by Gary Fearon
With Halloween not far away, it seems a fitting time to honor the bad
guys of fiction, without whom there wouldn't be much of a story.
Without a worthy foe, a hero is just another joe.
It's not hard to come up with a character whose wants are in direct
opposition to those of our protagonist. The trick is creating a bad guy
to whom the reader can relate, a connection which inherently increases
the fear factor. To see ourselves reflected in a villain can be quite
disquieting.
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Hungry Hungry Hannibal |
Who could resist the cultured charm of Hannibal Lecter in
Silence of the Lambs? Certainly not FBI ing
énue
Clarice Starling, in spite of — or perhaps because of — his ability to
get into her head. But Hannibal wasn't always a cannibal. His
propensity for people eating has its roots in a childhood tragedy in
which his own sister was devoured. While that would ruin most normal
appetites, we can appreciate that it could put a side of insanity on the
menu...
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