9 Classic Stephen King Movie Villains Who Chill You To The Bone

5. Leland Gaunt - Needful Things (1993)

Leland Gaunt, a mysterious character, moves into a small Maine town called Castle Rock, and opens a shop. This shop seems to sell all of the inhabitants of the towns' ultimate coveted items - such as a pendant that removes pain from a woman with severe arthritis or a horse racing toy that can accurately predict the outcome of races for a gambler. Evidently, Leland has a touch of the supernatural about him. All he asks in return for these magical gifts is that the recipient has to go and play a prank on another dweller in the town. At first, everyone is delighted at their wares, but as the pranks escalate a sinister shadow falls on the community. A dog is killed. Arguments between Castle Rock residents break out and end in murder. The rivalry between the Catholic and Protestant clergymen becomes explosive. Everywhere you turn, chaos is breaking out. The pranks get ever more outrageous to Leland Gaunt's delight and the atmosphere in Castle Rock grows paranoid and hostile. Gaunt begins to sell guns to people, instructing them to kill certain residents of the town. A full scale riot breaks out and Gaunt gleefully watches from the sidelines. Eventually the residents come to their senses and turn on Gaunt. A lot of viewers have speculated that Leland Gaunt is the devil himself. This is an entirely possible interpretation of the character as he essentially gets people to sell their souls and commit terrible deeds for their hearts' desires. The film is very enjoyable to watch with a surprising turn from Max von Sydow (more commonly spotted wringing his hands in despair in Ingmar Bergman's vast library of solemn Swedish arthouse films). Von Sydow has a lot of fun with the character and he resists the urge to make him a bad bogey man, turning Gaunt instead into an avuncular, grandfatherly figure. This is not the finest Stephen King adaptation, but von Sydow manages to carry the film with his portrayal of a rather jocular and devilish villain.