5 Underrated Horror Villainesses

I’m back again to bring you 5 ladies in horror I feel deserve more love than they generally get. Villainesses, take it away!

5. Nancy (Fairuza Balk, The Craft)

Okay, okay, Nancy does get a fair amount of love from the horror community. But seriously, this witch, brought brilliantly to life by Fairuza Balk, is an idol for all us weirdo horror gals who came of age in the 90’s. So maybe she wasn’t a great friend in the end, and I admit, she ultimately proved to be a bit psychotic and megalomaniac. Doesn’t matter. She still rules.

4. Grand High Witch (Angelica Houston, The Witches)

How many of us out there LOVED this movie as kids and still do as adults?!? This lady is a major reason for that. The Witches absolutely helped mold me into the horror fan I am today, after seeing it at the tender age of 5. In her “human” disguise she was elegant, powerful, and compelling. In her actual skin she was super gross-looking and just plain freakin’ frightening. What I’m saying is, get you a lady who can do both! Minor character flaw? She was really into that whole, “extermination of children” thing.

3. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates, Misery)

Annie is actually moving up in the world and seems to be getting more and more cred with horror fans, and I could not be more proud of the girl! Annie is a truly frightening and all-too-realistic example of what monsters human beings can be. She’s not a creature, not a demon. She’s one of us. Annie even blended into society for a while until she became a frost-bitten wilderness woman. Ms. Wilkes is a scary reminder of what one person is capable of doing to another. All it took for this obsessive fan was a little opportunity.

2. Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon, Rosemary's Baby)

Our beloved genre is notoriously over looked when it comes to winning (let alone) being nominated for all those big fancy schmancy Hollywood awards. But the powers that be could not ignore Ruth Gordan’s glittering performance in this film. In fact, she won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe in the Best Supporting Actress category for her portrayal of the manipulative, conniving, and frightening satanic cult devotee, Minnie Castevet. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, mix yourself up a nice cold tannis root smoothie and enjoy.

And who is my number one most underrated villainess of horror?!

1. Claudia (Kirsten Dunst, Interview with the Vampire)

This little blood sucker is trapped forever in the body of a child while her mind matures over the years. Not surprisingly, this makes for one twisted individual. Claudia is a selfish, obsessive, Machiavellian, remorseless little killer vampire in a satin bonnet. What’s not to love?

But wait! I do have a few women of note who deserve an honorable mention…

Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman, Orphan): Dear, sweet, misunderstood Esther. All she wanted was love. The only problem is, she’s completely fucking nuts. Esther does get a lot of attention for being a villainess, and she totally deserves it. I mean, just look at those EYES!! Spine tingling.

Laurie (Anna Paquin, Trick ‘r Treat): How can you not totally love this girl?! There’s really no way to talk about Laurie without spoiling the whole plot of her story in this beloved Halloween anthology. Anyway, let’s just say there’s more to Laurie and her posse than MEATS the eye. ← PUN.

Mombi (Sophie Ward, Return to Oz): Maybe this one technically isn’t horror, but I can’t be the only genre fan out there that absolutely loves this twisted movie. Mombi is a great princess villainess. But let us not forget the most frightening thing about her. She can take off her freakin’ HEAD and change it out for others in her collection. That my friends is the stuff of nightmares. Note: the above picture is my personal favorite noggin in her collection.

~ Sandra (@LilMsMnstr)

12 Creepy-Ass Movie Masks

Masks are probably the most obvious and common way of disgusing oneself. In horror movies, there's something about a mask that makes a knife-weilding serial killer even more menacing. Sometimes, even the most innocent-looking mask can end up being fuel for many future nightmares. In no particular order, here are 12 movie masks that definitely make me want to say, "uh...no thank you."

1. The Strangers (2008) Rated R

Director: Bryan Bertino | Writer: Bryan Bertino | Stars: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler

These home invasion-themed horror movies are definitely not for everyone. Even within The Bloodlust quintet, there is at least one who doesn’t find the idea of someone randomly choosing to break into your house to torture and kill you to be a frightening one. I am most certainly of the ilk that finds the notion of “home invasion” to be a terrifying one. The Strangers not only managed to create a palpably tense atmosphere, but it introduced three very unsettling masks. Personally, I find the two uncanny valley-esque face masks to be the worst.

