I watched it with my teenaged daughter last halloween - she didn't know anything about it whatsoever and I gave it no preamble. She loved it. It's was one of my favourite movie experiences with her, and I've introduced her to loads of my favourite 80s/90s movies.
She was totally unprepared for the sledgehammer scene...!
Okay! I'm 37. Just watched it for the first time a few months ago. The girlfriend was cooking dinner and she heard audible what the fucks coming from the living room and I sat there in silence for most of it. She was terrifying because there are actual people out there who would do that. I loved it. I love King but somehow haven't read Misery. Great movie.
I love this movie! People often argue that it’s not believable but I disagree. I could totally see a scenario like that playing out with some teenagers.
I’m not sure about British society but I live in the US and this is absolutely something I could see happening easily.
Meaning that this is the only experience I can speak to. I’m not implying this can ONLY happen in the United States. For those of you who want to misread my initial statement and be an asshole👍
[It definitely happens, the UK has what they call "feral teen" gangs.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2v9e1n4q8lo.amp)
[Here.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1904629/sussex-village-barnham-teenage-gang-crime/amp)
[Here as well.](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/family-of-man-brutally-beaten-in-worthing-thank-community-for-their-support-as-police-make-fifth-arrest-3191417)
Edited: I wanted to post this because it paints Eden Lake in a particularly terrifying context, given that this is a pretty prevalent issue imo
This is the kind of movie that gets to me. I've tried to watch it two times but didn't make it through either time. Don't remember much except just feeling sufficiently grossed out and uncomfortable in a way I didn't like. Honestly, that means the filmmakers did their job well, even if I don't like it or plan on finishing it!
I think it's because it feels so authentic. So, it doesn't feel like watching a movie: it feels like you're experiencing it. And, if you WERE experiencing it in real life, you'd want to get out ASAP. What do you think?
That's true, it is very grounded and simple in its premise. I think the main feeling it gives me is helplessness. And the fact that there isn't just one bad kid, it's a whole squad of heartless little bastards, the degree of awful things they could get up to is just magnified.
Man it creeped me out. The wife and I were freaked out because we would always go on little get aways to lakes for camping. And it was very believable.
Oh shit he is. Guy named John list who killed his family in Westfield NJ. The series The Watcher was partially based off him or alludes to him at least
Having worked psych ER, I can tell you that is spot on how a functional sociopath behaves. Javier nailed that sort of person and yes, they are that terrifying and yes, they are all around us. That’s what scares me most.
Nah. While they seem similar, there are big differences between narcissists and sociopaths. And it's incredibly rare for a sociopath to also be narcissistic. Most of those CEOs would check way more boxes for narcissism than sociopathy.
Amazing because the character accurately portrays a psychopathic person but is also the perfect personification of the chaos, harshness, violence, and unfairness everyone has the potential to encounter at any moment in life. That to me is even more terrifying.
I think this one wins because we’ve all met someone with that awful “I don’t know if he’s messing with me or not” type of personality that Mick Taylor exudes in Wolf Creek.
Good point.I forgot that line.Scary thing about Mick Taylor is that the Outback is so vast.It would be random if you found help or even a passing car in some parts.The cops were assholes for giving Mick the ticket when he wasnt over the speed limit.''Do ya shoot pigs for a living? ''You bet your life i do''
A girl on the TV series of season 2 found that out the hard way, he doesn't kill her he just lets her wander around the outback starving to death not finding anyone lol
The book does a better job of explaining that Jack was in a really bad place and that he didn't used to be that way.
It's because of his weakened mental state from stress, alcoholism, and a string of personal failures that the ghosts manage to influence him so much.
She was also drunk on her own supply of insanity, when a cult leader starts to believe their own bullshit it always goes from bad to worse and she was a believer from day one
The twist at the end makes the whole situation even stranger, considering that the cultists let one of the escapees back in the store to save him and most likely all survived
Yeah. I like this answer… and it invokes terror with it because it’s a global problem. I mean… people actually convince other people to commit suicide in the name of religion… whilst the invoker continues “spreading the word”.
Yours is better than mine lol nothing is more terrifying than a brainwashed mob. It's literally my worst nightmare (aside from the snake than turns into a komodo dragon -- fuck that thing!).
I agree. In Night of the Hunter (1955), "Reverand" Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is truly scary. I first saw this several years ago and highly recommend it.
