Next Top 10
*Originally published on 4/9/09
Top 10 lists are nice, but many times 10 slots isn't enough to cover everything. Some remedy this by making a top 11 or top 12 list, but rarely do you see a 20-11 list of anything. This may seem like a way to cash in on the recent event in regards to my other list, but I assure you it is not. It's never been done before so I thought I'd think outside the box and bring something different to the table. So, without further ado, here are my picks for the second ten greatest Stephen King villains.20. George Stark
The book is unclear whether the sadistic Stark is a long lost evil twin or simply a villainous alter ego for an author who ran under the pseudonym for years. The latter was also used in King's short story, Secret Window, Secret Garden. It wouldn't be the first time King took a short story and expanded the idea to novel form, but as I said it is possible that Stark was an actual person. Whether he's the Mr. Hyde to Thad Beaumont's Dr. Jekyll or if he is Thad's evil brother. Stark is, as his epitaph so eloquently put it, not a very nice guy.
19. Greg Stillson
Most politicians are self serving, slimy, and two faced, but Stillson tops them all being a sadistic psychopath. He seems nice and pleasant enough, but there is something that is just not right with the guy. We discover this when he savagely beats a dog to death. Beyond simple anger issues, Johnny Smith (the protaganist in The Dead Zone) gets a vision that Stillson, as president, will start a nuclear world war killing an untold number of people. When Smith tries to assassinate him in order to stop this from happening, Stillson uses a child as a human shield. People just don't get more evil than that.
18. The Langoliers
I already gave you a rundown on the deal with these guys in my time travel article. They take a backseat to the psychotic Toomey in the short story. While they spend a majority of the story lurking in the background, coming ever closer to our stranded heroes, I found these things freakier then their little screen time would seem to allow. As I said before, those things don't screw around.
17. The Mist
The mist itself is actually harmless. It's thick and makes visibility next to nil, but you can walk around just fine..until some extra-dimensional monsters attack you. Giant spider creatures, winged beasts, and towering lovecraftian behemoths are only a small sample of what lies in the murky depths of the mist.
16. The Children of the Corn/He Who Walks Behind the Rows
Children are creepy, let's be honest here. This book certainly lends credence to the theory. Devoted to some unnamed pagan cult, the kids who live in the small town of Gatlin sacrifice anyone over the age of 19 to the unseen force that lurks in the corn fields as a way to ensure that their crops flourish.
15. The Trashcan Man
To some, he was just a lackey for Randall Flagg. I found him to be one of the best characters to read about in The Stand. Yes, he was a psycho pyromaniac, but his insane devotion (my life for you!) was compelling. This guy is seriously messed up in the head; there's no other real way to put it.
14. Andre Linoge
It's a simple request. Just give him what he wants and he'll go away. Played to a T by Colm Feore, Linoge is a demon who is looking for an heir. He comes to the small town of Little Tall Island during a massive blizzard. He kills someone and is quickly jailed. Even so, he is able to psychically drive people to suicide and make Hannibal Lectures to outsmart and outwit anyone who questions him.
13. Gage Creed
Proof positive that sometimes dead is better. Gage Creed is the son of Louis Creed. After a horrible accident that results in Gage's death, Louis (consumed with grief) takes him to a burial site that has a history of resurrecting the deceased. They don't come back quite the same, even though Louis figured this out with the family cat. Gage is resurrected as an undead demonic entity that tries to kill the man who brought him back to life in the first place.
12. Carrie White
King's first villain, like Cujo, there is an element of sympathy involved. She's a quiet, shy teenager who isn't particularly popular. It's an archetype that's easy to relate to. The twist is that she soon discovers she is telekinetic. When her classmates take their pranks one step too far, she unleashes hell and goes on a rampage, punishing those who made her suffer so much. I want to see her and Tetsuo from Akira go head to head in a fight; that would be interesting to see.
11. Kurt Barlow
Now I'm sure you're all thinking "Wait a minute, he never read Salem's Lot, so how could he put a character from a book he never read on the list?". It's true, I still haven't read the book (though it is in my literary queue) so adding Barlow may not seem kosher. However, many of you vouched for the character saying that he should've gotten on my previous list. So, as a tip of the hat, and as something of a peace offering, I am giving him the number 11 spot. I can't really go into detail about him, all I know is that he's a vampire.
Stephen King...Read My Article?
*Originally published on 3/31/09
I googled myself yesterday, not for any particular reason, just for poops and giggles. The usual things came up, the source page for my Associated Content articles, my old Helium page, and of course some links to articles I had written for this very site. I scroll further down and see my name come up in an Entertainment Weekly article. Both confused, and rather curious, I clicked the link to find this.
My jaw hit my lap. It seems an anonymous benefactor stumbled into the cozy little nook on the internet that I have built for myself. He read my Top 10 Greatest King Villains article and saw fit to pass it along to the big kahuna himself. This would've been flattering enough, but it doesn't end there. King could've just easily read the article, shrugged and went on about his day. I'm a small fish after all and he's Stephen Freaking King. Lord knows he's got bigger things going on that he doesn't really need to fret over a list constructed by one of his many fans. He read my article and in turn wrote his own for his column for Entertainment Weekly. King not only links to my article, but mentions me by name.
It blows my mind! I'm flabbergasted, humbled and my mind is downright boggled. I was hoping that a night's rest would be enough for the shock to wear off, but it isn't. I'm still rendered practically speechless by the notion. As I said before I figured I was in a nook. I wrote my little articles that were amusing and, once in a while, even informative but I didn't really expect massive exposure and I certainly never considered the idea that my words would make it to, and be read by, the big dog. It seemed ludicrous. I mean, one of my favorite authors took time out of his day to read my work and think about what I had to say. Knowing that this is a possibility, I'm really going to have to step up my game.
Things are never going to be the same. Let's face it, there's no going back. Whoever the link was, he's (or she's) changed things, forever.
Part of my brain wants to dwell on the fact that he was disappointed with my number 1 pick, to just spend a paragraph screaming "Stephen King's disappointed in me! I fail!" but really it just boils down to a difference of opinion which I can respect. The juvenile goofball in me wants to jokingly declare them fighting words and tell Mr. King to put up his article writing dukes. I'm not going to, because as prepostrous as the idea is, I know that someone is going to completely miss the joke and take it seriously.
I just want to thank Mr. King for taking time out of his busy schedule to read my article. I've been a fan of his work for a long time now and as a writer he's one of my heroes, so this is a surreal head trip that I'm still trying to fathom and wrap my head around.
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