Are you as fascinated with everybody’s CREEPS as I am? Who knew we all had so many in our lives?
It’s no secret that I have a bit of an obsession with creeps. You can’t really write a thriller without one (or maybe you can, but I can’t think of a thriller – book or movie – that doesn’t have at least one creep… can you?). Creeps – also known as villains – are fun to write. The only real “rule” is to make them interesting. They can be brash and unapologetic, or secretive and tortured. Or all of the above. Sometimes you know exactly who the villain is and get to watch the protagonist chase him/her, and sometimes you get surprised.
In real life, I’m almost always surprised by the who the villains are. You almost never see them coming, and you never realize who they are until it’s too late and you’ve been burned.
The “My CREEP is bigger than your CREEP” contest is still going on for a few more days, so be sure to stop by HERE and tell me about your creep! And thanks to all who’ve entered so far… your stories are better than fiction, my friends.
| Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello in THE DEPARTED. One of my favorite villains from one of my favorite movies. |
Ahhh such a great movie! Hard to beat Jack Nicholson in any role but he plays a creep so well!
I can't wait to read your book! I love thrillers, and CREEP sounds fabulous.
I don't really write thrillers…but I love to read them. And to watch movies in that genre.
I like thrillers but I need someone's hand to dig my fingernails into during the reading/watching process because I'm a wimp!
Such a great movie and a seriously evil creep.
And yes, it's been a lot of fun reading about everyone else's creeps!
I think a "good" bad guy/gal in any novel is multi-faceted. Like you said, interesting.
And that's what fascinates me about "creeps." Despite being engineered like the rest of us, something is amiss in their makeup. My antagonist, for instance, hates inconsiderate drivers. (And don't we all?) He just takes it to a different and VERY wrong level.
And maybe that's why so many of us love the thriller genre. Sure, we want to see the guys with the white hats win. But perhaps we also want to see, or need to see, what makes the guys in the black hats tick?
The title of this string prompted this, ha. "It creeps." Even "It," one of King's best villians, was a clown, the embodiment of innocence for most children.
And that's just one example of what makes a creep REALLY scary. Like most of these posts are illustrating, it's always that person right over there, across the street from where we live.
(Shudders)
I love The Departed, too! And I got to see the Dropkick Murphys in concert (they did the main Irish rock theme song).
I am from the Boston area so 'The Departed' is a favorite. "The Fighter" was all in my hometown including my old boxing trainer and gym, highly recommended.
In real life the biggest creeps are not the ones you notice, but the ones in plain view but with cover.
LOL, I *know* I saw The Departed, but somehow I can't remember it! Ahh.
My memory sucks! 😛
I love Departed too. Sooo good.
Jack Nicholson. Villains don't get any better than that! 😀
Yeah there are quite a few movies with creeps – in fact just thinking about them is making me feel creepy……
I know in Dan Brown's latest bestseller, The Lost Symbol, the "creep" this time around was wonderfully multi-faceted and executed. Some folks give him a lot crap, but I've always been impressed by Dan Brown's ability to write truly engaging and chilling villains into his thrillers.
Soooo CREEPED OUT by Pennywise in "IT." Who knew Tim Curry could be so freakalicious? Hard for me to watch him in "Muppet Treasure Island" without hearing him say, "Want a balloon, Georgie?".
Nicholson is the world's creepiest guy when he wants to be. I love him.
I haven't seen that movie yet, maybe I'll watch it and see where he lands on my creep-o-meter
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Just entered! 🙂
Jack Nicholson is King of the creeps.
Not that he isn't a good actor. He's brilliant – just creepy!