Horror Movie Villains Who Fell in Love (2024)

What is a villain? When you boil them down to their most basic part, they're just an individual with a goal, not unlike the protagonist. But, of course, it all comes down to the endgame. What exactly is their goal?

Usually, regardless of the character's affiliations, it comes down to something or someone they already value, and can't stand to lose. But what about those who are already villains who then fall in love (or, at least, enough lust to give them pause in their sinister actions)? The following fit that bill, from slasher villains to highly intelligent cannibals who somehow, against all odds, found someone they care for on the opposite side of the law.

Norman Bates — Psycho (1960)

Psycho

R

Release Date

June 22, 1960

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Cast

Anthony Perkins , Vera Miles , John Gavin , Martin Balsam , John McIntire , Simon Oakland

Main Genre

Horror

An incredibly influential film, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho tells the story of a woman on the run with a stack of cash. Unfortunately for her, she runs into a motel owner with some pretty heavy mommy issues.

Who Do They Love?

Norman Bates isn't quite there emotionally to fall in love, but he certainly thinks he has. When he sees Marion Crane, something clicks within him and "Mother" comes out. Whatever the emotion Norman was actually feeling was, it was at least somewhat connected to love, because upon discovering Marion's body, he's legitimately devastated.

Leatherface — The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is masterful, but in a way that's entirely different from his first film (which, in and of itself, helps cement the second film's masterful nature). The narrative follows a low-rent DJ, Stretch, as she teams up with a seemingly-psychotic lawman to bring down the local Sawyer clan, who have been slaughtering innocents and feeding them to other innocents for years.

Who Do They Love?

Leatherface — at least how he's written in the films — doesn't seem fully capable of love. It's not his unspoken cognitive impairment so much as it's his perpetual sheltering. And, yet, after a super awkward moment where he puts his chainsaw between Stretch's legs, there is a scene where he legitimately tries to assist her in escaping the Sawyer family's mine. That said, his altruism is short-lived. Even still, though, for a second there, Stretch broke through and actually got Leatherface to break from his own impulses.

Julia — Hellraiser (1987)

Hellraiser

R

Release Date

September 18, 1987

Director

Clive Barker

Cast

Ashley Laurence , Sean Chapman , Doug Bradley , Andrew Robinson , Claire Higgins , Nicholas Vince , Simon Bamford , Grace Kirby , Oliver Smith

Main Genre

Horror

Clive Barker's brilliant Hellraiser tells the story of one highly dysfunctional family. Frank Cotton is a thrill seeker, to the highest degree, and that includes willingly sending himself to Hell. But he grows tired of that and escapes. And, with the help of his brother's wife (who is also Frank's ex-lover), he may just find himself back on the mortal plane.

Who Do They Love?

Julia Cotton is the film's true antagonist, even if Frank is the catalyst and Pinhead the Cenobite is the one on the poster. And what's her motive? Frank. All Frank. And what is it that kills her? Frank. Also Frank.

Annie Wilkes — Misery (1990)

Misery

R

Release Date

November 30, 1990

Director

Rob Reiner

Cast

James Caan , Kathy Bates , Richard Farnsworth , Frances Sternhagen , Lauren Bacall , Graham Jarvis

Main Genre

Drama

One of the better adaptations of a Stephen King work, Rob Reiner's Misery focuses on just two characters: writer Paul Sheldon and his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes. Specifically, Sheldon has lived through a terrible car accident, and now he's in the care of a seemingly-sweet nurse. But this nurse, Annie Wilkes, isn't even on the job anymore, and her goal definitely isn't tailored to Sheldon's best interests.

Who Do They Love?

As terrific an actor as Jimmy Caan was, and as unforgettable as King's story is (not to mention the film's script and Reiner's tight direction), Misery belongs to Kathy Bates. As Annie Wilkes, she delivers the best performance of her career... because she does not play a villain. She plays a deeply complicated individual who is lonely and in pain (who just happens to have killed a lot of people). And it works like a charm.

Dracula — Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Bram Stoker's Dracula

R

Release Date

November 13, 1992

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Cast

Gary Oldman , Winona Ryder , Anthony Hopkins , Keanu Reeves , Sadie Frost , Cary Elwes , Richard E. Grant , Billy Campbell , Tom Waits , Monica Bellucci , Florina Kendrick , Michaela Bercu , Jay Robinson , I.M. Hobson , Laurie Franks , Maud Winchester , Octavian Cadia , Robert Getz , Dagmar Stansova , Eniko Öss , Nancy Linehan Charles , Tatiana von Furstenberg , Jules Sylvester , Hubert Wells , Daniel Newman , Honey Lauren , Judi Diamond

Main Genre

Horror

Francis Ford Coppola's excellent horror film Bram Stoker's Dracula is about as accurate a cinematic representation of the author's work as there can be. The narrative follows Keanu Reeves as the fresh-faced Jonathan Harker, traveling to Transylvania to interview Count Dracula. Too bad for Harker the Count sets his sights on his fiancé, and the well-spoken, mysterious man proves to be tough competition.