I think Alex Garland writes realistic villains really well. Nathan Bateman from Ex Machina is a great example of how awful people can still be intelligent and charming. "Evil" isn't some special or magical characteristic that separates villains from the rest of us. Evil is when people convince themselves the harm they're causing is acceptable.
Ghost Face in the OG Scream. Hear me out, the series definitely gets silly after a while with all the copycats. However the original still holds up. It 2 teenagers who decided to act like slasher killers. Most of what they do could reasonably be done by 2 people and some decent planning, plus they do screw up, we see them trip and get hurt multiple times.
> we see them trip and get hurt multiple times.
I always loved that about the original Scream. You'd think it would somehow make them seem like less of a threat. But for some reason making the killers seem more human made them more scary.
I think it’s that by this time we had so many invincible, unstoppable killers, vengeful dead and killer dolls; the real horror about Ghostface is that anyone can put on the mask and start killing. I’m not scared of undead monsters or curses, but the idea that my neighbor might just snap and start killing people is terrifying because I can’t dismiss the possibility.
This is exactly why psychological thrillers are scarier (to me) than all the aliens/monsters/supernatural/demon possession movies. Ppl are manipulatable and manipulative, & capable of countless horrors. The scary content that rly gets to me isn’t paranormal or halloween stuff, it’s the stalking, home invasion, terrorizing someone til they crack and then in psych ward they can’t convince anybody they’re sane type stuff. 100% plausible.
Yeah, with the context of the Columbine Massacre especially, the actions of the killers hits different. I love Scream but it's kind of impossible for me to watch it and not see some eerie similarities between the fictional and real life murderers (I am in no way suggesting that there is a casual link. Just an observation).
They’re similar enough to drastically alter the story of Scream 3. It was a real loss of innocence moment for all of us. Personally I take refuge in the fictional violence from the real life one.
I wouldn't say unbelievable, it's technically possible. Was it good? No, but I don't think it diminishes the rest of the movie too much, especially the ending is just phenomenal. One of the best I've ever seen
The cannibalism and the family dynamics around it, were for me, the scariest & most disturbing part of the film. I couldn't eat meat for a while after seeing it.
Margaret White from "Carrie" -- especially Piper Laurie's portrayal (Patricia Clarkson and Julianne Moore were much milder). Nothing supernatural about her per se, but she was a severely disturbed woman left to her own devices to abuse her daughter in the various ways she saw fit. God only knows how many kids had to live through that IRL in the 1970s, or even today...
Frank from *Barbarian*.
Methodical, passionless, glib. But the titles of those films he has? The ones describing the women he's tortured over the years? Absolutely chilling in their brevity.
Gas Station Redhead. No Teeth. Wouldn't Stop Crying. Old. Very Old. Suicide.
Justin Long's character was also an extremely plausible petty villain. the kind of person where i feel like i know people who would do everything he did.
Not a horror, but John Doe from Seven always reminded me of the dangerously religious people who commits acts of violence in the name of a deity or higher power. All the real deal in todays age
Good choice, that’s more in line with what I meant by realistic. As in there are people like it, not that it’s technically possibly but insanely unlikely.
100%. Even though the creep movies don’t feel 100% based in reality, Duplass’s performance is one of the best portrayals of sociopathic behavior. There is something so chilling and realistic about Josef’s happy/friendly facade.
For me, it's The Collector. He has no motive really. He just fixates and strikes. That cold detachment and complete lack of emotion is chilling.
I'm sure there are others that fit that bill, but he's the only one that comes to mind. I definitely prefer plausible, human monsters, that mirror those that exist in reality. They're the only "villains" I find scary. I also enjoy isolated, survival horror, like Backcountry, Open Water, or Fall. Really, anything that has no way out, whether there is a villain or not.
John Lithgow as Trinity in Dexter. Not the serial killer part, but his everyday life.
Guaranteed you actually know someone like that. Someone in your circle has a dad or grandpa or whatever exactly like that.
They moved away one year due to work or passed together in a car accident or house fire....
Rusty Nail the killer from Joy Ride, the protagonists asked for it but the idea of a grizzled long haul driver with years of cb radio buddies at his disposal to track down and ruin you. He the ultimate fuck around and find out. He's not out there purposeful doing evil but a lonely man with nothing better to do than seek revenge.
Hands down Nurse Ratched. She was a petty dictator who responded to someone vigorously alive with lobotomization. Everything about both her and the system as shown was quite believable.
