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8 Underrated Villains in Horror Movies

bmchargue — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:06:46 +0000

Something I’ve noticed as of late that popular horror film icons are popular due solely to oversaturation. Had Jason Voorhees been relegated to three, maybe four films, would his status as horror icon par excellence be as lauded as it is? The same can be said for Freddy Krueger, Michael Meyers, and a whole slew of other icons. Sadly, they tend to overshadow the lesser known horror villains, whose only crime is not being lucky enough to star in four million sequels. Fed up with the lack of recognition, myself and the always lovely Dive Mistress over at Zombots! have compiled a list of underrated horror villains that deserve a little love. Head over to Zombots to check out her half, and catch my half below.

Simon / The Human Condition from Session 9

Gordon-Session-9

It always comes down to Session 9. In the film, a team of “asbestos abatement engineers” wins a bid to clear out the Danvers State Hospital, an old lunatic asylum with a dark past. As the week presses on, the men begin to break down, with one of them, Hank, disappearing with nary a phone call. Another member discovers a series of tapes that reveal the alternate personalities of a former patient. One of these personalities is Simon, a malevolent entity that compels Mary to kill her brother and parents after falling on a China doll and cutting herself. It is eventually revealed that Gordon, after his wife accidentally spills a pot of boiling water on his leg, allows Simon to enter him, who in turn compels him to kill his wife, new child and dog, and then return to work as if nothing happens. As time wears on, paranoia begins to settle in and the tension among the crew begins to grow. Finally, Simon overtakes Gordon, forcing him to kill his crew.

The underlying supernatural aspect of the film notwithstanding, Simon represents something far more sinister than any monster – human fallibility and the inherent weaknesses of the human condition. Despite our overwhelming desire to succeed and persevere, we are inherently weak creatures, not always capable of resisting the gauntlet that life throws at us each and every day. For Gordon it simply became too much too handle, allowing the pseudo-personification of weakness to take over. For that reason, Simon, and by extension the human condition, is one of the worst villains of all.

The Event Horizon / Dr. Weir from Event Horizon

Dr-Weir

Despite its questionable acting, Event Horizon is listed as a favorite for horror fans and non-horror fans alike. Seven years after the disappearance of the starship Event Horizon, a signal is received on Earth, prompting the rescue ship Lewis and Clark to give it the ol’ looksee. Once arriving, however, the crew, along with Dr. Weir, who designed the technology that allows the Event Horizon to travel through space almost instantaneously, discover that the ship has been to a place worse than Hell. Overtaken by the ship, Weir turns on the rest of the crew, resulting in most of their deaths. A creepy eyeball-less Sam Neill ensues.

Event Horizon is scary as Hell. When the ship returned, it came back with what can loosely be considered a supernatural entity controlling it. This entity causes all the humans aboard to see their worst fears manifest before them, although one of the crew is forced into committing suicide, only realizing what he’s doing moments before being ejected into the black. Throughout all of this, Weir is quickly slipping into madness, and attempts to return the ship to a place where the crew “won’t need eyes to see.” Dr. Weir and the Event Horizon will never reach a level of notoriety akin to that of the classic horror villains like Jason and Freddy, but that’s ok. They’re in a class all of their own.

Megan from Dog Soldiers

Dog-Soldiers-Megan

In Neil Marshall’s lycanthrope-laden foray into horror, a team of British soldiers is dropped deep into the Scottish Highlands on a routine training exercise. Megan, played by Emma Cleasby, comes across the team as they’re being torn apart by werewolves, and in turn offers them safe haven at an isolated house in the woods. Eventually it’s revealed Megan is a werewolf and has simply been fighting the curse and delaying the transformation. In the end she causes the soldiers to destroy their only means of escape, leading them into a final showdown with their hirsute attackers.

Simply put, Megan is a raging bitch, and without a doubt the best metaphor for a woman’s period in the history of film. She sabotages any chance of the remaining soldiers escaping, leading them into a false sense of security by regaling them with her tales of lycanthropic interactions and werewolf lore. She forms a bond with Cooper, the second-in-command behind Sergeant Wells, and despite a very brief romantic connection, fails to even give him a little beej before going all werewolf on his ass. Coop gets his revenge, however, with a well-placed in the forehead, thus fulfilling the dream of every man who’s had to deal with a woman on her period.

