Top 20 Best Movie Villains

Every movie loves a bad guy or girl. Arguably every movie has a villain or maybe villain is too strong of a word but there's always somebody trying to do wrong in a film. Villains usually play second fiddle to a good guy or hero but there are some who really stood out and are forever memorable. Check out my top 20 villains of all time. 



20
Howard Payne - (Dennis Hopper)
Speed (1994)

"Jack, nothing tricky now. You know I'm on top of you! DO NOT attempt to grow a brain!"

A pissed-off retired cop terrorizes and holds the entire in fear as he threatens to set off explosives. He toys around with everyone and has a few tricks up his sleeves.


19

Caster Troy - (Nicolas Cage & John Travolta)
Face/Off (1997)

"Well, I've gotta go. I've got a government job to abuse, and a lonely wife to fuck."
Two different actor played this character in the same movie and both portrayed it so well. Castor was already a maniac when his face was removed and even worse when he got a different face.


18

The Terminator -(Arnold Schwarzenegger)
The Terminator (1984)

"I'll be back"
Sent from the future to kill Sarah Conner, the terminator is ruthless and determined to complete his mission; and that includes killing anyone in its way.

17

Catwoman -(Michelle Pfeiffer)
Batman Returns (1992)

"You poor guys. Always confusing your pistols with your privates."

A somewhat minor role in this sequel but she was effective and impressive. Catwoman played by Michelle Pfeiffer was slick, sexy, seductive and very psychotic. The best villain in the movie.


16

Simon Phoenix - (Wesley Snipes)
Demolition Man (1993)

"This is the best day of my life!"
After being frozen in cryo-prison for 46years and given extra speed and strength, all hell broke loose when Phoenix escaped. He simply raised hell, intimidated people, caused numerous deaths and mayhem while having fun.


15

Beverly Sutphin -(Kathleen Turner)
 Serial Mom (1994)

"You can't wear white after Labor Day!"

Every time you see someone wearing white shoes after Labor Day, get nervous. Beverly is the perfect housewife and mother. Piss her or any of her family members off and you're gonna witness your own death. Her transition from cheerful to murderous in a matter of moments makes her a fun villain.


14

Darth Sidius/Emperor Palpatine - (Ian McDiarmid) 
Star Wars 

 

"And now, young Skywalker...you will die."

You got Darth Vader, but what about the ultimate dark side of the force: Darth Sidius/Emperor Palpatine. Equal parts seductive and repellent, horrifying and not to mention very persuasive in getting others to join him.

13

Hans Gruber - (Alan Rickman)
Die Hard (1988)

"Who said we were terrorists?"

Before he was Professor Snape, he was a murderous felon in 'Die Hard'. Gruber uses intimidation, scare tactics, even humor to get what he wants. 

12

Alonzo Harris - (Denzel Washington) 
Training Day (2001)

"King Kong ain't got shit on me"

Good cop? Bad cop? Alonzo is probably the most manipulative villain ever. One minute you think he's cool, the next minute he's  going psycho. Denzel Washington delivers a remarkable performance in this film about a corrupt cop, completely transforming himself into an unexpectedly threat.

 
11

Saruman - (Christopher Lee) 
The Lord of the Rings

 "Hunt them down. Do not stop until they are found"
He's more a victim of circumstance as well as his own greed and lust, and became cold and corrupted once submitted to Sauron's will. Saruman is more sinister and iconically evil and is the polar opposite of Gandalf's goodness.

10 
Agent Smith - (Hugo Weaving) 
The Matrix (1999)

"You hear that Mr. Anderson?... That is the sound of inevitability... It is the sound of your death"
The reason why Smith is a great bad guy is that he truly despises human beings. That hatred gives him great power and satisfaction. Oh by the way, he's only a computer program.

9

William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting - (Daniel Day-Lewis)
  Gangs of New York (2002)

"You see this knife? I'm gonna teach you to speak English with this fucking knife! "
 For William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting, seeing foreigners enter this land is appalling: they are unwelcome guests and ought to be exterminated by the "Natives". Butcher's viciousness is undeniable and unrelenting when challenged and his skills with knives often come in handy in the streets.

8

Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom -(John Malkovich)
 Con Air (1997)

 "Make a move and the bunny gets it."
Cyrus became leader after the prison riot on board the plane without even trying. He is well feared, well-spoken, insulting and cold-blooded sociopath.


7

Pennywise - (Tim Curry) 
Stephen King's IT (1990)

"Want a balloon?"
Ever wonder why are so many people afraid of clowns? Stop wondering. Tim Curry of “Rocky Horror” fame plays the creepiest clown EVER in another Stephen King scare fest.

6

Colonel Hans Landa -(Christoph Waltz)

 Inglourious Basterds (2009)

"Au revoir, Shosanna! "
Christoph Waltz  as Colonel Hans was one of the most synical and evil human beings I have ever seen in a film. Accompanied with violence, humor, and a stylish dialogue, Waltz became the ultimate frightening Nazi.

5

Anton Chigurh - (Javier Bardem) 

 No Country for Old Men (2007)

"Call it"
It was amazing to see how Javier transformed himself into this insane, heartless psychopathic hitman. With his funny hairstyle, we were first unaware that we were about to witness one of the most compelling, sadistic, grueling performances in film history. Unstoppable, yet a man of principles. This guy single-minded determination to follow through on every job to its very end, is just incredible. Made even more so when he occasionally gives his victim’s a 50-50 chance by the flip of a coin. 

4

The Joker - (Heath Ledger)
 The Dark Knight (2008)

"You know you remind me of my father, I hate my father"
Ledger’s totally creepy, cold-blooded and absolutely mesmerizing performance as Batman’s nemesis. Every emotion in his performance is the purest of all evil felt. His performance was truly an art form.

3

Hannibal Lecter- (Anthony Hopkins) 
 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

“I do wish we could chat longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner.”
This guy eats people for fun. We are all screwed. Hannibal is one of the greatest villains of all time because he is smart and calm, but absolutely insane.

2

Norman Bates -(Anthony Perkins)
 Psycho (1960)

"We all go a little mad sometimes...."

 In Norman's twisted mind, he is Mrs. Bates; her thoughts are his. Anthony Perkins totally should have gotten an Oscar for his performance. His character and facial expressions were perfect. His facial expression is one of the creepiest expressions in film!

1

Amon Goeth - (Ralph Fiennes)
 Schindlers List (1993)

"This is very cruel, Oskar. You're giving them hope. You shouldn't do that. That's cruel!"

If you looked up ‘pure evil’ in the dictionary this guy's picture would be right there next to the definition. Rarely has pure evil been so horrifically personified. Fiennes was almost too good in this role.