As live said, this is the very definition of emotional and verbal abuse and yes, it normally gets worse...usually when the woman expresses needs of her own or when she stops catering to his every whim. Yes, they can be very charming, full of remorse and apologetic...this is how they keep you under their control. THIS IS THE CYCLE OF ABUSE. It does not get better, it always gets worse. As Stella and LaTeeDa said (which was also my own experience) that when the children come along and/or even when the relationship has just moved out of the honeymoon phase and become more "normal", the abuse escalates. Again, these are times when the focus is taken off of them and on to others who have needs to be met. Abusers do NOT like that!
KP, this guy just sounds like bad news. I hope you can keep all this in mind in the coming weeks and stay strong. We're here for you.