10 Horror Movie Villains Motivated By Love

8. Sir Joel Cadman - The Black Sleep

Kathy Bates Misery
United Artists

Mad scientists! Everyone knows them, and everyone loves them. They are to horror what Kim Kardashian is to social media influencers.

Throughout cinema history, these raving geniuses have terrorised the screen with their monstrous creations and unstoppable minds. Viewers have seen them commit sins for plenty of reasons, usually consisting of a thirst for power, the desire to play god or a need to watch the world burn. But, sometimes, it's for the beautiful sake of l, o, v, e - love!

The Black Sleep is a horror classic following a crazed scientist who kidnaps people and performs experiments on their brains. This Joel Cadman has all the hallmarks of your typical wannabe god, but he's far more in line with DC's Mr Freeze, as the reason he's conducting these awful experiments is to find a cure for his wife's inoperable brain tumour.

Now, this motive doesn't make the guy any less scary, especially with the compelling performance from cinema legend Basil Rathbone. But, it still humanises him in a way, as everyone can relate to the idea of going too far to save the one you love - even if no one actually goes this far.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!