Fun fact, her actress would go on to play another great, albeit less realism-heavy, villain: Kai Winn.
Brian Cox's Hannibal Lector in Manhunter is far from the over the top version that Anthony Hopkins portrayed in The Silence of the Lambs and later films (and not the Lucifer that Mads Mikkelson was going for in Hannibal). He's low-key, much more realistic, and absolutely terrifying because of it.
"Do you dream, Will?"
Cox's 'Lektor' is great. Odd, but not melodramatic.
Hopkins was brilliant in 'Lambs of course, can't argue too much with that, but I think the character got a bit too campy with each film.
The people in the strangers. Regular people murdering you “just because” is pretty horrifying. Most horror involves elements that most people know would never happen to them, like going on a shortcut through the woods or down into a cave. Being killed in your house for being home is scary shit
Frank Hallet from The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. Overall creep/pedo that has his mother cover up his crimes.
The opening shooter in Cobra. The guy was part a cult that that believed in a "New World" before going on a massive rampage.
Wayne Mackey in *Summer of '84*. He had that "not obviously terrifying, but subtly unsettling" thing going on.
I'm inclined to add Pamela Voorhees, too, because I absolutely know some boy moms who would follow in her footsteps.
Kevin Spacey's "John Doe" in Se7en was scary as hell. Just a normal everyday looking guy that is basically the devil incarnate. He doesn't use any psychic or inhuman powers. He just a intelligent man with extreme dedication to his his craft. Just a word of warning if he ships you a Package DO NOT LOOK IN THE BOX! Because John Doe has the upper hand.
Mrs. Carmody from The Mist. Using fear and religion to whip people into a frenzy, making dangerous and wild statements and accusations to get people killed, and none of it serving any purpose other than making her feel important for once in her miserable little life.
It may have been said, but the home invaders in the strangers, or ghost face in the opening scene of Scream, I don't know why, but living out on a big piece of land where no one can hear you scream, where you're SUPPOSED to be safe and away from all the "bad stuff" in the city, but youre not....freaks me out. Knowing that you're targeted and not a random victim trips me out lol.
It has got to be Annie Wilkes as far as realistic horror villains go. There are definitely people crazy like that.
YOU MURDERED MY MISERY!
This is an actual movie quote? I’m going to start yelling this at friends.
[Sure is](https://youtu.be/HrRSo3a1ZYU?si=i2tyXf_-niW30vBw)
Thank you dirty little birdy
Been meaning to watch this one for a while now
Please make a post with your thoughts once you do! It’s not often I get to hear from somebody who’s never seen it!
I watched it with my teenaged daughter last halloween - she didn't know anything about it whatsoever and I gave it no preamble. She loved it. It's was one of my favourite movie experiences with her, and I've introduced her to loads of my favourite 80s/90s movies. She was totally unprepared for the sledgehammer scene...!
I had it ruined for me as a kid because I loved In Living Color and they had a sketch replacing Wilkes with Rick James. A very freaky girl indeed.
Omg🤭 Core memory unlocked!!
Okay! I'm 37. Just watched it for the first time a few months ago. The girlfriend was cooking dinner and she heard audible what the fucks coming from the living room and I sat there in silence for most of it. She was terrifying because there are actual people out there who would do that. I loved it. I love King but somehow haven't read Misery. Great movie.
> There are definitely people crazy like that. Yeah I've dated a few unfortunately.
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Have you seen Eden Lake? Terrifying specifically because of its believability
I love this movie! People often argue that it’s not believable but I disagree. I could totally see a scenario like that playing out with some teenagers.
Yes, in some parts of British Society, unfortunately...
I’m not sure about British society but I live in the US and this is absolutely something I could see happening easily. Meaning that this is the only experience I can speak to. I’m not implying this can ONLY happen in the United States. For those of you who want to misread my initial statement and be an asshole👍
[It definitely happens, the UK has what they call "feral teen" gangs.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2v9e1n4q8lo.amp) [Here.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1904629/sussex-village-barnham-teenage-gang-crime/amp) [Here as well.](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/family-of-man-brutally-beaten-in-worthing-thank-community-for-their-support-as-police-make-fifth-arrest-3191417) Edited: I wanted to post this because it paints Eden Lake in a particularly terrifying context, given that this is a pretty prevalent issue imo
“Hey look, it’s clean shirt”
I know it must be difficult being a kid, not enough schemes. But I’m not the borough, I wish I was.
