Clarence Boddicker (RoboCop)
1987’s satirical sci-fi action thriller RoboCop is one of the most excessive films of the 80s, so it needed one of the most over-the-top villains ever. Kurtwood Smith delivers this in spades as the deranged, brutal and sadistic Clarence Boddicker, a one-man one-liner machine responsible for such doozies as “Can you fly, Bobby?”, “Guns guns guns!” and, most notoriously, “B***hes, leave!”
Miss Trunchbull (Matilda)
One figure guaranteed to strike terror into the hearts of children is their first school principal. Matilda’s Agatha Trunchbull embodies this fear, a larger-than-life caricature of the kind of cruelty old-fashioned educators were once able to get away with. Emma Thompson presents a thoroughly loathsome take on Trunchbull in the 2022 musical, but Pam Ferris’ turn in the 1996 film remains the scariest.
Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
What could be scarier than a killer who can control your nightmares, and will only strike once you’re truly terrified? This was the blood-curdling conceit behind A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger. Thanks also to Robert Englund’s striking performance and an iconic design (burned skin, dirty fedora, striped jacket and razor-tipped glove), Freddy became the most memorable cinematic villain of the 80s.
Darth Vader (Star Wars)
From his towering physique to the design of his costume to the mere sound of his name, few characters radiate pure villainy like Star Wars antagonist Darth Vader. 6’6″ bodybuilder David Prowse helped make the Sith lord an imposing presence, but the real masterstroke was hiring James Earl Jones to provide the iconic bad guy’s suitably booming and sinister voice.
Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
It’s hard to believe that Alan Rickman had never made a movie when he was cast opposite Bruce Willis in 1988’s Die Hard. The English actor looks entirely at home on camera, delivering one of the most deliciously evil bad guy performances that has ever been committed to celluloid. Many actors have since tried to imitate Rickman’s Hans Gruber, but none have come close.
Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
You can’t get much more evil than extinguishing half of all life, particularly when you believe it’s genuinely the right thing to do. This was the mad goal of Thanos, suitably raising the stakes for 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. CGI had a big part to play, but the character wouldn’t have had the same gravitas without actor Josh Brolin.
Dracula
Introduced in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula has become one of the most prominent characters in all fiction, appearing in upwards of 200 films over the decades. Some tellings make the vampire a more sympathetic character, but in his most celebrated outings – notably the 1931 Bela Lugosi movie and the 1958 version with Christopher Lee – the undead Transylvanian count is evil incarnate.
Norman Stansfield (Leon: The Professional)
1994’s Leon: The Professional focuses on Jean Reno’s socially-impaired assassin and Natalie Portman’s precocious orphan, but it wouldn’t pack nearly as much punch without Gary Oldman’s bad guy turn as Norman Stansfield. A corrupt DEA agent who gets high on his own supply, Stansfield is one of the most terrifying yet darkly hilarious villains ever, not least when he demands the assistance of “EVERYONE!”
Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)
Few characters appear on screen for only 16 minutes, yet completely dominate their film. This was the case for Anthony Hopkins’ unforgettable turn in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs as Hannibal Lecter, the incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer. Hopkins reprised the role with more screen time yet less impact in sequel Hannibal and prequel Red Dragon, which only helped prove the maxim ‘less is more.’
The Joker (The Dark Knight)
We all know heroes are only ever as good as their villains, hence the longevity of comic book icon Batman is intrinsically linked to that of his nemesis The Joker. Plenty of great actors have played the role – Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Joaquin Phoenix – but none proved so truly nightmare-inducing as the sadly missed Heath Ledger in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Art the Clown (Terrifier)
Introduced in 2016’s Terrifier, the blood-curdling Art the Clown is destined to stand up there with the great horror movie villains. When Terrifier 2 was released in 2022, social media was full of tales of fans passing out in the movie theatres from sheer terror, and horror fans eagerly await further sequels.
Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Part 2)
When you think of Friday the 13th, the iconic image of Jason Voorhees in the hockey mask is probably the first thing to come to your head- although when he first became the franchise’s central killer in 1981’s Friday the 13th Part 2, he had a sack over his head. Ten films later, Jason is one of the most memorable big screen bogeymen ever.
Michael Myers (Halloween)
You cannot list movie villains and not include the iconic Michael Myers, the white-masked slasher of Halloween. Since the 1978 original he’s appeared a dozen more times, most memorably in the six films that pit him against Jamie Lee Curtis’ original final girl Laurie Strode. His slow, imposing stalk and endless path of destruction make him both beloved and utterly feared.
The Childcatcher (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
If you grew up watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, there’s a large chance you went to sleep at night scared of being found and taken away by the evil Childcatcher. The intimidating character is made all the more sinister by the way he lures his young prey with the promise of free candy.
T-1000 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
After being the antagonist in 1984’s original Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was promoted to hero in the 1991 sequel, leaving big shoes to fill for the new villain. The smaller, thinner Robert Patrick was hardly the most obvious nemesis for Arnie, but his fast movements and none-more-evil stare make him an imposing foe, not to mention those nifty shape-shifting abilities.
Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
While 1993’s A Nightmare Before Christmas is technically a children’s film, that doesn’t make the big bad of the story any less fearsome. It’s implied that Oogie Boogie uses his young henchmen to abduct people and bring them to his lair where he then eats them. As if that wasn’t creepy enough, he’s literally a living sack filled with thousands of bugs.
Sauron (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
The Lord of the Rings series has so many incredible villains, but clearly the biggest and baddest of them all is the dark lord Sauron. For the majority of the Lord of the Rings films directed by Peter Jackson, we see his presence represented by a simple eye that few can stand the gaze of.
The Evil Stepmother (Cinderella)
While the Evil Stepmother from 1950’s Cinderella may not be murderous, or involved in severe torture or plans for world domination, yet her cruel treatment of her stepdaughter speaks volumes: basically making a slave of her dead husband’s only child and doing her utmost to deny Cinderella even the smallest happiness, all whilst spoiling her own biological daughters and enabling their own bullying behavior.
Pinhead and the Cenobites (Hellraiser)
When the original Hellraiser was made in 1987, the leader of the Cenobites didn’t even have an official name. However, both the iconic makeup and actor Doug Bradley’s chilling performance saw the character become the figurehead of the long-running horror series, and soon his nickname ‘Pinhead’ became the villain’s official moniker.
Scar (The Lion King)
The dastardly Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons in 1994’s The Lion King, is often the first real villain that children are aware of, as they cry at the loss of Simba’s dad and cheer as the young lion finally beats his uncle. With grand plans of power, fearsome hyena henchmen and a flamboyantly evil appearance, Scar is a bad guy in all the best ways.
Commodus (Gladiator)
The ideal villain is complex, sadistic, flamboyant, and played to perfect execution by a really great actor. Joaquin Phoenix tackled Gladiator’s Commodus with real flair, making even his seemingly childish spite and need to prove himself to his father seem gripping and like perfect justifications for his actions. The performance earned Phoenix his first Oscar nomination.
Amon Goeth (Schindler’s List)
While this movie villain is based on a real person, his coldness, his lack of morality, and his complete barbarism makes him seem beyond the realm of possibility and more than beyond the realm of redemption. Ralph Fiennes became a star off his performance as Amon Goeth’s in 1993’s Schindler’s List, but happily he’s played many much nicer characters in the years since.
John Doe (Seven)
When 1995’s hard-edged crime thriller Seven, it was not widely publicised that Kevin Spacey played the villain – so when he suddenly shows up in the final act as John Doe, it really leaves an impression. As the serial killer with a twisted morality committing crimes to reflect the Bible’s seven deadly sins, Doe is among the most sinister antagonists in film history.
Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men)
Often featuring in top ten villain lists, Anton Chigurh of 2007’s No Country for Old Men is an exceedingly iconic bad guy. Javier Bardem’s restrained performance builds dread and tension, letting us know that every move and line out of the character’s mouth is completely intentional and all the more terrifying for it. Bardem rightly won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work.
Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Gangs of New York)
Director Martin Scorsese’s 2002 historical drama Gangs of New York features an impeccable cast and gripping character work, just like the rest of the director’s work. However, Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance as Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting ranks among the best of his career. He plays the villain of the piece so well, conveying so much intelligence, whilst also committing deplorable acts of violence.
Josef (Creep)
Josef (or Bill) is the central villain of 2014’s Creep, playing a serial killer who lures a videographer to his home only to slowly reveal more and more terrifying behavior, eventually leading to him stalking and murdering the protagonist. From the wolf mask to the slow rise of his axe, Josef is utterly terrifying.
Calvin Candie (Django Unchained)
Leonardo DiCaprio has played his share of admirable nice guys, but he can also be a hell of a villain, as proven by his turn as Calvin Candie in 2012’s Django Unchained. A slave-owning businessman and fervent racist, DiCaprio approached the role with such intensity he accidentally cut his hand open during a take and didn’t break character. This shot is in the final film.
Pennywise (It)
If you have a fear of clowns you’ll want to stay far away from the villain of It. Stephen King’s 1986 novel had previously been adapted for the screen as a TV miniseries starring Tim Curry, but Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Pennywise in the two-volume film adaptation of 2017 and 2019 has seen a new generation of viewers develop coulrophobia.
The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)
Margaret Hamilton’s green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz is often one of the first villains encountered by children. The 1939 classic’s Technicolor glow doesn’t detract from her status as one of the baddest movie villains, terrifying generations with the cackle, “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!”
Norman Bates (Psycho)
One of the things that makes Norman Bates of 1960’s Psycho so sinister is that at first, he seems completely innocuous. That’s why it’s such a twist when it’s revealed that his mother is dead and he is the murderer of Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh). Anthony Perkins expertly takes the character from seemingly sweet and innocent to utterly terrifying.
Baby Jane Hudson (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?)
The casting of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in 1962’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? hinged on the infamous long-standing rivalry between the two actresses. While both give compelling performances, Davis really steals the show as the unhinged former child actress Baby Jane, who brutally abuses her disabled sister (Crawford) by such harsh tactics as letting her starve and killing her pets.
Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)
The lead character of Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, Alex DeLarge is a troubling character indeed; at once terrifying for his seemingly unmotivated sadism, yet also charming enough that the audience find themselves rooting for him. Malcolm McDowell’s performance proved iconic, and no one has ever been able to hear the classic song Singin’ in the Rain quite the same way since.
Annie Wilkes (Misery)
Stephen King is a master of horror and writes incredible villains, but widely acclaimed as his very best villain is Annie Wilkes of 1990’s Misery. Kathy Bates’ turn as an obsessive super-fan is terrifying because of how believable the character is and just how far she’s willing to go to get what she wants. The performance landed her the Best Actress Oscar.
Keyser Soze (The Usual Suspects)
Throughout 1995’s The Usual Suspects, an unseen crime lord named Keyser Soze is hinted at – but it’s only at the climax that we learn it was Kevin Spacey’s Verbal Kint all along. His faked disability and meek manner allow him to trick the FBI and surprise the entire audience too. (This proved prophetic of how Spacey himself would later be revealed as a villain off-camera.)
Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
There’s a reason that Louise Fletcher’s character from 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest received its very own Ryan Murphy Netflix spin-off series. With her sadistic, controlling nature, inhumane methods and near-total lack of emotion, Ratched is completely contemptible and terrifying, particularly given that – as a nurse – she takes a line of work typically associated with care.
