Top 5 Baddest Bad Boys of Horror
Debi Moore
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If they’re being honest, just about all women (and, I suspect, gay men) will admit to going through a “bad boy” phase. Most of us grow out of it, but a few of those bad boys never quite leave us… and it’s the same with the horror genre.
Bad boys have been featured in more than a few of our favorite films and TV shows, often turning up over and over again, portrayed by different actors, but always tempting us back into their arms with their evil and oh, so seductive wiles.
Who are some of horror’s baddest bad boys? Here are our Top 5:
Dracula
With productions that range from 1931 to the current day, we certainly aren’t lacking in memorable portrayals of the Transylvanian vampire count who has no doubt seduced more individuals than any other horror icon. Starting with the granddaddy of them all, Bela Lugosi, we also give a nod to Christopher Lee’s incarnation for Hammer during the Sixties and, of course, Gary Oldman in Coppola’s 1992 near-masterpiece, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Few would argue that the coolest of the group is William Marshall from 1972’s Blacula; and on the more obscure side of the fence, a few personal favorites include Gerard Butler in Dracula 2000 and Rutger Hauer in that film’s second sequel, Dracula III: Legacy. But not everyone gets it right… look no further than NBC’s recent misfire, “Dracula” with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The less said about that, the better.
Lestat
Another bloodsucker who can get our blood boiling like few others also has roots in literature: Lestat de Lioncourt, Anne Rice’s creation who first arrived in her 1976 novel, Interview with the Vampire. We haven’t seen him in movies much yet – just two times so far, but that’s about to change if the Universal Pictures/Imagine Entertainment series of films takes off as planned. So far we’ve gotten Tom Cruise, who was much maligned by book fans at first but is now generally well regarded, and Stuart Townsend, an unfortunate victim of the godawful Queen of the Damned adaptation that, much like the “Dracula” series mentioned above, is best left forgotten. Who will portray our Brat Prince in the upcoming reboot? Only time will tell.
Patrick Bateman
When an actor embodies a character as perfectly as Christian Bale does Patrick Bateman in the 2000 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel American Psycho, it’s quite an appealing thing to see. And Bateman’s appeal cannot be denied – even when he’s wielding a weapon and covered in blood. Plus, the film is such a great reflection of the 80s, and it’s still relevant today.
Hannibal Lecter
Smooth, cunning, sexy… and he can cook! Who can resist Hannibal, yet another of our bad boys to spring from the pages of a literary series? Everyone thought Anthony Hopkins had closed the book on embodying our favorite cannibal – he won an Oscar, after all! – but we were proved wrong when Mads Mikkelsen slipped into the character as smoothly as Dr. Lecter himself slipped in and out of the lives of his victims.
Satan/Lucifer
In terms of bad boys, is there anyone badder than Lucifer himself, aka Satan, Beelzebub, the devil, etc.? After all, once pure evil manifests itself, the odds of a lowly human being able to resist are pretty slim. So, who are some of the most irresistible versions of the beast to have left their mark? Tim Curry’s memorable role of the Lord of Darkness in Legend is certainly beloved, but those horns might get in the way of a real connection so let’s look at some of the more… shall we say, normal versions that we can get up close and personal with. Hands down our all-time #1 is Viggo Mortensen in The Prophecy from 1995 (wow… time flies); and you can’t help but mention both Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate and Robert De Niro in Angel Heart, a duo no self-respecting bad boy aficionado would ever refuse. But our current favorites are both on the small screen. Nobody does full-on satanic better than Mark Pellegrino in The CW’s long-running “Supernatural”; however, Tom Ellis is giving him a run for his money as upstart Lucifer Morningstar in FOX’s “Lucifer,” soon to be returning for Season 2.
With bad boys like these, no wonder nice guys finish last! Let us know your picks in the comments below.
