The name Billy and Christmas horror movies go together like milk and cookies. Today, I’m sharing part 2 of my ratings of horror characters with the name William. Since the name Billy pops up in quite a few Christmas horror films, I thought I’d share a special holiday installment this time around. As usual, I’m rating the characters themselves, NOT the actors who play them or the performances. I hope you enjoy and let me know your favorite Christmas horror movie William! (SPOILER ALERT!!!)

Billy – Black Christmas (1974)

My Rating: 2/10

As the sisters of a sorority house tried to have a proper Christmas celebration, their fun was cut short when they became the target of a man who stalked them and harassed them over the phone. Honestly, we don’t know much about this Billy (Albert J. Dunk). Hell, we don’t even know if his name was actually Billy. All we know is that he was a creep and a murderer. He wasn’t a typical psychopath who just wanted to kill anyone he could find. He enjoyed making sexually harassing remarks to his victims and psychologically tormenting them before making his move to kill them. He was just a guy who got off on harassing and killing women.

Billy Peltzer – Gremlins

My Rating: 8/10

Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) was a young man whose family was among lots in town struggling during the holiday season. When his father returned home from a work trip, he brought Billy a strange and fascinating pet that came with a set of rules. Billy was honestly a good kid, he held a steady job to help out his family, he was well liked by everyone. He just had a lot of trouble following the rules that brought a whole mess of trouble and death to his town. He had no problem stepping in and ending the problems he unintentionally helped create.

Billy Chapman – Silent Night, Deadly Night

My Rating: 3/10

When Billy Chapman (Robert Brian Wilson) was a little boy, he witnessed his parents brutally killed by a man dressed as Santa. For years after, he spent his childhood in an orphanage, where lies and warped ideas about punishment were literally beaten into him. When he grew up, he was asked to dress as Santa at his job and that’s when he became the very thing that haunted him all his life. I feel so bad for this guy. Instead of getting the therapy he desperately needed, he was just abused and forced to face his deepest fears. He was still a murderer who killed those whose biggest flaws were having sex and stealing sleds. He does get points from me for killing a would-be rapist and a cop who killed a man in cold blood. He really deserved better and his whole outlook on everything could’ve easily been avoided.

Billy Lenz – Black Christmas (2006)

My Rating: 4/10

Billy Lenz (Robert Mann) didn’t even have a chance when he was a kid. His mother hated him all his life and when he was 5, he witnessed her and her new man murder his father. They then locked him in the attic his whole life, and lived their lives with him hidden away like a dirty secret. His mother then raped him and gave birth to his sister/daughter. When he hit his 30s, he completely snapped and killed his parents, and maimed his sister. His whole life was horrible and he was beyond help, killing innocent people whose biggest crime was living in the house that wasn’t his home anymore.

Will – A Christmas Horror Story

Will 1 Rating: 9/10

Will 2 Rating: 7/10

Scott (Adrian Holmes) and Kim (Olunike Adeliyi) were trying to make it a memorable Christmas for their young son, Will (Orion John). They snuck onto private property to steal the perfect Christmas tree. As they made off with the goods, Will wandered off and he was captured and replaced by one of the changelings that lived on the property. I wasn’t sure how to rate this character since they were technically two separate beings. Will 1 was just an innocent kid who was kidnapped, stripped in the winter cold, and forced to stay inside of a tree, waiting to be rescued. Will 2 was a creature who replaces human Will and it seemed like he was also a child, discovering a new world he knew nothing about. He didn’t understand that what he was doing was bad, and I’m guessing the way he ate all of that food, he was completely starved. I don’t think he deserved to be beaten, and I’m glad he did the right thing in the end and returned human Will.