2. You're Next (2011) Rated R

Director: Adam Wingard | Writer: Simon Barrett | Stars: Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Barbara Crampton

I have seen You’re Next multiple times and have enjoyed every viewing. I love it for many reasons: the bad-ass, survivalist chick, an unexpected scene involving piano wire, a weird family weirding their way through some horribly awkward family gathering, and last but not least, murderous intruders donning plastic animal masks. Between the unchanging, plastic smiles and the fact that they look like an impulse purchase from the local dollar store, it’s surprising how successful these animal masks were at adding to the overall tension of the movie.

3. Hush (2016) Rated R

Director: Mike Flanagan | Writers: Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel | Stars: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan

This recent home invasion thriller premiered at SXSW and was immediately picked up by Netflix. Minimal cast, minimal dialogue, and surprisingly wonderful sound design (especially for a movie about a deaf woman) come together to create a tense and brutally gory horror film. I’d be ok if the future of horror meant more of these “straight-to-netflix” releases, as opposed to the 5th and 6th installments of some dumb theatrical release. That all being said, the mask worn by the killer in Hush, despite not being worn for very long, is not something a woman who lives alone wants to see out her window at night.

4. Creep (2014) Rated R

Director: Patrick Brice | Writers: Patrick Brice, Mark Duplass | Stars: Patrick Brice, Mark Duplass

Mark Duplass. Somehow, this goofy-looking comedy director/producer managed to team up with another horror noob to create one of the most uncomfortable movies I have watched in a long time. There was a particular scene about “tummy time” in the bathtub that, ironically, made me feel the need to shower. But it was the wolf mask, affectionately named “Peach Fuzz”, that really got under my skin. Already seriously uncomfortable by the time “Peach Fuzz” makes his debut, I found this rather brief appearance of a wolf mask to be more than enough to creep me out.

5. Donnie Darko (2001) Rated R

Director: Richard Kelly | Writer: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, James Duval

A controversial entry, I know. “Donnie Darko?! That’s not horror!” I know it’s not technically horror, but I find it to be plenty scary and this movie messed with my head for days. Time travel movies are a personal favorite of mine and this movie had that plus an amazing soundtrack, morose teenagers, and the visual terror of Frank the bunny.

6. Nightbreed (1990) Rated R

Director: Clive Barker | Writer: Clive Barker (novel “Cabal” & screenplay) | Stars: Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby

Somehow, despite looking a little derpy at times, there were enough moments where this mask looked like something out of a nightmare. Tiny little button eyes?! I hate them. Let it be known. This terrifying mask isn’t even the craziest thing about this movie. It’s based on the book, Cabal, by Clive Barker, which I have never read, but can only imagine is more nightmare fuel. A fun and creepy, 90’s-heavy horror flick, if you haven’t seen Nightbreed - you should remedy that.

7. Wicker Man (1973) Rated R

Director: Robin Hardy | Writers: Anthony Shaffer (screenplay), David Pinner (novel “Ritual”) | Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland

The mask is, in no way, the creepiest thing in this 70’s horror classic. The people living on the remote Scottish island are into some weird shit, including burning people alive and singing creepy songs. These animal masks seem much more sinister than the plastic ones in You’re Next. Maybe because they’re being worn by little children with human sacrifice on the brain.

8. Alice Sweet Alice (1976) Rated R

Director: Alfred Sole | Writers: Rosemary Ritvo, Alfred Sole | Stars: Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula E. Sheppard

Poor little Alice. It’s not easy being a 12 year old girl. No one understands you, parents are the worst, and you may or may not be guilty of offing your little sister. Alice Sweet Alice is just as creepy now as it was in 1976. Some masked madman is killing people all around town, and it’s not just any mask that they're wearing. It’s a terrifying, light skin-toned plastic mask with colorful makeup painted on. It doesn’t sound like much, but it manages to be sorta funny and quite creepy at the same time. Maybe the "funny" part was just my nervous laughter.

9. Curtains (1983) Rated R

Director: Richard Ciupka | Writer: Robert Guza Jr. | Stars: John Vernon, Samantha Eggar, Linda Thorson

A group of dancers are being knocked off one by one, and no one knows the identity of the killer in the horrifying old hag mask. The lack of real expression is really what gets me. Or that it has dark, gaping holes for eyes and a sad, unfortunate mouth. This is a fun movie packed full of 80’s slasher-movie charm. If slashers are your thing, you’re missing out if you haven’t seen this gem yet.

10. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) Rated R

Director: Scott Glosserman | Writers: Scott Glosserman, David J. Stieve | Stars: Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Zelda Rubinstein, Robert Englund

Similar to the idea of Scream, this horror-comedy satire focuses on the many cliches and tropes found in almost all of our favorite slasher flicks. Shot in a faux documentary style, Behind the Mask follows the story of Leslie Vernon, who is a big shot in the world of horror movie killers. Oh yeah, I should mention that horror movie killers are real in this particular universe, and documentary crews want to shoot movies about them. Crazy concept but it makes for a fun faux doc-style film. But the titular Leslie Vernon just so happens to wear a very creepy mask. It looks like it’s carved out of stone or something and it has this creepy, non-smile look to it. No thanks.

11. Eyes Without A Face (1960) Unrated

Director: Georges Franju | Writers: Jean Redon (novel), Boileau-Narcejac (adaptation), Claude Sautet (adaptation), Pierre Gascar (dialogue)

We covered this movie in episode 20 of the podcast and, even though I don’t always enjoy the older movies, this movie was visually quite unsettling. A creepy and depressing story about a surgeon who caused an auto accident, which left his daughter horribly disfigured. Pressured by guilt (and probably just wanting to see his daughter’s face again), the doc goes to very extreme measures to get his daughter a new face. The mask is devoid of much detail and emotion and it gives the impression of a fragile, porcelain doll. Tres terrifiant!

12. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Rated R

Director: Tobe Hooper | Writer: Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkle | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danzinger

This movie is one of horror’s classics and has made the chainsaw a “must” for haunted house workers everywhere! I mean...the killer’s name is “Leatherface.” With a nickname like that, you basically have to have the scariest mask in the business. What are the scariest masks made of? Human faces. Lovely. Bonus photo: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, with J Biel, also had a pretty epic human face mask.

Obviously there are a crap-ton of other terrifying movie masks and I couldn't include all of them on my list. So, if I missed any that absolutely must be included, leave a comment below!

~ Jamie

Bring Your BarfBag - 20 Gross-Out Horror Movies

One of the best parts of being a horror fan is the chance to see intense practical effects. Whether you’re a fan of gore or not, you have to appreciate the primal response to watching someone’s eyes blow out of their sockets. These movies were chosen for their goopy gross-out factor, whether they involve body horror, uncomfortable images, or just plain gore. These are not for the faint of heart! Bring your barf bag and let’s check them out in random order.

1. Society (1989) Director: Brian Yuzma | Writers: Rick Fry, Woody Keith

Ah, I love this movie. I came across it at the video store with a sticker that said “The Weirdest Film of all time!” so naturally I picked it up. Boy, am I glad I did. This movie is truly weird, and super gross. Meet Bill, a misunderstood teenager in an upscale family who takes part in “upscale parties”. Feeling so different from his family, he decides to investigate what really goes on at these events. All I can say is it gives a whole new meaning to the word “butthead”.

2. Human Centipede (2009) Director & Writer: Tom Six

Sigh. Based on the plot alone, this deserves to be on the list. A mad scientist has a sick idea to create a human centipede by attaching 3 people mouth to anus. You can see where this is going. These people did not volunteer, of course. They’re just kidnapped tourists. Cancel your travel plans, kids. If you feel the need to watch this shitshow, (pardon the pun) you might as well do it just to say you did. If you watch all 3, you are a stronger woman than I.

3. Street Trash (1987) Director: James M. Muro | Writer: Roy Frumkes

Splatterpunk is one of the coolest words I can think of, and the subgenre makes for a hell of a fun movie. This one’s about the owner of a liquor store who discovers and sells a mysterious brew to the local homeless: except this liquor is toxic in a “melt your body” kind of way. Super slimy, bubbly and gross, totally worth a watch. I’ll be seeing it on 35mm next weekend at the Northwest Horror Show. I can’t wait!

4. The Beyond (1981) Director: Lucio Fulci | Writer: Dardano Sacchett

When most people think of Fulci, this is one of the first movies that comes to mind. You have to love the idea of a woman inheriting a hotel with a shady past - so shady in fact, it’s built over the entrance to hell! There’s some great gore happening in The Beyond: face melting, eye gouging, faces ripping apart, it’s a smorgasbord of delicious effects. Some think that this is all the film has going for it - I’ll let you decide.

