There are a lot of horror movie antagonists!We have vampires, vengeful spirits, cannibals, lycanthropy sufferers, psychopaths and many others (see this article for a more complete list link) all ready to hand out a piece of their mind to us mere mortals.
But if there is one thing that such a list illustrates above all else is that a lot of these antagonists are based on mythical creatures/legends.
Freddy Kruger is the dark version of the Sandman. Jason Voorhees could be the naughty cousin of Dionysus as he is unwilling to die. Michael Myers is, perhaps, a changeling baby grown up. And then there is a whole array of (biblically) possessed people and objects with Chucky being the most (in)famous one. He and all the various demons listed in the Goetia all have a –almost addicted- reasons to torment us humans.
Long before the horror-genre came along people have been scaring each other witless with all kinds of crawling creatures roaming in the shadows. Only when movies came along somebody had the bright idea of using these ‘folktale tormentors’ as antagonists.
Now, looking back at a hundred years of movie history I can tell you: Some ‘worked’ some didn’t. And those that didn’t only appeared in one or two movie and then faded in obscurity.
And there are lots to choose from. Read Neil Gaiman's American Gods
if you wish to become acquainted with some lesser known ones (the first chapter has a doozy).
So the goal in this little article of mine is to highlight some of the lesser known mythological creatures used in (obscure) horror movies. The ones who are slowly setting a foot/paw/claw onto the silver canvas of horror movies?
I’ll write a short description of the being; I’ll tell you why I think this being fits the genre of horror ‘so well’ and then attached the corresponding movie to it.
Two things to mention though: first, I’ll try not to mention any from the infamous Cabin in the Woods-blackboard.
And second, I haven’t included every possible possibility. Let’s just say that I’ve left room for a sequel.
You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters.
Baba YagaBaba Yaga looks like the stereotype witch. But, instead of a broom she flies around in a mortar and wields a pestle. Baba Yaga lives in a hut standing on chicken legs deep in the forest. She is an ambiguous character that may both help or hurt you.
Why: She is an ambiguous supernatural creature. Meaning: if a character first meets her and she is kind you might keep on perceiving her as such. But even a creature can turn against you. It’s the humanity-aspect that gives the horror movie the extra layer.
Movie(s): Baba Yaga
Bigfoot/Yeti/Yowie
The legend of bigfoot is a lot older than people give him credit for. And the being has been spotted in Northern America, Tibet and Australia. Basically he's the missing link; a cross between a gorilla, human and bear. His main characteristic is that he/she is very good at hiding.
Why: We humans like to think that we’ve seen and know everything about this silly little planet of ours. Yet we haven’t even explored 20% of the sea bottom. Let alone the unreachable forests and highest peaks that our planet has aplenty. What if some of these ‘knowitall humans’ enter these forbidden places?
Movie(s): Exists
Cerberus
Cerberus is the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades's realm: Tartarus. His main task is to prevent the dead from ever leaving the underworld.
Why: A dog is man’s best friend. A dog with three heads might be as well. But then one must remember the task the beast was set upon long ago. To keep the people in the underworld from ever escaping.
Movie(s): Cerberus
Chimaera The Chimaera is a ferocious animal comprised of (quite the collection) of other animals. Usually it's body parts consist of a lion (a common ‘basis’ as you read on), with the head of a goat arising from its back, and a tail that ends with a snake's head.
Why: A terrifying creature that only has one purpose: to eat and destroy. Just lock this creature in a space with some survivors (like: The Relic – which’ creature resembles a Chimaera pretty closely)
Movie(s): Chimaera
Fairies and fairy changelings
A changeling child was believed to be a fairy child (sometimes Trolls) that had been left in place of a human child stolen by the fairies.
Why: Fairies are often considered good. But remember the following: if you are, in fact, immortal how would you deal with mortal beings? You’d probably wouldn’t notice if you hurt us. Terry Pratchett noticed this in brilliant novel Lords and ladies and so does the movie The daisy chain. Fairies can be innocent, mischievous and even evil.
Movie(s): The nanny, The daisy chain.
Golem
In Jewish folklore is a clay statue brought to live by magic to be a servant or protector for the person who created it.
Why: A strong, indestructible creature that will serve the will of a master without question. What will such a master do with such power?
Movie(s): The Golem
HarpyA harpy is a half-woman (sometimes man) and half-bird creature. The shriek of a harpy brings unfathomable pain and, usually, brings death.
