13 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Favorite Halloween Characters

2019-10-28

October is exciting because it gives you an excuse to wear ridiculous costumes, decorate your house with candle-lit pumpkins, and snuggle up to watch scary movies. Fans of horror movies are delighted as Halloween brings out the classic spooky movies. But there is so much that we do not know about some of the most well-known bad guys. The details about each of these personas can be pretty surprising since they show a different side of the characters we thought we knew so well.

We at Bright Side crossed over to the dark side to understand more about some characters that make Halloween a memorable and hair-raising experience.

1. The Joker’s first sidekick was not Harley Quinn.

Harley Quinn may be The Joker’s most popular sidekick, but she wasn’t the first. A little clown named Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy a.k.a. Gaggy was a loyal follower until he ended up in prison. When he came back, he was unimpressed that Harley Quinn had taken over his spot.

2. Maleficent is just an angry, forgotten, old fairy.

In the folktale, the evil fairy who cursed the princess to prick her finger on a spindle and die was just an angry old fairy. While the other fairies were invited to be godmothers for the princess, this old fairy was forgotten. This was because she had been in the tower for too long and everyone thought she was dead. Feeling overlooked, she cursed the little princess.

3. The Wicked Witch did not have green skin and only had one eye.

In the original Oz book series, the Wicked Witch of the West did not have green skin and she had only one eye. Instead of carrying a broom like in the movies, she actually carried an umbrella.

4. Thanos’ mother wanted to name him Dione.

Thanos’ mother, Sui-san wanted to name him Dione but never got to do so because she went crazy after giving birth to him. His father named him Thanos and his mother only revealed the name she wanted for him shortly before he ended her life.

5. Wednesday Addams’ middle name is Friday.

When The Addams Family first debuted as a cartoon in The New Yorker, none of the family members had names. The pigtailed daughter was named Wednesday based on a nursery rhyme, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” In the TV series, her middle name was revealed to be Friday.

6. The evil Mr. Hyde was created by Dr. Jekyll to hide his crimes.

Being a doctor, Henry Jekyll had a high social standing and to do evil would dirty his good name. In his letter to his lawyer friend, he explained that he had done something bad and feared he would lose his social standing if discovered. He also mentioned that he had found a way to transform himself and indulge in doing evil without being detected.

7. Chucky’s full name is a combination of the names of 3 criminals.

Chucky’s full name, Charles Lee Ray, is a combination of the names of 3 criminals in real life. Charles was from Charles Manson, Lee was from Lee Harvey Oswald, who killed John F. Kennedy, and Ray was from James Earl Ray, who killed Martin Luther King, Jr.

8. Magneto was in a relationship with Rogue.

In the X-Men movies, this relationship does not exist. However, in the comics, there was a point when Magneto and Rogue had a very unexpected love affair.

9. Ghostface’s voice was also the voice for Mojo Jojo in Powerpuff Girls.

Although Ghostface in the Scream series was played by different people, it was voiced by Roger Jackson throughout the series. Jackson was also behind the voice of Mojo Jojo, the evil green-faced monkey in The Powerpuff Girls cartoon.

10. Cruella de Vil has a husband and a cat.

In the original novel, Cruella de Vil is actually married to someone who prepares and sells furs. Unlike in the Disney adaptations, she is an heiress who is pampered by her husband. She also has a Persian cat that she hates, but keeps only because of its value.

11. Sweeney Todd’s other name was Benjamin Barker, like the menswear brand.

Originally, Sweeney Todd was simply a villain in a story. But a play was made to create sympathy for the demon barber who killed his customers. In that play, his real name was Benjamin Barker and he was wronged before he became a serial killer. Today, there is a menswear brand called Benjamin Barker.

12. The Headless Horseman might have been a prank.

Based on Washington Irving’s book, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, he could have just been a man trying to scare off another man. Ichabod Crane was competing with Brom Bones to marry Katrina and one day Ichabod was chased by a headless horseman. But evidence only showed a shattered pumpkin and a trampled saddle. Brom, who was an agile horse rider, looked as if he knew something whenever the story of Ichabod being chased was mentioned.

13. Darth Vader avoids using Force Lightning to keep from ruining his suit.

Even though Darth Vader actually knows how to use Force Lightning, he rarely uses it because it could short-circuit the life support systems in his armor.

Which of these facts makes you want to re-watch the movies or re-read the books about these famous dark characters? What else do you know about these spooky personalities?

Preview photo credit Joker / Warner Bros. Pictures