Pete and Paul (Funny Games)
Funny Games (either Michael Haneke’s 1997, or his 2007 English language remake) is one of the hardest watches in popular cinema due to just how sadistic the characters of Pete and Paul really are. Just like the title claims, to them, the torment and eventual death of a family are, to them, just games. Their seemingly omnipotent ability to rewind time makes them more fearsome.
Two-Face (The Dark Knight)
What’s scarier than a powerful villain who is completely unpredictable and unstable? Batman antagonist Two-Face is one of these very characters: half the good man Harvey Dent, half an unhinged maniac, who makes decisions based on a coin toss. Tommy Lee Jones first played the character in 1995’s Batman Forever, but Aaron Eckhart really nailed it in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Xenomorph (Alien)
To be an inhuman antagonist without the power of speech and still become one of the baddest movie villains of all time is a real accomplishment. The Xenomorph instantly became one of the scariest movie monsters ever on its introduction in Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien, and it’s still scaring audiences all the years later, after seven more movie appearances.
Biff Tannen (Back to the Future)
Thomas F. Wilson’s Biff Tannen of the Back to the Future trilogy is a different kind of movie villain, but a ferocious one nonetheless. Many viewers know what it’s like to be bullied, so Biff’s treatment of George McFly feels real and relatable. He may not be looking for world domination, but we’re all likely to have a Biff in our lives.
Jack Torrance (The Shining)
The Shining was released in 1980 and all these years later it’s still as fascinating and frightening as ever – thanks in no small part to Jack Nicholson’s menacing performance as Jack Torrance, a seemingly ordinary family man gradually turned into a homicidal maniac by the ghostly forces in the Overlook Hotel. It’s one of the most sinister performances in film history.
Leatherface (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)
Although later works in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise have tried to humanise Leatherface, the villain is at his most terrifying in the original film. Devoid of a sympathetic backstory, Leatherface is pure, hulking evil, dispatching the movie’s hapless hitchhikers with brute strength, meat-hooks and, of course, his beloved chainsaw.
Chucky (Child’s Play)
The archetypal haunted doll, Chucky remains one of the most iconic villains in the history of horror. A doll possessed by the spirit of a recently executed serial killer, Chucky makes up for his diminutive stature with cunning and sheer viciousness, and the fact that he is the size of a toddler only makes him even more horrifying.
The Creature (It Follows)
Horror is often at its best when the audience is forced to fill in the blanks with their imagination, as It Follows expertly demonstrates. The true form of the movie’s malevolent entity (if it even has one) is never shown, with the ambiguity significantly heightening the tension, as literally anyone on screen could turn out to be the vengeful demonic force at any second.
Samara (The Ring)
The vengeful child spirit is a well-established horror trope, but The Ring provides arguably the most iconic example. While Samara is as visually unsettling as you’d expect, what makes her truly terrifying is the fact that there is nothing that can stop her, and once she’s crawled out of your TV you don’t stand a chance.
Candyman
1992’s Candyman is more thoughtful than a lot of horrors, giving its vengeful villain a sympathetic backstory that taps into themes of racial prejudice. While Candyman’s thirst for blood might be more understandable than most horror movie baddies, that doesn’t detract from the fact that, at the end of the day, he’s a malevolent ghost that will put a hook through your head while bees crawl out of his mouth.
Asami Yamazaki (Audition)
The villain of 1999’s Audition, Asami Yamazaki’s nightmarishness comes from her seemingly endless capacity for sadism. Hellbent on punishing men who fail to live up to her standards of love, Asami creatively and cruelly tortures them in a variety of grotesque ways, with those who die undoubtedly the lucky ones.
Frank Booth (Blue Velvet)
The irredeemable villain behind the surreal events of David Fincher’s Blue Velvet, Frank Booth’s plainly evident trauma does precisely nothing to excuse the lengths he goes to to fulfil his depraved appetites. A vicious gangster with an endless capacity for sadism, Frank takes the greatest of pleasures from the physical, sexual and emotional abuse he inflicts on Dorothy Vallens, the unfortunate singer he has set his predatory sights on.
