Many of horror’s most memorable villains have an uncanny ability to charm. Their winsome smiles or sympathetic nature creates a deceptive mask that effectively hides the ruthless killer within, catching unsuspecting victims entirely off guard. In the Brazilian horror film My Dead Ones, David (Nicolas Prattes) seems like your definitive nice guy. A shy film student with an unassuming appearance, David enjoys people watching through his camera lens. Of course, he hides a dark secret from his past. Once he encounters a lonely neighbor next door, he transforms into a serial killer with a mission. It threatens to expose his even darker secret.
Directed by Diego Freitas, who co-wrote the script with Gustavo Rosseb, My Dead Ones is now on various VOD platforms and expanding through Halloween. In celebration of the release, we look back at eight of horror’s most deceiving Nice Guys.
Peeping Tom – Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis (Karlheinz Böhm) seems like your average next-door type, albeit very shy. His clean-cut style and timid persona make him seem harmless, and his obsession with film engenders sympathy. His victims don’t learn until far too late that he’s a perverse killer that loves to use his camera to capture their final expressions of terror as they die. Like most Nice Guy killers, Mark has severe daddy issues, giving compassionate insight into why he turned out this way.
Candyman – The Candyman / Daniel Robitaille
This supernatural boogeyman with a hook for a hand haunts the residents of Cabrini-Green. Per the local legends, if you dare say his name into a mirror five times, he’ll come to collect your life. Yet the Candyman exudes a romantic, soothing calm while he torments. Just the mention of his name strikes fear, but his tragic past is heartbreaking. Few horror killers have a way of wooing you while scaring you silly, and Tony Todd’s portrayal makes it seem effortless.
Red Eye – Jackson Rippner
Never mind that his name is a dead giveaway, Jackson is the type of charmer you don’t see coming. His good looks, wit, and human decency immediately win over the protagonist Lisa at the airport, where they await their red-eye flight. He even steps in to handle an angry customer. It’s not until she’s firmly trapped in her window seat on the plane that he drops the Nice Guy act, switching from Jekyll to Mr. Hyde with disturbing swiftness.
The Silence of the Lambs – Hannibal Lecter
There’s no mistaking the threat and imposing danger of cannibal Hannibal Lecter when we first meet him in his maximum-security cell. Played by Anthony Hopkins, there’s a level of class and intelligence on display that’s atypical of horror villains. This type of killer loves classical music, meticulously prepared dinner parties, and high education. He also has a deep affinity for manners and etiquette. He’s the precise type of Nice Guy that mom and dad would love, except for the bit about eating people.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon – Leslie Vernon
Leslie Vernon aspires to be the next great horror icon, like Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger. In his attempt, he allows a documentary crew to detail his plans for a night of slasher horror style murder. Leslie’s so disarming as the Nice Guy, though, that none of them realize how serious he is about the serial killing until far too late. The mounting romantic tensions between Leslie and his chosen final girl, Taylor, only further proves how likable he is, to the point where you almost root for him to succeed. Almost.
Scream – Billy Loomis
One of the ultimate Nice Guy killers, Billy Loomis manages to repeatedly earn his girlfriend’s trust before finally revealing his killer instinct. For much of Wes Craven’s seminal slasher, Billy presents a steadfast front as the doting, understandable boyfriend that’s there to offer a shoulder to girlfriend Sidney Prescott. Even when she initially suspects him of being the Ghostface killer, he forgives her almost immediately. Too bad, her initial hunch was right. Billy goes from dream boyfriend to worst nightmare in a blink.
American Psycho – Patrick Bateman
Wealthy New York investment banker seems to have it all. He dines at all the coveted hotspots, easily maintains his excessive lifestyle, and has a way of getting whatever his hedonistic heart desires. What his heart desires most is committing murder, often in the grisliest ways. Thanks to his good looks and status, no one even suspects this American psychopath. It also helps that Patrick has a darkly dry sense of humor to defuse suspicion among those closest to him.
Psycho – Norman Bates
Horror’s ultimate Nice Guy is none other than Norman Bates, a doting son. The Bates Motel’s proprietor, Norman is there to greet his guests with a smile and offer soft-spoken words of kindness. When Marion Crane stops for the night during a thunderstorm, the sweet momma’s boy fixes her up a sandwich. He keeps her company in between checking in on his mother at the house behind the motel. He’s such the poster child for the Nice Guy that the reveal that it’s he and not his overbearing mom who’s the killer makes for one of horror’s most shocking twists of all time.
To meet horror’s newest killer Nice Guy, look for My Dead Ones on VOD. The Brazilian horror-mystery from director Diego Freitas and TMA Releasing is already available on Vimeo VOD On Demand and releases this Halloween in North America, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India. The movie will be available on iTunes, Google Play, Vimeo and Amazon Direct Video.
TMA Releasing also signed with Bayview Entertainment for a January 2021 DVD release in North America ahead of the forthcoming AFM. The DVD (Region 0) will be made available online for other countries.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/sponsored/3636950/mr-nice-guy-dead-ones-8-killers-deceiving-smiles/
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