My 19 Favorite Stephen King Villains (Spoiler-Free)

Mike talks about Stephen King's villains and his 19 favorites.
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#MikesBookReviews #StephenKing #Villains

[@mikesbookreviews]

Hey guys! I made a goof in reference to Pennywise. Obviously I meant Coulrophobia and not Agoraphobia. But none of you likely read this, so it is what it is. Thanks for watching!

[@gregorygraham3145]

I read revival earlier this year. And man for a newer sk book let me tell ya, blee me away. Great story, great character development, and most importantly, great ending. Jacobs deff need to be on this list if you read this book. I put it up there with my top 10 sk books easy.

[@gerarddonohoe5806]

Well I never knew that was what the fear of clowns was called, I came for the books and I walk away newly educated... Mike you are a chest of wonders.. 😏 (edited after realising how sarcastic it sounded, still not sure 🤔)...

[@shazbotsmash2422]

Unrelated but I just saw that the Elric series is being reissued in hardcover end of this year and onward. In case your wallet needed more of a beating 😂

[@peterolbrisch8970]

They're all going to laugh at you.

[@fangs1972]

Reading "Doctor Sleep" now, so I'm glad that Rose the Hat made the list. Another good villain: Stark the killing machine from "The Dark Half."

[@lorelei_lee]

Needful Things might be my favourite King book to be honest! The way Gaunt manipulates people into doing the most horrific things is bone chilling - because history - and unfortunately the present - shows that it’s too easy to be reality! Like you said - the real monsters in King books are the humans! And Salem‘s Lot is the scariest book I‘ve read!

[@MisaMouri]

As a teen Carrie made sense to me. I was the weird girl people tormented. What she did at the end wasn't right. It was however in my opinion not surprising. There's only so far a person can be tortured at school and at home before they hurt someone else or themselves.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Absolutely.

[@Klerj]

Yeah people may even see that as just because they are horrible people

[@Ahlivegarden]

Definitely, the same for me

[@Alpharius]

Interestingly, the only book of Steven Kings I have ever read is Needful Things, and Gaunt was just the star of the show. His last words in the book were a great reference. I know I know, I need to read more King!

[@KalleVilenius]

Martin Sheen as Greg Stillson is one of the most delightful casting decisions in any Stephen King adaptation. And I'm very glad to see Leland here, Needful Things is my favorite book by King. I just love how it starts so small and just keeps escalating.

[@michaelfeeney6108]

Agreed! I read TDZ before I knew Sheen was in it, and I pictured Sheen as Stillson. I was pleasantly surprised to see him actually cast once I saw it.

[@rcadegaming7274]

Whenever Cujo comes up, I like to point out that both of the kids in the novel have The Shine.

[@PsilocybeJedi]

Wow never heard that, thank you! Will def keep that in mind when I read it next month

[@RespectTheSourceMaterial]

Can't wait for your review of billy summers.

[@unlimitedreads]

Same, I'm on the third act now, will finish it later today!

[@Dvfrzco]

Really loved it

[@ronaldomilan5107]

About the jack and the overlook thing, i think the overlook is the villain, jack is the hand of the villain, the thing that entity uses to mess with the physical world

[@timkirsten6184]

Love this list. On my own list I'd add Big Jim Rennie from Under the Dome, Jessie's dad in Gerald's Game, and Tak from The Regulators (and Desperstion). I also really like Randall Flagg's character in The Eyes of the Dragon. You see how manipulative he is.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Jim was in consideration, for sure.

[@austinmerullomusic]

Rhea of the Coos is one of my fav King villains

[@Telmdal]

Hey Mike! Love the list! Just wanted to say coulrophobia is a fear of clowns. Agoraphobia is the fear of places or situations that cause panic, helplessness or embarrassment.

[@astellus]

I'd be super interested in a video solely dedicated to Randall Flagg and tracking him through all the books.

[@mikesbookreviews]

And the Gunslinger followed.

