10 Horror Movie Villains Who Became Smarter In The Sequel

If you can't beat 'em, make 'em join you.

The despicable Elite Hunting Club depicted within Eli Roth's Hostel universe are no slouches when it comes to quick thinking. Hardly surprising really, as it's probably quite difficult to engineer a depraved organization that abducts and sadistically murders unsuspecting tourists, if the entire operation is run by a bunch of dolts.

Unfazed by the escape of original protagonist Paxton in the first outing, the sequel reveals that the organization wasted little time with the swiftest and most brutal of reprisals. For poor Paxton, his girlfriend Stephanie discovers his decapitated corpse at the breakfast table. After all, it's a lot harder to squeal to the police without a head.

Furthermore, Sasha, the ominous head of the vile organization, reveals the extent of just how terrifyingly formidable he is in the film's climactic sequence - to the extent where viewers find themselves wondering whether Paxton would have even survived the first movie had he come up against this iteration of the Elite Hunting Club.

Landing a massive financial windfall by offering protagonist Beth her freedom in exchange for a large portion of her vast inheritance was one thing, but additionally ensuring her complicity and silence by forcing Beth to kill loathsome psychopath Stuart? It's also hard to go to the authorities when you've suddenly got a literal tattoo marking you as a member of the same organization you want to bring down.

There was clearly a board meeting around the need for smarter behaviour in between sequels.