't suffer from coulrophobia). Sure, he was technically a shape-shifting entity, but if you ask anybody to describe the killer from Stephen King's "It," they're going to call him a clown. I suppose the greatest compliment I can pay this particular villain is that I barely remember the actual movie -- or even the premise -- but that clown is etched into my memory.
Besides, how awesome is Tim Curry?
6. Jack Torrance ("The Shining") - I have to admit that I don't recall actually ever seeing The Shining in its entirety, but even despite that I cannot deny the infamy of Jack Nicholson's psychotic character. Much like the other movies alluded to on this list, The Shining preys on the innate fear that your ordinary life can take an extraordinary turn, with disastrous results. Here you have a family that retreats to an isolated hotel, only for the father to go mad and attempt to kill his wife and kid. Incidentally, from what I understand, the novel in which the movie is based focuses far more on Jack's alcoholism, indicating that THAT might be the cause of his abusive behavior -- making his murderous descent even more disturbing.
And hey, Jack breaking a door down with an ax and peaking through while yelling, "Here's Johnny!" is one of the most famous scenes in cinema history.
5. Jason Voorhees ("Friday the 13th") - Fun Fact: I've camped at No-Be-Bo-Sco, the location used for Crystal Lake for a number of the Friday the 13th films. Anyway, I daresay that if you asked your average person to name three horror movie villains, Jason's making the list. And while his character steadily devolved to a one dimensional zombie, his original backstory is pretty interesting and overall sympathetic. Jason's a true icon in the horror movie franchise, but unfortunately, because of the deterioration of his character, I couldn't rank him much higher than this.
4. Michael Myers ("Halloween") - In a lot of ways, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are the same characters. Both are physically massive and inexplicably strong. Both have a penchant for wearing masks and coveralls. And both have severe issues with the females in their families. Oh, and neither of them talk or appear to enjoy moving at a speedy pace (until recently, anyway).
So why did I rank Mr. Myers higher? In a nutshell, the zombie aspect of his character is ever-so-slightly less explicit and offensive. Along with that, for the most part, the Halloween franchise has managed to stay pretty on target with the psychological aspect of the character. That is to say, Michael Myers' family issues were typically the driving force of the movie. As the Friday the 13th movies became more and more outlandish, the stories tended to drift away from Mrs. Voorhees impact on the Camp Crystal Lake killer.
But my main pet peeve with this character -- and the Halloween movies -- is that they attempt to portray him as a regular human being (just a very tall and strong one). Yet they still decide to kill him off in such a conclusive fashion, essentially destroying any sense of realism for the next installment (and they just KNOW it's coming).
3. Jigsaw ("Saw") - Something has to be said for a horror movie villain who never actually commits a murder (not directly, with his bare hands anyway). That being said, the "Jigsaw" I refer to here is John Kramer -- not any of his successors. Here you have a killer who preys on individuals who would hardly be considered "heroic." For my money, the original is still the best. There's just something claustrophobic and uncomfortable about having the lead characters stuck in a small room throughout the entire ordeal. That's far more unsettling -- even for the viewer -- than having a collection of people roaming through odd looking rooms. The first movie also captured the "what lengths would you go to survive?" mentality, as it focused on two characters, instead of one.
But anyway, I'm drifting a bit. Jigsaw himself is an interesting character. Unlike virtually everybody else on this list, who are driven by revenge or severe mental issues, Jigsaw's motives are surprisingly altruistic. He seemingly genuinely wants his victims to find a way to survive, with the hopes that they'd have a deeper appreciation for the life they had taken for granted. And if they do find a way to survive, he willingly lets them go. That's really unlike anybody else here. And hey, from a purely aesthetic view -- whether it's the dummy, the pig mask, or the black robe -- he's a creeper!
And while I commend the Saw series for killing off their villain and actually keeping him dead (at least I assume, I haven't seen the sixth installment) while continually coming up with clever ways to keep him in the franchise, it's been like four movies since he's been killed. Perhaps it's time to move on?
2. Norman Bates ("Psycho") - Perhaps it goes without saying, but I'm pretty much restricting this to the original Psycho, and not any of the sequels. And in its own right, the 1960 classic stands alone as the greatest moneymaking, by a large margin, of all of Hitchcock's films. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but once again, this is an example in which the audience's insecurities are taken advantage of. A seemingly nice man who appears to be helping some strange woman ends up being a psychotic killer. And it was doneso in such a disturbing manner that many claim they were afraid to take a shower afterwards (then again, it was the Sixties -- how often did people shower to begin with?) And it's also worth mentioning that this particular twist ended has transcended genres -- its constantly alluded to!
