Editorials
Best of 2023: The 10 Most Memorable Horror Movie Villains of the Year
2023 was a good year for villains. With social media discourse at an all-time low, public figures taking constant swipes at each other, and A.I. poised to render all news meaningless, it seems like the year was filled with nefarious people coming out of the woodwork to make our lives a little more stressful.
But no matter what nightmares we saw playing out in real life, we could rest in the knowledge that something equally evil or maybe even worse would be showing at our local cineplex or streaming platform. The horror genre is filled with larger-than-life foes from centuries-old monsters to futuristic killers and this year gave us villains in spades.
Some are humorous, some tragic, some pulled from reality, and some difficult to pin down. But regardless of their stories, the following ten villains made our lives just a little more terrifying – and if we don’t honor them here, they may just show up in our nightmares tonight ready to exact their bloody revenge.
Honorable Mention: John Kramer and Amanda Young – Saw X
Before we begin, let’s address the elephant in the room. One of the year’s most anticipated film’s, Saw X, featured the return of legendary villain John Kramer (Tobin Bell) and his protégé Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith). Set between the first film and its sequel, Kevin Greutert’s latest installment follows Kramer on a quest for revenge as he falls victim to a scam that promises a miracle cure for his inoperable brain tumor. While Saw X arguably represents a franchise high and returns to the basics that made Jigsaw a household name, Kramer feels more like an anti-hero than the villain of the story. With Amanda’s help, he plans and executes a string of grisly traps, but only for those who’ve made themselves rich by preying on the sick. Still claiming to abhor murderers, Kramer and Amanda risk their own lives to save a little boy who’s inadvertently fallen into their deadly games. The overall ethics of Jigsaw’s sadistic tests may be a discussion for another day, but Saw X solidifies a gradual turning point in the franchise as Kramer and Amanda officially become the heroes of this dark and twisted saga.
10. Dracula – Renfield
Just when we thought we’d seen everything the vampire genre had to offer, Nicolas Cage emerges to offer his own spin on a timeless trope. Cage plays the legendary Dracula in Renfield, an action horror twist on Bram Stoker’s classic novel. After centuries of service, R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has finally had enough of his master’s manipulation. He longs for an end to the mind-numbing murder that keeps Dracula fed, the bugs he must eat to increase his power, and the constant messes he’s forced to clean up when Dracula once again spirals out of control. Though the story is told from Renfield’s point of view, Cage takes his own playful stab at the iconic character, having a blast with one of the most famous villains of all time. A master of the strange, Cage finds the razor-sharp line between horror and comedy and manages to create an engaging villain who keeps us in stitches. We can’t decide whether to laugh or scream as he rises into the air and prepares to kill us all.
9. The Voice – Skinamarink
One of the most terrifying cinematic villains in years is also one of the most ill-defined. After a sleep-walking accident, four-year-old Kevin (Lucas Paul) comes home from the hospital to a waking nightmare. Objects appear suspended from the ceiling and the windows and doors have all disappeared from their darkened house. As their parent’s also vanish, Kevin and his six-year-old sister Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) begin to hear a sinister voice commanding them to venture further into the darkness. We never find out exactly who this voice is or what is happening in this mid-90s house and Skinamarink is all the more terrifying for its lack of concrete answers. Inspired by collective nightmares of an evil presence, Kyle Edward Ball’s film unfolds with non-linear logic that feels like watching a hellish trip through a black hole. Whether a mysterious monster lurking in the shadows or an allegory for growing up in a troubled home, the all-consuming darkness of Skinamarink is a villain that won’t soon be forgotten.
