10 Best Horror Movie Scenes Where Good Characters Turned Evil
We loved watching this lot turn to the dark side.
Horror movies need compelling heroes - someone to root for against the untold evils displayed on screen.
They also need terrifying villains - entities who add danger and threat to a narrative. But why choose between the two of them? Why not have both?
After all, what's scarier than someone who appears good actually turning into a baddie? Especially when they then go on a massive killing spree.
The history of the genre is littered with characters who start off on the side of light and then, for one reason or another, switch allegiances part way through a movie and embrace the darkness.
Maybe they suffer a tragedy that completely changes them. Maybe they end up possessed by an evil spirit. Or maybe they were harbouring that villainy all along and just needed a push in the right direction.
Or should that be wrong direction?
Whatever the reason, these ten characters all ended up on the naughty list by the time their movies came to an end. Some were shocking, some were expected, but all of them were extremely effective in making sure audiences never trusted anyone ever again.
10. The Mogwai - Gremlins
The best non-Christmassy Christmas film maybe ever (yes, it is better than Die Hard), Gremlins from 1984 introduced the world to Gizmo and the Mogwai.
The Mogwai are a species of small, fluffy creatures hiding some devilish secrets. If they get wet, they will multiply. If they're fed after midnight, then all hell breaks loose.
This is exactly what happens when young Billy Peltzer receives one as a gift from his father. He names the little furball Gizmo, before his doofus best friend Pete accidentally drops water on him.
Didn't you hear the rules, Pete?
This leads to the creation of five more Mogwai, including the villainous Stripe. Stripe and his gang then get fed after midnight, leaving Billy, Gizmo, and Pete the idiot to battle the monsters.
Whilst you might expect us to include the scene where Stripe et al go full Gremlin here, it's hard to argue that they were "good" before getting fed at midnight.
Instead, we've plucked for the scene where Gizmo gets soaked. Not only is the the movie's inciting incident, but it's also a demonstration of some of cinema's greatest folklore.
Also, we had to take the opportunity to dunk on Pete. Moron.