[@a_lotusinthemud]

Chrstine makes an apperance in IT, when dead Belch picks up Henry, he pulls up in Christine,

[@bobgdn]

Great list and video! Your King content is my favorite stuff. Thank you very much.

[@CliffsDarkGems]

I agree with most of your list. Villains I would include would be Norman the psycho in Rose Madder, any number of the "doctors" from The Institute and the dead Gage from Pet Semetary- although that is entirely debatable! I do think that The Institute is a criminally underrated novel imho.

[@zachbrehany2253]

I swear: watching your videos gives me the feeling that I'm with a good friend, enjoying coffee, and having a great conversation over literature. You and your channel are both amazing and I can't thank you enough for such wonderful content. As for your list, I agree with you for the most part though am left eager for your favorite heroes/ anti heroes list.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks for saying so, as that was the format I wanted to go for when I started this.

[@mikesanders9267]

I remember the clown from Poltergeist being the scary clown inspiration for my generation. Another SK villain is the Library Policeman. Not the supernatural one, but the person. What makes him so scary is that there are real people out there who do what he did, and sadly more than we’d like to think.

[@mariposa9506]

What story was the library policeman from again? I had forgotten that creep.

[@akashdefonseka]

I'm currently reading The Shining. The character work is really hard-hitting, especially Danny.

[@gator7082]

You know what story you have never spoken about? The short story Grandma in Skeleton Crew. That story scrared the ever loving crap out of me when I was a kid. I know it gets lost amongst his many short stories, but that one is a gem and get's overshadowed by The Mist in the same volume. I mention this, because ol' Grandma is something else and makes my list.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I read those short stories so long ago I've forgotten most of them.

[@teksnotdead902]

Honorable mention Frank Dodd...he shows up in Dead Zone....and I always liked the idea that his spirit takes advantage of the Cujo situation. Helps tie together Castle Rocks history in my mind.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yeah, he's spooky.

[@mikeprince6685]

Never though of him that way in regards to his spirit somehow helping cujo, that’s really cool!

[@teksnotdead902]

If you reread the part where Cujo attacks the Sheriff, the Sheriff thinks of the dog as Frank Dodd. I don’t recall if he sees Franks ghost or it’s just a near death hallucination but it stuck out to me because I read Dead Zone and Cujo back to back.

[@mikeprince6685]

@@teksnotdead902 awesome, gives me a excuse for a re-read haha

[@jeffhaubrich6121]

Pretty tough to change up that list. You nailed it!

[@thomaskittock2866]

Great video Mike! I don't read King (I've read IT, Pet Sematary, and maybe one other), but I enjoy these none the less. Quick thought, though. "Agoraphobia" is the fear of wide open spaces, and "coulrophobia" is the fear of clowns. Thanks again for all the wonderful content!

[@victorshaffer5633]

This is the video that put me over the edge... I am now a proud patron! Love all the videos Mike - currently reading the Blade Itself because of your channel!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks so much!

[@timkirsten6184]

Looking forward to this one a lot!

[@cipriansirbu3699]

Awesome video,can't wait to start reading King.

[@richardfrankel2134]

Has anyone read The Institute? Finished it a few days ago. Really fantastic!

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

So great!!! This made me want to read/reread all of King's books all at once. Lol I'm working my way through on pub order.

[@keychainere]

I need more of these videos in my life.

[@praetorxyn]

I haven't read anywhere near as much King as you have, but of what I've read: 1. Pennywise 2. Randall Flag 3. Lord Barlow 4. Rose the Hat 5. Jack Torrence 6. Blaine the Pain 😀

[@cynthiaholmes5124]

Great list 👍

[@mikesbookreviews]

Strong picks.

[@KimP0612]

Cujo gave me a recurring nightmare as a kid. The dream had be falling out of a second story window at my grandmas house to a couple dog waiting to kill me. I can’t even count how many times I had that nightmare.

[@dylansapp5246]

Love your channel bro! Just started reading Stephen King and he's a mastermind when it comes to writing. He captured consciousness in an incredible way with his writing.