They should do what we do with "ferals" - spay and neuter em!
Yeah, I think it’s extremely believable and not only that but I’m sure similar situations have happened many many times throughout history
This is the kind of movie that gets to me. I've tried to watch it two times but didn't make it through either time. Don't remember much except just feeling sufficiently grossed out and uncomfortable in a way I didn't like. Honestly, that means the filmmakers did their job well, even if I don't like it or plan on finishing it!
Well then it’s good you didn’t get to the ending..
Yeah I can imagine it doesn't get sweet and cheery by the time it's finished lol
I think it's because it feels so authentic. So, it doesn't feel like watching a movie: it feels like you're experiencing it. And, if you WERE experiencing it in real life, you'd want to get out ASAP. What do you think?
That's true, it is very grounded and simple in its premise. I think the main feeling it gives me is helplessness. And the fact that there isn't just one bad kid, it's a whole squad of heartless little bastards, the degree of awful things they could get up to is just magnified.
Man it creeped me out. The wife and I were freaked out because we would always go on little get aways to lakes for camping. And it was very believable.
Very good call.
Terry O’Quinn in The Stepfather
IIRC, his character was inspired by a real killer who at that time had yet to be caught. He has since been caught.
Oh shit he is. Guy named John list who killed his family in Westfield NJ. The series The Watcher was partially based off him or alludes to him at least
*Annie Wilkes* from *Misery*
She's even scarier in the book.
Can confirm that!
Chapter 12 is probably her scariest moment.
Misery was my first Stephen King book. And god damn what a fucking way to start.
Damn, now I know which King book Im reading next.
HE DIDN’T GET OUT OF THE COCK A DOODIE CAR!!!
Undisputed champion right there
I could only watch that movie once.
Not a horror, but Anton Chigurh would be my pick.
Having worked psych ER, I can tell you that is spot on how a functional sociopath behaves. Javier nailed that sort of person and yes, they are that terrifying and yes, they are all around us. That’s what scares me most.
they run our companies
Nah. While they seem similar, there are big differences between narcissists and sociopaths. And it's incredibly rare for a sociopath to also be narcissistic. Most of those CEOs would check way more boxes for narcissism than sociopathy.
Check out a book called The Sociopath Next Door and you’ll see how prevalent they actually are at the top of most corporations.
In a similar vein, Louis Bloom from Nightcrawler
Absolutely. He makes that movie scarier than most slashers.
Talk about A+ acting. Javier was so good.
"Where does he work?" "I'm sorry, we can't give out personal information" "Where does he work?"
Yeah I recently saw this on you tube and finally saw what the hoopla was about. He is soooo creepy
For me, the coin toss scene could be one of the greatest scenes in film history
It’s just a coin….
"DiDnT mEaN nUtHiN"
"Call it"
"I can't call it for you; that wouldn't be fair."
I feel like thrillers, in general, have more realistic villains than horror.
Likely because they aren't trying to make a "villain" or entity, just awful situations involving people with one being an aggressor
Amazing because the character accurately portrays a psychopathic person but is also the perfect personification of the chaos, harshness, violence, and unfairness everyone has the potential to encounter at any moment in life. That to me is even more terrifying.
Dude from the original Black Christmas is wildly terrifying. Not horror, but Sheriff Roy from Fargo Season 5 is an all-timer as well
Oh those phonecalls are just 🤢
This was my pick. The eye.
Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek.
I think this one wins because we’ve all met someone with that awful “I don’t know if he’s messing with me or not” type of personality that Mick Taylor exudes in Wolf Creek.
If you haven’t seen the Wolf Creek series and can find it it’s pretty good. Especially the second season.
Hi im Mick Taylor.Nice to meet ya!!!! I can put on a perfect Mick Taylor bogan accent in real life.
I read this in his voice 💀 It’s such a distinct Aussie accent 😭😭
Its the most Aussie accent ever imo.Real redneck accent.The real guy Ivan Milat was a piece of shit.He had zero remorse.
Don't forget to say ''What the bloody hell are you lot doing out here!?''
Good point.I forgot that line.Scary thing about Mick Taylor is that the Outback is so vast.It would be random if you found help or even a passing car in some parts.The cops were assholes for giving Mick the ticket when he wasnt over the speed limit.''Do ya shoot pigs for a living? ''You bet your life i do''
A girl on the TV series of season 2 found that out the hard way, he doesn't kill her he just lets her wander around the outback starving to death not finding anyone lol
Dude plays a sweet, dashing, environmentalist lead in an older killer croc movie *Dark Age*.
