The lasting success of the horror genre has been built on a few core principles. The genre’s use of allegory and thematic storytelling has always been key, as has tapping into the wider social consciousness to tell stories that are appropriately relevant in order to best scare their audience. However, arguably the most important element of the genre’s success has been the rise of horror movie franchises, which have seen popular movies receive multiple sequels, earning their characters wider recognition and a lasting place within the wider history of the genre. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, as sometimes great horror movies turn out to be standalone affairs.
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For every entry into the genre that gets a great horror movie sequel, there are more that end up overlooked. The genre has established many great horror movie villains who have excellent potential, though not all of them have been able to live up to it. Though standalone horror movies can often provide satisfyingly conclusive endings, some villains simply deserve to return to continue terrifying audiences, and it seems a waste of great characters when this doesn’t materialize.
1) Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington – Ma (2019)
2019’s Ma follows a group of teens who become increasingly connected to Sue Ann Ellington, who they affectionately nickname “Ma”. After buying alcohol for the local teens, Sue Ann allows them to hang out in her unused basement, claiming she fears for their safety. However, Sue Ann’s growing obsession with the teens and their lives becomes dangerous, ultimately spilling over into a murderous confrontation after they pry into Ma’s private affairs.
Octavia Spencer’s performance in the role comprises everything required of a great villain. At first, she seems sympathetic, though her cunning and volatile nature later surfaces to reveal her as a terrifying horror movie antagonist. Though the movie gives Ma a fairly decisive ending, the character deserved to return either in a prequel or by being somehow brought back using a little horror movie magic. Seeing her return to manipulate and attack a whole new community would make for brilliant viewing, though it seems incredibly unlikely to happen. Luckily, MA 2 is in the works.
2) The Lasser Glass – Oculus (2013)
2013’s Oculus may not be one of the best-known horror movies of the 2010s, but it’s an excellently unnerving watch that makes use of a talented cast and director. The second feature film by Mike Flanagan of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass fame, Oculus stars Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, and Kate Siegel. It follows two siblings as they investigate a mirror known as the Lasser Glass which they believe to be responsible for a family curse, telling both their present-day story and their childhood experiences of the Lasser Glass through flashbacks.
The Lasser Glass effectively serves as the movie’s main antagonist, and despite being a seemingly inanimate object, it’s an excellent villain. The way in which the mirror affects its victims makes for appropriately terrifying visual horror, lending Oculus a mind-bending element that could easily have translated into sequels. Seeing the mirror return to cause terror and trauma for another family would be a natural continuation of Oculus’s story, keeping Flanagan’s relatively innovative premise alive as part of a franchise.
3) Lola Stone – The Loved Ones (2009)
The Loved Ones is often cited as one of the best horror movies of the ’00s, even though it is often overlooked in wider conversations about the genre. The Australian horror movie follows Brent, a high school student who begins the movie by declining to attend the school dance with fellow student Lola Stone. This results in Brent being held captive by Lola’s family, forced to pretend to be her date while being tortured in their family home.
In some ways, Lola is as much a victim in The Loved Ones‘ story as Brent due to the disturbing nature of her upbringing. The movie’s ending sees her killed by Brent as he escapes, but having her return in some way to continue to exact twisted schemes on unsuspecting victims would be a great way to turn The Loved Ones‘ success into a franchise. Lola is a complex and twisted character whose bizarre upbringing and proclivities, combined with her experience in the first movie, would make her the perfect horror franchise villain.
4) Horace Pinker – Shocker (1989)
Shocker is one of the more bizarre yet noteworthy horror movies of the 1980s that unfairly never received a sequel. It follows Horace Pinker, a serial killer who targets the family of a local cop before being captured through the intervention his surviving son. He is caught and executed by electric chair, only to return from beyond the grave with electrical abilities to get revenge on the boy who helped catch him.
Shocker‘s unorthodox approach to horror genre tropes was divisive, and it saw Horace Pinker become a thematic amalgamation of iconic villains Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Though the movie itself had various issues, including problems with its visual effects, Pinker could easily have become the next big horror franchise villain. Seeing Pinker continue his reign of terror would have been an organic way to keep Shocker‘s story going, as he was an interesting villain who sadly never got a chance to return for a sequel.
5) Harry Warden – My Bloody Valentine (1981)
1981’s My Bloody Valentine is a perfect example of a great but overlooked slasher movie that doesn’t get the love it deserves. It was somewhat held back by censorship ahead of its release, though it still went down in horror movie history as an early pioneer that helped define the slasher movie subgenre. It follows a small-town mining community who are terrorized by the return of murderous miner Harry Warden 20 years after his first killings.
