Halloween is only a few days away, so I got thinking about what Halloween-related list I could compile for this week's Top Six. It seems the obvious choice to say Top Six Horror Films, but since I'm not really a huge fan of the horror genre, I didn't really want to do that.
So, I decided to revisit a topic that I blogged about a long time ago, but unfortunately was lost to the sands of time because I deleted the blog I posted it to (note to bloggers: never delete a blog. Even if you really hate it at the time, you will always reach that point when you regret it!). Nevertheless, with Halloween, and the absolute saturation at the cinema of ridiculously over the top paranormal/horror films, it seems like the perfect time for me to revisit the characters who have really creeped me out, given me nightmares and scared the crap out of me.
Six. Judge Doom
Actor: Christopher Lloyd
I grew up absolutely loving Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but I will never forget who utterly creepy Christopher Lloyd was as Judge Doom. Even before he goes all nutty, the character is incredibly sinister but then he just gets downright weird.
The funny thing is that I also grew up loving Lloyd as Doc Brown, and this character couldn't be further from his Back to the Future character at all.
As a final note: I will never forgive Christopher Lloyd for what he did to that poor shoe....evil man!
Five. The Joker
Actor: Heath Ledger
I hate clowns. So a psychotic maniac walking around with clown makeup on is fairly likely to creep me out. Add in the fact that he is creepily smart and has this amazing ability to really mess with your mind makes him the ultimate bad guy.
What I love about The Joker is the fact that he plays people off one another without them even realising it, and he's constantly playing mind games aimed to confuse. There's no denying that he's a complex and intelligent creation, played so perfectly by Heath Ledger.
Four. Samara
Actress: Daveigh Chase
Strangely the only female in this list, Samara is the definition of horror's freaky child. She's so sinister as she looks at you through all of that hair, and it's amazing what an impact the whole "head tilted down, looking up at you" has on me, that makes me want to seriously run away.
The only problem with Samara is of course the Scary Movie spoofs that do kind of take the scariness out of the character, and I keep expecting her to start doing kung fu or something, but Daveigh Chase did a great job in this role.
It just begs the question: why do we find children so darn creepy? Perhaps we just like to think of kids as being sweet, innocent and naive...?
Three. Hannibal Lecter
Actor: Anthony Hopkins
Silence of the Lambs is one of those films that I just cannot bring myself to watch in its entirety. The whole creation of Hannibal Lecter is awful, without even having to see him, but Anthony Hopkins - being the fine actor, that he is - manages to make Lecter even more intimidating, and I don't know how that's even possible!!
But it isn't the weird sucky thing that he does in the film, and it isn't - entirely - his "crimes" that freak me out. It is those eyes. They stare so fixedly at you, and it almost feels like they're piercing through your skin, right into the core of your being and that is not a nice feeling!!
Two. The Destroyer
Visually, The Destroyer isn't actually that bad. He doesn't look too creepy, in fact I can pretty much handle him. That is until he starts making noise and that is when he really freaks me out. When I saw Thor at the Cinema, the sound The Destroyer makes freaked me out so much, that I literally had to stick my fingers in my ears. I don't think that I have ever had to do that for a film before. Okay, so I've had to close my eyes, but I can usually handle sounds.
One. Pale Man
Actor: Doug Jones
The "guy" had eyes in his hands. In his hands!! If that isn't creepy enough then I guess we should talk about the saggy skin, the Voldemort-esque nose (or lack of), and the overall weirdness of the Pale Man. The way he spreads out his fingers, and the drunken way that he moves is just so...unnatural.
Seriously, he gives me the creeps beyond that of any of the others, and the only thing that could possibly be freakier than him, would be if the Pale Man made the same noises at The Destroyer. Honestly, that would probably be the ultimate Creepy Bad Guy known to man.
If you've never had the great (mis)fortune of witnessing the Pale Man in action, or if you fancy being freaked out by him again, here's the man in action *shudder*. Oh, and there isn't any subtitles throughout the scene :)
