Chernobog from Fantasia (Night on Bald Mountain)
I know Disney purists will want to yell at me for this one. They will say it is cheating, and that Chernobog is only a bad guy for one small section of a movie, and this slot should be reserved for one of the more fleshed-out characters from the Disney universe. I will simply tell those people to go fuck off and write your own list. If I’m talking “genuinely terrifying” Disney villains, and I leave off this striking and unforgettable “black cursed God,” then I have failed.
The truth is, you can say Fantasia is boring (by today’s A.D.D standards), but it is actually a staggering melding of animation and music, and one that more people need to re-watch and enjoy. It was Disney taking a chance on one of their earliest movies, and while some say the chance failed, I say it resulted in one of the most amazing animated movies, ever. I know that I’m in the minority in thinking that, though.
BUT, few can argue that Chernobog from Night on Bald Mountain didn’t leave a mark on them. Truth is, I still watch Night on Bald Mountain, every single Halloween night, right before I go to bed. From the way his wings unfold to the way he manipulates the dead around him, there is nothing about him that ISN’T terrifying.