The Worst Boyfriends in Horror
By Natalie Bauer and Natalie Pohorski
You might think Freddy Krueger or Jason are the big bads of horror, but these emblems of toxic masculinity are frightful in their own uniquely awful ways.
Spoilers ahead…
Billy Loomis, Scream (1996)
The worst horror movie boyfriend of all time. Not only is Billy exposed as one of the murderers behind Ghostface, the disguised executioner terrorizing the town of Woodsboro, but he also slaughtered his girlfriend’s mother. He then insists Sidney merely shake off her mom’s death because it’s aggravating him and exploits her into giving up her virginity. If we were handing out awards here, Billy would triumph over everyone else on this list with no contest. —Natalie Bauer
Stu Macher, Scream (1996)
While Billy clarified his reasoning for making Sidney’s life story an active horror movie, Stu’s motives weren’t that straightforward. A single hint toward his potential motivation of “peer pressure” because he was “sensitive” (though he said this while hemorrhaging and when challenged by Sidney about what he was going to say to the cops). So all that massacring was simply for shits and giggles, suggesting that he wasn’t psychologically stable anyway. His outrageous charisma and hammy characteristics should have been a red flag to Tatum from the start. —Natalie Bauer
Billy Nolan, Carrie (1976)
All right, so Billy Nolan isn’t Carrie’s boyfriend, but he is so horrible that he had to be added to the ballot. First and foremost, he’s dating one of the worst bullies at Bates High School, Christine Hargensen, so obviously he has zero standards and no common sense. He also facilitates Chris engineering the bucket of pig’s blood to humiliate Carrie. And if all that isn’t evil enough, he has the gall to try to crash into Carrie with his car when she ultimately concludes enough is enough. We know killing is wrong, but in this case Billy’s death is good riddance to bad rubbish. —Natalie Bauer
David McCall, Fear (1996)
There’s infatuated, and then there’s David McCall. David is any father’s worst nightmare right off the bat. He cultivates a sick obsession with teenage Nicole and gradually starts to show how demented and destructive he is, traumatizing everybody from her best friend to a security guard to the poor family dog (and you know someone is a bona fide cinema psychopath when they are capable of harming the dog). In spite of everything he does to her friends and family, he still somehow maintains that he and Nicole are destined to be a couple and regards his deadly home invasion scheme as some sort of noble sign that they belong together. He’s threatening and unhinged and a homicidal maniac—y’know, the total package. —Natalie Bauer
Peter Smythe, Black Christmas (1974)
Talk about toxic… Peter’s girlfriend Jess is getting stalked by a killer and he has the audacity to get jealous about it. When she tells him she’s pregnant and plans to get an abortion, he attempts to shame her into keeping the baby. He’s such a narcissist that he literally smashes a grand piano when he thinks she’s being “distant”. Again, all this while she’s just out there trying to survive. Big surprise the cops started to suspect him. Not a good look, Peter. —Natalie Pohorski
Christian, Midsommar (2019)
Can someone say gaslighting? After Dani’s sister kills herself and her parents, Christian stays with her out of sheer guilt and an effort to not seem like the asshole he really is. He then invites her on his guys trip for the same bad reasons. It seems like even his friends can’t stand him after he steals his friend’s thesis idea. With every passing minute there seems to be another reason to hate this guy. He can’t be bothered to remember Dani’s birthday or their anniversary after how long? If that’s not the final straw, he cheats on her in a bizarre mating ritual (big surprise). I think we can all agree he had that bear suit coming. What an actual nightmare. —Natalie Pohorski
Frank, Maniac (1980)
Listen, some people are able to look past mommy issues, but when he takes you to his mother’s grave on a date I think there might be cause for concern. There are plenty of other red flags too: he has a bad habit of picking up prostitutes, he has a scalp fetish, and hears voices. The only friends in his life are mannequins clothed in the remains of his victims. In this end, he imagines them taking their revenge and attempts to kill himself. But I think we can all agree it was really just a plea for attention from the cops. Ew. —Natalie Pohorski
Andy Richards, Sorority Row (2009)
What’s worse than a guy who’s secretly the worst boyfriend ever? One that thinks he is the best boyfriend ever. Andy is the perfect combination of controlling and delusional. He kills off all of Cassidy’s friends to “protect her” and just expects her to go along with it as if he’s the hero saving the day. He even kills off Carrie Fisher (I mean Mrs. Henderson!) Then after all of his deception and a trail of victims, he still gets mad at Cassidy for tricking him in her attempt to escape. Give me a break. —Natalie Pohorski
Natalie Bauer and Natalie Pohorski are content specialists at Cinema Sugar.