For a movie to be consideredscary or frightening, it needs to feature a compelling antagonist. Depending on the subgenre, a horror film can call upon a variety of different tropes to achieve this. Some will feature ethereal forces while others will rely on a more physical evil. No matter the form this horror adopts, the correct presentation and execution will always render them terrifying sights to behold.
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Countless horror movies use elements of the paranormal to convey the fear they wish to evoke. The fear of the unknown is oftentimes the most horrifying aspect of a horror flick, but that doesn’t mean it’s always necessary. Ideas of physical violence and mutilation can get the job done just as easily, especially if the narrative centers around acannibal.
6The Cannibals (The Road)
The Roaddocuments the story of a father and son attempting to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The planet has been left in ruin, leaving all who remain vulnerable to the dangers that now haunt it. As a result, both father and son set off on a journey to the sea in the hope they may survive the upcoming winter.
The father has taught the boy to be wary of his surroundings while traveling and, though they are both precautious, the boy is grabbed by a cannibal. The father shoots the cannibal and flees with his son, leaving most of their possessions behind. While searching for supplies in an abandoned house, the pair uncovers some prisoners in a cellar who are slowly being eaten by cannibals.
5Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacrefollows Sally and Franklin Hardesty, alongside a group of their friends, as they set out to visit their grandfather’s grave. On their journey, they make the acquaintance of a deranged hitchhiker who informs them of his family and how they made their living working in a slaughterhouse. Things seem normal until the stranger slashes Franklin with a razor and is subsequently kicked from the van.
Believing the worst to be over, the group continues to their destination only to find themselves inan unsettling townwhile at the mercy of the same family the hitchhiker previously alluded to.Leatherface, the most threatening member, cuts his way through most of Sally’s friends before capturing her and bringing her to dinner. He and his family then sit down for a meal composed primarily of human remains before attempting to murder Sally. Eating people is one thing, but Leatherface’s decision to wear the skin of his victims on his face is something else entirely.
4Sarah, Gigi, & Ruby (The Neon Demon)
Jesse moves to Los Angeles to pursue a career in modeling after the death of her parents. She begins her pursuits unsure of herself but finds herself at home in the fashion world thanks to the help of Sarah, Gigi, and Ruby, an eccentric bunch who are captivated by Jesse’s beauty. They spend most of the narrative solidifying a bond with the inexperienced model and, though they say they mean well, friendship isn’t their main goal.
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Though it isn’t made overly clear until the very end, Sarah, Gigi, and Ruby have ulterior motives. They presented themselves as loyal friends, but it was all a ruse to secure Jesse’s trust. The climax ofThe Neon Demonsees the groupcutting Jesse into piecesand consuming her body parts in the hope of claiming her beauty for themselves.
3Justine (Raw)
Justine lives a relatively ordinary life, that is until she decides topursue a career in veterinary nursing. During her first week at veterinary school, she takes part in an initiation ceremony where she is forced to eat a rabbit kidney. As a vegetarian, she rejects the idea but does so anyway when her sister insists.
Justine begins craving meat shortly after digesting the kidney. She satisfies these cravings by eating various meat products before eventually developinga taste for human flesh. Upon eating her sister’s finger, she becomes obsessed with consuming human body parts and goes out of her way to sate her hunger.
2Steve (Fresh)
Noa has had very little luck with online dating; the people she meets are deplorable and often leave a sour taste in her mouth. Things change, however, when she happens upon a charismatic man named Steve at her local supermarket. The two exchange numbers and go on a series of dates beforethe stranger reveals his true intentions.
Noa wakes up during one of their dates to find she has been chained to the ground in an empty room. She refuses to believe that Steve would do such a thing until he enters and explains his reasoning. Steve kidnaps women and sells their body parts on the black market. If this wasn’t shocking enough, he also enjoys eating said parts in his spare time. Noa eventually outwits her captor towardFresh’s climax, but not before indulging in human cuisine herself.
1Hannibal Lecter (Silence Of The Lambs)
While training at the Virginia F.B.I. Academy, Clarice Starling is assigned to interview a renowned cannibal named Hannibal Lecter. Once known for his work as a psychiatrist, Lecter’s obsession led him down a twisted path and rendered him a psychopath in the public eye.
Clarice hopes that interviewing Lecter will shed light on a series of recent murders where the skins of the victims were removed. It is clear Lecter knows more than he lets on, but he is careful with the information he divulges. If his mannerisms and convictions aren’t enough to strike fear in all those who encounter him, his nonchalant way of describing his past actions certainly will.“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,“is possibly the most harrowing line he utters throughoutSilence of the Lambsbecause of how playfully he delivers it.
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