By Linda Lovely
October conjures up thoughts of Halloween candy, ghosts,
goblins, and all things scary. And that has me thinking about the villains in
my three work-in-progress manuscripts and three published novels. Here’s what
they have in common:
Gender—I seem to
believe in equal opportunity when it comes to villains. Females are the primary
villains in half of my books/manuscripts. Gender may influence how they go
about achieving their goals, but the evil women and men share many of the same
personality traits.
Appearance—None
of my “major” villains look scary. In fact, they tend to be attractive if not
downright handsome/beautiful. Their good looks provide a mask for their
frightening personalities and evil intentions. I have allowed myself to have
some fun with their villainous sidekicks/henchmen, making their outward
appearances flawed and frightening.
Personality Traits—Whether
male or female, my villains seem to share certain personality traits. They are
arrogant, greedy, self-centered, determined, smart, and ruthless.
Motives/Goals—I’ve
worked hard to ensure my villains all consider themselves heroes/heroines of
their own stories. They have reasons for doing what they do. Of course those
reasons may not be rationale or socially acceptable but they’re valid in their
minds. Their motives include power, money, promoting an idea/ideology, revenge,
lust, and love. That last one “love” may prompt them to do unspeakable things
to anyone they perceive as harming their loved ones.
Chilling Villains
from Novels/Movies—
Here are some of my nominees for chilling villains that have
haunted me long after I read the book or saw the movie.
Annie Wilkes, Misery
Dr. Christian Szell, Marathon Man
Eleanor Iselin, The Manchurian Candidate
Noah Cross, Chinatown
Nurse Ratched, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Norman Bates, Psycho
Practically the entire cast of Gone Girl
What villain gives you the biggest chills?
