10 Modern Slasher Horror Movie Villains That Went Unnoticed
5. The Mountain Man - Cold Prey
In Cold Prey, a group of friends go on vacation in the snowy mountains of Jotunheimen. When one of their party breaks his leg, they're forced to seek shelter in an abandoned hotel. Just when things look like they couldn't get any worse, the group learn the hotel is home to a pickaxe-wielding murderer called Gier Barth AKA The Mountain Man.
At first, Gier comes across as a mindless lunatic, much like Michael Myers. But after learning what he's been through, you realise this guy never had a chance of a normal life.
Throughout Gier's childhood, his father abused him, locked him up, and buried him alive in the snow, while his mother refused to intervene. After knowing nothing but cruelty since the moment he came into the world, Gier snapped, and killed his parents. To avoid being hurt again, Gier stayed in the mountains and murdered anyone who came near him.
Even though Cold Prey's plot could've functioned if Gier was depicted as a generic baddie, the filmmakers made him far more compelling by giving him a detailed and heartbreaking story. His urge to kill doesn't stem from joy or malice, but out of a warped means to survive.