17 Movie Villains Who Completely Ruined Your Childhood
14. Cruella De Vil - 101 Dalmations
Theres a multitude of reasons why Cruella De Vil ruined childhoods, but the most pertinent for children mesmerised by the throng of onscreen puppies was the matter of her fur coat. Its not your average pelt - this particular accessory was probably fashioned from the skins of puppies savagely murdered off-screen. It's fair to say that Disney werent kidding around. Basically, her entire schtick revolves around the desire for young, supple fur thats easily groomed for the creation of a nice coat. Millions of malleable children's brains were subjected to the harsh reality that youll be exploited while youre young and cute, and sold to the highest bidder, who will wear you like evening wear. De Vils shameless fur-peddling tactics struck fear into every child, who not only began to fear eccentric family friends, but also feared the prospect of ever getting attached to a puppy, since the world was full of people ready to do unspeakable things to them. One of the films signature songs hammers the point home, on the off-chance that one lone child was still not 100% certain of her terror: "Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil. If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will..." How very well observed.
Gem is a freelance writer, musician and librarian.
Her hobbies include: recreating movie death scenes from LEGO, concocting new types of bird suet cakes, walking on fresh snow and playing the glockenspiel - all at the same time.