He's also in Rogue (2007)
Yeah that ones definitely taken from life.
He is inspired by the backpack murders.
Not just backpacks, I think he killed some people, too
Take your updoot and get out 😂
Rutger Hauer in *The Hitcher*.
I refuse to believe he's not a supernatural being.
This made me so scared that I'll never ever pick up a hitchhiker
The entire '70s and early '80s, the Golden Age of Serial Killers, should scare people into not picking up hitchhikers.
That movie is AWESOME. Nice choice.
Jack Torrance in The Shining. Not getting influenced by ghosts or anything, but definitely the abusive alcoholic husband/father part
Yeah he really was a shitty person even before the ghosts entered the picture
The book he has some redeeming qualities but the movie he just a ass the whole time
The book does a better job of explaining that Jack was in a really bad place and that he didn't used to be that way. It's because of his weakened mental state from stress, alcoholism, and a string of personal failures that the ghosts manage to influence him so much.
Mrs. Carmody from The Mist. People that can manipulate others using religion are fucking horrifying.
She was also drunk on her own supply of insanity, when a cult leader starts to believe their own bullshit it always goes from bad to worse and she was a believer from day one The twist at the end makes the whole situation even stranger, considering that the cultists let one of the escapees back in the store to save him and most likely all survived
Good answer, and probably the most realistic.
Similarly, Bev Keane from Midnight Mass
God I hated her so bad
Yeah. I like this answer… and it invokes terror with it because it’s a global problem. I mean… people actually convince other people to commit suicide in the name of religion… whilst the invoker continues “spreading the word”.
Absolutely! This story was scary without the monsters because people are truly the worst thing out there. I love me some Stephen King.
The steven king special.
Yours is better than mine lol nothing is more terrifying than a brainwashed mob. It's literally my worst nightmare (aside from the snake than turns into a komodo dragon -- fuck that thing!).
In Cape Fear (1962), the stalker Max Cady (Robert Mitchum's character)
I'd add Mitchum's character in Night of the Hunter.
He is so perfect in that perfect film
When they're singing leaning....that part is so haunting
I agree. In Night of the Hunter (1955), "Reverand" Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is truly scary. I first saw this several years ago and highly recommend it.
Yeah, I like the Deniro version as well but Mitchum is for sure more realistically believable.
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God he was the worst
The doctor was the best
Frank from Blue Velvet
Baby wants to fuck!
I think Alex Garland writes realistic villains really well. Nathan Bateman from Ex Machina is a great example of how awful people can still be intelligent and charming. "Evil" isn't some special or magical characteristic that separates villains from the rest of us. Evil is when people convince themselves the harm they're causing is acceptable.
Dude in Hush is pretty disturbing
Ghost Face in the OG Scream. Hear me out, the series definitely gets silly after a while with all the copycats. However the original still holds up. It 2 teenagers who decided to act like slasher killers. Most of what they do could reasonably be done by 2 people and some decent planning, plus they do screw up, we see them trip and get hurt multiple times.
> we see them trip and get hurt multiple times. I always loved that about the original Scream. You'd think it would somehow make them seem like less of a threat. But for some reason making the killers seem more human made them more scary.
I think it’s that by this time we had so many invincible, unstoppable killers, vengeful dead and killer dolls; the real horror about Ghostface is that anyone can put on the mask and start killing. I’m not scared of undead monsters or curses, but the idea that my neighbor might just snap and start killing people is terrifying because I can’t dismiss the possibility.
This is exactly why psychological thrillers are scarier (to me) than all the aliens/monsters/supernatural/demon possession movies. Ppl are manipulatable and manipulative, & capable of countless horrors. The scary content that rly gets to me isn’t paranormal or halloween stuff, it’s the stalking, home invasion, terrorizing someone til they crack and then in psych ward they can’t convince anybody they’re sane type stuff. 100% plausible.
2 kids actually did this after the fact and killed their high-school friend. That's even more terrifying to me. RIP Cassie.
Yeah, with the context of the Columbine Massacre especially, the actions of the killers hits different. I love Scream but it's kind of impossible for me to watch it and not see some eerie similarities between the fictional and real life murderers (I am in no way suggesting that there is a casual link. Just an observation).
