9 Horror Movie Villains We ALL Foolishly Thought Had WON

Those times where we thought evil had won out.

Halloween Kills Michael Myers
Universal

For the most part, the world of horror is one where good ultimately often wins out.

There may well be plenty of chaos, carnage, bloodshed and bodies along the way, but the majority of horror pictures will culminate with the film's 'big bad' being bested. Whether that's stopping a relentless killer, banishing a nefarious spirit, taking down an otherworldly monster or finding a magical cure for the plague that's ravaged the globe, horror usually ends on a high.

While good - or in some cases the lesser of two evils - may win out eventually, there are certain films out there that actually had us all initially believing that the villain of the piece had triumphed. Those moments of triumph would be brief, mind, for a solid dose of comeback was on the horizon. But still, that's part of the charm of the horror genre; that it can lull you in, hook, line and sinker, only to then pull the rug out from under you or completely flip things on their head.

Here, then, are nine such times where most of us - because there's always some smartass exceptions - were duped into thinking a horror movie villain had reigned supreme.

9. Pastor Abin Cooper - Red State

Halloween Kills Michael Myers
Lionsgate

One of the all-time great character actors, there's an argument to be made that Michael Parks was never better than he was as Pastor Abin Cooper in Kevin Smith's Red State.

Smith's first venture into horror, Red State sees Pastor Cooper heading up the Five Points Trinity Church fanatics who rule with an iron fist (and a loaded gun) against anyone who doesn't abide by the words of the Good Book.

While Parks is on phenomenal form here, so, too, is John Goodman as ATF Special Agent Joe Keenan. Goodman's character is initially called into investigate firearm usage at Cooper's property - but this soon turns into an all-out battle between Keenan's crew and Cooper's loons.

As bullets fly, this is all interrupted by a deafening trumpet blast that means the Rapture is upon us, that Pastor Cooper and his crazed followers were right in their mission, and that he and his crew will ascend to Heaven while the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ravage the Earth.

Instead, Red State jumps ahead to reveal that Cooper is now incarcerated - having been headbutted by Keenan and arrested - and that the 'Rapture' was a prank played by college kids pissed off at Five Points Trinity.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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 dayjob, 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.