[@timkirsten6184]

Glad to see Leland on here! One of the first King books I read, and one of the most memorable villains. Great vid Mike.

[@mikesbookreviews]

He's right up there with Flagg as the embodiment of evil.

[@triciahon8043]

When vampires were about eating, not dating. Made me laugh so hard.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 i agree with your order for the most part though! I think I will re-read Salem's Lot. And you finally got me to try and finish WoT. I stopped at book 7 so I'm starting over from 1 and hoping to read them all. Especially since you're giving Malazan (my fav fantasy series) a read.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Salem's Lot is just spectacular.

[@erikaalvarez5121]

Good list 👍

[@gavvo-7640]

Great top 19 list there Mike! The one that's missing for me would have to be Gasher from The Waste Lands... what a creepy dirty villain he is!!! Made my skin crawl! Also... The Library Policeman...eek!!

[@joshuawilt4918]

Ardelia Lortz is one of my favorite of his underrated villains.

[@justaguy2365]

Agoraphobia is the fear of situations that may cause discomfort or embarrassment. Maybe that could be a circus for someone hahaha. Coulrophobia is what you're thinking of

[@TheBookCure]

Finally home after some time away and I've had the time to sit down and make my way through this one. Though 1&2 weren't surprises, I was looking forward to finding out where each was going to sit ;) Always love hearing your King opinions! Rainbird would certainly make my list, for the exact reasons you mentioned: it's impossible to have kids and not be absolutely horrified by his character.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I’m shocked I haven’t gotten more Crimson King pushback.

[@TheBookCure]

@@mikesbookreviews I think a lot of people must have similar DT-related thoughts.

[@portertikkanen9082]

Saloms Lot is the best vampire novel! If you haven’t read Dawn of the Vampire you should, it’s good.

[@brentasmith]

Man fantastic video. When someone writes great characters like King can you definitely get some really great villains to go along with it.

[@mikesbookreviews]

This was a tougher list to compile than folks may think ha ha

[@Sighience]

Man I’m pumped for needful things, it’s one I’ve always really wanted to read but didn’t have time, well that will change soon! Im definitely reading it on the reread. Thanks for the vid mike you are good at getting me hyped up for some Sy-King 💪🏼

[@mikesbookreviews]

Needful Things is wonderful. Don't know why it isn't more popular than it is.

[@unlimitedreads]

Yeah, Needful Things is so disregarded by people. I love it, in fact it's in my top 5 of Uncle Stevie's works 😊 and Ace Merrill is a fantastic villain, I was so disappointed he was left out of the 1993 adaptation...I think Kieffer needs to reprise his role if they re-make it 😉

[@Frostyy14--]

The IT miniseries was my gateway too! I stumbled upon it on tv and my dad was like "you know your uncle has a ton of stephen king books?" And I've loved King ever since

[@LilMsNat]

Amazing list!!! I was introduced to SK bc my dad always left his books laying around. Salem's Lot was the 1st I picked up 🥰

[@mikesbookreviews]

That's a great place to start. Excellent parenting job by your dad there.

[@LilMsNat]

@@mikesbookreviews 🤣

[@fictionalreality1010]

Great 1 to start with...i hope youve read Bram Stokers version 😁

[@rohanmanro3765]

Can relate with every word you said about IT. It was my first Stephen King too!!!!

[@pattic6077]

Love it when you do any Stephen king content!

[@mikesbookreviews]

More to come!

[@debralavoie9095]

Excellent!

[@snaredman1]

30 minutes of Mike talking about Stephen King……yes please!

[@a_lotusinthemud]

My gateway to Stephen King, was my mom, she gave me her copy of The Bachman Books when I was eight, and then The Stand, followed by IT when I was 12, Randall Flagg shows up in Eyes of The Dragon

[@tonyaclapp2262]

Needful Things was my first Stephen King read. Definitely underrated.