The Thing
As with a number of other John Carpenter movies, 1982’s The Thing met a lukewarm reception on release. However, over the years it has become widely recognised as a masterpiece, with its shapeshifting alien villain creating an atmosphere of almost unbearable tension and paranoia. The defibrillator scene in particular remains one of the most shocking moments in the history of horror.
Captain Vidal (Pan’s Labyrinth)
While the Pale Man might be Pan’s Labyrinth’s most visually unsettling monster, the scariest villain in the film is easily the sadistic Captain Vidal. Unwaveringly committed to fascism, Vidal is ruthless, cruel and has no compunctions about using extreme violence against anyone that stands in his way, no matter their age or innocence.
Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars)
Emperor Palpatine’s villainous legacy might have been tarnished by the exasperatingly uncreative decision to reveal him as the overarching baddie in The Rise of Skywalker, but make no mistake: the Sith lord is one of the baddest to ever do it. While his immense Force powers are certainly impressive, what truly sets Palpatine apart is his patience, cunning and ability to craft truly devious schemes.
Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs)
Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs is so compelling that it’s easy to forget how utterly terrifying Ted Levine was as the movie’s other villain, Buffalo Bill. While Hannibal embodies the intersection of genius and evil, Bill perfectly illustrates what happens when bad meets mad, and he is one of the creepiest killers in the history of cinema.
Victor Crowley (Hatchet)
A hideously disfigured and mentally impaired man who lives in the swamps of Louisiana, Victor Crowley – the villain of 2006’s Hatchet – is presumed to be an urban legend by the characters who unwisely stray into his domain. Victor enthusiastically disabuses them of this illusion, using his freakish strength to tear his victims apart, sometimes with his bare hands.
Jigsaw (Saw)
As the Saw franchise has progressed, Jigsaw has been stripped of his menacing enigma and his motivations have been laid bare, making him a significantly less compelling baddie. In the first couple of movies, however, Jigsaw’s warped justifications for the horrors he inflicts on his victims – not to mention his ironic, sadistic traps – made him a genuinely terrifying villain.
Dwarf (Don’t Look Now)
Despite only a few seconds of screen time, Don’t Look Now’s villain deserves a spot on this list. Throughout the entire movie, the audience is led to believe that the little girl the protagonist keeps seeing is a manifestation of his guilt over the drowning of his daughter, but in the last moments it’s abruptly revealed she’s actually a murderous dwarf who slashes his throat with a meat cleaver.
Green Goblin (Spider-Man)
It’s testament to Willem Dafoe’s talent for portraying villainous characters that some of the scariest scenes in 2002’s Spider-Man take place when he’s not even wearing the Green Goblin suit. Dafoe does a phenomenal job of portraying Norman Osborn’s descent into madness, after he injects himself with a serum that grants him superhuman abilities but comes with some unexpected psychological side effects.
HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)
HAL 9000, the unhinged supercomputer aboard Discovery One, is a villain that only becomes scarier as artificial intelligence – and anxieties around its safety – continue to grow at an accelerating pace. Eerily calm and ruthlessly methodical, HAL turns the entire spaceship the film’s characters are trapped on into a deathtrap, easily outsmarting them at almost every turn.
Alonzo Harris (Training Day)
Manipulative, violent and rapacious, Detective Alonzo Harris has no scruples when it comes to personally enriching himself. Ultimately, Alonzo’s motivations are what makes him so reprehensible. All of his actions are directed towards personal enrichment, and he truly doesn’t care how many lives are lost so long as he gets what he wants.
Voldemort (Harry Potter)
By the time Voldemort finally gains physical form in the fourth Harry Potter movie, the character has already been established as the embodiment of pure evil, thanks to countless tales of his atrocities, not to mention the fact that people won’t even utter his name. Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of the villainous wizard is in turns manic, gleeful and full of rage, and always completely scary.
