It’s that ghoulishly good time of the year again. At Halloween we traipse the streets trick or treating, dressed as Jack the Ripper and Annabelle, alongside our little wizards, witches and pumpkins. Millions of people will be tuning into a scary film with a huge bowl of popcorn to hide behind or sitting in darkness with just a tiny flicker of candlelight, telling the world’s scariest ghost story.
The team at Magazine.co.uk might not be afraid of many ghouls, but there are a few characters from past and present (some a little unpredictable) that caused us nightmares. In celebration of Halloween, we take a closer, light-hearted look at some of the scariest characters from film, TV and books.
We want to stop those middle-of-the-night terrors and put your mind at ease when your head hits the pillow. General Woundwort won’t be chasing you down a rabbit hole and ET won’t be hiding in your wardrobe!
6. Marshmallow, Frozen
We all have a soft spot for Olaf. Since his arrival the term ‘build a snowman’ now ends in a chorus line. But unfortunately for Marshmallow, his snowman cuteness is way under par. A security guard to the North Mountain, he was created to represent Elsa’s powerful desire to be left alone. Marshmallow is extremely territorial and aggressive.
But Marshmallow isn’t all ice and no soul, as at the end of the film he smiles as he places Elsa’s old tiara on his head. He’s scary on the outside but soft and squidgy on the inside, a little bit like Lord Sugar.
5. Wolves, Beauty and the Beast
The angry wolves in Beauty and the Beast had us fast forwarding the VHS quicker than you could say ‘boo!’ when we were kids. All those yellow eyes chasing Belle through the darkness were simply terrifying. And the big bad wolf from The Three Little Pigs was just as scary! But what about all those good guys we’ve forgotten about?
Wolves who tread a lighter path include the pack who rescue Baby Mowgli in The Jungle Book, Buck from The Call of the Wild, a dog who escapes cruel treatment as a sled dog before becoming the leader of wolf pack, and the handful of friendly wolves in The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. According to symbolism, wolves are considered ‘shape shifters’ and a symbol of wisdom, experience and confidence. Perhaps that’s why they are good at being bad?
4. ET
On first glance we panicked at the sight of ET when he/she/it emerged out of the darkness to face Elliott in his backyard. But ET is a good guy/girl/thing (there was no gender given to him officially) that told the story of friendship. It helped that he looked downright cute in wrapped in a blanket and by the end of the movie, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room as we all longed for an alien buddy like ET.
3. Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz
The Wicked Witch of the West, in all her bright green glory, horrifies the living daylight out of many. Let’s face it, there are enough evil witches knocking around to last us a lifetime! What about the three witches from Hocus Pocus and the warty-nosed witch in Snow White? They’re all cackle, cauldron bubbles and cunning.
Yet the good witch vs the wicked witch showdown at the end of The Wizard of Oz concludes that brains and beauty win the witching hour every time! Our favourite good witches include Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Worst Witch and Britain’s best-loved witch, Hermione Granger.
Read The Wizard of Oz in this month’s Storytime!
2. General Woundwort, Watership Down
General Woundwort, an orphaned bunny, set out a menacing mission to destroy the Watership Down warren. With blood pouring from his mouth and eyes, he frightened fellow rabbits, not to mention the audience. He clearly had some anger he needed to unleash.
Thank goodness our other bunny friends like Peter Rabbit and Bugs, reminded us that these little animals are just cute bundles of fluff that we love to coo over – you could call it bunny love.
1. The Child Catcher, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I bet you already guessed this one. No-one could forget that nose! Resembling Russell Brand, but with zero sense of humour, the Child Catcher never featured in Ian Fleming’s original book. Roald Dahl created him for the film adaptation, where he flits about the streets of Vulgaria scaring every tiny tot in sight. He gets his comeuppance when he is captured; ironic considering his motive. What goes around, comes around Nosey!
Who makes your hair stand on end in fear while you hide behind the sofa? Let us know via Facebook, Twitter or Google +
