The Hunted creator Gabe Bergmoser reveals his top villains of all time
The man who has just created Australia’s most evil community reveals who he believes is the worst villain we’ve ever seen in a movie, book or on TV.
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His new chiller, The Hunted, has more than one villain — it features an entire Outback community nurturing a dark and violent secret. Today, GABRIEL BERGMOSER picks the most compelling baddies of page and screen. Do you agree?
Let’s be honest; when it comes to the struggles between good and evil that lie at the heart of so many of our favourite stories, evil is usually more interesting. Not always — fantasy dark lords hellbent on world domination aren’t especially complex or compelling — but otherwise it’s not uncommon to get the distinct sense that the writer had a lot more fun crafting their bad guy than the heroes we’re supposed to be rooting for.
While that wasn’t exactly the case with The Hunted, I did have a blast coming up with antagonists who could be gleefully monstrous while also holding a terrifying funhouse mirror up to my heroes. It’s no secret that great villains are often defined by how they challenge, reflect and complement the protagonist, and the below — my top five villains of all time — do that and more.
EXCLUSIVE THE HUNTED EXTRACT: Read it here
FALCONIO & WOLF CREEK: Questions behind The Hunted
Hannibal Lecter
Full disclosure; I don’t just think Hannibal Lecter is the greatest villain of all time, I think he makes a compelling case for the greatest character of all time. Erudite, charming, brilliantly clever with a wicked sense of humour, a twisted code of honour and a taste for human flesh, it’s no surprise that his small supporting role in Thomas Harris’ masterpiece Red Dragon ballooned over several books until he ended up the main character — something that ultimately curtailed his menace. But Lecter’s iconic power has always been too strong for him to ever be fully claimed by parody; just look at Mads Mikkelsen’s brilliant reinterpretation of him in the cult TV show Hannibal. Lecter’s genius, charisma and loathing of the dull and rude collectively characterise the true secret to his success; that creeping sense that maybe he has the right idea.
The Joker
Forget the Joaquin Phoenix misery show; the best versions of the Joker have always been mysteries, like the unexplainable force of nature that Heath Ledger so perfectly embodied. But beyond that, the greatest Jokers perfectly encapsulate the idea of a villain as a horrifying reflection of the hero, or else the universe balancing the scales by presenting a criminal just as freakish as the person who has devoted his cape-wearing life to hunting them down. Unlike the controlled monsters elsewhere on this list, the Joker is unbridled chaos personified, a madman who just wants to laugh while the world burns.
Gustavo Fring
Breaking Bad and its prequel Better Call Saul are overflowing with great villains, but the crown will always belong to Gustavo Fring. Immaculately dressed, unfailingly polite and capable of shocking acts of violence when crossed or challenged, Gus Fring is as much savvy businessman as ruthless crime boss. As his role in Breaking Bad grew and the mystery of his past and motivations was slowly fleshed out, he became that rare villain who was as likeable as he was terrifying — a monster who, on more than a few occasions, wrested our allegiances away from ostensible protagonist Walter White.
Dolores Umbridge
Dolores Umbridge prompts more hatred from readers than Voldemort ever did, despite never committing any of the same atrocities. But Umbridge’s banal brand of evil hits closer to home. We’ve all known someone like her, someone who dresses up their cruelty as twee condescension, someone whose vindictiveness is so transparent and yet behaves as though they are as sweet as can be. She provokes singular frustration through ugly recognition, leaving readers determined to see that simpering smile wiped off her face in the most unpleasant way possible.
Norman Bates
What makes Norman Bates great is the fact that he’s not a villain. Not really. Yes, he murdered his mother and mummified her corpse, and yes he regularly stabs unsuspecting guests at his motel, but Norman’s tragedy is that he doesn’t realise he has done any of that. His mind is so fractured by years of abuse that he exists in a fantasy world, albeit one he’s far from happy in. But that fact just confirms what is so desperately sad about Norman; being downtrodden and abused is all he understands. His violent side, taking on the persona of his mother, only really comes out when that world is threatened; and when it’s ripped away from him entirely, he descends fully into his own psychosis. What separates Norman from — and makes him even more terrifying than — other great monsters is that he is so very human, and so very pitiable.
THE (VIRTUAL) HUNT IS ON
Join Gabriel Bergmoser live in conversation with Justin Lees as part our Month of Sundays virtual events series on Wednesday, August 5 at 6pm AEST at the Sunday Book Club Facebook group. You can also see what else is coming up — including live sessions with Tara Moss and Steven Conte.
And because The Hunted is our Book of the Month, you get it for 30 per cent discount at Booktopia with the exclusive code HUNTED. You won’t regret it.