As a sidenote, part of what made Norman Bates so great was his diminutive stature, which really makes you realize how much Gus Van Sant dropped the ball by casting 6'5" Vince Vaughn in the direct shot-for-shot remake in 1998. I mean, c'mon, we're supposed to believe that this guy could disguise himself as his own feeble mother. You don't think people would turn heads if they saw a 6'5" elderly woman?
1. Freddy Krueger ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") - Sure, near the end Freddy got a little campy, but when he was first introduced (and I daresay, even in Freddy vs. Jason) he was one twisted dude. Here was a child killer who was essentially executed by a group of vigilant parents. Even without the supernatural stuff that made the character famous, that's some pretty disturbing stuff. But what sets Freddy apart? What makes him stand above the rest as #1? Quite simply, EVERYTHING about this character is so iconic and immediately recognizable. From the charred face to the fedora to the striped sweater to the clawed glove -- you see some article of the Freddy Krueger look and you IMMEDIATELY know who it represents. Like I said above, if you see an extra large, dirty coverall, you may have to think twice before deciding if it belongs to Jason or Michael Myers. You see a bloody knife, and there's a plethora of murderers that belongs to. Practically everything about Freddy is unique and sets him apart from everybody else. Even the way he kills people is out of the ordinary.
I'm excited that the character is making a return -- with its original dark outlook -- but it's a travesty it's being done without Robert Englund.
A CASE OF THE BLOG VISITORS: PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO FILL OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY!!
Oh, and this list in part out of my appreciation for those who have filled out my quick blog survey. If you haven't participated yet, please take a moment and answer a few questions. They've been very enlightening so far:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Dn2gP3OIv0b6ObU_2bwb50Sg_3d_3d
Now, click the "Read More" link for the list!
10. Samara ("The Ring") - The thing I like about Samara (the creepy, watery TV killer from The Ring) is that she's painted in a sympathetic light -- yet she just continues to kill and kill. Near the end of the movie you're thinking, "Aw, poor thing." But then seconds later, she's killing the heroes' boyfriend and threatening her son. Part of me appreciates that sort of character complexity, in addition to the unwillingness to sacrifice the sense of danger for the sake of compassion. Plus, she was creepy as all hell in the psychiatric hospital scenes from the first movie.
9. "Mr. Ghost Face" ("Scream") - Sure, there's nothing supernatural about the killer in the Scream movies, but it was loads of fun trying to predict who was lurking behind that ghastly mask. The constant hints (bruises appearing on various characters' faces the night after an intense struggle) and teases ("That character is wearing the same shoes!") added a suspenseful level to the franchise. It wasn't simply a matter of who would survive. It was also a question of who was the killer. Along with that, the idea of a bunch of high school kids going out and buying some cheap costume (which actually existed years before the movie was released) and massacring people is pretty unsettling.
8. Leatherface ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre") - As I noted in a previous edition of Top Ten Cases in which I ranked horror movies in general, the story of Leatherface and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is so powerful because you can genuinely feel the utter desperation expressed by the protagonist. No matter what they do, no matter who they turn to, it all brings them back to this grim fate. And wearing a mask made of human skin? It doesn't get much grizzlier than that.
7. Pennywise ("It") - Whether you call him "Pennywise" or simply "It," there's nothing creepier than a demonic, dancing clown with sharp fangs and long claws (and this is coming from somebody who doesn't suffer from coulrophobia). Sure, he was technically a shape-shifting entity, but if you ask anybody to describe the killer from Stephen King's "It," they're going to call him a clown. I suppose the greatest compliment I can pay this particular villain is that I barely remember the actual movie -- or even the premise -- but that clown is etched into my memory.
Besides, how awesome is Tim Curry?
6. Jack Torrance ("The Shining") - I have to admit that I don't recall actually ever seeing The Shining in its entirety, but even despite that I cannot deny the infamy of Jack Nicholson's psychotic character. Much like the other movies alluded to on this list, The Shining preys on the innate fear that your ordinary life can take an extraordinary turn, with disastrous results. Here you have a family that retreats to an isolated hotel, only for the father to go mad and attempt to kill his wife and kid. Incidentally, from what I understand, the novel in which the movie is based focuses far more on Jack's alcoholism, indicating that THAT might be the cause of his abusive behavior -- making his murderous descent even more disturbing.
And hey, Jack breaking a door down with an ax and peaking through while yelling, "Here's Johnny!" is one of the most famous scenes in cinema history.
5. Jason Voorhees ("Friday the 13th") - Fun Fact: I've camped at No-Be-Bo-Sco, the location used for Crystal Lake for a number of the Friday the 13th films. Anyway, I daresay that if you asked your average person to name three horror movie villains, Jason's making the list. And while his character steadily devolved to a one dimensional zombie, his original backstory is pretty interesting and overall sympathetic. Jason's a true icon in the horror movie franchise, but unfortunately, because of the deterioration of his character, I couldn't rank him much higher than this.
