10 Amazing Horror Villains That Made TV Shows Great
8. Eugene Victor Tooms (The X-Files)
The first two episodes of The X-Files' debut season were the standard alien fare that the show would become famous for. Combining strong character development and an intriguing conspiracy plot, things got off to a gripping and cohesive start.
Imagine the surprise however when episode three rolled around and viewers met Eugene Victor Tooms.
Taking pride and place as the show's very first "Monster of the Week", Tooms is a biological mutant who's capable of stretching and squeezing himself into tight areas like air vents and cat-flaps. He would then use this ability to gain access to locked rooms and murder whoever was inside, harvesting their livers for sustenance in a slew of ritualistic killings.
Once he'd consumed enough viscera, he'd construct a nest from rags, newspaper and stomach bile for him to hibernate in for thirty years before enacting another set of murders.
The introduction of Tooms marked a significant change in tone and forever established The X-Files as one of the spookiest series to ever grace television. The shift from government conspiracy drama to outright horror assured viewers that The X-Files was a wildly unpredictable show that intended to scare them senseless at any given time.