8. CW – Influencer
While Kurtis David Harder’s tale of murder and deception was technically screened in 2022, this slick psychological thriller shook the horror landscape with its Shudder debut in May of 2023. Influencer follows Madison (Emily Tennant), a social media pro struggling through a solo trip to Thailand. When she befriends a glamorous fellow traveler named CW (Cassandra Naud) the two become fast friends and it seems that Madison’s luck may finally be turning. But an overnight excursion to a deserted island reveals a darker side to CW’s intentions and the mysterious woman attempts a shocking plan to take over Madison’s life. As A.I. continues to dramatically shift our understanding of reality, characters like CW pose an increasing, but intangible threat to our concept of autonomy. Harder’s stylish thriller examines the fine line between perception and reality as we try to decipher CW’s true motive – and wonder if we have any online friends just like her.
7. Chris – The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
Many creators have tried to put their own spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but Bomani J. Story’s film debut adds a progressive and poignant twist to the classic story of a myopic scientist and their doomed creation. As a child, Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes) lost her mother in a drive-by shooting and has been looking for a way to cure the disease of death ever since. Now a brilliant teenager, this headstrong girl has been sewing together stolen bodies in an attempt to reanimate the corpse of her recently deceased older brother Chris (Edem Atsu-Swanzy). When her experiment proves successful, Vacaria realizes that not only has she created a being she cannot control, but Chris’s presence in their fragile community may put her entire family at risk. With his long locs, oversized hoodie, and hulking physique, Chris would be viewed as a monster by authority figures whether dead or alive. Story’s fantastic film challenges us to question the lens through which we view our villains and to examine the culturally accepted definition of monstrosity.
6. The Clown – Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
In 2009, a group of friends moved into the crumbling Abaddon Hotel in upstate New York, to create a unique haunted attraction for the Halloween season. Their doomed attempt resulted in a terrifying found footage film that drags the viewer to the very brink of hell. After two lackluster sequels, writer and director Stephen Cognetti takes us back to basics with a found footage nightmare that deepens the lore of this mysterious event. Margot (Bridget Rose Perrotta) is an internet sleuth spending the week in the infamous Carmichael Manor when she stumbles upon a connection to the Abaddon Hotel. Not only do we find disturbing home videos connecting the two locations, but a familiar face – the sinister clown with the bloody, black eyes – keeps appearing in the manor’s rambling halls. Cognetti’s newest franchise entry gives the formerly stoic clown a cryptic backstory along with terrifying powers of mobility. No longer content to merely appear in menacing positions, this frightening clown moves on camera, follows his victims down darkened hallways, and acts as a demonic force determined to drag them back through the portal to hell.
5. John Carver – Thanksgiving
When Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino first released their 2007 exploitation extravaganza Grindhouse, fans of holiday horror were overjoyed to see a faux trailer for the pilgrim-themed slasher Thanksgiving. Now sixteen years later, Eli Roth has finally served up the full length feature and it’s every bit as gritty and graphic as we hoped it would be. One year after the deadly Black Friday riots at the RightMart superstore, a killer dressed as John Carver – founding father of Plymouth and the town’s unofficial mascot – has returned to slice and dice his way through anyone connected to the unfortunate event. Donning a pilgrim’s costume and a buckled hat, Carver makes full use of seasonal iconography and kills with various tools of the kitchen as he prepares to serve a hellish meal. Taking scenes from the original trailer, Roth has created an instant holiday classic and a terrifying villain who invokes the essence of the holiday while slowly roasting his victims alive. The only downside to this gruesome slasher is that its grisly kills may just put you off your leftovers.
4. Mia Goth – Infinity Pool
The past few years have seen Mia Goth cement herself as one of horror’s reigning scream queens. After star-making turns in both X and Pearl, Goth helms the mind-bending Infinity Pool from visionary creator Brandon Cronenberg. When floundering writer James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) attempts to break his writer’s block with a luxurious vacation, he bumps into Gabi (Goth), a femme fatale with a tiny voice and a powerful ability to bend others to her will. Guided by Gabi’s intoxicating persona, James finds himself pulled into a world of depravity where anything goes as long as you’re wealthy enough to pay the price. With a seductive smile, Goth dazzles as a glamorous housewife blowing off steam with illicit parties and sadistic crimes. A fascinating commentary on excess, privilege, consumption, and identity, Cronenberg throws us headfirst into a nightmare of decadent chaos then refuses to let us come up for air.
