10 Horror Movie Villains Who Were Recruited For Evil
“We all go a little mad sometimes.”
Who doesn’t love a good villain, even in the frequently grotesque world of horror cinema where bad guys are many and varied?
They can be remorseless serial killers, accomplices or, in some of the more interesting cases, once-innocent victims who were pushed that bit too far.
However, one way or another, they were all either seduced or forced into committing their evil deeds. The best part is that audiences just can't help but follow them on their respective journeys!
Their character arcs might be contained within a single film or they might unfold over the course of a franchise, either providing the cinemagoer with some insight into why they became bad in the first place or leaving them as much in the dark in the final chapter as they were in the first. Some baddies even have various different interpretations that continue to shed light on their journey in new and exciting ways.
Here, you can examine ten horror movie villains who allowed themselves to be recruited by the forces of darkness. And remember, “We all go a little mad sometimes”.
10. Ash - Alien (1979)
“I can’t lie to you about your chances, but… you have my sympathies.”
Blindly obeying orders from your employer (and creator) can be a great route into being recruited into evil, especially when you don't have any choice other than to obey.
Sir Ian Holm’s Ash is the science officer aboard the commercial mining ship, Nostromo when it receives a mysterious distress signal from planetoid LV-426. It turns out to be a warning that the entire crew - except for Ash - ends up wishing it didn’t respond to when executive officer, Kane inadvertently gives birth to a Xenomorph that then plagues his colleagues.
Ash proves to be more of a hindrance than a help, arousing the suspicions of warrant officer, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). When she confronts him about his inactivity, Ash attacks her until the other surviving members of the crew come to Ripley’s aid.
Realising that Ash is not only an android, but has been ordered via the Nostromo’s onboard computer, “Mother”, to bring the Xenomorph back to “the Company”, even at the cost of their lives, the crew resolve to destroy the Nostromo and it’s uninvited guest to save their own lives and prevent the creature from falling into the wrong hands. However, it may already be too late…
Ash had a lasting impact on the Alien franchise: don't trust robots!