Rings is coming to the big screen on Friday, February 3 and brings iconic horror movie villain Samara back to her fans across the globe. We’ve decided to delve into her history as well as five other Big Bads that have scared horror fans throughout the past few decades…
Samara in Rings
6. Samara (The Ring, The Ring Two, Rings)
Eight-year-old Samara is perhaps one of the most-simple horror movie villains, but one that will haunt your dreams for some time if you’re of a nervous disposition. With long, dark hair that covers most of her face and wearing an oversized white dress and black shoes, her appearance is symbolic of a Japanese onryo spirit, which are known for being focused on vengeance. Seeking attention following her death, Samara is an antisocial being who tells all about her life via a killer videotape. Those who watch her story are told they will die within seven days and, in many cases, that becomes a reality. In the supernatural world she is gifted with a variety of different abilities, her signature one known as Nensha. Utilising Nensha, she sees various images in her mind and is able to burn them onto different objects or surfaces. She’s even able to cause humans significant harm by focusing an image into a person’s mind, or if the time calls for it, animals. Whilst still in her human form before her death, Samara used her powers to drive her parents’ horses to insanity and suicide when she discovered her mother and father loved the animals more than they loved her. A strange girl for sure.
5. Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [reboot], The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Leatherface)
Leatherface gets his name from the mask he wears, which is created from human skin. Murdering and often eating his victims along with his inbred family, Leatherface is said to be inspired by real life killer Ed Gein, a Wisconsin murderer who wore a human skin mask. Using the bones of the people he and his family have killed for decorative purposes, the meat is given to his brother who makes chili dishes and sells it to unsuspecting customers. They’ve even earned two cooking awards for the product! An upcoming movie, simply titled Leatherface will explore the origins of the character deeper than has ever been done before. Principal filming began in 2015, but no release date has yet been given or teased.
4. Michael Myers (Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Halloween: Resurrection, Halloween [reboot], Halloween II [reboot])
First appearing at a young age as a boy who murders his sister, horror fans quickly became aware of how terrible Michael Myers could be. Returning home 15 years after he killed his sibling, the villain terrorises more teenagers simply because of his evil urges. Those who have brought him to the big screen have hinted at him being a more supernatural being than a human one, with Myers constantly avoiding death to bring more destruction to the innocents he focuses his horror on.
3. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th Part 2, Friday the 13th Part III, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, Friday the 13th [reboot])
Let’s not forget that it was in fact his mother, Mrs. Voorhees who inspired all of Jason’s murderous ways. Originally a summer camp cook, Mrs. Voorhees turned into a murderer and so, evil Jason was born. Stalking and killing characters, Jason is fuelled by the voices of his mother he hears in his head. She is after all dead, and a shrine with her severed head is found during the second Friday the 13th film. Whilst many know Jason as a villain who has a hockey mask covering his face, he did originally wear a pillowcase. It wasn’t until he took the hockey mask from one of his victims that he started wearing it.
2. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Freddy vs. Jason, A Nightmare on Elm Street [reboot])
Freddy Krueger is one of the scariest horror movie villains, as he takes his victims in their dreams. Every person needs to sleep, so he’s utterly unavoidable at times. If Freddy kills you in your sleep, you’re done for in the land of the living as well as in the dream world. Almost entirely invulnerable to damage, this burned-skin villain is hard to conquer, but those who are able to pull him into the real world can do some real damage to him. Freddy came to be, as in his original life he was a child killer who escaped due to a technicality that found him released. An angry mob of parents weren’t going to let him get away with his crimes however, cornering him in the boiler room where he took his victims and burning him alive. Of course, that didn’t bring his reign of terror to an end, and we often visit the very same boiler room in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies that have come to the big screen to-date.
1. Ghostface (Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4)
Ghostface received what many will believe was his final outing in Scream 4, ahead of the unfortunate passing of iconic horror director Wes Craven. As one of the most recognisable faces in all of horror movie history, we couldn’t put anybody else at the top of our list. His mask is one that is so iconic, that those behind the MTV Scream TV series created a brand new mask entirely rather than risk bringing the original one to a show that may not have been well received. With every Scream movie came a new person or persons behind the Ghostface mask, but the character’s defining moments came in the first flick when Ghostface killed off Drew Barrymore character Casey Becker within minutes. Audiences were shocked; all of the promotion for the movie had focused on the Casey Becker character, hinting that she would be the main character. It was just one of many twists and turns the series would take in the coming years, consistently shocking audiences and making ripples within the genre. If you’re looking for horror movie rules, look no further than the Scream franchise.