10 Horror Movie Villains Who Returned More Badass

To many, Christopher Lee is the definitive Dracula actor. 

The British star did such a good job in the Hammer horror classics that, although many have tried to replace him as the face of Bram Stoker’s novel, few have come close. 

This might be why he appeared in the 1966 movie Dracula: Prince of Darkness, despite the fact that he’d been killed off in the original Dracula movie eight years earlier. Thanks to an evil blood ritual, the slain Count is able to rise from the grave and once again terrorise the inhabitants of his castle. 

Not only is it pretty cool that Drac was able to return from the dead, but he is somehow even more menacing than before, thanks to the decision not to have the character speak. Lee claims that this was his idea, though scriptwriter Jimmy Sangster has gone on record to dispute this. 

Through Lee’s menacing physical presence - the man was 6' 5" - the blood-hungry vamp is even more threatening than before, as audiences’ imaginations were far more engaged than with his previous speaking role. This was a bold move, whoever made it, but it sure as hell paid off.