10 Horror Films That Wasted Their Villain
All that squandered, terrifying potential.
What is any horror film with a memorable villain? Boring as hell, that's what.
But there's perhaps nothing more frustrating than being introduced to a compellingly creepy horror movie antagonist, only for the film around them to quickly fall to pieces.
Sometimes it's clear that someone had one great idea for a villain yet little clue of how to form a compelling script to support them, and so, we have these 10 crushingly squandered horror movie baddies.
Each offered up an antagonist primed to strike fear into audience's hearts and possible even kickstart a phenomenally successful horror franchise, but they ultimately failed to make the most of their appealingly creepy ghosts and monsters.
Some of these villains did get their own dubious franchises regardless, but they're still seen as majorly missed opportunities by genre fans at large - shambling examples of what can happen when an inspired idea isn't backed up by strong creative across the board.
Coming up with a horror movie monster that looks creepy is one thing, but actually figuring out how to make them terrify a multiplex full of people is something else entirely...
10. The Creeper - Jeepers Creepers
The original Jeepers Creepers boasts a totally unforgettable opening sequence which the rest of the film strains (and fails) to live up to.
Siblings Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin long) are driving home from college when they find themselves terrorised by an aggressive trucker, who they soon come to believe is a serial killer operating in the area.
But the longer the movie goes on, and the more it reveals about the so-called Creeper, the less-interesting it becomes.
By the time the Creeper is shown in plain view and spreads its ridiculous-looking wings, confirming itself to be a supernatural monster, the film has largely devolved into goofy B-movie schlock.
It's a shame as there's some genuinely intriguing mythology behind the Creeper - chiefly that it comes out of hibernation every 23 years to feed for 23 days - but the deeply underwhelming Jeepers Creepers trilogy has largely depicted the titular beast as a generic guy-in-suit critter.