F. W. Colqhoun from Ravenous

Ravenous-Colqhoun

Cannibalism is awesome. Cannibalism is even more awesome when it involves Robert Carlyle as a Christ-like figure channeling the Wendigo myth to develop near-superhuman like strength and the ability to survive repeated attacks with guns, meat cleavers and giant blocks of wood right in the face. Showing up at the remote outpost inhabited by a motley band of soldiers, F. W. Colqhoun, servant of God, tells them of how he survived months in a cave subsisting on the flesh of his party, murdered at the hands of the deranged Colonel Ives. Under the guise of leading them to the cave where one of the party might still be alive, it is revealed that Colqhoun is Ives, and he simply wanted some fresh meat.

The beauty of this character lies not in his murderous and cannibalistic intent. No, these are merely the stepping stones for the bigger picture, which is to simply add more cannibals to the pack. His plan is to lure unsuspecting travelers looking for new lives into the camp, killing some and feeding their flesh to the others. Beyond this simple act, he’s simply a devious and cunning motherfucker, quick with the one-liners and willing to do whatever it takes to remain alive. When confronted with the moralistic implications of his actions, he simply responds, “Ah, morality – the last bastion of a coward.”

There’s something about a villain that lacks all empathy, eats human flesh, and is human that stands out to me as worthy of recognition.

Pseudo-Zombie Films: A Rare Breed

bmchargue — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:22:46 +0000

No disrespect to Mr. Romero, but do you know what you’ve done? “Oh, I’ll just create the zombie as we know it today and in turn influence a million filmmakers without an original bone in their bodies to emulate everything I did except poorly.” Seriously. The modern conception of the zombie is no longer the subtle metaphor we all know and love, but instead an excuse for someone, ANYONE to make a horror film.

Know what’s great, though? That rare breed of filmmaker who sees a popular trend and warps it into something genuinely unique. Here’s a list of those films, even I did hate some of them. Know of any I forgot? E-mail me.

POntypool

Pontypool Well this is just obvious, given my love for the film, but one can’t deny this clever spin on the zombie trope by making the source of infection the English language and by replacing their lust for human flesh with the desire to “chew their way through the mouth of another person” as a means of escape. Director Bruce McDonad even went so far as to make the claim that the infected individuals in the film were not zombies, preferring instead to call them “Conversationalists.” While they are clearly not zombies due to them, you know, being alive and all, one could easily make the claim that Pontypool is indeed a pseduo-zombie film, and one of the most clever ones I have ever seen.

They Came Back

Les Revenants A couple of years back there was a pilot for a show called Babylon Fields that was never picked up. The premise behind the show was that the dead have risen from their graves and, instead of seeking human flesh, simply want to be reintegrated into society. Three years prior a little French film called Les Revenants utilized this theme, and in turn created a wonderful dramatic thriller that made me deathly afraid of old people. More of a drama than a thriller, Les Revenants focuses both on how this small French town is dealing with this unexpected wave of visitors and just what exactly they’re up to. It’s a slow burn, errs more on the side of drama, and features a relatively ambiguous ending that keeps you guessing.

Deadgirl-Poster

Deadgirl I hated this movie. Most films that feature necrophilia are tongue-in-cheek, or at the very least simply implied. This one isn’t. A couple of teens decide to skip school and, naturally, make their way to an abandoned hospital to drink, smoke and be stereotypical hooligans. Throughout the course of their exploration they come across a girl tied to a table. Presumably dead, they fuck it. Then they shoot it. Then they learn she’s not really dead, but in fact something that resembles what we would consider a zombie. They fuck it some more. Then when she dries up (as even the pseudo-dead are wont to do), they fuck the bullet hole. Absolute revulsion ensues. My distaste for damn near everything in the film aside, I can’t help but admire the unique spin the obviously fucked-in-the-head filmmakers put on a common trope.

The-Revenant

The Revenant (review) I caught this film first at Fantastic Fest then at the Denver Film Festival. I’m fairly certain writer/director D. Kerry Prior was drunk during the former’s Q&A. The Revenant centers around war vet Bart who, despite being killed in the Middle East can’t seem to stay dead. During the day he “passes out,” and at night he is reanimated. When awake, he must drink blood or he becomes incredibly weak. A key moment in the film involves a discussion with his best friend Joey over what exactly he is. The terms zombie and vampire are thrown around until they settle upon a Revenant, an amalgamation of the two. Despite being a bit on the long side and going from buddy horror/comedy to a more serious film, Prior made a darkly funny movie that poked a bit of fun at the living dead.