[@dominicaudy8479]

This is a great list. A few of them I’m eager to meet as they’re from ones like Revival and the Bill Hodges trilogy that I have yet to read (like most of “New King”. I became a quite inconstant reader around the time of Dark Half and went on hiatus after Under the Dome) and others like Barlow and Gaunt I’m very eager to meet again, when I get those books in my reread. Salem’s Lot is the next one I pick, before returning to The Dark Tower for W&G, the first of the DT books I never read back in the day). It’s easy with lists like that to try to be “original”, but of course the most iconic and memorable villains have made their place in the modern pantheon of monsters because they’re extraordinary characters that can only belong to the top spots. I’m at around the 60% mark in my first reread of The Stand since the 90s and delighting in how well written Flagg is again, even down to his large absence “on screen” by that point (ahhh that weasel scene, catching you unaware after that awesome, slow paced sequence detailing Abagail’s journey to get three chickens.). It’s impressive how good King already is at this point considering this book was written really early in his career. I read IT at a fairly young age (I was luckier than you, I could just borrow my mom’s copy of King’s books, until Pet Semetary terrified her so much she stopped reading King). I’m still haunted by so many scenes from that book. I read it only twice, but the last time was a few years after my first time, so three decades going on four ago. I’m really curious to see how my perspective in middle-age will change. Even back then there was a certain nostalgia at 14-15 y.o. for the childhood friendships I had just left behind. My memory of reading IT is pretty much being deeply engaged in the Looser’s Club story while being constantly terrified of Pennywise turning up at the next paragraph. I’ll probably pick IT to reread after W&G, though now you’ve made me super eager to reread Needful Things, that I had quite forgotten about.

[@lacamila666]

No crimson king in the list! I'm not surprised. what an underwhelming villain. Nice video!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Heh. He had all the potential in the world.

[@the_dancerjen1773]

Salem's Lot terrified me and is to this day my favorite SK book.

[@hikethemike7349]

huh, did I miss Jack Torrance? Great video, also think Needful Things is dangerously underrated

[@teksnotdead902]

Obviously happy you chose to make it a top 19.

[@aneilsekhon9330]

Hey Mike great vid! Would also love your opinion on King's best books too.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Someday.

[@alynam82]

Great list! Annie, Flagg, Cujo, all my faves! Just finished my second reading of IT last month and Pennywise in all his horrific forms is quite the villain. One character that I'd like to shed light on was Norman from Rose Madder. I don't know if you've read it or not, can't remember you speaking about the book, and it's been years since I did, but he was one that stuck with me. I could say Tak, but maybe he was an entity like Pennywise? I'm not sure. Haven't read those since the late 90s, and would be books I wanna revisit some day. Ooh! And dead Gage, too. I'd characterize his villaindom the same as you did with Cujo. Instead of rabies, it was sour soil (or wendigo?)

[@mikesbookreviews]

I have, it just wasn't one that stuck in my memory enough to crack into this list.

[@unlimitedreads]

Face palm! Forgot about him lol

[@asfaloth12]

Ah, this makes me want to re-read some Stephen King! I was glad to see Annie Wilkes and Pennywise at the top. Of course, Randall Flagg is #1. Just a great villain. I have not read Doctor Sleep yet (seriously need to fix that), but I enjoyed the movie. Rose the Hat was a damn scary villain, and her actress was fantastic. Great video, and thanks for sharing 😀

[@mikesbookreviews]

More Stephen King is always a great reading plan.

[@jackieb325]

Needful Things was one of my favorite Stephen King books. I have it on my list to read again.

[@swisschaletsauce]

holy crap i need that shirt!!!!!!

[@joshuawilt4918]

My unlisted favorites are: Tak the Outsider, Cthun, Mother of the Null, Dandelo, Atropos the Leatherheads, Mordred Deschain, The Big Coffin Hunters, Gramma & last but not least Mr. Munshun.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Eldred Jonas and Rhea of the Coos should have made it. That was a miss on my part.

[@Michael_L_Morrison]

Solid list. I have Pennywise in my top spot.