Harry Warden is an imposing figure, clad head to toe in mining gear. My Bloody Valentine‘s use of a large physical presence as the villain tapped into the success of Halloween, and was later echoed by the introduction of Jason Voorhees. Had fate been a little kinder to My Bloody Valentine, Harry Warden could well be counted among them as horror movie legend, but sadly, he was never brought back to feature in a franchise in the manner he deserved.
6) Doom-Head – 31 (2016)
Rob Zombie’s transformation from musician to a fan-favorite horror filmmaker has seen him bring several successful villains to life on the big screen. 31 is one of Zombie’s best efforts, though it heavily relies on a single aspect to carry it through: Richard Brake’s performance as Doom-Head. The movie follows a group of carnival workers who are kidnapped by a gang of murderous clowns known as the Heads, who force them into a deadly maze.
Doom-Head is by far the best character in the movie, and Brake’s performance is the main reason. A character who is as cold and calculating as he is gleefully homicidal, Doom-Head is an all-time horror movie villain whose fate in 31‘s ending is left open. If any of Rob Zombie’s characters thoroughly deserve to be placed at the center of their own franchise it’s Doom-Head, as he’s one of the most hypnotic and unnerving characters in modern horror.
7) The Babadook – The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook is a movie that earned considerable success and acclaim upon its release. Following a widowed single mother and her young son, its story concerns their attempt to confront the malevolent being that seems to live in their home. First introduced into the movie through his appearance in a pop-up children’s book, the top-hat wearing Babadook is one of the most memorable new additions to the stable of iconic horror movie villains.
The Babadook’s presence makes the movie terrifying, especially as he manifests in the especially unsettling medium of a children’s book. Though the film’s ending sees the villain overcome, his fate is not conclusive, leaving the door open for a potential return. Seeing the Babadook find his way into the lives and homes of other families could make for an excellent franchise, and could help him live up to his potential as one of the most frightening horror movie villains of all time.
8) Leslie Vernon – Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
There are many overlooked horror movies, but few of them can claim to be as unique as Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. A darkly comedic horror mockumentary, Behind the Mask follows the titular character as he navigates a world in which iconic movie killers are real and celebrated figures, hoping to become the next great villain himself. Leslie Vernon serves as the movie’s protagonist, but Behind the Mask also established him as a villain with huge potential.
The movie’s cleverly-written mockumentary story manages to both pay homage to the slasher genre while also gently spoofing its most common tropes. This helps to make Leslie Vernon both an interesting character and a great villain, as the movie’s format gives its audience an unprecedented and darkly funny look at the supposed psyche of a horror movie villain. Behind the Mask‘s ending also sets up a potential sequel, but Leslie Vernon ironically seems destined not to lead a franchise of his own, no matter how good it might have been.
9) Calvin – Life (2017)
While some considered 2017‘s Life to be derivative of other sci-fi horror movies such as Alien and The Thing, it proved a success with critics for its examination of interesting narrative themes. Its story follows a six-person crew on the International Space Station who discover evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. The life form, which they name Calvin, turns out to be far more complex and dangerous than they had assumed, however, putting the entire crew at risk.
Calvin’s role as a horror movie villain plays into the tried and tested niche of otherworldly killers with incomprehensible motives. The rapidly evolving and highly intelligent being turns out not just to pose a threat to the crew, but to all of humanity, as he is able to find his way to Earth in the movie’s shocking ending. Calvin would be perfect as a villain in a horror franchise, as his ability to adapt makes him a formidable foe that brings an existential level of horror to any narrative.
10) Mary Shaw – Dead Silence (2007)
As ’00s horror movies go, Dead Silence might not be the best-written or widely known, but it is incredibly memorable. Following the success of his first three movies – all in the Saw franchise, no less – James Wan turned his attention to making Dead Silence, a supernatural horror about a widower who seeks answers about his wife’s death, only to step unwittingly into the path of a supernatural killer. Though Dead Silence was a critical and commercial flop, it has since earned something of a cult following.
Dead Silence‘s main villain is Mary Shaw, a deceased ventriloquist who survived beyond death to haunt her hometown and the descendants of those she blamed for her death with an army of dummies, puppets, and dolls. The supernatural nature of the villain, combined with the endlessly creepy potential of Dead Silence‘s doll-focused premise, makes Mary Shaw a prime candidate to lead a horror movie franchise. Regardless of the first film’s shortcomings, Dead Silence could easily mark the beginning of a popular and terrifying franchise, with the unforgettably creepy Mary Shaw at the forefront.