Ghostface (Scream)
Although the villain turns out to not be a single individual, Ghostface deserves mention as one of the most iconic villains in the pantheon of horror. No matter who it is behind the mask, Ghostface’s penchant for cruelly mocking victims while slowly murdering them in a variety of twisted ways makes this baddie genuinely frightening.
Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me)
Although the character gets a redemptive arc in Moonraker, Jaws remains one of the most intimidating and iconic Bond villains. Making his debut in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, Jaws is a hulking juggernaut with steel dentures, and the scene in which Bond desperately tries to wriggle away from his lethal bite is genuinely nerve-wracking.
Alex Forrest (Fatal Attraction)
A woman on a crusade to prove that the old adage that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Alex Forrest devotes herself to destroying her lover’s life after he spurns her in favour of his wife. While the man she’s targeting certainly isn’t deserving of much sympathy, the same cannot be said for his daughter’s rabbit, which Alex merrily boils alive.
Shark (Jaws)
In the original screenplay for Jaws, the rampaging shark (nicknamed Bruce) was supposed to get significantly more screen-time. However, the mechanical shark kept breaking, and so many of its scenes were cut. This proved to be a blessing in disguise, as the aquatic killing machine is at its most scary when it can’t be seen, with only its iconic musical motif warning viewers that danger is close.
The Ringwraiths (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
What makes the Ringwraiths so terrifying is how completely unstoppable they are. While they can be temporarily dispatched by setting them on fire or washing them away with a magic flood, they always inevitably return. As Sauron’s most feared enforcers, the Ringwraiths strike terror into the hearts of any who stand in their way, and their piercing cries break the courage of all but the most hardened warriors.
Leprechaun
If the idea of a film about a Leprechaun going on a murderous rampage after his bag of gold is stolen sounds ludicrous, that’s because it unequivocally is. However, while the plot is patently absurd, there’s no denying the fact that the movie’s vengeful Leprechaun is a genuinely terrifying monster, wracking up an impressive bodycount in truly brutal fashion.
Predator
Predator revolves around an alien hunter that travels throughout the galaxy seeking out the most worthy prey, which, in 1987, was obviously Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although Arnie’s character survives the film and manages to best his extraterrestrial foe, he does so only after the alien has viciously slaughtered an entire squadron of elite special forces soldiers.
The Invisible Man
While The Invisible Man got a well-received update in 2020, it was the 1933 version that gave us one of the most unstoppable baddies in the history of cinema. A scientist who figures out a way to become invisible but completely loses his mind in the process, the movie’s baddie takes full advantage of his newfound ability to claim a staggering 122 lives throughout the film’s runtime.
Jean Jacket (Nope)
While it’s initially assumed to be a UFO of some kind, the airborne-killer that preys on the characters of 2022’s Nope is eventually revealed to be a predatory organism, kind of like a flying jellyfish. Able to hide itself amongst the clouds and disable electronics, the creature known as Jean Jacket is almost impossible to escape once it’s chosen you as a snack.
Godzilla
Whether Godzilla is a true villain or merely a force of nature is up for debate, but the devastation he wreaks on humanity qualifies him for inclusion on this list. Born of Japan’s collective trauma after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla is an almost incomprehensibly large lizard that leaves a trail of death and destruction in his gargantuan wake.
Kevin Wendell Crumb (Split)
Dissociative personality disorder has been explored in a number of horrors, but never so effectively as in 2016’s Split. This is partly due to James McAvoy’s unhinged performance, and partly because one of his character’s 23 personalities is a being known as The Beast, a monster that possesses unnatural strength and a taste for human flesh.
The Creeper (Jeepers Creeper)
When the Creeper first makes his appearance in 2001’s Jeepers Creepers, its protagonists (and the audience) believe he is an unhinged man. It eventually transpires, however, that the Creeper is actually an unstoppable, demonic powerhouse, awoken from hibernation to feed on human flesh and steal body parts to use for its own.
