It is that time of year again: Halloween. Bring on the toothaches from too much candy, the frustrations of trying to find the perfect costume, and the sore throats from screaming at scary movies. When an individual is watching horror movies, has he or she ever wondered which villain they would be? Kean University students were asked which of the following villains they would choose to be:
Count Dracula: a centuries old vampire who spends his days sleeping and his nights taking advantage of the living and feeding off of them.
Chucky: a serial killer who is in the form of an evil doll. Formerly human, Chucky performed a voodoo ritual when he was on the verge of death, resulting in his spirit taking over a doll. While he is not in search of a human body to transfer his soul into, he kills people.
Freddy Krueger: infamous for stalking children in their dreams and killing them. Prior to his eternal existence in the world of dreams, Krueger is responsible for murdering 23 children in his hometown. What events that instigated Krueger into becoming a serial killer were his experiences growing up. His complex was generated by bearing witness to happy families that he compared to his childhood which consisted of being shuffled around into different foster homes.
Ranging from classic horror movie villains to recently created villains, Kean University students gave an abundance of answers. The most popular identity students would overtake is Krueger. Tyquilah Whitehead, a freshman undecided major, went with modern villain Krueger. Whitehead would be Krueger for the reason that “…he plays a lot games… [Krueger] is a character that you never know what his next move is going to be.” Junior, criminal justice major Haneefah Cooper would also take on the identity of Krueger. Krueger “gets in people’s mind and [I like] his laidback approach,” Cooper explained. Peter Abbate, a junior majoring in information technology, is partial to being Krueger due to his tactic of being a villain. “The whole dream thing, it’s kinda cool,” Abbate elaborated.
The villain identity of Chucky is also preferred by some students. Ellesa Effner, graduate student majoring in education, would take on the persona of Chucky. Effner chose Chucky for the simple reason of fear, “[I’m] way too scared to watch the other movies.” Sometimes, there is no underlying reason a character is chosen. In the situation of Sam Montanez, a senior history major, his reason for selecting Chucky was deliberate. “He’s sneaky. He looks all nice and cute and then he just gets you,” elaborated Montanez. Zach Mulcahy, a freshman majoring in computer science, is the lone person to be Dracula if given the opportunity. Mulcahy would take over this villain for the reason that the abilities of Dracula “It’s kinda cool, the super strength and mind control.”
Halloween is in full throttle from here on out. Picking a costume, resisting the urge to not eat too much candy, and binge watching horror movies consumes students throughout the month of October. An individual should take a step back and ask themselves, What villain would I be? In the spirit of Halloween, individuals are forewarned to keep a close eye on the people walking past while on campus…a student can never know when one’s inner villain might come out.
