How to Write Terrifying Villains that Give Readers Chills

I was watching Mindhunter recently and was scared out of my mind when one of the villains - who is a real-life person they included in the show - did something really creepy. 

Like, really creepy. 

I don't usually get scared watching shows or movies, or even when I'm reading books. I think it has to do with how analytical I am - that, and I've spent way too much time in film school to NOT be thinking about how the thing I'm looking at was constructed. 

But this scene in Mindhunter? Woah. Hold the phone. I about freaked out. 

That doesn't happen to me. 

It got me thinking about what makes a scary villain, so I started a deep-dive into character writing (again) to bring you the very best of what I've learned. 

In this post, we'll talk about terrifying villains. Let's get started :)

Step One: Why Do They Do It?

Now, if you've never seen Mindhunter, it's a Netflilx show starring Jonathan Groff about how the FBI started criminal profiling. It's been out for a while, so I don't mind spoiling it a little bit. 

Mindhunter loosely based on real people and real things, but the "bad guy" in the show is Ed Kemper, the notorious Coed Killer (a real person. I won't go into the details of his crimes because it's a bit graphic and I don't want to disturb anyone here). 

What got me about this show was how the characters sought out the killer's reasoning for taking the lives of his victims (which is the premise of the show) and how much emphasis was placed on the why. 

Now, regular people who aren't psychopath serial killers probably look at someone committing a crime and think, they don't have a reason for doing that. 

But that's just the thing - they do. It's just that the reasons are usually weird, wild, or so ordinary it's baffling to the regular non-villain brain. 

And that's what makes it scary. 

So the first thing you need to do when creating a terrifying villain is to get down to their why. They don't need to have a super-complicated reason for it, they just need a reason to motivate their actions. 

Bonus points: make the "why" really simple.

I've been an unofficial student of criminology for a while, and something I've noticed is that the REALLY scary bad guys are the ones who have "whys" that are really simple. 

Like, so simple you're probably thinking, that's too simple.

But the thing is, if all it took for your villain to do this heinous thing was this really simple motivation...what will they do if the motivation is more complex?

Yikes. I just gave myself chills. 

Here's your homework then, for this section: 

Ask yourself:

• What event or belief system shaped this villain’s worldview?
• How do they justify their actions?
• Is their villainy a response to trauma, ideology, or an insatiable need for power?

For the Coed Killer, his motivation was humiliation from his mother (apart from being seriously mentally ill). But if you need a fictional example, consider Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs. 

Hannibal Lecter is terrifying not only because he’s a cannibalistic serial killer, but because he is brilliant, cultured, and deeply psychological. His motivations are layered with intellectual superiority and a desire to control others, making him far more terrifying than a simple “bad guy.”

Both Lecter and Kemper have this in common: it's about control. They will do whatever it takes to feel in control of a situation - and that's what makes them so darn scary. 

Step Two: Create Psychological Depth

Psychological thrillers and horror stories thrive on villains who are more than one-dimensional. To give readers chills, you must craft villains whose twisted psyches can be explored throughout your narrative. Think of how their minds work, the way they manipulate, and how they perceive themselves.

In the situation I've been talking about in Mindhunter, the whole show revolves around understanding the psychologies of killers, even if they're a bit fractured and insane. This is something horrifying that none of us will admit to wanting to understand, but it's why villains that are written well keep our rapt attention. 

Think about  Tom Hiddleston's depiction of Loki in the Marvel Superhero movies. Why are there so many fanclubs dedicated to this guy? He's nuts! 

GUYS: HE'S KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE IN MOVIES I LOST COUNT. 

(I actually just googled it - he killed 62 people in the MCU. So...)

But as a girl who was enraptured by Loki as a teenager, I have a hypothesis: 

1 - he's played by Tom Hiddleson (eeeeek!)

2 - he's fascinating as a psychological profile. 

Loki is charming. He knows how to push your buttons. And even when he's a tad bit scrappy, he still somehow  looks like he's on top of the situation. 

Something else - you never quite know what he's going to do next. 