4. Michael Myers ("Halloween") - In a lot of ways, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are the same characters. Both are physically massive and inexplicably strong. Both have a penchant for wearing masks and coveralls. And both have severe issues with the females in their families. Oh, and neither of them talk or appear to enjoy moving at a speedy pace (until recently, anyway).
So why did I rank Mr. Myers higher? In a nutshell, the zombie aspect of his character is ever-so-slightly less explicit and offensive. Along with that, for the most part, the Halloween franchise has managed to stay pretty on target with the psychological aspect of the character. That is to say, Michael Myers' family issues were typically the driving force of the movie. As the Friday the 13th movies became more and more outlandish, the stories tended to drift away from Mrs. Voorhees impact on the Camp Crystal Lake killer.
But my main pet peeve with this character -- and the Halloween movies -- is that they attempt to portray him as a regular human being (just a very tall and strong one). Yet they still decide to kill him off in such a conclusive fashion, essentially destroying any sense of realism for the next installment (and they just KNOW it's coming).
3. Jigsaw ("Saw") - Something has to be said for a horror movie villain who never actually commits a murder (not directly, with his bare hands anyway). That being said, the "Jigsaw" I refer to here is John Kramer -- not any of his successors. Here you have a killer who preys on individuals who would hardly be considered "heroic." For my money, the original is still the best. There's just something claustrophobic and uncomfortable about having the lead characters stuck in a small room throughout the entire ordeal. That's far more unsettling -- even for the viewer -- than having a collection of people roaming through odd looking rooms. The first movie also captured the "what lengths would you go to survive?" mentality, as it focused on two characters, instead of one.
But anyway, I'm drifting a bit. Jigsaw himself is an interesting character. Unlike virtually everybody else on this list, who are driven by revenge or severe mental issues, Jigsaw's motives are surprisingly altruistic. He seemingly genuinely wants his victims to find a way to survive, with the hopes that they'd have a deeper appreciation for the life they had taken for granted. And if they do find a way to survive, he willingly lets them go. That's really unlike anybody else here. And hey, from a purely aesthetic view -- whether it's the dummy, the pig mask, or the black robe -- he's a creeper!
And while I commend the Saw series for killing off their villain and actually keeping him dead (at least I assume, I haven't seen the sixth installment) while continually coming up with clever ways to keep him in the franchise, it's been like four movies since he's been killed. Perhaps it's time to move on?
2. Norman Bates ("Psycho") - Perhaps it goes without saying, but I'm pretty much restricting this to the original Psycho, and not any of the sequels. And in its own right, the 1960 classic stands alone as the greatest moneymaking, by a large margin, of all of Hitchcock's films. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but once again, this is an example in which the audience's insecurities are taken advantage of. A seemingly nice man who appears to be helping some strange woman ends up being a psychotic killer. And it was doneso in such a disturbing manner that many claim they were afraid to take a shower afterwards (then again, it was the Sixties -- how often did people shower to begin with?) And it's also worth mentioning that this particular twist ended has transcended genres -- its constantly alluded to!
As a sidenote, part of what made Norman Bates so great was his diminutive stature, which really makes you realize how much Gus Van Sant dropped the ball by casting 6'5" Vince Vaughn in the direct shot-for-shot remake in 1998. I mean, c'mon, we're supposed to believe that this guy could disguise himself as his own feeble mother. You don't think people would turn heads if they saw a 6'5" elderly woman?
1. Freddy Krueger ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") - Sure, near the end Freddy got a little campy, but when he was first introduced (and I daresay, even in Freddy vs. Jason) he was one twisted dude. Here was a child killer who was essentially executed by a group of vigilant parents. Even without the supernatural stuff that made the character famous, that's some pretty disturbing stuff. But what sets Freddy apart? What makes him stand above the rest as #1? Quite simply, EVERYTHING about this character is so iconic and immediately recognizable. From the charred face to the fedora to the striped sweater to the clawed glove -- you see some article of the Freddy Krueger look and you IMMEDIATELY know who it represents. Like I said above, if you see an extra large, dirty coverall, you may have to think twice before deciding if it belongs to Jason or Michael Myers. You see a bloody knife, and there's a plethora of murderers that belongs to. Practically everything about Freddy is unique and sets him apart from everybody else. Even the way he kills people is out of the ordinary.
I'm excited that the character is making a return -- with its original dark outlook -- but it's a travesty it's being done without Robert Englund.
A CASE OF THE BLOG VISITORS: PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO FILL OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY!!
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