5. Texas Chainsaw (1974) Director: Tobe Hooper | Writers: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper

Whenever I revisit Chainsaw, all I can think about is the buckets of chicken blood the actors had to deal with in the southern heat. This movie has such a great, grimy quality to it that can never be fully reproduced, no matter how many sequels and remakes they throw at us. Surprisingly (and often counter to memory) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has very little gore. Still, the atmosphere it creates is pretty gross and it’s still one of the best horror movies of all time.

6. The Fly (1986) Director: David Cronenberg | Writer: Charles Edward Pogue

This is probably my favourite on this entire list. Who doesn’t love an eccentric scientist, especially one played by Jeff Goldblum? In an attempt to dazzle the world (and a sexy journalist) with teleportation technology, he attempts to teleport himself when a fly enters the chamber with him. Their DNA become intertwined, and the horror begins! We are treated with the opportunity to spectate as our scientist becomes a fly, complete with enzyme-barfing, fingernail pulling, teeth falling out gore. I’m excited even writing about it! This movie holds up so well: watch it this weekend with your girlfriend.

7. The Thing (1982) Director: John Carpenter | Writer: Bill Lancaster

Nothing good can come from an isolated research base in the dead of winter. Especially when it’s discovered that there’s some alien lifeforce creeping around, assuming the identity of other people. This movie has some awesome transformation scenes, whether it’s dogs or humans, appendages are flailing, heads are stretching, and it gets oozy. This film has stellar reviews and is always worth a return visit - especially for those lucky enough to be able to see it in theatres.

8. Videodrome (1983) Director & Writer: David Cronenberg

Of course there’s more than one Cronenberg movie here - he is the king of body horror and I am Canadian, after all. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but certain scenes in Videodrome made me feel faint. Cronenberg has a way of adding an atmosphere of confusion to the disturbing images he presents, this one involving a TV producer who comes across a strange station that may or may not be a cover for something sinister. I think we all love a good spiral out of control, and Videodrome delivers on that premise while giving us weird sexual themes. It’s like a jello salad with carrots and raisins: you might not like it, but it’s very intriguing.

9. Dead Alive or Braindead (1992) Director: Peter Jackson | Writer:Stephen Sinclair

First, do an image search for ‘Sumatran rat monkey’. Now we’re talking. Dead Alive (also known as Braindead) is a hell of a ride. A woman gets bit by this strange creature, dies, and resurrects as a flesh-eating zombie! Sure, the zombie thing is pretty tired today. But you will not be disappointed when you feast your eyes on this movie. You want literal gallons of blood? You want impalings? You want things bursting out of chests? Whatever you want, Dead Alive is gonna give it to you, and you’re gonna love it.

10. The Devil’s Rejects (2005) Director & Writer: Rob Zombie

Strangely, this is the only movie that’s actually managed to cause me to throw up. Rob Zombie has a well-known style rut involving backwards, inbred families and grime. This family is on the road to take their murderous rampage on a tour! Hanging out at an isolated motel, they torture some nice folk. It is nasty, bloody, dirty and violent. If you liked House of 1000 Corpses, I assure you this one is even better. Just pick something other than a full bag of chips to barf into. You’ll be sad.

11. Salo or The 120 Days of Sodom (1975) Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Writers: Pier Paolo Pasolini, Sergio Citti

Highly controversial and banned in several countries, Salo tells the tale of 4 sick individuals who kidnap 18 adolescents and subject them to dehumanizing and brutal torture for four months. Out of every movie on this list, I’d say this one is probably the hardest to watch. Besides the amount of torture and gore, there’s also a lot of sexual deviance and rape, as well as the forced ingestion of human feces. I don’t need to say more than that.

12. Feed (2005) Director: Brett Leonard | Writer: Kieran Galvin

I don’t even want to talk about this one, but I also kind of want someone else to be traumatized. I’ll never forget the day in high school my friend and I rented this, feeling brave and curious. We couldn’t finish it together, but after she went home I watched the rest by myself. Essentially this is about a guy who force feeds obese women to death and broadcasts it on the internet, where people place bets on the time of death. It’s not a good time. We had to take a break during a scene where it’s discovered that the man is feeding the survivors the body fat of those who have passed before. I hate this movie, but I’d love to hear from someone who doesn’t.

