7. Frank Zito
Retarded: The original Joe Spinell-starring 1980 horror film certainly has its fans, though I cannot count myself among them. Spinell plays Frank Zito, a middle-aged, fat American living in New York City, who moonlights as a schizophrenic serial killer, murdering and scalping women, before adorning the scalps on a series of mannequins he has collected. Frank uses the mannequins to channel the presence of his abusive mother - in his mind only - and while the scuzzy, grungy appeal of the film is undeniable, there's next to no emotional engagement with the ugly proceedings taking place.
Reimagined: Perhaps it's because Elijah Wood is playing so firmly against type here, but the 2012 Franck Khalfoun version is for me so much more visceral and gripping. Wood plays the very same character, though the combination of Khalfoun's astounding visuals - using a first-person approach for the majority of the film - a cracking soundtrack and Wood's impressively nuanced performance take this beyond the realm of mere shock and exploitation towards a genuine gem of the horror genre. With Wood's unexpectedly savage yet often calmly composed turn, we're able to peer into the grim duality of man.