Lately there's been a glut of wholesome, good-natured teens (see Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, and Vanessa Hudgens's snuggly ode to sneakers). But this week's release of the 20th anniversary of the classic Heathers reminded me that onscreen teenagers can be really mean. Actually, they can be downright vicious.
The girl group in Heathers was so mean they were essentially psychopathic. And then there's the famous pack of mean teens that torments Lindsay Lohan in Tina Fey's Mean Girls. Rich girl Caroline Mulford in Sixteen Candles is incredibly cruel (well, until she spends an evening with the geeky Farmer Ted). And of course, they're not always girls: Ryan Phillippe's character in Cruel Intentions is about as scummy as it gets in terms of douchebag teen guys.
Clear your mind of Disney stars and tell me about the most memorable nasty onscreen teens.
Star by Julien Macdonald
Rusty Neal
Alberta Ferretti
John Hughes era, not John Hughes. Although he did create some great mean, rich kids.
1James Spader's charactor, Seth, in Sixteen Candles. He just oozed douchbaggery.
2Though it was a complete Heather's rip-off, Jawbreakers comes to mind. There was not really a "good" teen to be found in that one. Mandy Moore's character in Saved! was pretty rutheless as well. There was a film with Jamie Bell that came out a few years ago called The Chumscrubber which had some pretty nasty teens in it too. Oh, and Brick! That one was awesome and so out there.
3I was going to mention Jamie Bell, too! But yiddedea beat me to it. He is so creepy in that movie. not like the cute, Billy Elliot we all know him as!
4Thanks susanec - I had the era on the mind! All fixed.
5fuzzles, I think you may mean Spaders's character Steff in Pretty in Pink. He was so abhorrently mean!
6The girl, Benny, in Pretty in Pink is pretty mean. Rizzo in Grease, was a character you felt bad for, but still a meanie.
7Rose McGowen in Jawbreaker was evil!!! She was such a b*tch.
8Buzz,
I stand corrected! Blonde moment! *head bouncing from shoulder pad to shoulder pad*
9Jake Ryan in 16 Candles was SUPER freaking evil. He gets tired of his old girlfriend and wants to ditch her for a new one, so he waits until she is drunk and then palms her off of some random dude. They have a whole conversation about how she is too drunk to notice that random dude isn't him, basically giving random dude permission to rape her. And yet we're supposed to swoon over him?? Seriously effed up.
10i was just talking about the heathers the other day---i dont think it can get meaner then that!
11This is funny! I was just talking about Heathers the other day,too!! Now i want to see it again (or do I,lol)
12I have to disagree with the comment about Jake Ryan. Having just watched Sixteen Candles last week, I don't imagine him to be an "evil" guy. And Caroline isn't really a b*tch she is just self-centered which most teens are. I don't think the mentality back then was "farmer Ted is going to rape Caroline" nor do I think that was Hughes' intention. It was merely a juvenile way of getting someone else to bring your girlfriend, who just destroyed your house, home.
13The most evil character in a teen film has to be James Spader's character Steff in Pretty in Pink. There's a guy who would commit date rape if ever there was one.
Ooooo I LOVE Heathers.
14Definitely those beast girls from Romy and Michelle.
15Heathers!!!
16Steff from Pretty In Pink, hands down. What a creep. I've never been a fan of James Spader ever since.
OH, and Kiefer Sutherland in Stand By Me was also a mean teen.
As for a side note, I have seen Sixteen Candles well over 100 times and Jake Ryan was not evil. He was just tired of having a girlfriend that had no depth, they were just on different levels of maturity. Caroline and Farmer Ted were sort of on the same wavelength, just as Jake and Sam were. Caroline wasn't a mean girl either, she was just stuck in the mindset of being popular - but definitely not in a mean girl way. I mean she did see Sam in the hallway at the dance and said 'hi how's it going' to her.
17Hands down Steff from Pretty in Pink. And his awful girlfriend. They were both heinous and unredeemable.
18I also don't think Caroline in Sixteen Candles was mean. She was just self-centered. And frankly, after what she and everyone else did to that house, I would have dumped her on someone else too. She kinda deserved it. And I do believe he tried to talk to her before she got wasted and she kinda blew him off or changed the subject. Jake was definitely not a bad guy. Some people read way too much into movies sometimes.
Remember Taylor Vaughn from She's All That? That whole speech about Rachel Leigh Cook being dust and nothing and then spilling beer on her dress? SO MEAN!
19Most Evil Teens?
William Zabka- Johnny in Karate Kid
Keifer Sutherland - Ace in Stand By Me
Thomas F. Wilson - Biff Tanner in Back to the Future
Leilani Sarelle- Suette in Shag (totally evil to Bridgette Fondas character)
Nancy Allen and PJ Soles - Chris and Norma from Carrie (pigs blood anyone?)
20Craig Sheffer was pretty obnoxious as Hardy Jens in Some Kind of Wonderful. But not meaner than Heathers.
21I think all of the ones said were definitely way better but Amber from Clueless came to mind. I always wondered why she was even around since everyone couldn't stand her so much. I have to agree between the Heathers and Steff being the worst!
22OHHH and also Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in Cruel Intentions. She was way worse that Phillippe!
23I still love Heathers to bits!
24OMG i am lol @ some of these...johnny fr. karate kid...awesomely fun meanie! YES SENSAI!
jake ryan? mean? i hardly think so....hot, yes definitely....
my votes go to the heathers girls...straight up mean b*tches!
25William Zabka in The Karate Kid and I'm pretty sure he's the bad guy in Just One of the Guys.
By the way, I really dislike the 'cookie-cutter' teens of today, it's so not true, high school today is WAY, WAY b*tchier than Disney makes it seem.
26I just watched Heathers for the first time last week and I looooved it
27!
They were definitely some pretty mean kids.
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