Father’s Day: The Best Dads In Creepy Films

Chief Martin Brody is a good dad. He takes care of his boys and is very protective of them. He yells at them to get out of the water when he senses danger, and while he is shouting, it's because of the urgency he feels to protect them and to make sure that they listen to him. Brody also functions as a sheriff and as a protective father figure of the town of Amity. He takes on the Mayor and the council to save lives and protect anyone visiting the beach.

In Wes Craven's "Scream," three good father figures are Principal Arthur Himbry, Deputy Dewey Riley, and Sydney's father, Neil Prescott. Principal Himbry supports the students' feelings after the murders and expels two students who try to terrify other students by wearing Ghostface costumes. Dewey takes a protective role, like a father or a big brother to Sydney. But her father, Neil Prescott, is doing his best after Maureen Prescott's death. He works hard to provide for his daughter, often going out of town to ensure he can continue supporting her as best he can. In later films in the series, he talks to Sydney, encouraging her to live her life, comforting her, and reassuring her that she is not to blame. Neil Prescott doesn't get much screen time, so he is underrated as a good dad.

Steve Freeling is another good dad. He takes a secondary role to his wife, Diane, but when she tells him that things are going wrong, he believes her, and he supports her attempts to get their daughter back without question. He also turns into a raging papa bear when he discovers the source of the evil that kidnapped his daughter.

There are two great dads in "Train To Busan." Ma Dong-seok, as Sang-hwa, is the dad who not only sacrifices himself to save his beloved wife and his unborn child and spends all of his time protecting human life in general. He specifically saves Soo-an (Su-an Kim), Seok-woo's (Gong Yoo) daughter, at significant risk to himself and his wife. His self-sacrifice and moral code help Seok-woo understand how to be a better dad and person.

Gong Yoo, as Seok-woo, is the other good dad in "Train To Busan," but it takes him a while to get there. He means well but cannot connect to his daughter Soo-an's emotional needs. She wants an emotional connection to her father, whom she loves dearly, but he cannot be that vulnerable with her and substitutes expensive presents for love. This makes the little girl resentful, and Seok-woo withdraws from her, believing she doesn't love him. Sang-hwa, the other dad he initially didn't get along with, shows Seok-woo, through his caring and emotional connection to his wife, how to stop being so frightened of his love for his daughter. When he sacrifices himself to save his little girl and Sang-hwa's wife and child, he has connected to his duty as a father and turns away from selfishness.

Vincent is a good dad. Even though he knows that Alexia is not his lost son, he still claims her as his son to save her from the police and shows her the total acceptance and protection that her father never gave to her. He is a fire captain and probably could privately connect the dots about who Alexia is, but he shows mercy and takes her in because of the love he bore for his child. If he can't protect and save his child, he will do that for this orphan who needs that kind of love and does not judge her.

As Ed Harley in Pumpkinhead, Lance Henriksen, does the wrong thing for an understandable reason. He is a good dad. He only sets the murderous actions of the monster in motion because he wants revenge for his child, who was killed. When he realizes that the witch has tricked him and that innocent people will suffer because of his actions, he kills himself to stop Pumpkinhead's rampage.

George C. Scott plays John Russell, a composer whose wife and child were killed in a tragic accident. He moves into a country mansion and finds that the vengeful ghost of a small child wants something and won't stop until they get what they want. He's a good dad because he does mourn his family's deaths, but when faced with a supernatural entity who demands his help, he does something about it. When he discovers that the ghost is a child who his father murdered, he does his best to right the wrong and give the child the justice that he seeks.

Winston Duke, as Gabe Wilson, is a good dad. It's pretty simple. When a mysterious force threatens his family, he immediately goes out to confront that force and protect his family. It is something that is overlooked in film. It is the bravery of a man, a father who immediately goes to battle stations when faced with danger rather than trying to avoid conflict. It means something. It's important.