Make-Out-With-Violence-poster

Make Out With Violence (review) If you read my review you will see I was not too fond of this film. Way too long, and more or less a giant music video, it deals with the disappearance and discovery of young Gwendolyn Hearst, who has for reasons unexplained in the film been tied to a tree and reanimated as a zombie. Two brothers who were friends with her when she was alive find her and take her home, and as the story progresses we’re treated to what can only be described as a coming-of-age teen comedy that deals with life, love and the living dead. Although not technically a zombie film in, well, any sense of the word, it manages to take a common theme found in movies – teenage love, friendship, etc – and center it around one of the brother’s lingering affections for Gwendolyn when she was alive. My personal distaste for the film aside, I admire the scope of the film and what it attempted to do, I just felt it wasn’t executed in the right way.

The Best and Worst Horror Movies of 2009

bmchargue — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:27:41 +0000

As the year – and decade – comes to a close, we must take the time to reflect on the films that in some way made this year not AS horrible for horror as it might seem. While ten is a nice round number, I was unable to come up with ten films that I truly loved and could, without regret, name the best of the year. In between the many theatrical stinkers and the disappointing indies, I managed to come up with nine, count ‘em NINE films that didn’t make me want to vomit. So without further adieu…

The Top 10 9 Horror Films of 2009

Zombieland

9. Zombieland I’m hesitant to include this on the list, as I don’t really feel it’s a horror movie, but a comedy with horror elements. It was also one of the funniest movies to come out all year, and it includes zombies, so it’s worthy of distinction. While most horror comedies tend to start off strong and then stray into serious territory, Zombieland managed to remain consistent, injecting plenty of humor throughout, even during the sentimental moments. I was grateful enough to catch a premiere screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin back in September, and hearing Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and the hot chick from Superbad talk about their experience on the film and answer questions from the fans made me appreciate their performances that much more. As soon as I’m no longer poor, the DVD will grace my shelf. So, you know, buy it for me.

Orphan

8. Orphan I’m clearly in the minority among most of my friends, but I loved Orphan. It was creepy, suspenseful, and featured the adorable Arianna Engineer as Vera Farmiga’s youngest daughter. Isabelle Fuhrman played the titular character perfectly and was intensely creepy throughout, especially during the big twist ending. From my review, because I’m way too lazy to think of something new to type up: The fear didn’t come from fleeting scares like or a hackneyed score, but from pure, unbridled, nervous tension, an aspect lost on most contemporary thrillers.

Doghouse

7. Doghouse This film was unknown to me until I went to Fantastic Fest, where it screened twice with writer/director Jake West in attendance. Not only is he one of the nicest people I have ever met (he gave me boxing lessons before I got my ass beat by a black lesbian), but he made a fantastic horror comedy. Described in my review as “one of the most fun and engaging experiences you can have in a movie theater this year,” it seamlessly blended humor and horror, featured stellar zombie effects, and gave us another great UK flick with Danny Dyer. Whether or not this film will get a decent release is beyond me, but here’s hoping it gets a US DVD release soon (it was made available on October 9th in the UK).

Last House on the Left

6. Last House on the Left I hated the original Wes Craven classic. While indeed shocking, it was boring, drawn out, and featured the worst possible choices in music I have ever seen in a horror film. Taking this into account, and the fact that it’s a remake, I did not have high hopes for this one. Surprisingly, I found this redux to be incredibly brutal, with all the cheesiness that plagued the original stripped out in favor of all the tension and terror you would come to expect in a film about two girls viciously beaten and raped. Save for a slightly ridiculous yet delightfully bloody ending, it managed to restore my faith, however minor, in the state of horror remakes today. The very fact that a remake made this list surprised the shit out of me, but stranger things have happened.

Trick_r_treat

5. Trick ‘r Treat I want to admit something to you: when I first saw Trick ‘r Treat at Fantastic Fest, I knew nothing about it. Given it’s title, I assumed it to be a slasher flick in the vein of Black Christmas or April Fool’s Day, and as a result was expecting the worst. Because of this, throughout a good portion of the movie I was REALLY FUCKING CONFUSED. Yes, it looks pretty, but what’s with the disjointed plot. Then it dawned on me that it was an anthology and I felt like an idiot. Once all the pieces fell into place, I realized how utterly original and brilliant the film was. The film had an even greater impact on me when writer/director Michael Dougherty spoke to the audience and revealed why he made the film. “True” Halloween movies are few and far between, but Dougherty got down to the nitty gritty and crafted an exceptional film, and one that will hopefully make the sack-headed “Sam” a new holiday icon.