Who Do They Love?

Winona Ryder portrays the film's version of Mina Murray, and her slightly gothic look blends in perfectly with the well-produced film's visuals. Not to mention Gary Oldman and Ryder have such wonderful chemistry that the audience never stops believing not only that he'd fall for her, but also that she may very well fall for him (even knowing what he really is).

Candyman — Candyman (1992)

Candyman

R

Release Date

October 16, 1992

Director

Bernard Rose

Cast

Virginia Madsen , Tony Todd , Xander Berkeley , Kasi Lemmons , Vanessa Williams , DeJuan Guy

Main Genre

Horror

An important social commentary in horror (as is its legacy sequel), Candyman tells the story of Helen Lyle, a grad student who starts diving into what's apparently an urban legend. But, as she soon learns, saying "Candyman" into a mirror five times actually does produce a result, and it's a murderous one.

Who Do They Love?

As Lyle digs deeper into the Candyman legend, she learns that he's not just a monster. He was Daniel Robitaille, a horribly betrayed man whose vengeance-seeking is, quite frankly, understandable. Robitaille must be able to sense her compassion, because he keeps beckoning for her to join him. And, in the third act, when he does have a chance to kill her, he does not.

Chucky Tiffany — Bride of Chucky (1998)

Bride of Chucky

R

Release Date

October 16, 1998

Director

Ronny Yu

Cast

Brad Dourif , Jennifer Tilly , Katherine Heigl , Nick Stabile , John Ritter , Alexis Arquette , Gordon Michael Woolvett

Main Genre

Comedy

Ronny Yu's Bride of Chucky was a revolution for the IP, a humorous and creepy expansion of a formula that had run dry. The plot follows Jennifer Tilly's Tiffany Valentine as she resurrects her old lover, who now just so happens to be in the form of an iconic and murderous Good Guy Doll. Unfortunately for her, the expected sunshine and rainbows aren't en route.

Who Do They Love?

Tiffany Valentine became an iconic movie monster just as quickly as her love, Chucky. She's as obsessed with murder in general as she is him, and the bubbly way in which she carries herself makes that very interesting. But, Chucky rejects her advances and that bubbliness decreases, especially once Chuck converts Tiff into a doll just like him.

Hannibal Lecter — Hannibal (2001)

Ridley Scott's ambitious but ultimately too-stuffed Hannibal picks up some years after The Silence of the Lambs left off. Clarice Starling is an FBI special agent, fully in her day-to-day, but now she has an opportunity to catch the one man who has fully eluded her even though, when she met him, he was a caged criminal. That man is Hannibal Lecter, and Starling's not the only one after him.

Who Do They Love?

Much of Hannibal revolves around a man named Mason Verger, who once had a mutilating run-in with Dr. Lecter. Towards the end of the film, once Verger has Lecter tied up to be fed to the hogs, Starling enters to save him. But, by the scene's end, it is Lecter who is carrying Starling to safety. And the viewer would be hard-pressed to think of even one other individual he'd do that for. This is likely inspired by the ending of the novel, where Clarice and Hannibal end up together.

Francis Dolarhyde — Red Dragon (2002)

Red Dragon

R

Release Date

September 29, 2002

Director

Brett Ratner

Cast

Anthony Hopkins , Edward Norton , Ralph Fiennes , Harvey Keitel , Emily Watson , Mary-Louise Parker

Main Genre

Crime

An admirable adaptation of Thomas Harris' source material, 2002's Red Dragon tells the story of Francis Dolarhyde, a disturbed man who believes that he can reincarnate a deceased entity if he kills the right people. Now, Agent Will Graham has to utilize the help of one Hannibal Lecter to find the whereabouts of this so-called "Tooth Fairy."

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Who Do They Love?

The film's Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), like in the book, finds his confused heart taken by his coworker at the photo lab, Reba McClane (Emily Watson, elevating the film per usual). Thanks to the two actors' performances, the viewer fully believes Dolarhyde's desire for reform, and the movie is all the better for it.

Jigsaw — Saw III (2006)

Saw 3

R

Release Date

October 27, 2006

Director

Darren Lynn Bousman

Cast

Tobin Bell , Shawnee Smith , Angus Macfadyen , Bahar Soomekh , Donnie Wahlberg , Dina Meyer

Main Genre

Crime

Until Saw X, most would argue that Saw III is the last gory extravaganza worth viewing. The narrative follows a near-death Jigsaw's game to test one father's resilience and ability to forgive. But, the game may not be just for one individual, and the other individual may be pretty darn close to Jigsaw himself.

Who Do They Love?

Jill Kramer doesn't get much screentime in Saw III, but if any installment shows a happy period of her marriage to John (AKA Jigsaw), it's the third one. Specifically, it's a flashback, with the two of them being intimate in the park. Unfortunately, their relationship would soon grow... complicated.

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