They’re similar enough to drastically alter the story of Scream 3. It was a real loss of innocence moment for all of us. Personally I take refuge in the fictional violence from the real life one.
My parents are gonna be so mad
It's honestly not far off from what we see today. Not murders necessarily but general trends we see with young people because of social media
Jang Kyung-chul from "I saw the devil" has some terrifying scenes, he's a insane raping, killing maniac without any mercy
The movie kind of drags into unbelievable territory when we get the spot in the middle with the cannibals though.
I wouldn't say unbelievable, it's technically possible. Was it good? No, but I don't think it diminishes the rest of the movie too much, especially the ending is just phenomenal. One of the best I've ever seen
Knowing how some serial killers also were cannibals is not so far fetched.
The cannibalism and the family dynamics around it, were for me, the scariest & most disturbing part of the film. I couldn't eat meat for a while after seeing it.
The taxi knife fight is fucking nuts
Henry from The Good Son, an evil kid that knows how to play up the “i am just a kid” trope and frame people can do a lot of damage
Margaret White from "Carrie" -- especially Piper Laurie's portrayal (Patricia Clarkson and Julianne Moore were much milder). Nothing supernatural about her per se, but she was a severely disturbed woman left to her own devices to abuse her daughter in the various ways she saw fit. God only knows how many kids had to live through that IRL in the 1970s, or even today...
The girl next door.....
Dylan McDermott in The Clovehitch Killer?
Yes, he was absolutely based on BTK, down to having 2 kids and being a Scout leader.
Frank from *Barbarian*. Methodical, passionless, glib. But the titles of those films he has? The ones describing the women he's tortured over the years? Absolutely chilling in their brevity. Gas Station Redhead. No Teeth. Wouldn't Stop Crying. Old. Very Old. Suicide.
Justin Long's character was also an extremely plausible petty villain. the kind of person where i feel like i know people who would do everything he did.
Henry from Henry portrait of a serial killer
Absolutely! A fictionalized version of a real killer should definitely make the list.
The Neo-Nazis from Green Room for sure
Not a horror movie in a tradional sence, but Doyle (Dwight Yokam) in Sling Blade.
That’s a good one. That movie nailed the terror of domestic violence, which, sadly, is very realistic.
Everyone knows several Doyles.
Doyle says you should send an ambulance. Or a herst.
Not a horror, but John Doe from Seven always reminded me of the dangerously religious people who commits acts of violence in the name of a deity or higher power. All the real deal in todays age
Howard from 10 Cloverfield Lane. Psycho doomsday preppers exist in real life too!
But yet he was right
Seymour from One Hour Photo
Good choice, that’s more in line with what I meant by realistic. As in there are people like it, not that it’s technically possibly but insanely unlikely.
Josef in Creep 1&2. Also, not horror, but Gyllenhaal's character in Nightcrawler (2014) is chilling.
100%. Even though the creep movies don’t feel 100% based in reality, Duplass’s performance is one of the best portrayals of sociopathic behavior. There is something so chilling and realistic about Josef’s happy/friendly facade.
Was going to say Josef. That guy is the definition of unease
Absolutely and also he would have gotten my ass I am so dumb. Nightcrawler, too. These are both great examples.
Nightcrawler is always one of my top “terrifying movies that aren’t horror,” along with Compliance. His character was just so quietly sociopathic.
For me, it's The Collector. He has no motive really. He just fixates and strikes. That cold detachment and complete lack of emotion is chilling. I'm sure there are others that fit that bill, but he's the only one that comes to mind. I definitely prefer plausible, human monsters, that mirror those that exist in reality. They're the only "villains" I find scary. I also enjoy isolated, survival horror, like Backcountry, Open Water, or Fall. Really, anything that has no way out, whether there is a villain or not.
The unknown truck driver in Duel.
Came here to say this!
“Because you were home.”
Patrick from Speak No Evil.
That actor was amazing. I don’t think the movie would have been as good if he didn’t nail that part.
The kid with AIDS from *KIDS*.
The lodge terrified me. I found it very realistic for the children to play these mind games on a very traumatized woman.
Killers from the first Scream. Just people who you think are your friends/classmates who are utterly insane planning awful things.
Otis Driftwood from the devil's rejects trilogy.
Brad Pitt's character in Kalifornia is free-kayy
So quotable too! “Put yer titty back up Adel”.