13. Evil Dead (2013) Director: Fede Alvarez | Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

When I asked my casual horror movie-going friends what their grossest horror experience was, almost all of them named this movie before any other. The classic tale of five friends who head to a cabin and discover the Book of the Dead is what horror movie dreams are made of. This remake isn’t half-bad, either. The effects are well-done and it’s super gory with a ton of self-inflicted horror. A scene brought up repeatedly involves a broken mirror and a face. If you’ve seen it, you know. If you haven’t, you should.

14. Cannibal Holocaust (1980) Director: Ruggero Deodato | Writer: Gianfranco Clerici / Cannibal Ferox (1981) Director & Writer: Umberto Lenzi

These two are so rarely mentioned separately, I thought it was best to keep them together. Which one is best? You decide. They both involve cannibal tribes and the kind of violence and gore that caused some to mistakenly believe they were snuff films. In Holocaust, it follows the story of a professor who comes upon the video footage of a missing documentary crew. In Ferox, it follows 3 people out to disprove cannibalism who meet some men on the run who tortured a cannibal tribe for their riches. Watch them both if you dare, and tell me which one you prefer. Fair warning, real animals were harmed in the making of Holocaust - a point that some have great difficulty with.

15. Xtro (1982) Director: Harry Bromley Davenport | Writer: Iain Cassie

Xtro involves a man who was abducted by aliens, only to return 3 years later with awkward and negative consequences. This is a very weird film that Rogert Ebert called “an exercise in sadness” that also happens to involve a lot of blood. One thing’s for sure: birth is intense in general, but this movie boasts a super-gory birthing sequence that can’t be missed.

16. The Incredible Melting Man (1977) Director & Writer: William Sachs

What do you think of when you hear the words “homicidal gelatin”? It’s aspic, isn’t it? Jokes aside, The Incredible Melting Man is not the world’s best movie, but it does have some serious gross-out factor. Though originally intended as a parody of horror films, the tone of the film was shifted to straight horror. The Melting Man himself is an astronaut, having been exposed to something in space that turns him into a man-eating blob. Watching the man melt is pretty great, so I recommend catching a clip of that at the very least.

17. The Blob (1988) Director: Chuck Russell | Writer: Theodore Simonson

Did you ever play Blob-tag in school? One person is “it” and as he tags other people, they join hands creating a large blob that continues to grow. Obviously inspired by The Blob, an entity that consumes everything in its path growing ever larger. Of course, the blob comes from a meteor! Space is crazy! The blob seems to be corrosive in some way as we are treated to more skin melting and oozing. Sure, it’s a little cheesy, but it’s a classic!

18. Nekromantik (1987) Director: Jörg Buttgereit | Writer: Jörg Buttgereit, Franz Rodenkirchen

Few things give me the creeps more than the idea that some people legitimately enjoy having sex with corpses. That’s what this one is about. I guess when you’re a street cleaner you probably find some pretty weird stuff. This one in particular finds a corpse, and brings it home to spice up his marriage and share with his wife. The twist: she likes the corpse more than she likes him! Gross! Even so, that’s just the beginning…

19. Slime City (1988) Director & Writer: Greg Lamberson

Probably best shown as a double feature with Street Trash, Slime City is about a young man who rents a crappy place in a dilapidated apartment building in order to impress a lady. His strange neighbours brew a wine-like concoction that when ingested turns him into - you guessed it - a melty monster! The only thing that can turn him normal is to kill someone. He’s on a rampage, and the building has a secret… do you care enough to find out what it is?

20. Cabin Fever (2002) Director: Eli Roth | Writers: Eli Roth, Randy Pearlstein

The premise: a group of friends acting like idiots in a rented cabin fall prey to a flesh-eating disease. There’s also some murderous locals, as if your flesh being eaten away isn’t a damper enough to your country get-away. This movie is far from my favourite, but I can never get the leg-shaving scene out of my head; that sound just gives me the creeps. If you’re going to watch it, I suggest bringing beer and friends. This one might be Eli Roth’s best.

Are you feeling queasy yet? I want to know! Tell me which of these is your favourite. Also, tell me what I missed! While gross-out horror is not my favourite, I still really appreciate a good old face melt.

~ Becky