Today's guest post is very special to me, folks. My dear friend and critique partner, Lindsay Scott, is here!! You can follow her blog and on Twitter, as well as on Operation Awesome.
Lindsay's going to discuss one of my favorite topics in the universe: villains. Particularly, which movie villains she'd love to see narrate their own YA novels.
*dances*
Okay. Let's get to it.
Take it away, Lindsay!
Villains.
We love to love them. Love to hate them. But out of all the teen movie villains out there, who would be a good choice for spending 300+ pages with? Ladies and gentlemen, I present my choices for your consideration.
Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions (1999):
Sure, Cruel Intentions was based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, but Kathryn would be an interesting character in her own novel. She's manipulative, self-serving, devious and intelligent. All qualities of an excellent villain.
But it's her hidden side, the small tear of (perhaps) regret, that emerges at the end of the movie that makes me want to delve further into her character.
Jason Dean (J.D.) in Heathers (1989):
I guess he can be called a lot of things other than a villain: the self-styled bad boy, mysterious stranger, anti-hero. Even psychopath. J. D. is many things, but he's never boring.
The thing that's interesting about J.D. is that he isn't set up as a villain from the beginning--the "Heathers" are seen as the antagonists:
It's only as the movie continues that we discover his true nature. Like Kathryn, J.D. is cunning, manipulative and a little (okay, okay very) twisted. But his ability to justify his actions, along with his backstory, make him a interesting character.
Regina George in Mean Girls (2004):
The movie was based on a self-help book (Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman), but Regina George... how do I begin to describe Regina George?
Enough said.
Which movie villain would you like to see in a YA book?
Not sure. But sometimes villains are the best characters. They have the most personality, the most troubled background, they make bold decisions - that's why sometimes they steal the spotlight!
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me, Amparo *hugs*
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Laura. :)
Also, I was thinking about the quote that the villain is a hero in their own story. It sums up how POV can be so powerful.
Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteNancy from "The Craft" is very disturbed, troubled, and loyal to a degree. I'd love to read a YA book from her perspective or about her.