6 - The Frightening Antagonist

Sometimes fear works just as well as hate. Or maybe they just work together?

Right.

Any bad guy should be feared. If you start something with any antagonist, well, he'll end it. Most will do more.

But the truly fearsome bad guys aren't just feared. People avoid them like they avoid acid. Nobody will team up with them, nobody will look them in the eye, because you never know. They just might turn on you. Even other villians don't deal with them; they are an unkown and unpredictable entity.

These guys almost always work alone. A common example are serial killers, stealthy like night. You don't see them until it's time. And then only the body is left, gruesomely stretched out on the ground. 

This type is preferred in horror stories, if you haven't guessed.

A good example is Darth Vader from Star Wars. We don't know too much about him, except that he kills at the slightest provocation. And that he has a bottomless supply of navy officers to strangle.

EXCERSIZE: Set a timer for ten minutes. Think about when your antagonist caused fear or pandemonium in the population, and write a description of events from a completely clueless and frightened bystander who doesn't know why the antagonist is doing whatever he's doing.

Post your writing in the comments!