Why: A flying human who, like a bird, preys on its food. The ultimate assassin as the unfortunate victims in my suggested (comedy) movie find out.
Movie(s): Going postal.
Hydra
the Hydra is a ferocious dragon with seven heads, for every head chopped off, the Hydra would re-grow two heads. The Hydra had poisonous breath and blood so virulent that even its scent was deadly.
Why: An instopable dragon that only a mythological hero like Hercules could best. But, underneath the ‘showmanship’ of seven heads there could be all kinds of allagories brewing to socio-political tensions that (my suggested movie just don’t couldn’t) incorporate.
Movie(s): Hydra
Imaginary friend
Almost every child, at one time or another, has an imaginary friend. Somebody the parents can't see who the child plays with. Some legends assume the creature to be real.
Why: To bring a child into this world is a willing acceptance that your own life ‘now’ has an end-date. After the child has grown up and moved out your task is over. All that’s left is to die. But what if there is something wrong with your child? What if your ‘pension plan’ is in trouble because of some invisible being?
Movie(s): Hide and seek
KelpieThe most famous Kelpie resides in Loch Ness. But the legend is older than that particular lake. The Kelpy is a large waterdragon with the head of a horse. Usually the beast is friendly if-not protective.
Why: A big beast from the deep; it’s could be Jaws all over again.
Movie(s): Incident at Loch Ness
Komodo dragon
Almost a small cheat on my part if not for the fact that these 'dragons' have a legend contributed to them about a 'dragon princess' giving birth to twins: A human boy and a dragon daughter.
Why: The Komodo dragons are the only dragons (left) on this green earth. Moviemakers can spin all kinds of tales on their origins or…just simply let the beasts go rogue.
Movie(s): Komodo
KrampusThe original Sinterklaas/Santa Clause. A demon-like half goat (‘Pan’ in Greek mythology) that roams the December nights looking for naughty children.
Why: People love to turn the bad into something good. The slaughter called WO II is often used as a an opportunity to highlight heroes. Or, less pessimistic, the (possible) explanation that ‘God bless you’ comes from people hoping that your sneeze doesn’t carry any of the plague.
Movie(s): Krampus
La Llorona
A folktale from Mexico of a woman who drowned her children for the man she loved. The she drowned herself and, forever after, searches for new children to have as her own.
Why: A mother figure as an antagonist always works in horror (e.g. Carrie). IOt’s the combination of love, birth and death that (thematically)fit together.
Movie(s): The curse of la Llorona
Leprechaun/Dwarf/Gnome
Leprechauns and the like are small creatures that live underground, make shoes and love their gold (and hate to part with it). They can be kind to those who are kind to them but usually they just want to be left alone.
Why: What happens if you twart these creatures? In one of the legends the Leprechaun used the trick of ‘tying strings to each and every tree’ on his aggressor. But what if you truly p*ss one of the ‘little folk’ off? Blood might be spilled.
Movie(s): The Leprechaun
The Lorelei/ The Siren
A beautiful woman (a Siren) singing on the rocks on the right bank of the river Rhine in Germany. Her song is so sweet that sailors will lose themselves and drive their ships against the cliffs.
Why: A female temptress has been the cornerstone of cinematic mystery since the start of cinema. Ever since ‘noire’ we (the audience) know that women on the silver screen can’t be trusted.
More about this when we reach the mermaids.
So why not ‘enter’ a woman whose ‘only goal in life’ is to lure men to death.
Movie(s): Siren
ManticoreMuch like the Chimaera the Manticore is a lion-like beast. This time with the head of a human and a (usually) scorpion's tail.
Why: Like my entry about the Chimaera one wouldn’t like to meet the Manticore in the African jungle anytime soon. Such an amazing predator with such amazing skill…and bloodlust.
Movie(s): Manticore
Medusa
The most famous of the three sisters. She was a woman whose hair consisted of snakes and with a stare that could make people turn to stone.
Why: The anti-seductress (in contrast to the Siren). Medusa wants to be left alone. Medusa’s curse (like King Midas’) is that she can only look upon somebody who is ‘worthy’. Alas, nobody is. This brings both ‘love’ and ‘death’ to the table in one swift move of character.
