Christmas villains we love to hate
According to the 1970 animated classic, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” the Burgermeister was the evil mayor of the small village where Kris Kringle first passed out toys. After the Burgermeister tripped on a toy, he banned all of them. An outlaw, Kringle was forced to sneak down chimneys to deliver the goodies.
In a 1974 follow-up to “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” the nasty Heat and Snow Miser brothers tried to ruin Christmas in “The Year Without Santa Claus.” But their mother, Mother Nature, stepped in and saved the day.
How could a Christmas list be complete without Martians? Yes, Martians. In the 1964 cult classic, “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians,” green bad guys kidnap Santa and take him back to the Red Planet.
No Christmas villain list would be complete without Old Man Potter, the mean Bedford Falls businessman who made George Bailey’s life so miserable in “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Played by Lionel Barrymore (at left), Potter is the prototypical Scrooge. But we’ll get to the famous Dickens miser soon enough.
He caused trouble for Frosty the Snowman and for Tim Allen in “Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.” Jack Frost (as played here by Martin Short) has also been the star of at least two slasher films. But he’s also been around for quite awhile, appearing in Anglo-Saxon and Norse folklore.
It was the Christmas present to destroy all other Christmas presents. In Stephen Spielberg’s 1984 classic, “Gremlins,” one super fuzzy pet turns into an army of evil, green trouble-makers bent on ruining the holidays for everyone.
In the 1988 action classic, “Die Hard,” bad guy Hans Gruber ruins an office Christmas party. Making his movie debut as Hans was Alan Rickman, now famous for his role as Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” franchise.
A little boy left “Home Alone” for the holidays is taken on by two inept burglars, Marv and Harry (played by Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci). But they’re no match for Macaulay Culkin’s booby traps.
Finally, in Dr. Seuss’ classic tale, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” the villain finds some redemption in the end. Jim Carrey recently played the green holiday terror. For a 1966 cartoon adaption, horror actor Boris Karloff provided the Grinch’s voice.
But probably the most famous holiday villain to find redemption is Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge. First published in 1843, “A Christmas Carol” has spawned dozens of TV adaptations and at least 20 films.