[@fictionalreality1010]

#10 Christine makes an appearance un the Stand! When Stu and Tom Collins are making their way back to Boulder Colorado...

[@kitkatt24]

I would love to see you do a list ranking all the Steven King adaptations.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I would probably do that before ranking his novels. That would just be too difficult for me.

[@michaelfeeney6108]

Revival is my favorite King since probably Wizard and Glass. Felt like classic King.

[@teksnotdead902]

Love Blaine the Mono! It really is such a unique character. Artifically intelligent train in a post apocalyptic world that loves riddles and is contemplating suicide. I mean there's so much to unpack and its all great.

[@mikesbookreviews]

No one will ever come up with something so wild again ha ha

[@midnightearth1015]

remember kids: don't do drugs, but if you do do drugs, write some crazy ass books.

[@rkordiak30]

No Eldred Jonas? Some very sad Big Coffin Hunters out there for not making the list. So many amazing King villians and so little time. Great video!

[@brandonw6139]

Never heard of Christine. Sounds very familiar to that one futurama episode haha I guess they took inspiration from that

[@Themaninblack19]

Misery is definitely ( as of now and for a while now ) my Favorite Stephen King book , damn that book messed me up , just did a re read and still holds up

[@anthonyjordanmoviesandmore2470]

Fun facts the initial inspiration for Silent Hill was actually the movie Jacob's Ladder

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yeah, I've always heard that. But there are so many things that line up with The Mist that I can't unsee them.

[@johnscott6481]

My number one...that Patrick kid from it... I never went over the moon for that novel like many people did but I thought that villain was the darkest thing that he ever created

[@mikesbookreviews]

IT has about 4-5 villains better than almost every other book out there.

[@KVP94Guitar]

Andre Linoge!!!! Storm of the Century is in my top 10 Stephen King things. If you haven't already, definitely check out the screenplay, it's incredible and Linoge is such a great villain!

[@Patrick.__]

Henry Bowers & Harold Lauder are my two favorite villains.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I almost put Harold with the bullies, but he's just way too different than those three. A definite strong villain.

[@crbranca06]

Great video! I would have put Mr. Straker along with kurt Barlow because he did most of the dirty work. And love James Mason in the 79 film, even thou physically do not look alike. Not an expert in SK but have read around 15 of his books. DNF Insomnia and Dreamcatcher. I do have Firestarter, would you recommend it? Thanks for your awesome channel!

[@farhad_s]

Leland Gaunt is in my top five, perhaps top three King villains. Same for Needful Things, top five for sure, if not top three Stephen King books. Having read Salem's Lot recently, I totally got that Needful Things / Leland Gaunt vibe. Really looking forward to the reread, Sep, Oct, whenever.

[@harleydavidepps7487]

To add to what you said about Salems' Lot not being in many peoples lists, I've read 12 of his books so far and my top 5 goes as follows. 1. IT 2. Waste Lands (at this point the latest King book I've finished) 3. Salems' Lot 4. The Shining 5. The Gunslinger IT was my gateway to stephen king also.

[@biankatoth1786]

Blain the Mono is cray-cray, we love him.

[@kirkcornelius1074]

Andre Linoge from Storm of the Century is my favorite of all time!

[@eliasisthegreatest]

Salem’s Lot is still my favorite.

[@ryanharvey938]

Randall Flagg is also my Favorite Stephen King villain

[@chrisbronico3667]

My top 10 villains Honorable mentions: Gage, Overlook Hotel, George Stark, Tak from Desperation 10. Barlow - Salem’s Lot 9. Margaret White - Carrie 8. Greg Stillson - Dead Zone 7. Percy - Green Mile 6. Cujo 5. Leiand Gaunt - Needful Things 4. Annie Wilkes - Misery 3. Brady Hartfield - Mr. Mercedes he is so well don. He is the reason Mr. Mercedes is one of my favorite King books 2. RF - The Stand 1. Pennywise - It the only antagonist in a book that actually ever scared me

[@mikesbookreviews]

Gage was tough to cut off, for sure. In the end I felt the Wendigo was more to blame for that. But it's such a fine line to walk when discussing if a character is actually the villain (i.e. Jack Torrance & Carrie White).