It's the unpredictability of it all that makes us unable to look away, even when he's doing something utterly horrifying. 

It's the same way with the serial killers in Mindhunter. Yes, they've committed heinous crimes, and I don't want to overly glorify what they've done and lose sight of the real people who were affected by them. But I do want to bring attention to one of the reasons people are still fascinated by crime, including myself, even though we completely understand that it's horrible. 

Human beings loves surprises. We love mystery. We love intrigue. 

With Ed Kemper, the Coed Killer, we are horrified, but also fascinated - because what he's done is so wildly outside the norm that we can't help but look. 

The shock gets our attention. The intrigue keeps it. It really is that simple. 

So here's your homework for section two: 

A villain who believes they’re doing the right thing (or doesn’t even recognize their actions as evil) adds psychological complexity. To start building that depth:

• Humanize them. I know it's icky, but it's essential. Show how they, like everyone else, have fears, weaknesses, and desires. When we start seeing them as real people, their scary factor goes WAAAAAY up.
• Add contradictions. Maybe your villain does terrible things, but loves animals or cares for a family member. These moments of humanity make their monstrous acts even more chilling.

Back to my Loki example - he loves his mom. That's wild. Not enough to save her, obviously, but enough to grieve her when she's gone. You would think a cold-hearted killer would care nothing about his mother, but this guy? Nope. Don't touch Freya. 

Step Three: Embrace Moral Ambiguity

Like the examples I've used so far (well...maybe not Ed Kemper) the scariest villains aren't just pure evil. A lot of the time, they operate in the gray area between what's right and what's wrong. Their actions might even make sense sometimes, which is super scary if you're the reader. 

The thing with this moral ambiguity is that it forces us to look internally an examine ourselves. When we see similarities between us and the bad guy, we start to wonder...are we cooked? And that's when the fear becomes a little bit more tangible.

A great example of this ambiguity is Killmonger, the villain in Black Panther. 

 Even in this funny GIF I found, the person who made it argues that some of what Killmonger represented was valid. The difference, though, between us and the bad guy is likely our stance on how extreme we're willing to prove a point. Killmonger is willing to do some crazy things to get his idea across, including hurting innocent people. His message doesn't necessarily break the rules, but his methods do. 

That's the issue with the morally grey heroes. We don't want to see ourselves in them and start having an identity crisis when we do. That's also why heroes struggle with villains like this - after all, it can't be comfy to look into your villain's eyes and see your own soul staring back. 

Some practical steps to writing your morally ambiguous villain:

• Give them redeeming qualities: Let readers see the side of them that could have been good, making their darker decisions all the more tragic.
• Explore their inner conflict: Highlight moments where your villain struggles with their choices, even if they ultimately choose darkness.

Killmonger is a morally ambiguous villain who believes he is fighting for justice. His motivations (avenging his father and liberating oppressed people) are noble, but his methods, like we said before, are extreme and destructive. This complexity makes him both terrifying and sympathetic.

Step Four: Make Them Unpredictable

I love this section of the post, because now we get to discuss one of my favorite villains EVER. 

Not very many villains scare me. There are some that are diabolical, but not many make me want to hide under the bed. 

Except the Joker. 

It might be a bit cheesy, but the Joker, to me, is one of the scariest rats alive. Why? Because HE HAS ZERO QUALMS. He has no moral compass. He will do whatever suits him whenever he wants. This is creature than can't be reasoned with and can't be controlled. 

In other words, he is completely and utterly unpredictable. 

And that is freaking terrifying. 

Writing an unpredictable villain can be difficult because you do still need a little bit of consistency. They can't NOT care about anything and then suddenly CARE about something that changes the plot of the story. That just makes them cheap. 

BUT you can give them consistent qualities, and then stretch the limitations of those qualities by contrasting them with different situations to produce different results. Think of a chemical reaction - when you introduce different chemicals, you get different things, but the base ingredient remains the same. 

