When the 'king of horror' thinks something's scary, then you best listen to what he has to say.
From classics such as It and The Shining, to The Stand and Carrie, Stephen King's catalogue of work can't really be questioned.
It seems that the legendary author has made a pretty bold claim and said that a very specific Harry Potter villain is the 'greatest make-believe villain' since Hannibal Lecter.
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If you don't know who Hannibal Lecter is then you seriously need to watch 1991 horror The Silence of the Lambs.
I'd advise that you watch it with another person, incase you accidentally s**t yourself.
Anyway, for the 11 July, 2003 issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine, the editors got Stephen King to review the fifth Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
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In his review, King said that the best thing about the book was 'Dolores Umbridge'.
He wrote: "The gently smiling Dolores Umbridge, with her girlish voice, toadlike face, and clutching, stubby fingers, is the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.
"One needn’t be a child to remember The Really Scary Teacher, the one who terrified us so badly that we dreaded the walk to school in the morning, and we turn the pages partly in fervent hopes that she will get her comeuppance.
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"But also in growing fear of what she will get up to next. For surely a teacher capable of banning Harry Potter from playing Quidditch is capable of anything."
Umbridge was brilliantly played by Imelda Staunton in the film, and according to Harry Potter Fandom: "Her time at Hogwarts was characterised by her cruelty and abusive punishments against students.
"She became well known at the school for her interfering and condescending ways which caused her to be despised by most students and teachers alike."
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King was also asked if Order of the Phoenix was as good as the other Harry Potter books, to which he said: "No. This one is actually quite a bit better.
"The tone is darker, and this has the unexpected — but very pleasing — effect of making Rowling’s wit and playful black humour shine all the brighter.
"Where but in the world of Jo Rowling would one find deadly supernatural beings and their frightening familiars existing side by side with empty gloves that twiddle their thumbs impatiently, not to mention enchanted interdepartmental memos that fly from floor to floor in the Ministry of Magic as paper airplanes?"
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Topics: Stephen King, Film and TV, Celebrity
Anish Vij