Although recent films like Turning Red and Lightyear forgo the traditional villain aspect, Disney has almost always been the birthplace of some of cinema's greatest villains. From the Evil Queen to Hans of the Southern Isles, the studio is responsible for some of the most iconic and most terrifying antagonists in film history.
Disney might be known as the wonderful world of Mickey Mouse, but the studio has also created some seriously scary characters worthy of a horror movie. In fact, many of their iconic villains brilliantly fit the description of the genre's most popular stars.
Randall (Monsters Inc.)
When horror fans consider terrifying monsters, it's safe to say that they more than likely don't picture the cast of Pixar's Monsters Inc. However, Randall was a pretty tough customer, especially when his camouflaging abilities are thrown into consideration. Now that he's been banished to the swamps of Louisiana, he's been given the grounds for a chilling monster movie origin story.
A near-invisible creature prowling through the murky waters sounds like a Predator sequel in the making. While it's unlikely Disney or Pixar will revisit Randall anytime soon, the idea of something with that kind of ability lurking in a child's bedroom is pretty unsettling.
Shan-Yu (Mulan)
Period horror movies can make for some seriously scary material, and Shan-Yu could have his own. Whether as the protagonist in a gritty origin story or as the villain, the yellow-eyed leader of the Huns could star in a graphic warlord picture akin to The Northman. However, the truly terrifying traits of the character were displayed in his deleted scenes.
Before they were cut from the film, scenes of Shan-Yu and his minions laying waste to the mountain village saw the warrior as a bloodthirsty monster with a predatory connection to his falcon. Needless to say, there was a reason the scenes were left in storyboards.
Judge Claude Frollo (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame)
Since Maleficent got her own origin story exploring the reasons behind her actions in the Sleeping Beauty narrative, fans have wanted other villains to get the same treatment. That being said, the studio's most infamous and most realistic villains would have to get the gothic horror treatment if the idea were brought to fruition, and that would include Judge Frollo.
The sinister minister is the living example of the phrase "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Frollo could star in his own psychological thriller akin to Flowers in the Attic if a younger Quasimodo were also involved. Either way, it would be Disney's darkest project to date.
Captain Barbossa (Pirates Of The Caribbean)
Geoffery Rush was simply born to play a pirate, no questions asked, and he was easily the biggest horror element of Curse of the Black Pearl. Pirates who turn into skeletons by moonlight are a pretty creepy concept, especially for Disney, but there were 882 pieces of cursed gold and viewers only saw how they reacted to one.
A prequel movie with the cursed crew searching after the other pieces before coming to Port Royal could be a pirate version of Night of the Living Dead in the best way possible. With Barbossa leading the raids, there's no way it wouldn't be entertaining.
Cruella DeVil (101 Dalmatians)
Although Emma Stone's portrayal was certainly a dark turn for Disney's live-action series, the studio could have gone all the way with the idea by keeping it more in line with the original animated version from the '60s. Anyone who openly admits to wanting a coat made out of puppies and elaborates on various ways to kill them already sounds like a horror star in the making.
The original Cruella, or even Glenn Close's wild interpretation, would absolutely thrive in a horror comedy. The image of the character going through a montage of wearing different animal skins certainly has more than a few grotesque implications.
Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Like Cruella, Maleficent's original animated form had much more horror elements to her, especially something from '50s era Disney. Although she was conjured from ink and paint, Maleficent's curse in the first act of the original Sleeping Beauty was one of the most frightening sequences the studio had ever created.
A shapeshifting character with a draconic transformation who commands "all the powers of Hell" sounds more like something out of a Clive Barker novel rather than a Walt Disney production. She might not be Cenobite material, but she has the reputation for being one of the most powerful Disney villains in the franchise.
Doctor Facilier (The Princess And The Frog)
Mixing and mingling with voodoo spirits is never the safest idea in the book. From The Serpent and the Rainbow to Ritual, dozens of horror movies have taken a headlong dive into the dark and mysterious realms of the Loa and other such "Friends on the Other Side," but Doctor Facilier is certainly a professional.
Whether he'd be the protagonist or the villain is up for debate, but a horror movie concerning Facilier would be a cautionary tale about getting too deep with uncontrollable forces. His "friends" certainly don't tend to stay that way for very long.
The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)
Easily one of the scariest animated characters Disney has ever created, the Horned King was by far the biggest thing viewers took away from The Black Cauldron. A skeletal sorcerer who can summon an army of the undead is by far the ideal star of a dark fantasy horror film, or a D&D campaign at the very least.
A horror fan only has to look at the Horned King and his Cauldron Born army to get instant Army of Darkness notes from both his appearance and overall plot. A modern remake of The Black Cauldron would be great source material for a straight horror adaptation, and Disney still holds the rights.
Constance Hatchaway (The Haunted Mansion)
Although it might have the reputation as the home of "999 Happy Haunts," there's one famous ghost of Disney's Haunted Mansion that has a backstory worthy of a Hammer Horror film. Constance Hatchaway, known as the Black Widow Bride or the Attic Bride in some circles, is the manor's resident axe-murderer, and Disney does nothing to shy away from that fact.
With a hatchet in her bouquet and a room full of decapitated husbands, a Constance origin story would be an absolutely gory and gruesome affair that would keep a few Disney buffs up at night. Although, it would probably be the biggest piece of Haunted Mansion fan service.
Chernabog (Fantasia)
Easily one of Disney's darkest entities, Chernabog commands all the powers of the underworld in Fantasia's "Night on Bald Mountain" segment. As most fans of the movie will know, it's one of the most terrifying things Disney has ever put on the big screen. While the animated version was certainly ahead of its time, it was already quite the horror show for '40s audiences.
A monster movie featuring Chernabog would be absolutely horrifying. Since rumors of a live-action adaptation have been in the air for a long while, it's not like it hasn't been discussed before. Either way, the demon and his legions of darkness would be the biggest display of Disney's dark side since The Black Cauldron.