Carriers

4. Carriers This “under-the-radar” post-apocalyptic thriller probably had “zombie” written all over it, but looks can be deceiving. There was nary a zombie in the film, and while the film basically got fucked in terms of a release, it has managed to receive a bit a buzz, ensuring a solid return on DVD (at least among horror films). It managed to take the tired and often overbearing concept of a “group of people trying to survive….something” and make it into a solid, bleak and downright disturbing thriller. Word even has it that a limited edition German box set will be available sometime early next year, so keep your eyes open for that.

REC2

3. [REC]2 Everyone liked the first installment in this off-the-fucking-chain cinema verite powerhouse from Spain. I have a feeling that once the majority of people see [REC]2, they’ll be clamoring for a third one. I described it as “the best first person shooter I’ve ever seen,” as the impressive use of Heads Up Displays and picture-in-picture managed to make the film not only believable, but fucking exciting as all holy hell. You’re eventually treated to one hell of an ending that rivals the first in terms of fear and intensity. If you have the chance, be it through a screening or getting your hands on a copy of the DVD, see this movie.

Paranormal Activity

2. Paranormal Activity Holy shit, this isn’t number one? You’d think with how much I touted this film as one of the best horror films of the decade that it would earn the number one spot. Paranormal Activity is still a phenomenal film, and manages to utilize cinema verite in a way that’s believable and non-vomit inducing, all while actually providing a heaping dose of fear. It proves that you don’t need a huge budget to make a great and terrifying horror film, just a an idea, some actors and a camera. In fact, Paranormal Activity spawned a horror movie of my own, which I working on with a fellow horror blogger. Here’s hoping Oren Peli can emulate the success of this film with Area 51.

…and the best horror film of the year is…

POntypool

1. Pontypool Yes. Pontypool. This movie is one of the most original and highly engrossing horror films I have ever seen. The casting is perfect, with Stephen McHattie giving an outstanding performance as an opinionated on-air personality who starts reporting on a dangerous outbreak of bizarre behavior that is seemingly transmitted via speech. One of the things I absolutely love about the film is its dialogue: rapid-fire delivery that doesn’t miss a beat and manages to engross the viewer every step of the way. Unfortunately, the film will not be released for purchase until January of 2010, so I have about another month before I can get my hand on this wonderful piece of Canadian cinema.

The WORST Horror Movies of 2009

Antichrist

7. Antichrist I give props to Lars von Trier for crafting one of the most beautiful opening sequences of any film I have ever seen, but that does little to save the self-serving hour and a half that followed. I have no problem with genital mutilation per se, but its overuse was a major factor in my distaste for the film. It was made for von Trier and no one else, and despite the popularity of “Chaos Reigns” (I will admit that was a cool scene), Antichrist was nothing more than pompous bloviation.

The Haunting in Connecticut

6. The Haunting in Connecticut, or How to Overpopulate a Movie with Jump Scares. Also, why the fuck does Elias Koteas keep getting work? This movie was a major bore from start to finish, and I’m not ashamed to admit I was fooled by the trailer. What I hoped to be a taut psychological thriller ended up being mired in convention and featured a lackluster ending that did little to shock or even entertain.

Uninvitedposter

5. The Uninvited Clearly A Tale of Two Sisters was better, but The Uninvited had the added bonus of featuring horrible acting, a hackneyed score and everything that made the original worth a damn. I was the only one in the theater when I went to see it. It had been out for about three days when I did. The only reason I didn’t leave the theater is because I paid for it, and it gave me a chance to pick my nose, an event that was far more entertaining than anything this movie promised. It was too bright and cheery for its subject matter, and who in their right mind thought Elizabeth Banks would be a good casting choice for a horror movie?

Grace

4. Grace I hate doing this because Grace this was one of my most anticipated horror films of the year, but Paul Solet’s undead-baby-thirsting-for-blood story of questionable parenting failed something fierce. It was fiercely misogynistic, and while it possessed the potential to be a solid thriller, it managed to get wrapped up in horrible cliches. Despite it, it was beautifully shot and featured great sound editing, but beyond that it was a wash.

Drag Me to Hell

3. Drag Me to Hell It’s 90+% rating on Rotten Tomatoes notwithstanding, it took a second viewing of this film to make realize just utterly retarded it really is. Too slapstick to be horror and too many moments of uninspired intensity to comedy, Sam Raimi’s “return to horror” is anything but. The story is weak and predictable, and Allison Lohman makes Paris Hilton look like an Oscar winner.

