S.H. Roddey

I wrote a story. [Imagine that!] And it was about a very, very bad guy. Charles Black is the worst kind of creature, too. He’s rude and nasty and has absolutely no consideration for human life. He’s a complete bastard, I admit. He’s also a werewolf. Over the course of his story, he eats a few people, makes a few mistakes, and gets in a little bit of trouble. But you know what? He’s the main character, so while he’s a big, bad monster, he’s pretty damn good at it.

I wrote “Wolfy” on a whim after seeing an anthology call from my friend John Hartness. He created what is soon to be known as “Big Bad”, an anthology of evil. I was one of the 20 or so lucky ones that was accepted because let’s face it, it’s not every day you get to read a story about the Big Bad Wolf taking out the three little “pigs”, or eating Little Red Riding Hooker on the side of the road.

What I love about this anthology is that it showcases the baddest of the bad in a way that makes them entertaining. I’ve always been one to focus on the story of the villain, so when given the opportunity to slap my name on the list for this one, I was on it like white on rice. It’s not often enough that the bad guy gets to be in the spotlight. Plus with this anthology we get to justify their reasons for being bad.

I have noticed lately though that there seems to be a definite up-surge in apathetic heroes, anti-heroes, and villains winning the day. Movies seem to be my go-to lately because they’re easily accessible and don’t take as long to sit through if they’re awful.

THIS IS THE POINT WHEN SPOILER POLICE
NEED TO LOOK AWAY.

I’m going to talk about details of movies some of might not have seen.
Disappointed? Yeah, you’ll be okay.

Let’s take a good long look at Sinister. It’s a great movie. Scary as hell. And if you haven’t seen it I suggest you do.

My loving husband took me to see it for our 5th wedding anniversary [Nothing says romance like a little horror!], and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s an interesting take on the story of the boogeyman, even if it does take a few creative liberties with Pagan mythos. Granted the idea of something nasty coming to eat a writer sort of hits close to home too, but I’m not particularly concerned with that part. The idea of Bughuul really trips my wires because he’s justifiably evil. He has a purpose and he sticks to it, so when he wins, it’s satisfying.

Quite unlike what happened in The Grudge. But Japanese horror movies are a bit off the rails anyway.  I can’t for the life of me understand why you would fix a problem only to have it continue. I get that it’s all shock value and necessary to get that One.Last.Scare. in so people pee themselves on the way out of the theater. But damn. Come on, people! I’m going to be a lot more afraid if there’s a reason why something happens.

Yes, that kid is freaking creepy. But still. Gimme something substantial to go on! Don’t just hand me a pair of kids that want to kill the world just because something bad may or may not have happened. Don’t think you’re going to make me believe the mythos when there isn’t a mythos behind it.

Ahem… That movie infuriates me on so many levels it’s not even funny.

Moving on.

Next on my list of “hey, the bad guy’s gonna win!” flicks is Insidious. The ending felt a little tacked-on for that one final scare, but the basic idea is pretty cool.  Realistically when you look at the concept of Astral Projection, what is there to stop something else from entering your body while you’re not in it?

Regardless of which monster wins, the point is that one does. The ending isn’t as satisfying as I’d have liked considering how it was handled, but I’m okay with it so long as there’s a well-executed sequel that lets what-his-face beat out the demon and regain himself.

Yeah, I think I went off into left field there for a bit. Anywho, I’ll shut up now.  Today I’ll leave you with a final thought:

There are three requirements for making the bad guy the hero:

1. Justification. He needs to have a valid reason to do the things he does.

2. No small amount of apathy. If he’s too invested in his victims, he’s going to lose his edge.

3. A really cool name. Just because, you know, cool names make cool characters.