3. Ellie – Evil Dead Rise
Since the dawn of narrative horror, few archetypes have frightened audiences as much as the murderous mother. We view cinematic moms as sacred – for better or worse – and some of the most upsetting horror films shock audiences by turning the concept of maternal love on its head. Though the Evil Dead franchise has always trafficked in explicit violence and grisly gore, earlier films have mostly targeted coeds on vacation in an ill-fated cabin in the woods. Breaking with tradition, Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise not only takes place in an L.A. high rise, but his version of the Necronomicon targets Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), a mom trying to support her three children while separated from her husband. Possessed by the titular unholy spirits, Ellie transforms into a soul-crushing nightmare as she first dies in front of her kids then tries to rip them apart with innocuous household objects. Certain to become a Mother’s Day staple, Ellie shocks the audience and her children alike with upsetting quips like “Mommy’s with the maggots now” as one by one she turns her own children into soldiers in an undead army.
2. Cocaine Bear
In 1985, a mysterious cargo plane dropped a large shipment of illegal drugs onto Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest. While most of the parcels were recovered – along with the body of the ill-fated smuggler – one brick of cocaine was found by an American black bear now immortalized in a Kentucky mall. Dubbed “Pablo Eskobear,” this unfortunate animal has become a local curiosity along with the mysterious events of his untimely death. Elizabeth Banks’s horror comedy Cocaine Bear attempts to flesh out the details of this ursine adventure as a drug-fueled bear fills her snout with Coumbian marching powder then brutally dispatches the large cast of humans who happen to cross her path. The blood flies, the bodies sore, and the unlikeable characters scrape across concrete in one of the most visceral but hilarious horror films of the year. A late stage reveal adds a touching twist that causes us to question who the true villains of the story are. Is it the bear? Is it the cocaine? Is it the 80s? Is it us? Few films can ride the line between horror, humor, and heart so effectively, making Cocaine Bear a hero we can root for while frantically trying to remember our bear facts and covering our eyes to avoid the carnage of her brutal kills.
1. M3GAN
With A.I. breathing down our necks, what better villain to top this list than a childlike concoction of murderous metal. M3GAN is a revolutionary toy designed to bond with your child and help them work through life’s more challenging moments. Kind, compassionate, and funny, this synthetic playmate will delight youngsters with soothing renditions of pop songs interspersed with empowering life lessons and artificial compassion. The only downside is a dangerous streak of self-righteousness and a willingness to kill. When toy designer Gemma (Allison Williams) becomes the guardian for her sister’s orphaned daughter Cady (Violet McGraw), she decides to outsource some of her parental duties by test-driving this radical new invention. Unfortunately, M3GAN has strong ideas about what’s best for Cady and will kill anyone who tries to separate her from her child. Brought to life by voice actor Jenna Davis and dancer Amie Donald, M3GAN skewers the uncanny valley with a humanoid appearance that grows more sinister and disheveled as the film unfolds. Gerard Johnstone’s shocking horror comedy manages to thread a tricky needle exploring themes of grief, responsibility, and surrogate caregiving, while creating one of the most enjoyable horror films of the year and birthing a dynamic new villain for the ages.
Soon after the New Hollywood generation took over the entertainment industry, they started having children. And more than any filmmakers that came before—they were terrified. Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976), Eraserhead (1977), The Brood (1979), The Shining (1980), Possession (1981), and many others all deal, at least in part, with the fears of becoming or being a parent. What if my child turns out to be a monster? is corrupted by some evil force? or turns out to be the fucking Antichrist? What if I screw them up somehow, or can’t help them, or even go insane and try to kill them? Horror has always been at its best when exploring relatable fears through extreme circumstances. A prime example of this is Larry Cohen’s 1974 monster-baby movie It’s Alive, which explores the not only the rollercoaster of emotions that any parent experiences when confronted with the difficulties of raising a child, but long-standing questions of who or what is at fault when something goes horribly wrong.
