10 horror movie heroes who were secretly the villains

Horror films often offer cautionary tales, from Frankenstein's monster to families who move into haunted houses despite warnings. Horror films based on folklore, for example, have premises that carry timeless moral messages. The protagonists' strength of character is tested in these films, and sometimes even ends in tragedy, on the way to establishing the importance of being conscientious. That's why horror movie villains sometimes seem to be rightas in Carriewhere even though the titular character ends up killing many people, her previous mistreatment at the hands of the deceased makes her actions seem justified.

Horror films reflect the anxieties of any era. This is why there have been so many horror films about artificial intelligence in recent times. The horror in the most significant films is the manifestations of human error and the consequences of mistakes. The best horror films come with life lessons, not the kind that beat viewers over the head, but the kind that becomes clear through the fates of characters who make questionable choices at every point in the film. Consequently, the “heroes” of some horror films can be the true villains as they wreak havoc.

10

Dana Polk

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

You can't blame anyone for trying to protect themselves at all costs, especially in a life or death situation, but Dana's choices in The cabin in the forest it has a deeper impact that makes your actions questionable at best. Firstly, she is responsible for starting the zombie attack by reciting incantations from a diary that would be better not to read. This could be easy to forgive, since they were being watched and would be attacked anyway. However, what she does next is less forgivable, making THE Cabin in the Forest a film where people want the villain to win.

Despite understanding what is at stake in the ritual and why they need to die, Dana and Marty decide to condemn humanity. Marty is an equal participant, of course, but Dana had the opportunity to set things in motion when asked to shoot Marty, and she didn't follow through. As a friend, and even as a person with survival instincts, these are understandable actions, but it's hard not to see her as a villain, especially when she knows she will die anyway, but her sacrifice could save humanity.

9

Jill Roberts

Scream 4 (2011)

THE Scream The franchise is known for its satirical, meta, and self-aware take on the slasher genre. Over the years, Scream the films evolved with the slashers of the time to incorporate new tropes to subvert or critique through their narratives. But the best part of each Scream the film remains the reveal of his Ghostface. Predictable or not, the reveal is always a fun moment for the reactions it provokes in the characters and because it often reflects on the last generation through the killer's motivation.

One of Ghostface's most surprising revelations is in Scream 4. It's particularly shocking because, although the killers are almost always one of the new characters, a direct relative of Sidney Prescott is a diabolical choice. Emma Roberts' performance leading up to the reveal carries foreshadowing that becomes more apparent upon rewatch, but it's still hard not to be furious every time someone watches this reveal occur. It takes a horrible person to force her sister to revisit her worst trauma just out of envy of her unwanted fame for being a victim, which makes Jill Roberts the best Ghostface.

8

JunoKaplan

The Descent (2005)

One of the most common emotional themes in horror films is grief. It becomes a source of horror for some characters and almost always motivates choices that are questionable. And sometimes, actions seem justifiable, as it is unfair to completely dismiss a grieving person as a villain for not finding a better way to cope with their loss. For example, one of the harsh realities of reviewing the Friday the 13th movies is realizing that Pamela Voorhees, as a grieving, vengeful mother, is a better killer than Jason Voorhees, whose motivation seems weaker.

However, the same cannot be said of Juno Kaplan of The Descent duology. Not only does she actively put her friends at risk for adventure, but she also sleeps with her closest friend's husband. Regardless of your pain, both decisions are incredibly selfishand is not easy to forgive, although she risks her life to save her friend's life later. Furthermore, she abandons one of her other friends to her fate after she herself mortally wounds her. Calling her a villain may seem excessive, but she's the reason her friends are exposed to the murderous monsters.

7

Ellison Oswalt

Sinister (2012)

Ellison possibly takes the jackpot among people who intentionally move into cursed homes. His motivation makes him the worst of all. He's not there out of curiosity or a challenge, he's there to monetize the haunt through his writing. His greed ends up dooming his family because living there marks them for death. His dubious choices are the ultimate form of selfishness, as he ignores threatening occurrences to better his career and takes no action to keep his family safe until it is too late.

“Sinister's macabre story introduced audiences to the supernatural figure of director Scott Derrickson's 'Bughuul', who has since become a famous movie monster, spawning a sequel to the film that was released in 2015.” – Mark Birrell – 10 best horror movies like Sinister

Ellison not only becomes aware of the possibilities long before he does anything about them; their reaction to the discovery is to withhold information from authorities. He wants to use the murder evidence he finds in the attic to create a plot for his next novel, mentally conjuring a serial killer to explain the images he finds. He actively ignores the unexplained phenomena in the attic and eventually gets his family killed. He may not be the killer and there may be a monster involved, but at least he's the villain in his family.

6

Adelaide Wilson/Red

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele is known for making horror films that address social issues, such as systemic racism in To go outand capitalism in No. He is also known for including a twist in the film that makes viewers reevaluate everything that has happened so far. Us metaphorically explores the concept of classism through the story of the Bound, who are identical to normal or unbound people, but are forced to live underground in hiding and feed on rabbits, while their doppelgängers above live normal lives. The contrast in privileges makes us wonder whether the villains are truly unjustified.

