Low turnout this time, but we still had a winner:
THE RESULTS:
- Nightmare on Elm Street: 3 votes
- Friday the 13th: 2 votes
- Halloween: 2 votes
- Night of the Living Dead: 2 votes
- Saw: 2 votes
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 1 vote
- The Amityville Horror, Children of the Corn, Hellraiser, Puppet Master: 0 votes
Nearly thirty years and nine films later, Freddy Krueger still proves to be one of the kings of horror. Nice to see a smattering of votes for other series, all of which have had their shares of ups and downs.
This Week’s Poll: Sticking with the horror theme, I am asking a question that is not just limited to film. I want you to think of everything when answering this: films, books, video games, television, whatever. What is your favorite type of horror villain? I tried to include a wide variety of popular subjects, but if I overlooked something then please let me know! Will be interesting to see how this pans out. I feel as if some horror staples have lost their luster over the years (i.e. vampires thanks to Twilight, zombies thanks to over saturation, etc.), but perhaps their fans will remember the good days.
Special Music Announcement: I don’t write about music on here as often as I should, but I would like to share some big news regarding a talented, up-and-coming band from West Michigan. After over a year in the making, The Red Handed have released their long-awaited second EP, A Sudden Change of Scenery! The band has released the album for free online, and it can be streamed in its entirety at Bandcamp. Downloads are also allowed for a pay-what-you-want type deal. The Red Handed are often labeled as “post-hardcore” but they are hard to classify. Fans of Brand New, Circa Survive, Thrice and Coheed and Cambria really need to check this out!
That’s all from me today. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and if you do check out the EP, please share your thoughts in the comments.
Serial Killers, they exist.
Good point!
For me definetly witches – there should be more good films about them! My favorite movie about witches is not even horror – Practical Magic – it’s such a warm, fun film.
I can’t say I have seen too many films about witches, unfortunately. The Blair Witch Project is the first to come to mind, and that’s one of my favorites. Oh, and Harry Potter, but I could do without that series.
I am a sucker fora good ghost story. But my horror movie days are over.
I love a good ghost story, too. Why don’t you watch horror films anymore?
I get nightmares very easily. The last time I watched “Shaun of the Dead” I had zombie dreams three nights in a row. I love that movie, there are some great moments but I hate nightmares. The leech scene in “King Kong” comes back every now and again. That takes a lot of work to eliminate in the moment.
Ah, sorry to hear that. I have a couple friends who have the same problem, actually. I’m the strange sort who embraces nightmares, simply because they take me out of my element and put me in unexpected situations. But then again, I get them rarely, and I could see how they would easily be a problem if they happened more often.
I wanted to vote for Satanic werewolf bikers but it wasn’t on the list.
You must have REALLY liked Werewolves on Wheels.
Hah, I was going to ask what movie that was, so I’m glad John cleared that up. Sounds like my kind of movie.
I would have voted for Nightmare on Elm Street for sure. It’s one of the only horror movies besides the Amityville Horror that makes me scream out loud. And I scream pretty loud.
Haha. Yeah, Freddy is a pretty scary dude. Sounds like I need to see The Amityville Horror, too!
For the next one, I’m kind of tied between ghosts and werewolves, but I voted werewolf because I figured it wouldn’t get as much love as ghosts.
Yeah, I think you’re right on that one. It’s harder to find a good werewolf film than a good ghost film.
I miss the “unknown” category in the new poll for favorite villain. At least in my view the truly scary movies are those where you don’t know what is causing all the scarieness
I think most scary movies are not so scary, because you just can’t connect/”believe” to the offender, because they is so unreal. Some ghost stories come close to this, because you are not shown the villain until in the end (which usually ruins the whole feeling), but until then you don’t know and that is the great horror feeling, “not knowing what is out there” 
That’s an excellent point, man. I think it always helps to not see what’s wreaking havoc. That’s a big part of why Jaws was so suspenseful — we didn’t even see the shark until the halfway mark of the film. Another good example is The Blair Witch Project — there’s something out there messing with the group, but no one knows who/what it is. Not knowing definitely makes things scarier overall.
I hadn’t seen enough of those long-running franchises to make a valid vote, that’s my excuse. Happy to see Freddy Krueger win, he’s such an iconic villain
I had to sit this one out, too, but yeah, can’t go wrong with Freddy!
oh, and the next poll, definitely serial killers for me. When you know it’s capable of happening for real, infinitely more creepy. Though makers of paranormal activity might disagree with me on that point
I agree with you on that point, though I’m still not sure that ghosts aren’t real…
Good ol’ Freddie!
How about all of those in the poll, rolled into one? That would be brill! But I went for ghosts. There’s just something about those non-entities that I can get behind. A good, classic ghost story is hard to beat. Though, apparently, these days it’s also hard to make!
So, something like The Cabin in the Woods?
Yeah, I hear ya about ghost stories. I can get really into those, but it does seem like a while since we’ve had a good one. Maybe I should dig deeper into J-horror. I know there’s quite a few of those I still need to see…
I voted for vampires. not necessarily because i like them as villains per se, but oftentimes, either they are pretty good fighters (Underworld), or someone that is is hunting them down (Blade). ha
Hey, I like that reasoning, T! That’s one of the stronger cases I have heard for vampires.
Freddy! I might have voted for him too. Then again, I might have actually voted for Puppet Master out of pure loyalty, since I love the first three films of that series. But I digress.
I voted for Evil/Possessed Children. Something about the corruption of innocence, the loss of childhood, strikes me as being incredibly real and frightening on an emotional level. Besides, nothing like a creepy, lurking child giggling in the dark to set your nerves on edge. Throw a crazy dude with a knife at me and I think I could survive, but I would have no frigging clue what to do with an evil child.
That said, it’s hard for me to decide which of these is my favorite. I went for the one that unsettles me the most, but I really, really love werewolves and zombies, and I think a good werewolf film or zombie film can serve as an excellent vehicle for social commentary.
You know, I have never actually seen a Puppet Master film. Now you’ve got me curious to check them out, or at least the first one. It looks like it could be good fun.
Agreed on evil children. When done right, they can be creepier than anything. The Japanese have really nailed that lately — the schoolgirl in Ringu and the boy in Ju-on are the stuff of nightmares.
I’d love to see your take on Puppet Master. The first two flicks are solid, but for it’s the third that really and truly delights.