Cohen begins making his underlying points early in the film as Frank Davis (John P. Ryan) discusses the state of the world with a group of expectant fathers in a hospital waiting room. They discuss the “overabundance of lead” in foods and the environment, smog, and pesticides that only serve to produce roaches that are “bigger, stronger, and harder to kill.” Frank comments that this is “quite a world to bring a kid into.” This has long been a discussion point among people when trying to decide whether to have kids or not. I’ve had many conversations with friends who have said they feel it’s irresponsible to bring children into such a violent, broken, and dangerous world, and I certainly don’t begrudge them this. My wife and I did decide to have children but that doesn’t mean that it’s been easy.
Immediately following this scene comes It’s Alive’s most famous sequence in which Frank’s wife Lenore (Sharon Farrell) is the only person left alive in her delivery room, the doctors clawed and bitten to death by her mutant baby, which has escaped. “What does my baby look like!? What’s wrong with my baby!?” she screams as nurses wheel her frantically into a recovery room. The evening that had begun with such joy and excitement at the birth of their second child turned into a nightmare. This is tough for me to write, but on some level, I can relate to this whiplash of emotion. When my second child was born, they came about five weeks early. I’ll use the pronouns “they/them” for privacy reasons when referring to my kids. Our oldest was still very young and went to stay with my parents and we sped off to the hospital where my wife was taken into an operating room for an emergency c-section. I was able to carry our newborn into the NICU (natal intensive care unit) where I was assured that this was routine for all premature births. The nurses assured me there was nothing to worry about and the baby looked big and healthy. I headed to where my wife was taken to recover to grab a few winks assuming that everything was fine. Well, when I awoke, I headed back over to the NICU to find that my child was not where I left them. The nurse found me and told me that the baby’s lungs were underdeveloped, and they had to put them in a special room connected to oxygen tubes and wires to monitor their vitals.
It’s difficult to express the fear that overwhelmed me in those moments. Everything turned out okay, but it took a while and I’m convinced to this day that their anxiety struggles spring from these first weeks of life. As our children grew, we learned that two of the three were on the spectrum and that anxiety, depression, ADHD, and OCD were also playing a part in their lives. Parents, at least speaking for myself, can’t help but blame themselves for the struggles their children face. The “if only” questions creep in and easily overcome the voices that assure us that it really has nothing to do with us. In the film, Lenore says, “maybe it’s all the pills I’ve been taking that brought this on.” Frank muses aloud about how he used to think that Frankenstein was the monster, but when he got older realized he was the one that made the monster. The aptly named Frank is wondering if his baby’s mutation is his fault, if he created the monster that is terrorizing Los Angeles. I have made plenty of “if only” statements about myself over the years. “If only I hadn’t had to work so much, if only I had been around more when they were little.” Mothers may ask themselves, “did I have a drink, too much coffee, or a cigarette before I knew I was pregnant? Was I too stressed out during the pregnancy?” In other words, most parents can’t help but wonder if it’s all their fault.
At one point in the film, Frank goes to the elementary school where his baby has been sighted and is escorted through the halls by police. He overhears someone comment about “screwed up genes,” which brings about age-old questions of nature vs. nurture. Despite the voices around him from doctors and detectives that say, “we know this isn’t your fault,” Frank can’t help but think it is, and that the people who try to tell him it isn’t really think it’s his fault too. There is no doubt that there is a hereditary element to the kinds of mental illness struggles that my children and I deal with. But, and it’s a bit but, good parenting goes a long way in helping children deal with these struggles. Kids need to know they’re not alone, a good parent can provide that, perhaps especially parents that can relate to the same kinds of struggles. The question of nature vs. nurture will likely never be entirely answered but I think there’s more than a good chance that “both/and” is the case. Around the midpoint of the film, Frank agrees to disown the child and sign it over for medical experimentation if caught or killed. Lenore and the older son Chris (Daniel Holzman) seek to nurture and teach the baby, feeling that it is not a monster, but a member of the family.
