1. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood
Oil man Daniel Plainview appears from first glance to be a caring, kindly man, adopting the son of a man who is killed while they're working, and raising him as his own son, H.W. When Daniel refers to H.W. as his business partner, it's a cute, amusing little exchange, which seems to suggest that, above all else, Plainview has his son's best interests at heart as far as the future goes. However, Daniel clearly doesn't realise that there should be a disconnect between the two, because he ends up leaving H.W. unsupervised on an oil mining site, and a subsequent explosion leaves him deaf for the rest of his life. Daniel perseveres, though his increasing greed and desire to push his enemies into the mud (literally) eventually overpowers his love for H.W. At the end of the film, set when H.W. is an adult, Daniel has nothing for him but mockery, and soon enough sends him on his way. Which movie parents terrified you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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