The 7 best places to live – if you’re a super villain

With the release of Batman vs Superman, we started to wonder, why is it that the all vile antagonists in film and television never live in a cool Brooklyn crash pad or a quaint Victorian in San Francisco? Whether you’re hiding out in a Gothic castle like the Wicked Witch of the West or in the deep blue sea (Jaws, anyone?), here are the 7 best places to live if you’re a badass super villain.

Also: Three perfect days in Prague

Under the Sea Bad guys (and gals) love the deep blue sea (although it seems like we never see them wet). Ursula from The Little Mermaid lived underwater as did Jaws and the monster from The Creature from the Black Lagoon. For many among us, just the thought of jumping into a body of water infested with sharks, stingrays and jellyfish is enough reason to stay out, but if you’re looking for true terror consider the Caribbean’s St. Croix Reef, or “Wall,” which has a drop off of 13,000 feet.

Outer Space “In space, no one can hear you scream.” That tagline from the movie Alien proves that space has some serious chops when it comes to housing villains. Other antagonists who called deep space home in include the Cylons from the Battlestar Gallactica series and also super-baddy Darth Vader. No villains have yet to be discovered in actual space, but as we learned from films like Gravityand The Martian, space itself is a pretty hostile place.

Caves

Caves Villains love to be unseen so it’s no wonder that caves or lairs have been their choice residence. From the volcanic underground home of Mola Ram in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to the subterranean tropical hideaway occupied by Dr. Evil in the Austin Power series, villains and caves go hand in hand. Looking for a real-life villain who took up residency underground? Look no further than Meramac Caverns, a legit Missouri tourist attraction that was once the hideout of outlaw Jesse James.

Dracula’s Castle

A castle Given how castle-deprived North America is, this ostentatious style of residency claims few U.S. villains, but look abroad and you’ll find plenty. Remember the castle inhabited by Bram Stoker’s Dracula? How about the Gothic residence of Gargamel and feline companion Azrael of the Smurfs franchise or the home of the Evil Queen in Snow White? Fortunately many castles are open to the public including Bran Castle in Romania, the fortress connected to the Dracula legend.

The woods

The Woods Lots of villains have stalked the woods including the wolf of Little Red Riding Hood fame, the witch in Hansel and Gretel and the backwoods locals of Deliverance. The forest can be a legit creepy place and if you’re looking to be freaked out by them look no further than Aokigahara “Suicide” Forest near Mt. Fuji in Japan which accommodates very little wildlife and where more than 500 people have taken their own lives—hence the nickname.

Mansions One thing that’s true of many villains is that they seem to have no trouble accumulating wealth. The list of baddies who’ve lived in large houses is long and wide and includes everyone from Norman Bates, Don Vito and Michael Coreleone and Faye Dunaway’s impression of Joan Crawford in Mommy Dearest. If you’re looking check “haunted mansion” off your tourism bucket list may we recommend the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose or the Biltmore Estate in Asheville?

The streets Which bad guys live openly on the streets? Um, have you ever heard of zombies?  From the swarms of “walkers” who populate “The Walking Dead” to the undead inhabitants of Night of the Living Dead and World War Z, zombies require no cave, castle or coral reef to call home. In case you want to get up close and personal with the undead, consider an Atlanta-based Walking Dead tour.

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