The twist in the story Us It's obvious, but that doesn't lessen the horror of the situation. Since Adelaide is actually herself living in the outside world, this means that she hasn't just taken control of her doppelgänger's life, she's discovered a way to gain the privileges that the other tethered ones don't have access to, but haven't been able to. Don't try to help them. Although she does not appear to be a danger to her normal family because she is detached from the Tethered and protects her children, if the Tethered are considered victims, she is definitely a villain.

5

Christian Hughes

Summer Solstice (2019)

Ari Aster's horror films are about grief. The main characters in each face loss and go through harrowing experiences during their journey to acceptance. The protagonist of Summer solstice is dealing with the death of his family when he goes to visit the Swedish summer festival. Her boyfriend, Christian, believes the experience can help take her mind off things, and he insists on it in a toxic way. He's so toxic that his death at the end still makes Summer solstice one of the films with “good for her” endings.

Christian spends most of his time at the festival flirting with other women and offending his girlfriend when she confronts him. He ignores her when she tells him that she is uncomfortable with the rituals performed at the festival. He even claims that her pain makes her a killjoy and that he needs to spend time away from her. The sexual ritual he performs in the third act becomes the breaking point for his girlfriend, but he deserves sympathy for being forced into it. However, the rest of his misconduct still makes him a villain for her.

4

Grace Stewart

The Others (2001)

M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense has one of the most famous final twists in film history, which has become so iconic that revelations of this type are called “M. Night Shyamalan twists.” In the same vein, Alejandro Amenábar The others has a touch of M. Night Shyamalan, and is revealed in a similar way to The Sixth Sense. Much like Bruce Willis' character in The Sixth SenseNicole Kidman's character is revealed at the end of The others to have been dead the whole time and a ghost.

Grace responds to being haunted by spirits in her home in a rather extreme way. After finding a woman wearing her daughter's dress, she attacks her and then discovers that it was her daughter she attacked. Her behavior borders on paranoia throughout, and then the final reveal cements her as the film's villain. She coped with the loss of her husband murdering his children in cold blood and then killing himself. Now, she is a ghost who haunts the living residents of her home.

3

Maria

High Voltage (2003)

Horror films are characterized by memorable villains who viewers will believe are impossible to beat, and a final girl, albeit a sexually negative and regressive trope, who audiences will again believe can somehow outsmart the killer. Alexandre Aja High voltage blurs the lines between the two characters for a fantastic ending. However, the ending simply makes High voltage a troubled killer who demonizes both queerness and mental illness. Unrealized potential and regressive politics make it one of the most controversial slashers of all time.

“Haute Tension's surprise ending never sat well with critics, as many reviewers felt that its bizarre revelations undid much of the film's effective tension and suspense.” – Cathal Gunning – TelaRant

High voltage has the makings of the perfect slasher – it's fast-paced, has almost cartoonishly bloody kills, and the final girl is flawed in her efforts to survive, but manages some moments of genius as she prepares to face the killer. But then it is revealed at the end that the “heroine,” Marie, is a lesbian who is acting on her homosexual impulses that society demonizes, killing people in cold blood and in horrific ways. His dissociative identity disorder is used to justify his villainy, but this is a harmful form of representation of both mental illness and queerness!

2

Driver

Nobody Lives (2013)

Wanting to avenge your wife's death can hardly be considered a reason to call someone a villain, but Driver's bloodlust makes it possible. Although he seems like the victim at first, it's impossible to feel sympathy for him after it's revealed that he has a penchant for killing people for no reason. The fact that he There's a girl locked in the trunk of the carthat he is the only survivor of a group of fifteen, all of whom were clearly killed by Driver, clearly makes him the villain.

Although the man who initially detains Driver and provides his wife with the means to kill herself is a criminal and deserves punishment for his actions, his family's fate seems unfair. Driver kills each of them brutally, using the most horrific tools and means to torture them before killing them. He's a methodical psychopath, so even though he's the victim initially and the group of people he kills are all ruthless criminals, he's definitely the villain in the end. Nobody lives.

1

Amanda Young

Saw II (2005)

The spectators of Mountain range The franchise that followed the films now knows her as Jigsaw's assistant who maintained his legacy after his death, but Amanda wasn't always on his side through the traps. She is the only known survivor of a Jigsaw trap in Saw IIand therefore the only person who was forced to play his sick game twice. Your will to survive becomes apparent as the game progressesas he manages to make the necessary sacrifices at every step to help a child survive, as, one by one, the participants die.

However, the Mountain range The films are known for their shocking twists and it was revealed that the game has been around for days. Daniel's father rushes to find him still alive, but before he can do anything, he is attacked by Amanda. She became Jigsaw's assistant after surviving the game and was an accomplice in the game the entire time. Everything that happened was predestined and no one can save him now either. For those who consider Jigsaw justified in his games, Amanda may be right too. But within the rules of a horror film, her role ends up being that of a villain.