Dark Powered Villains
What if there were some ancient dark power, some supernatural evil from the mists of time? What if people could make a contract with it, tap into it, or otherwise use it? What if they use their newfound power to terrorize others and get their own way? Wait a sec … did I just loosely group all myths, folklore, and superstitious tales? :)
It seems to me we have some classic material when we bridge the old superstitions with modern culture in our stories. Nothing is more strange, or perhaps even more terrifying than realizing there is something supernatural out there, and has been out there all along, and someone somewhere knows how to use it (usually for evil). Seems it me there ought to be a wealth of [good] stories still to be told by looking into the past and invoking some ancient evil.