Movie(s): Medusa, Percy Jackson and the lightning thief
Mermaid(Usually) women with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. A mermaid would use her radiant beauty and soothing singing voice to lure sailors into the sea where she would drown them and feast on them.
Why: The, by now, age old tale of the seductress. But what if she is refused? What will her animal-instinct do when that happens? Hans Christian Anderson warned us about the (possible) wrath of the
Mermaid.
Movie(s): The Lure, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Ogre
A Troll like creature that is more man than Troll. An Ogre is a massive man that enjoys to feast on the human flesh -especially young children.
Why: Every (creature) horror movie needs a unstoppable force. It might be a rather simple excuse but, then again, who can resist a ‘child eating monster’
Movie(s): Ogre, Shrek
Sphinx
And yet another combination of man and lion. This time (unlike the Manticore) it is the body of a lion and the head of a man/woman.
Why: The Sphinx is often considered ‘wise’; meaning: this is a worthy adversary for us humans encountering this creature. Alas, most movies neglect this trait of the being and simply turn it into a monster-hunt.
Movie(s): Sphinx
The krakenA gigantic squid who can destroy ships in an instant with its massive tentacles.
Why: We, humans, don’t know anything about the deep sea. So imagine a ship with a full twenty miles of darkness beneath it. What could be lurking there?
Movie(s): 20.000 leagues under the sea, Deep rising
The vagina eater
There is no 'one' creature who does 'this' all the time. However, there are various legends in Shinto, Maori and Hindu cultures that tell of women taking their revenge on men by consuming them through their privates.
Why: Like the, above mentioned, seductresses this being takes ‘things’ a step further by encouraging men to do the act. It’s the penetration (read: rape) that brings forth their downfall. There isn’t a lot of thematic symbolism needed to pull this off. It’s the horror version of Monster (2003).
Movie(s): American God’s S01E01
Toothfairy
A being that collects children’s teeth. How can that be a good thing? Anybody who takes a step back and looks at the facts knows that these beings are born evil. As did the creators of the fun little movie: The tooth fairy.
Why: A being both preying and dependant on children. How does, such, a being survive? And, most importantly, what will such a being do when it finds itself ‘hungry’?
Movie(s): The tooth fairy
Troll
A ghastly creature who can only move in the night because daylight will turn it into stone. A massive being (sometimes hairy like a Yeti) that is, only sometimes, intelligent enough to be capable of speech.
Why: Again an attacking being from the ‘outer realm’. There needs to be a reason for this being attacking. Sometimes it’s a spell, or just people wandering into the wrong place. But it’s the distinct reliance on darkness that makes Troll-fiction quite compelling. Like Vampires-stories, the heroes need to wait for the dark.
Movie(s): Troll, Troll 2, Ernest scared stupid
Wendigo
The Wendigo is a forest demon who is more bone than hairy skin (sometimes sporting an antler). It preys on humans who enter the woods.
Why: Like the Yeti-and sorts, the Wendigo preys on those who walk into its trap unwittingly. But the Wendigo has a ‘trump card up its sleeve’ as it can make the grounds of ‘his’ world sour.
The native American’s (in this fiction) often have an ‘understanding’ with these beings.
So any hardship suffered by the native Americans (which is, -to be rather clear- a lot) will, in this fiction, be punished by the Wendigo.
The Wendigo is the ultimate way of levelling the playing field between the oppressors and the oppressed.
Movie(s): Wendigo
New stories to be told:I just gave you a small list of obscure supernatural creatures that ‘made-it-into-a-horror-movie’. But then there are quite a few who are somewhat left ‘out the door’.
So, here I’ll leave you with a short summary of beings that are ‘fit for the silver screen’ –if only- moviemakers* are brave enough.
* The Conjuring-cinematic-universe.
Cynocephaly - People who have the body of a human but the heads of dogs. These are usually benevolent creatures but they don't shy away from eating those unlucky sailors coming to their island.
Mimi - Mimi's are Australian fairies who are so thin and elongated that they are in danger of breaking like twigs when the winds blow. They usually live in rock crevices.
Naga - Like the Mermaid a Naga has the upper body of a woman but the lower body of a snake. And, like many other creatures on this list, Naga can be both good or evil.
Rakshasa - A cannibal race of large, fierce looking humans whose ugliness is emphasized by the two large fangs protruding from their mouths.
Typhon – A gigantic serpentine being playing for control, not of the world but, for the cosmos. Epicness takes no enemies!
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