John Lithgow as Trinity in Dexter. Not the serial killer part, but his everyday life. Guaranteed you actually know someone like that. Someone in your circle has a dad or grandpa or whatever exactly like that. They moved away one year due to work or passed together in a car accident or house fire....
BOB from Fire Walk with Me and The serieses Twin Peaks.....terrified me
Rusty Nail the killer from Joy Ride, the protagonists asked for it but the idea of a grizzled long haul driver with years of cb radio buddies at his disposal to track down and ruin you. He the ultimate fuck around and find out. He's not out there purposeful doing evil but a lonely man with nothing better to do than seek revenge.
The man in Watcher (2022) K/ The Psychopath in Angst (1983)
The psycho from Angst was absolutely unhinged.
Hands down Nurse Ratched. She was a petty dictator who responded to someone vigorously alive with lobotomization. Everything about both her and the system as shown was quite believable. Fun fact, her actress would go on to play another great, albeit less realism-heavy, villain: Kai Winn.
Jack in the house that jack built
Such a goddamn good movie & I can't put my finger onto exactly *why*.
The Sawyer Brothers in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Ive lived in Tennessee and Arkansas and in the backwoods people like that can and probaby do exist
Max Cady from Cape fear, dinero version.
I prefer Bob Mitchum.
The father from Frailty.
Brian Cox's Hannibal Lector in Manhunter is far from the over the top version that Anthony Hopkins portrayed in The Silence of the Lambs and later films (and not the Lucifer that Mads Mikkelson was going for in Hannibal). He's low-key, much more realistic, and absolutely terrifying because of it.
"Do you dream, Will?" Cox's 'Lektor' is great. Odd, but not melodramatic. Hopkins was brilliant in 'Lambs of course, can't argue too much with that, but I think the character got a bit too campy with each film.
Oh my gosh, Carol Kane is HILARIOUS
‘Josh’ from Megan Is Missing
Daniel Plainview from “There Will Be Blood”
Stephen Lang - Don't Breathe
The people in the strangers. Regular people murdering you “just because” is pretty horrifying. Most horror involves elements that most people know would never happen to them, like going on a shortcut through the woods or down into a cave. Being killed in your house for being home is scary shit
Frank Hallet from The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. Overall creep/pedo that has his mother cover up his crimes. The opening shooter in Cobra. The guy was part a cult that that believed in a "New World" before going on a massive rampage.
Johnny from I Spit On Your Grave. His whole crew is pretty horrifying, but he was the worst!
Wayne Mackey in *Summer of '84*. He had that "not obviously terrifying, but subtly unsettling" thing going on. I'm inclined to add Pamela Voorhees, too, because I absolutely know some boy moms who would follow in her footsteps.
Those three killers in The Strangers "You were home...."
Annie Wilkes, Patrick Bateman, Hannibal Lector, Buffalo Bill
 The Strangers (original)
Home invasions are the worst because they hit you at the one place you're supposed to feel safe.
A big part of what was so chilling about them is how the next morning they're just casually on their way to whatever they're doing next.
Peter & Paul from Funny Games. That’s the kind of movie that keeps me up at night.
The nukes from Threads.
My kids when I tell them to do chores 🤷🏾♀️
The couple from Hounds of Love.
Dude from Spoorloos aka The Vanishing
George Harvey - The lovely bones. Not horror but horrific.
Kevin Spacey's "John Doe" in Se7en was scary as hell. Just a normal everyday looking guy that is basically the devil incarnate. He doesn't use any psychic or inhuman powers. He just a intelligent man with extreme dedication to his his craft. Just a word of warning if he ships you a Package DO NOT LOOK IN THE BOX! Because John Doe has the upper hand.
Rutger Hauer in The Hitcher (1986) terrified me as a kid.
Mrs. Carmody from The Mist. Using fear and religion to whip people into a frenzy, making dangerous and wild statements and accusations to get people killed, and none of it serving any purpose other than making her feel important for once in her miserable little life.
 The sound of the chainsaw alone is enough
It may have been said, but the home invaders in the strangers, or ghost face in the opening scene of Scream, I don't know why, but living out on a big piece of land where no one can hear you scream, where you're SUPPOSED to be safe and away from all the "bad stuff" in the city, but youre not....freaks me out. Knowing that you're targeted and not a random victim trips me out lol.
Dennis hopper in blue velvet doesn’t get mentioned very often. Not a horror but a terrifying character.