10 MORE Ridiculous Horror Movie Villains That Shouldn’t Have Worked… But Did

10. Mayflower Pilgrim John Carver - Thanksgiving (2023)

Built from the B-movie trailer of the same name (commissioned for Tarantino's Grindhouse), Eli Roth's Thanksgiving surprised everyone two years ago by actually being good. Set in the present day and packed with Gen Z stars, but sporting a retro aesthetic, Thanksgiving manages to seamlessly blend old and new into something fresh, shocking and gory in all the right places.

The film picks up one year after a thanksgiving tragedy in which several of Plymouth's residents were trampled by a Black Friday mob, when a killer is stalking the streets seeking 1980s horror-style vengeance. And, of course, the focal point for the '80s vibe is the film's typically OTT slasher villain: umm, John Carver.

So, sure, he's not really the John Carver who made the Mayflower voyage in 1620 and became the first governor of Plymouth - but he is dressed as the guy. The mask is cheap and the clothes old-timey, but while the outfit makes him a deeply improbable horror figure - breeches, stockings, latchet shoes and the iconic capotain hat don't stoke fear in the hearts of many - it only takes a few swings of the axe to turn him into a horror icon.