Here are a few pointers on unpredictable villains:

• Subvert expectations: Have them make decisions that surprise both the reader and the protagonist.
• Don’t shy away from moral extremes: Push your villain to do things that seem unthinkable.
• Keep them one step ahead: Make sure your villain always has a plan, often one the hero never sees coming.

Joker is the chaos monkey from hell. His psychotic personality means he’s capable of any atrocity at any moment, which keeps both the characters in the story and the audience in a constant state of anxiety.

He also could...not do something, which is almost scarier. You really don't know when they're going to snap.

Step Five: Give Them a Memorable Presence

This wouldn't be a Rachel Giffin blog post if I didn't slip Star Wars in somewhere. 

(if you've been here for a minute, you'll know I love Star Wars. It's a little bit stupid how much I love these movies). 

ANYWAY...

I bring up Star Wars because I would be remiss if I went all the way through this topic and didn't bring up one of the most iconic villains ever. 

You guessed it. It's my man, Darth Vader. 

Darth Vader has stuck around in fiction for a LONG TIME. 

Just recently, I went to the anniversary showing of Episode III, and it had one of the biggest re-release box office revenues ever. And it got me thinking...why?

Other than the nostalgia of it all, I think it comes down to something really simple: Darth Vader is super memorable. He's in the room even when he's not in the room. And who could forget the ominous asthmatic sound of his metal suit? Or the way he can choke people from a distance? Or that unreasonable temper that can flare at any moment? 

(Pardon me while I go fan girl...)

The takeaway from this is that your villain needs to be larger-than-life. Like Vader, they're someone whose presence is felt even when they’re not on the page.

You have a lot of choices for this - they can be physically imposing, like Vader; they can be creepy and cunning, like Loki; they can be unhinged like Joker. Maybe they have super distinct looks or voices. The options are truly limitless. 

I've seen Darth Vader's helmet on everything, from backpacks to shoes to cookie cutters to purses to planners (which I may or may not own...) and the point of this is that Vader's shape is recognition enough. You know it when you see it, even when it's just a silhouette. 

This is the personal branding of your villain, and this is how he's going to leap off the page and scare your reader (and you, if you're not careful).

A few things to think about when it comes to your villain's personal brand:

• Signature lines: Give your villain distinct dialogue that reflects their warped perspective.
• Symbolism: Use recurring objects, themes, or imagery to tie your villain to a particular emotion or concept in the story.

Darth Vader’s presence is unforgettable, from his deep voice and heavy breathing to his dark, imposing appearance. Even when he’s not in a scene, his looming shadow is felt, building anticipation for his next move.

All you need are a few distinct features. That's it. And that will sear itself into the mind of your reader long after they finish the book.

Step Five: Make Their Evil Personal

Here's the scene that caused me to almost pass out in Mindhunter, and the one that inspired this post.

Picture this. You spend all your time understanding the psychologies of some of the worst killers ever. The whole time, they're chained up, you've got an armed detail, and a panic button. 

Now picture this: all the sudden, you  don't. The killer gets up. He's a little bit frustrated, because he thought you were a friend, and you didn't visit him like he thought you would. 

And then he gives you a hug. 

Pardon me while I go scream a little bit. 

Without spoiling the whole show in case you want to watch it, that's essentially the moment that made me reconsider my hobbies. Maybe I should take up yoga instead. 

(Actually, fun fact - I DO yoga. Highly recommend to relieve some of that writing shoulder tension!)

Back to the story...

Finally, to create villains that truly haunt your readers, their actions need to feel personal. The villain should have a direct and devastating impact on the protagonist, making the conflict between them deeply emotional. Villains that know how to exploit the protagonist’s fears, insecurities, or past traumas are the most terrifying.

Like this horrifying incident in Mindhunter, your villain should be able to get under your hero's skin. They know them inside and out. They know exactly which buttons to push. 

In this case, Kemper chose not to kill the main character. Somehow, that feels worse - he showed restrained just to let us know who is in charge. Ewwww. 

So I hope this blog post enlightened you a little bit about the darker side of storytelling - and I hope you go off to write some grand adventures with some terrifying dudes. If you do, let me know! I love hearing what you create. 

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