Horror works predominantly on the elements of suspense and surprise. And what better way to surprise the audience than to have the main character turn into the villain? When done well, this element of surprise not only provides shock value to the film but also has deep narrative implications. This decision to turn the main character into the villain also works in making the horror seem more relatable and genuine since humans are capable of being more cunning than monsters ever could. Here’s a list of eight horror movies where the main character is the villain.
Updated on September 30th, 2023, by Danilo Raúl: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
12 Mr. Brooks (2007)
It's not usual to see Kevin Costner playing a bad guy, but when he does, he makes an impact. Mr. Brooks is a horror thriller written and directed by Bruce A. Evans with the assistance of Raynold Gideon. The solid casting also features William Hurt, Demi Moore, and Dane Cook.
The story revolves around a successful businessman named Earl Brooks, who has a murderous alter ego who commits several killings. A voyeur neighbor notices this and prompts him to keep killing people, which leads him into a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with a determined detective willing to solve the case at any cost.
11 The House That Jack Built (2018)
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Lars von Trier has a gift to tell the most compelling yet disturbing stories ever put to screen. The House That Jack Built is a movie written and directed by him starring Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, and Uma Thurman, among many others.
The story tells the story of Jack, a failed architect from Washington State with a strong obsessive-compulsive disorder, as he tells the story of how he became a serial killer in five chapters. It's a powerful story that deep dives into Jack's mind as he overcomes his limitations to become a more efficient killer, the problem being that his extreme overconfidence makes him sloppier. In the end, Jack faces the only foe he's unable to beat.
10 Brightburn (2019)
Brightburn has to be one of the best twists ever put in the classic story of Superman's origin. A boy who arrived on Earth on a spaceship is found by a couple in the open fields of Kansas and they choose to raise him as his child.
When the child discovers his origins and powers, the ship reveals his true purpose on Earth: he must conquer the planet and wipe out the native species. The film, directed by David Yarovesky, is written by Brian and Mark Gunn and produced by James Gunn. We get the solid acting of Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Jackson A. Dunn as the parents/victims of Brandon Breyer.
9 American Psycho (2000)
No film has been so misunderstood by audiences as American Psycho. While half of its modern audiences think it's a blatant criticism of capitalism and societal standards, the other half believes this movie will entice you to become a better version of yourself regardless of consequences.
The truth is this story, written and directed by Mary Harron, follows a man who is firmly disconnected from the world yet doing his best to keep the façade of being one with society. Patrick Bateman, brilliantly played by Christian Bale, is an outcast who hates everything and everyone. Yet, he tries to pass as normal despite his unending urges to kill every two-faced person he comes across.
8 Carrie (1976)
Carrie is a revenge saga that revolves around a girl named Carrie (Sissy Spacek), who seems like an average high schooler from the outside but is a whirlpool of telekinetic powers from the inside.
At home, Carrie is heavily curtailed and corrected by her overly zealous mother, while she's also bullied at school by the other girls. Things start looking up for Carrie as she is invited to prom by the other girls, only to be picked on again. Having had enough, Carrie gives it back to her tormentors and explodes, annihilating the entire hall full of prom high-schoolers in the process.
7 The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg’s The Fly is a horrific tale of a sci-fi experiment gone wrong. The plot follows Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), a scientist who makes a technological breakthrough in teleportation.
As Brundle gets ready to test the device on himself, unbeknownst to him, a fly enters the pod and their DNA gets intertwined, causing Brundle to turn into a primitively hostile monster.
6 Frailty (2001)
Imagine being raised by a delusional father who has made it his life's mission to wipe out all the ‘demons’ from earth. The younger of his two sons idealizes the man for his devotion to god’s cause.
However, the older son is disgusted by his father’s brutal, murderous acts. 20 years later, the elder son confesses all of his father’s sins to an FBI agent, framing the tragically underseen thriller that was directed by the late Bill Paxton.
5 The Others (2001)
Adapted from Henry James’ horror novella The Turn of The Screw, Alejandro Amenábar’s film infuses James’ narrative substance with elements of gothic horror. The film is garnished by Nicole Kidman’s eerie portrayal of Grace, a woman who moves into a new house with her two photosensitive children.
The Othersconstantly keeps the viewers at the edge of their seats, twisting and turning, merging the lines between the paranormal world and reality.
4 Us (2019)
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Jordan Peele’s second feature film dives deep into the human psyche. Us, on a surface level, flips the classic switch of the unexpected visitor trope on its head by making the villains, doppelgänger versions of the main characters.
It's only towards the end of the film that Peele reveals that the doppelgängers have a history with the main characters, creating a perfect hotbed for suspense and conflict.
3 Midsommar (2019)
Ari Aster made a name for himself with his debut film Hereditary;this naturally caused a high level of anticipation for his second feature Midsommar, and Aster did not disappoint. Having mastered the art of daylight horror, Midsommar doesn’t rely on dark themes and jump scares to creep the audience.
Instead Aster devices numerous ways of building tension that seeps into the bones of the viewer. In terms of plot, the film revolves around a group of friends that visit a commune conducted by a cult of Swedes, only to realize that things are not as straightforward as they seem. Over time, the friends disappear, and only Dani (Florence Pugh) remains, as she finally blends in with the cult, becoming one of their own.
2 Psycho (1960)
Considered one of the most inspirational works in horror of all time, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is a dark tale about mollycoddling gone wrong. The film serves as a mother ship, through which many other streams of content have been spawned, but none fail to come close to Hitchcock’s masterpiece.
The story follows a real estate clerk named Marion, who dashes off from work after pilfering a wad of cash and ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where she meets its owner, Norman Bates. At first, Norman seems eclectic and weird, as he cares for his never-to-be-seen ailing mother, but when Marion decides to take a shower, she learns there’s much more to Norman than his weird behavior or his dead mother.
1 The Shining (1980)
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Shining is Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece that’s one of the most unsettling films you’ll ever see. The film follows a writer named Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who decides to take up a job as a caretaker at a secluded hotel during a harsh winter.
As Jack and his wife and small son Danny move into the hotel and live a life of isolation, Jack begins to lose his bearings and spiral into madness. Kubrick tastefully transforms the eerie, yet weird Jack into a full-blown, bloodthirsty maniac, hungry for the life and blood of his own family.
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