[@Sparkball]

Agoraphobia is the fear of outer space. Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns

[@twiceborn_by_grace]

Is that the Colt from Supernatural on your shelf? Also was Pennywise a Boggart then?

[@anna_rn]

Great list. I’ve always hated clowns so by the time I read IT Pennywise was just my confirmation bias. I completely agree with you mentioning Cujo. Although I love dogs, I’m afraid of big dogs and they are all potential Cujos to me until proven innocent. 😂

[@mikesbookreviews]

LOL @ Potential Cujos

[@BeastPrincess]

I'm not so sure, if Jacobs really wanted to help people. It has been a while, but I remember that his sole goal was something like finding out what happens after death because of his wife and child and he didn't care much about the side effects of him "curing" people. So they were more like guinea pigs.

[@marcusmusings]

agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces. coulrophobia is clowns. Flagg's my number one as well. Out of curiosity, where would you put Tak? I'd probably put him almost at number ten

[@anuragd948_2]

Tak is such a great villain and Desperation is an amazing book. But some reason it never gets any love from the community.

[@gabethegeek593]

The actress who plays Mother Carmody in the adaptation of the mist is who I pictured the crazed religious leader in the gunslinger to be.

[@pakanakiisseli9383]

My first stephen kings book was misery. Annie wilkes was awesome villain. After that masterpiece i have been kings fan.

[@jack28727]

If you have to ask that question, you haven't read enough stephen king. Awesome!

[@Dylan13Collins]

I don't know if you have read "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Wallpole before, but you should. It's credited to be the first "gotchic" novel. It very clearly has influenced the genre and writers like Stephen King and lovecraft. The monsters are never as scary as people.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll look it up!

[@Dylan13Collins]

@@mikesbookreviews it's a weird story, and a classic. So it makes for a wild and potentially confusing ride depending on how many classics you've read (written in the 1700s). With that being said, it is damn good!

[@markturkington882]

Could you do a top ten Stephen king? Ive read IT, do know where to go from there

[@unlimitedreads]

Pretty much agree with all your picks there, Mike apart from #1 and #2, I'd put Pennywise as my top villain - you did well with that 👍😁

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll never fault anyone for having Pennywise #1.

[@Jordan-calver1993]

I want to ask a question but dont want to be misconstrued: with Jack Torrance and the injury he inflicts on Danny, i have always felt that his actions make him kinda irredeemable but i was born in 1993 and have grown up in an era that is hyper-sensitive to that kinda thing... am i influcting a modern morality on something that was more accepted in that time-period? Not saying either view is right but would the 70s be more forgiving?

[@coreynagle804]

i bough the kids book of blane the mono I love it so much

[@michaelfeeney6108]

I wonder if King roots for the Socs in The Outsiders.

[@jeffgerdau9436]

I wondered literally the same thing

[@PsyKotyK]

So many books so little time. I guess it aint so bad that movies and shows arent doing it for me cause theres lots of books to read. Believe jt or not i have yet to read a king book

[@greenhulk1982]

Is there a villain in Pet Sematary that would have made the list Mike’s Book review?

[@Chicagocanine]

I would say Cujo is the antagonist, but not a villain. He was just a good boy who got sick. Come to think of it, the same might apply to Jack Torrence. He was an antagonist but the Overlook was the real villain.

[@BeastPrincess]

I agree, Cujo didn't even understand what was happening to him. Poor doggo.

[@KimsLantern]

I realized that Leland Gaunt basically triangulated the entire town. A true Master Manipulator.

[@cynthiaholmes5124]

Here's my ranking 1. Pennywise 2. Randall flagg 3. Rose the hat 4. Jack torrence 5. The crimson king 6. Blaine the mono