8 Horror Movies Where The Villain Is Really The Hero

1. Frankenstein - The Monster

Hannibal Lecter Silence Of The Lambs
Universal Pictures

Think back to the very first time you saw Frankenstein's monster. At that first glance, the monster itself was deemed a villain and one of the most intimidating presences in the horror genre - but that is one of the most common misconceptions in cinema history.

Once you actually read or watch any of the numerous incarnations of the classic Frankenstein tale, it soon becomes apparent that, despite often being labelled as one of the all-time great antagonists, Frankenstein's monster is far from a villain.

Of course, the real villain of Frankenstein is Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

The good doctor opted to try and play god, creating his own monster to boost his own ego and show the world just how smart he was. But once he'd created this monster, Dr. Frankenstein then abandoned his creation and let it run amok on the local townsfolk.

Sure, Frankenstein's monster does cause plentiful chaos and carnage, yet all that it wanted was to feel a sense of belonging and to experience human interaction. It can't help how it's been created - and that it was promised that a mate would be created - yet the creature is thrown to the wolves and made a scapegoat for the deranged antics of Victor Frankenstein.

Some may label him a tragic villain, but Frankenstein's monster is more of a flawed hero who is forever held back by its own restrictions - restrictions that it has zero control over. More-so, when allowed the chance to connect with a person, we get to see the monster's true heart and humanity.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.