Top 10 Times Horror Villains Actually Did Something Nice

“Psycho” (1960)
When the doomed Marion Crane checks into the Bates Motel with a stack of stolen money, neither she nor the audience knows the shy young proprietor, Norman Bates, is actually a disturbed killer who dons his mother’s personality and attire when he commits his crimes. Norman provides Marion with dinner and conversation when she needs it most, even persuading her—through his own tale of woe and loneliness—that she should return home to atone for her crime. But first, a shower! Norman’s genuine kindness makes the reveal of his murderous alter ego all the more shocking in the hair-raising climax.

“The Stepfather” (1987)
All he wants is the perfect family. Is that too much to ask? Like Norman Bates, Jerry Blake is a man with a dual personality. On the one hand, he’s a kind and happily married real estate agent trying to endear himself to his troubled teenage stepdaughter. He even attempts to win her over with a brand new puppy. On the other hand, he’s a vicious serial killer who has a habit of offing his acquired family when they turn out not to be the picture-perfect image he has in his head. Has a serial killer ever been so polite?

“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” (2014)
In this acclaimed Iranian horror film, a nameless, skateboarding vampire stalks the streets of a town called Bad City. In between feasting on the necks of men and scaring pedestrians, the woman crosses paths with a young man named Arash, dressed as Count Dracula, ironically. The vampire realizes the intoxicated man is in no condition to be out at night alone, and pushes him to her apartment on her skateboard. The two form a deep connection that finds her resisting her bloodlust. The moment is as funny as it is disarmingly heartfelt, especially for a vampire movie.

“Halloween” (2018)
Michael Myers has sliced his way through a great many residents of Haddonfield, Illinois over the years. Across four decades and twelve movies, few people who cross his path live to tell about it. But in David Gordon Green’s 2018 reboot of the classic slasher series, the usually remorseless killer does spare one potential victim. As he embarks on his savage massacre, Michael comes across a crying baby in a crib and pauses briefly before deciding to leave it be. It’s a rare show of mercy from one of horror’s most vicious villains.

“Seed of Chucky” (2004)
The “Child’s Play” series has always had a tongue-in-cheek approach to the slasher genre. That was never truer than in the fifth film of the franchise. “Seed of Chucky” introduced Glen, the genderqueer child of murderous dolls Chucky and Tiffany. When Glen casts the spell that wakes the dysfunctional couple from death, they continue their murder spree. But it’s Tiffany’s heartfelt reaction to meeting her child for the first time that earns her a spot here. It’s a touching moment, especially for a wacky horror comedy like this one. Though Chucky doesn’t immediately feel a paternal bond, he seems to have come around by the time of the “Chucky” TV series.

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”
You know that old story. Boy meets girl. Boy chases girl with a chainsaw… In what’s possibly the wildest entry on this list, Tobe Hooper’s follow-up to his landmark 1974 classic finds a radio DJ named Stretch being tormented by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface and his cannibalistic family. When Leatherface becomes enamored with Stretch, he decides to spare her. Though not before doing a very suggestive—and Freudian—dance with his chainsaw. While Stretch manipulates the mute Leatherface’s crush on her in order to survive, there are moments of their relationship that feel like a twisted take on a romcom.

“Duel” (1971)
Steven Spielberg’s “Duel” is every highway driver’s nightmare. It follows David Mann, a businessman who cuts off the wrong tanker truck and ends up in a battle for his life against the unseen driver who tries to run him off the road at every turn. In one scene, David gets roped into pushing a stranded school bus full of children back onto the road. However, once the truck shows up again, David makes a quick escape. His faceless enemy finishes the job, pushing the school bus safely back onto the road before pursuing David once more. After all, the school bus didn’t cut him off…

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
Upon graduating from the FBI Academy at the end of the film, Agent Clarice Starling receives a phone call from Hannibal Lecter, the escaped killer who helped her solve her first case. He says just about the most polite thing a person like Lecter can say. Sure, he’s a cannibal and a serial killer, but even he’s got standards. And the psychiatrist did kind of help her understand some of her deep-seated psychological trauma. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, the two have formed an understanding of the other. Clarice might be the only person Lecter sees as anything close to an equal.

“Saw 3D” (2010)
As the “Saw” series progressed, the writers added more and more layers to its already long, and some might say convoluted, storyline. With “Saw 3D,” the true complexity of the original Jigsaw killer’s plan comes to light. Dr. Lawrence Gordon, having last been seen sawing his foot off at the end of the original film, is revealed to have survived this ordeal. Flashbacks tell how he was brought back to health by the original Jigsaw Killer, John Kramer. Kramer deemed the doctor worthy of his tests of the human survival instinct and recruited him to keep the project alive.

“Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)
Universal’s original “Frankenstein” movies stayed true to author Mary Shelley’s vision more in character than in plot. The Monster is portrayed as a helpless and scared child abandoned by his creator, ignorant of his own terror. This is perfectly encapsulated in the tragic accidental death of Maria in the first film. By the time “Bride of Frankenstein'' comes around, the Monster has become well aware of his place in the world, and when his monstrous bride rejects him, he decides it’s time to end his unholy existence. Just before blowing the laboratory to smithereens, the Monster allows for one act of mercy. He lets his creator, Henry Frankenstein, escape with his wife just before the blast.