We expect our villains to receive some sort of comeuppance. Thats why we watch films featuring clear cut heroes and villains, after all: to see in art what rarely happens in life, someone horrendous getting their just desserts. Of course, those things dont always dovetail together so neatly. Not every villain has to die, for example maybe theres more story to be squeezed out of this rivalry, or maybe killing simply isnt something that should happen in this kind of film. If they do have to die, then it should be commensurate with all the nasty stuff theyve done. If its too small a punishment, we feel cheated; if its too great a punishment, well feel bad for them. The audience wants spectacle but it has to be the right kind of spectacle. Were all just sitting in a dark theatre, waiting patiently for the right things to happen to the right people in order that we can get a kind of closure that real life wont give us. Heres a selection of movie villains that didnt get the deaths they deserved...
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
