The reason that horror has remained my most watched genre, above all others, is down to the vast array of great characters that populate these movies. There are just so many iconic heroes and villains in these films, be it Norman Bates, Jack Torrance, Laurie Strode, or Herbert West. The right actor inhabiting friend or foe in these movies, is the main reason I keep coming back to them. Take my favourite series, 'Friday The 13th', I don't return to Crystal Lake on a monthly basis just for the body-count Jason and his Mommy inflict, no, it's for Alice, Ginny, Shelly, Tommy, they are my cinematic buddies, my crushes, my soon to depart friends. In this series I hope to bring a little love to my favourites, along with a few obvious choices, I've thrown in some unexpected individuals as well. Enjoy.
Shelly Finkelstein: Friday The 13th Part 3 (1982)
Shelly is a practical joker, a guy who wears a Halloween mask no a first date. He even likes to pretend to be dead to get attention. A little overweight, and painfully shy when it comes to girls. Shelly is one of us, a normal guy, who would rather be at home watching a flick, than messing around in the woods. It's no wonder he gets so bored he incites a motorbike gang who almost end up killing him. He also supplies a mass-murder with a facial apparatus to hide his deformity, little did he know it would be the crowning achievement of his short life.
Patrick Bateman: American Psycho (2000)
His skin an orange glow, his body a series of rippling muscles covered by exquisitely designed suits, Bateman is consumerism made flesh. If he were alive today he would be an Instagram addict, constantly updating his gym workouts. He would delight in Netflix, and must see TV, can't you picture it, "I gotta go home and finish Stranger Things". Bateman is always up on the latest trends, has the finest suits, and the best haircut. His fridge maybe cold and empty, with only heady prizes, but his stereo is always blaring with classics. If you meet him don't forget to shake is hand, and look straight into his eyes, to reassure him, both you and he, are really there. This is not a sentence.
Laurie Strode: Halloween (1978)
Jonathan Stryker: Curtains (1983)
Stryker is a misogynist, a big lumbering narcissist, he is every bad story we hear whispered about directors with power complexes. The fact he couldn't see the murderous outcome of inviting a bevy of women to fight for a life changing role, is his greatest weakness. That is his Achilles heel, he underestimates women, he doesn't see their power, they are simply pawns to be moved on a chess board. Stryker is a quiet animal, although prone to the odd outburst, he speaks loudest with his eyes, or the quick spit of smoke from his mouth.
Ricky Thomas: Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Ricky is a powder keg of rage, a little firecracker dancing at the edge of a bonfire. He is always ready for a fight, or a lashing of bile at a foe, his expletives come thick and fast, they shock even the most hardened of thugs. Nobody messes with Ricky, and nobody messes with his cousin, Angela.
Suzy Bannion: Suspiria (1977)
As fragile as glass, yet strong as steel, Suzy Bannion is a dancer, an American, and an outsider. The ideals of the occupants of the Tanz Dance Academy seem to frighten and repulse her. Every taxi ride is a day-glow nightmare drenched in rain. The wind howls. Animals attack, and sickness is rampant. This is the world of The Mother of Sighs, and the raven haired beauty is trapped under her spell.
Ashley Williams: Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Things escalate quickly for Ash, one minute he's gifting his girlfriend a necklace, the next thing he's dismembering her still living corpse. There is evil in the woods and Ash knows this, he also knows 'A Farewell to Arms' is the perfect implement to hold a trapped severed hand. Ash is a roll with the punches kind of guy, maybe it's his job serving the public at S-mart? He is big, strong, and is able to take a hit and keep coming, the undead just don't understand him.
Duane Duke: Psycho 3 (1986)
Duke is the kind of guy who knows the more alcohol a women has consumed, the more receptive to his responds they will be. He lives on a diet of beer and burgers, yet that is a contrast to his toned psyche and handsome face. He is a work all day, party all night guy, who loves only one thing his guitar. If you do happen to fall under his Devilish spell you are in for quite a show, which involves not one, but two lamps, that shower his brown, lean body in white golden light.
Mrs. Voorhees: Friday The 13th (1980)
I wish my mother cared as much, if all mommies showed the adoration to their kids as Mrs. Voorhees this would be a better world. Pamela is a victim of circumstance, she fell pregnant in a small town, a God-fearing town, and the worst part is, The Lord cursed her with a child marked with deformity. The father long gone, she took solace in the local summer camp, where she worked as a cook, The Almighty's sick humour found her again, taking her son in a drowning accident. Her vengeance was swift, her mercy relentless, yet they came back, she warned them, and they still came back. Her knife sharpened, her favourite blue sweater splashed with blood, the time for killing had begun. If only all mothers were so devoted.
R.J Macready: The Thing (1982)
The Arctic is the perfect place for R.J Macready, he is a man who excels in isolation, his cool exterior hiding a natural-born leader, who is willing to take action when needed. He always knew the day would come, the fire had been been lit, and he happily done the deed. The white wilderness is home to many animals, but none as savage and brutal as The Thing. it can camouflage as anyone, anything, yet even it couldn't transmogrify the awesomeness of Macready, nice try Thing, nice try.