10 Smartest Villain Plans In Horror Movies

Horror villains rarely need a villainous masterplan. When you're a demonic entity or spectral being that can run through walls, disappear in a puff of smoke or simply appear suddenly behind the film's protagonist for no other reason than scaring the ever-loving sh*t out of them, why bother with an intrinsically thought out plot?

On the other hand, when horror villains are relegated to the role of mere mortals, they are forced to utilize other means of carrying out their agenda, often taking the form of horrifying acts of violence or intimidation. However, what legitimately represents a far more frightening prospect is the notion of these deranged psychopaths choosing to run mental rings around their prey instead.

This combination of unbridled evil and unparalleled intelligence and foresight is arguably far more ominous than a supernatural antagonist - a status quo often exemplified by their endlessly more appalling on-screen antics. Many of these rarer baddies who channel their inner Machiavelli have gone down amongst the most iconic horror villains in history.

Funnily enough, the more intelligent antagonists nearly always seem to come out on top, a testament to the power of forward thinking even within the depraved confines of the horror genre.

The Plan: Posing as a little girl in order to indulge her murderous desires.

Leena Klammer, otherwise known as Esther and the antagonist of the Orphan horror franchise, might be the quintessential example of a villain playing to every advantage physically possible.

"Esther" has a rare hormonal disorder which means that she has simply not developed in size. Her diminutive appearance resembles a girl of no more than 10 years old - a handy smokescreen when one happens to be a murderous psychopath.

Orphan soon reveals that behind her innocent façade, Esther is batsh*t, Looney Tunes insane. Like a murderous human cuckoo, she poses as a wide-eyed orphan to convince families into adopting her, savagely murdering them when the opportunity presents itself.

She may be an heinously deranged lunatic, but Klammer's plan is wickedly clever. In addition to the cunning with which she uses her condition to her advantage across both films, she scoured records of missing American girls to find one she resembled, before assuming her identity in Orphan: First Kill.

It's also worth mentioning her insidiously inspired use of ribbons. Killing two birds with one stone, Leena embellishes her childlike appearance and hides an even darker secret. Her arms and neck are covered in scars from a lifetime of thrashing against psych-ward straightjackets, with the ribbons giving her the perfect excuse to cover them up.

Leena might be despicable, but she's an phenomenal planner.