1. The Villains
OK, so if a film were to get an Academy Award in the department of having bat-$hit crazy looking villains, The Black Hole would take the taco. I literally had nightmares for about two weeks straight thanks to the infinitely creepy vibe brought to bare by actor Maximilian Schell, playing the misleading, evil, and deranged Dr. Hans Reinhardt. Also, am I the only one who thought it was an odd coincidence the filmmakers named the devilish robot the same name as the actor playing Reinhardt? Anyway, in addition to the crazy-eyed villain Reinhardt, the Maximilian robot sidekick character is easily one of the scariest creations put on film. You just knew "it" was going to do some very bad things before all was said and done, and once it decides to chop up Anthony Perkin's character with its blades of death, that made it an unforgettable nemesis in sci-fi lore. Just seeing these two heavies next to one another during the course of the film is enough to feel as if this movie more than succeeded in having adequate antagonists in the script. I would also go on record by proclaiming nothing gets more freakishly scary than the final moments of the film when Maximilian and Reinhardt are side by side in the bowels of hell. (well, Disney's version of hell anyway) If that doesn't make you squirm in your seat even a little, nothing will. I'm not even sure the director of this movie, Gary Nelson, knew what he was going for here, but I can imagine his own horror as he viewed it for the first time, most likely lamenting they just scared the living daylights out of Disney's primary demographic. In the end, I feel this was an underrated gem for the five reasons above. Feel free to agree, disagree, or add in some things I didn't cover. Thanks for reading!