Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is released on 29th November and it made me think that another post was in order looking at the ‘top 10 evil animals in film’! I have two cats myself (Dennis and Harry) and they’ve helped me to compile this list of who they think are the meanest animals in film!
No doubt I’ll miss hundreds so please let me know who you think should go on the list in the comments section below.
Mr. Tinkles – white Persian cat (Cats & Dogs, 2001 and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, 2010)
Since this was the inspiration for the post, it had to start with Mr. Tinkles! The master villain of the first movie, this delightfully insane feline criminal mastermind cameos in the second film strapped up behind Perspex in a really rather amusing Silence of the Lambs parody.
The Sheep (Black Sheep, 2007)
More hilarious than terrifying, this New Zealand comedy-horror from Jonathan King sees a friendly flock turn into blood-thirsty killer-mutant sheep as a result of genetic engineering!
‘Bruce’ – Shark (Jaws, 1975)
The cause of many a shark phobia, big ol’ Bruce is a masterful creation, loved and loathed in equal measure. Fun fact: as well as the nickname ‘Bruce’, Spielberg reputedly also referred to the animatronic shark as ‘the great white turd’! I bet that’s what Quint was shouting while Bruce swallows him whole in the finale to the movie but it was Bruce himself who fails to realise that compressed air canister vs. a bullet from Brody’s gun with the line ‘smile you son of a bitch’ = HUGE explosion!! In your face Bruce – literally!
The Rabbits (Night of the Lepus, 1972)
Killer rabbits! Yep, if you thought Black Sheep picked a weird animal to ‘turn’, check out this 70s creature feature where giant killer bunnies rampage through the American desert. Starring Deforest Kelly, Janet Leigh and real rabbits, filmed in slow motion on model sets, you can actually spy a bit of the bizarre movie in the background of The Matrix, when Neo visits the Oracle.
Shere Khan – Tiger (The Jungle Book, 1967)
There aren’t many things more intimidating to have hell-bent on hunting you than a massive Bengal tiger, so The Jungle Book’s man-hunter Shere Khan has to make this list. Of course, in the book, Mowgli ends up skinning the pesky puss, but Disney shied away from that in this animated version.
Cujo – St Bernard dog (Cujo, 1983)
If you like dogs, you’ll hate Cujo. A distinctly darker turn on the Old Yeller ‘pet gets rabies’ theme, this psychotic St Bernard was originally dreamt up by horror mastermind Stephen King, and mauled his way through a movie version with schlocky, blood-spattered panache.
Scar – Lion (The Lion King, 1994)
Scar is one seriously jealous character in The Lion King and has no doubt been the cause of numerous tears all over the planet as he sets up his own brother, causing him to be trampled by stampeding wildebeest so just that he can be king! He is one seriously evil character and definitely deserves to go on this list!
Flotsam & Jetsam – Moray eels (The Little Mermaid, 1989)
I’m sure these guys have just lost their way since the super evil Ursula is their master and they have nowhere else to turn. Or, maybe all eels are evil?! They are responsible for louring Ariel into the clutches of Urusla and don;t seem to show any remorse until King Triton comes along to teach them a lesson!
Poor unfortunate souls!
Blofeld’s cat – white Persian cat (You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Diamonds are Forever)
I feel somewhat sorry for Blofeld’s cat. He’s a lovely little Persian Cat who just likes being stroked! OR, he is actually the source of Blofeld’s power which is my sneaking suspicion! I’m pretty sure that Blofeld would be into world peace and do more yoga if he was given the chance by his cat. Therefore, if Bond was just to rid the world of the cat, all evil would cease and he could retire with one of the multitudes of Bond Women he’s found over the past 50 odd years!
General Woundwort – Rabbit (Watership Down, 1978)
Described in the movie as one of the largest rabbits anyone has ever seen, General Woundwort is one seriously nasty animal. If anyone stands up to him, he seeks to crush them as quickly as possible and could quite possibly be the most evil animal in our top ten list!
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There are an infinite number of other ‘evil animals’ in movies, tell me who I’ve missed in the comments section below.