It’s Alive takes these ideas to an even greater degree in the fact that the Davis Baby really is a monster, a mutant with claws and fangs that murders and eats people. The late ’60s and early ’70s also saw the rise in mass murderers and serial killers which heightened the nature vs. nurture debate. Obviously, these people were not literal monsters but human beings that came from human parents, but something had gone horribly wrong. Often the upbringing of these killers clearly led in part to their antisocial behavior, but this isn’t always the case. It’s Alive asks “what if a ‘monster’ comes from a good home?” In this case is it society, environmental factors, or is it the lead, smog, and pesticides? It is almost impossible to know, but the ending of the film underscores an uncomfortable truth—even monsters have parents.
As the film enters its third act, Frank joins the hunt for his child through the Los Angeles sewers and into the L.A. River. He is armed with a rifle and ready to kill on sight, having divorced himself from any relationship to the child. Then Frank finds his baby crying in the sewers and his fatherly instincts take over. With tears in his eyes, he speaks words of comfort and wraps his son in his coat. He holds him close, pats and rocks him, and whispers that everything is going to be okay. People often wonder how the parents of those who perform heinous acts can sit in court, shed tears, and defend them. I think it’s a complex issue. I’m sure that these parents know that their child has done something evil, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still their baby. Your child is a piece of yourself formed into a whole new human being. Disowning them would be like cutting off a limb, no matter what they may have done. It doesn’t erase an evil act, far from it, but I can understand the pain of a parent in that situation. I think It’s Alive does an exceptional job placing its audience in that situation.
Despite the serious issues and ideas being examined in the film, It’s Alive is far from a dour affair. At heart, it is still a monster movie and filled with a sense of fun and a great deal of pitch-black humor. In one of its more memorable moments, a milkman is sucked into the rear compartment of his truck as red blood mingles with the white milk from smashed bottles leaking out the back of the truck and streaming down the street. Just after Frank agrees to join the hunt for his baby, the film cuts to the back of an ice cream truck with the words “STOP CHILDREN” emblazoned on it. It’s a movie filled with great kills, a mutant baby—created by make-up effects master Rick Baker early in his career, and plenty of action—and all in a PG rated movie! I’m telling you, the ’70s were wild. It just also happens to have some thoughtful ideas behind it as well.
Which was Larry Cohen’s specialty. Cohen made all kinds of movies, but his most enduring have been his horror films and all of them tackle the social issues and fears of the time they were made. God Told Me To (1976), Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), and The Stuff (1985) are all great examples of his socially aware, low-budget, exploitation filmmaking with a brain and It’s Alive certainly fits right in with that group. Cohen would go on to write and direct two sequels, It Lives Again (aka It’s Alive 2) in 1978 and It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive in 1987 and is credited as a co-writer on the 2008 remake. All these films explore the ideas of parental responsibility in light of the various concerns of the times they were made including abortion rights and AIDS.
Fifty years after It’s Alive was initially released, it has only become more relevant in the ensuing years. Fears surrounding parenthood have been with us since the beginning of time but as the years pass the reasons for these fears only seem to become more and more profound. In today’s world the conversation of the fathers in the waiting room could be expanded to hormones and genetic modifications in food, terrorism, climate change, school and other mass shootings, and other threats that were unknown or at least less of a concern fifty years ago. Perhaps the fearmongering conspiracy theories about chemtrails and vaccines would be mentioned as well, though in a more satirical fashion, as fears some expectant parents encounter while endlessly doomscrolling Facebook or Twitter. Speaking for myself, despite the struggles, the fears, and the sadness that sometimes comes with having children, it’s been worth it. The joys ultimately outweigh all of that, but I understand the terror too. Becoming a parent is no easy choice, nor should it be. But as I look back, I can say that I’m glad we made the choice we did.
I wonder if Frank and Lenore can say the same thing.
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