10 Awesome Horror Movie Villains With One Stupid Weakness

Even some of horror's greatest-ever villains have pretty lame weak spots.

by Andrew Pollard
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Trimark Pictures

By their very nature, some horror movie villains are almost unstoppable and impossible to get the better of, leading to many a tense, atmospheric picture where our protagonists are properly put through the wringer as they battle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

However, the horror genre has offered up certain rogues who can be taken down with one very simple trick. Whether they're otherworldly menaces, demonic figures, or hulking powerhouses, some of horror's finest wrong 'uns have been taken down due to having one fairly daft, silly, or basic weakness. Should a heroic character become aware of this weak spot, it's pretty much game over for that villain, as they either lose all their powers or simply end up dead. Granted, they may return for a sequel outing down the line, but still that weakness often remains in place.

With that in mind, then, here are ten horror villains - some of which rank amongst the greatest the genre has ever served up - who, despite their devilish dominance and sinister intentions, all had an incredibly simple way to have their rampage brought to a crashing halt.

10. Valak - The Conjuring Franchise

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Warner Bros.

While TNA's Joe Hendry appears when you say his name (hey, wrestling fans!), The Conjuring franchise's Valak goes one better than that.

To be fair, The Nun II shows that Valak can be banished by the Blood of Christ, which is obviously pretty far from a lame weakness. However, as seen in The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case, there is one vastly easier way to take Valak down.

In that 2016 James Wan picture, Valak lurks in the shadows, causing all kinds of chaos and sinister torment for the Warrens and the poor Hodgson family. At this point, this demon is presented as a mysterious nun figure who Lorraine Warren has visions of being involved in the death of her husband, Ed. Desperate to stop this evil and save Ed from his predicted demise, Lorraine realises that she can defeat this beast simply by saying its name.

So, when Lorraine remembers the demon's name is Valak, she berates this nefarious force and uses its own moniker to send it packing straight to Hell.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.