Tuesday’s Take: Evil is Hot

7/13/10 Vacation Repost-


I am concerned that I have an unnatural fascination for villains. When I watch a movie or a television series, if there isn’t a really interesting antagonist, I’m bored.

Or maybe the plots for movies and television these days all need a hot bad guy to move them along.

Villains are unpredictable and more complex than the heroes. Sometimes they may choose to show mercy or actually begin to care for someone, or …they may just kill you. They are dangerous and this makes them sexy.

Heroes will always choose to do what’s right so there isn’t any surprise there. If for any reason they do screw up, we are completely shocked and unforgiving. It is much easier to turn a villain into a good guy and have him be forgiven and loved, than turn a good guy bad and still have people sympathetic.

Damon Salvatore did for bad boys what a crispy batter did for the hotdog.

Eric Northman juggles being a strip club owner, drug dealer, and vampire sheriff and still finds time to do a little stalking on the side. Hello? Who wouldn’t love that?


And my favorite villain of all time…

Hannibal Lector, who makes cannibalism almost seem reasonable. Who isn’t bored with the same old dishes day after day?

I think my fascination is completely justified. Evil is hot and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

P.S. Don’t tell my mom.