The most memorable characters in films are rarely the heroes. They tend to be bland and forgettable goodie two shoes who vanish from your memory 10 minutes after the film has finished. No, the ones we remember are the nasty bastards, the ones who scare us and repulse us. We like to be scared and seeing these people on screen lets us enjoy them and their horrible antics at a safe distance.
Below are 8 of the best(worst).
Poltergeist 2
The Reverend Henry Kane. The kind of character who will make you close your eyes when he pops up on screen in the hope you can block him and his horrific smile out. A devout preacher who's actions and words do not match. As a sequel it's a pale version of the first film but this chap is genuinely unsettling. Julian Beck was dying in real life when he made this which explains his drawn and terrifying appearance.
Rosemary's Baby
Minnie Castevet. Rosemary's seemingly kind neighbour that slowly shows her malevolent side when she drugs Rosemary and........well if you've seen the film you know what she is capable off. Shudder. Watch the film again. Even when she's being nice just take note of how off she feels. A superb performance from Ruth Gordon. You'll never look at a chocolate mousse the same way again because of her.
Happiness
Bill Maplewood is your neighbour. Bill is the chap you chat to when you are cutting your grass. Bill is the fella you spill your guts to. Bill is a paedophile. Bill is one of the scariest characters you'll ever come across in film. That normal facade covering that horrific interior. We see nothing of his crimes but imagine everything. Bill will make you want to cleanse yourself in scalding water with a brillo pad. A very brave performance from Dylan Baker.
Basket Case
Belial. Belial looks stupid and so he should. He's a cheap piece of rubber in an early 80's b-movie. But there's just something just deepy offputting about him. He's one half of a conjoined set of twins that were separated at birth. Belial got the raw side of the deal. He's deformed. He's evil. He has very questionable tastes. He's the type of character who'll make you feel queasy and on edge the second he appears.
Pet Semetary
Zelda. The sick sister of Rachel Creed and star of the flashback scenes that make up the scariest parts of this film. Time and distance has distorted her into a monster in her sister's memory but that knowledge doesn't make her any less scary. In a film about monstrous children and pets rising from the grave it's a sick child locked in a backroom that will play on your mind long after the film is over.
The Human Centipede 2
Martin Lomax. A wheezy, moist maniac who likes to do unspeakable things to himself with sandpaper and to others with a staple gun and barbed wire. The kind of character who will make your want to scrub yourself all over when you see him on screen. His onscreen antics in this film got it banned in England, Australia and New Zealand. Do yourself a favour and don't watch this.
Henry : Portrait of A Serial Killer
Otis. The man who makes Henry Lee Lucas look half way normal. John McNaughtons's 1986 crime drama is a film that will get under your skin for days after you see it. Michael Rooker as Henry is the lead but Tom Towles as Otis is the role that will disturb you. A murderous, incestuous, necrophiliac predator who likes to murder entire families and record himself doing so. His death will make you breath a sigh of relief.
Wild At Heart
Bobby Peru. One of the antagonists of David Lynch's 1990 masterpiece. A nasty scumbag and a deeply unpleasant individual, both mentally and physically. Just look at those teeth and that pencil moustache. Shudder. The stuff of nightmares. A man that thrives on misogyny and hatred. Gets one of the all time bloodiest screen demises too and one that's fully deserved. Even thinking about him makes me itchy.
Who are the characters that haunt your dreams?
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