How many times have you wanted to get back at somebody so bad that you could taste it? Not just a cheap shot or a good comeback, but a legitimately crushing revenge that will shut down the situation. (Don’t judge me, I’m not the only one.) Better yet is how satisfying it can be to see the “good one” fall from grace and join the ranks of the rest of us with a twisted sense of justice. These characters can be hard to find in horror/suspense because a pretty ending wrapped up in a bow tests so much better with general audiences.
For the rest of us there are the stand-out characters that break all molds and don’t clearly fall under the “victim” heading because they became, or got close to, being the monsters you read about. Sometimes it is just satisfying watching the victim go down with the ship. What can I say? I’m a romantic.
Trading places, muddy morals, and outright vengeance are the name of the game here with the Top 10 Victims Turned Villain.
My number ten spot goes to a man who does not “technically” qualify for this list because he began about as bad as they come. A total psycho with an aptitude for suspension and sadism, Carleton Hendricks (aka Captain Howdy) from Strangeland only made my list because my favorite part of his story arc is that he seems to genuinely rehabilitate. Post-prison life seems to consist of keeping his head down, reading, and a glorious lack of violence until the local townspeople decide that a moderate amount of jail time and getting off early for good behavior isn’t good enough for this beast. Unfortunately for them, this newly mild-mannered monster does not take kindly to an old-fashioned lynching and comes back for blood… since a murderer is all they will let him be anyway. Whatever control he found was shattered with judgment.
Also in the ambiguous zone, as far as this list goes, is a father who would protect his family and loved ones at any cost. That desperation ends up being the downfall of the last few people standing by his side as he allows fear to talk him into a suicide pact that ends their lives, including that of his young son. The Mist‘s David Drayton should have made sure there was one last bullet for him because living to see that rescue was only moments away leaves you as little more than a murderer in the end, and that guilt is now immortalized on film. Thank god it’s only fiction because this one was tragic.
Beginning to get a little more Sinister is a kid jealous of his brother’s demons. He not only sees the darkness but is intrigued by it, causing his close relationship with his twin brother to disintegrate slowly. He embraces his inner demon without so much as a nudge as the pure evil that is childhood selfishness and demanding take hold. The young victims of Bughuul taunt him and tell him that it’s his brother that they want, only fueling his rage and willingness to succumb to the fate that will seal him to being the violent end of his family. Which is, of course, what they wanted to begin with. Zach Collins, from Sinister 2, way to play right into the bad guy’s hand and into the number eight spot on my list!
The fly becomes the spider as Hayley Stark weaves her web online. Wooed by a photographer (and presumably a would be pedophile by all evidence presented), they end up back at his place while a fun young Hayley plays and flirts, making the thoughts running through his head evident even on his face. The prey becomes the hunter with one simple sentence I will never forget. “Remember when I told you they teach us not to drink anything we didn’t mix ourselves? That’s good advice for everybody.” By the time Jeff (the photographer) wakes up, he is strapped to a chair and totally at the mercy of his would be conquest. Well played, Hard Candy. You may be number seven here but only by technicality. This is, hands down, one of my favorite movies and a MUST see for any fan of Ellen Page or Patrick Wilson.
Let’s trip back now to The Mist because one person in particular was a major reason I feared the people in that movie more than I ever feared the monsters. Stirring the pot, fear mongering, and pointing blame is a great way to keep the attention off you when it comes time to decide who could be risked or put out. Mrs. Carmodi was, evidently, more than aware of this fact as she begins volunteering and throwing people under the bus at a rapid pace. Under the guise of religious extremism this woman goes from part of the frightened and hiding from the evil outside to being the center of it in the only sanctuary they have.
If the name of your game is money for murder, do yourself the biggest solid you can. Don’t choose a victim so wealthy they can buy you out. It’s a strong and highly intelligent person that can go from being bound in chains to calling the shots, and Beth Sallinger from Hostel II is one of my all-time favorite bad bitches because of it. Not only does she overcome her victim status, she takes revenge with ease and earns the tattoo she receives for being a part of Elite Hunting. Fair is fair, and for that I kind of love the Hostel films. We don’t care that you came here as a victim; we just care that you can pay. Courses on their business philosophy are coming soon, I’m sure.
Picture this. A mother and daughter sit in their living room, duct taped together and gagged. As the perpetrator presses a stethoscope to the little girl’s chest, he slowly raises a gun to the mom’s temple just to hear her heart react to the threat of a bullet entering her mom’s head. She squeals and screams and wriggles through the gag as her racing heart pulses away in the background with increasing frantic beats. You don’t see his face. I loved Zep Hindle before I even knew who he was. As a character who you later find out was under the duress so commonly present with Jigsaw in the Saw films, it struck me as sublimely vicious that he would take so much joy in his project that he wanted to hear the racing pulses of his targets. You may have been a victim, Hindle, but you turned out to be a natural villain.
When you’re the cannibalistic Chesapeake Ripper, you are bound to make a few enemies. Leaving a man severely disabled and disfigured after a brutal attack won’t likely win you any brownie points, but I doubt even Dr. Hannibal Lecter (my favorite cinematic villain) saw Mason Verger coming. In Hannibal, the follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs, there is a large bounty placed on the head of Dr. Lecter because once he is delivered to Mason, there is a horde of angry boar waiting to tear him apart for the viewing pleasure of a sick bastard bent on revenge. I had no idea whom to root for. I love you, Hannibal, but… Seriously, Mason you look like hell. You might deserve this one more than a little bit. Sorry, Doc.
The last two on this list are from the same franchise because it simply produced some of the most awesome traitors in horror. They began as victims of the highly intelligent Jigsaw and, after surviving, not only appreciated his point and played into his idea of seeing life differently after almost losing it but became his strongest accomplices. I did not lump them together because these guys stand on their own.
It was the doctor a lot of people did not see coming (although I’m at a loss as to how anyone missed it). When Lawrence Gordon took a hacksaw to his own leg to escape that restroom from hell, it was not immediately apparent that he would become the silent ringleader behind the carnage. The longer the Saw films went on, the more I became sure that they avoided bringing up his fate because he was on Team Jigsaw. The extremely abrupt reveal of his involvement was the most satisfying part of the latter entries in the franchise (because let’s face it… there were a few movies we could have done without). While everyone was busy feeling like they were running the show, he was running all of them, proving, once again, that Cary Elwes is a boss.
My number one favorite victim turned villain is a woman who went so bad her own mentor killed her for being out of control. When the psycho thinks you need to go, you are officially a new level of crazy. She went from drug-addicted victim of a man who thought she was squandering her life to the vengeance-seeking sidekick unable to play by Jigsaw’s rules. Amanda Young was a great addition to the Saw films because she was pure brutality. No escape was given, and no mercy was in sight. If she had you in her grasp, no matter what, the “rules” were nonexistent. Escape was a false dream. Again, this was someone who truly enjoyed what she did, which was a big jump from the crying, shaking mess we met at risk of losing her jaw.
Who are your favorite victims turned villain? Let us know in the comments below!