Jennifer's Body

2. Jennifer’s Body How the fuck did Diablo Cody get so lucky? Juno irritated me because of the dialogue, but given the subject matter it had a quirky folksiness to it. This was just an unbelievable embarrassment. I’ll just let a quote from my review sum up why I hated it so much: This woman has absolutely no grasp on reality, convinced all teenagers live in their own self-involved world and communicating through a made up language indecipherable to anyone with a fully developed brain or lacking the latest book of Cody-speak. Every single line is peppered with faux-teenage slang, itself an affront to teenagers existing on this plane of existence, and spouted out by wooden characters.

…and the worst horror movie of the year is….

The_Unborn_poster

1. The Unborn Stick with Batman, David Goyer. Horrible acting, stock characters and a horribly convoluted and ridiculous story resulted in one of the worst movie-going experiences of the year. It was an utter train wreck from start to finish, and it should have never been made. The only saving grace was Odette Yustman’s ass and the guy who played Raiden in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. And he was barely in it.

Top 5 Flicks That Actually Scared Me

bmchargue — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:27:11 +0000

The notion of fear is entirely subjective; what scares one makes another laugh. I certainly have no real phobia of clowns (coulrophobia), but I know some people that are genuinely terrified of them. In contrast, I am terrified of spiders, while some love them and think they’re beneficial and for some reason save them instead of squishing them underfoot. These people are fools and will end up being our downfall. And when the spider clowns arrive….ah shit.

In the end, only a small handful of films have generally instilled in me a sense of fear. Whether it was due my incredibly young age or the fact that I’m a huge coward is beyond me, as none of these films have a single identifying characteristic that generally spooks me. This is an attempt to flesh it out.

Angela_Sleepaway_Camp

5. Sleepaway Camp The general time period of viewing this classic has been forgotten (I may have been eight, but I think it was closer to twelve or so), but I distinctly remember losing sleep at night over the ending, which ranks in my mind as one of the most fucked up moments in all of horror. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the fact that Angela was revealed to be a transgendered male that terrified me – I don’t think my little brain even really comprehended what I was seeing – but the look on her face and the eerie amalgamation of hissing and growling that she was making as she stood there stark naked holding a knife in her hand. Here’s the video. Have a fresh pair of pants ready, ’cause this is surely shit inducing.

beautiful1

4. Event Horizon Despite being directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, whose modus operandi as of late seems to be bubble-gum action adventure tripe (I read his script for the Castlevania movie – utter hilarity), Event Horizon was scary as fuck, forcing me to sleep with music playing the night I saw it. Its method of conveying fear was seen in two ways: first, the idea of being trapped on the ship while hallucinating, compounded by the fact that Sam Neill’s scarred and burned face kept appearing out of nowhere; and second, the very concept of a place worse than Hell was absolutely terrifying to me. That, and the line “Where we’re going, we won’t need eyes to see.”

freddy_krueger

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors I honestly have no idea why this film scared me, but I think it might have something to do with the fact that I was an eight-year old watching Freddy Krueger treating a man like a marionette with his veins. That’s enough to scar anyone, especially those with a fear of puppets. Nowadays I just kinda scoff at the fact that it actually scared me, but I was eight, and maybe I pushed it into my subconscious, but I have a huge scar on my left wrist from when I almost had a vein ripped open. Clearly the work of Freddy Krueger disguised as an eight year old girl. Or stigmata.

session9

2. Session 9 I have long proclaimed that Session 9 is one of the best and most effective horror films ever made. This proclamation contains a hint of objectivity, as it genuinely freaked the shit out of me as I watched alone one night. The fact that my dad was in the other room and the kitchen light was on and I’m fairly certain my brother was about twenty feet away from did little to deter me from looking over my shoulder during the final twenty minutes. As Gordon is running through Danvers looking for the source of the noises and Phil explores the underground tunnels, we’re slowly given an explanation for the events that have occurred. The film ends with an allusion to the true reality of the situation, found in the final line, “I live in the weak and the wounded, Doc.” Not only did this film terrify me, but it inspired me to proudly call for horror movies that eschewed convention, preferring instead to focus on the people and mounting tension.

blair_witch

1. The Blair Witch Project Say what you will about this film, but cinema verite can be very effective, especially when you go home to a pitch black house at two in the morning all by yourself. I was but a wee lad of seventeen when I saw it, but its combination of supposedly real events and unique methods of conveying mounting tension resulted in a terrifying experience at the time. Looking back I was one of the few to actually support this film, but one can’t deny the impact it’s had on independent horror and the future of cinema verite film making as a whole. It allows the viewer to get up close and personal with the antagonists, and gives us a glimpse at expressions of fear not otherwise seen through standard film making.

What about you? What movies have actually scared you?