Okay, so what do I mean by film baddies and how did I select? Selection was difficult. I came up with a long list of about 30 all time movie "bad" characters. Yes I know that is such a Primary school term, but you all know what I mean. The problem I found was that 'bad' characters encompass and umbrella such a wide range of emotions in me: fear, loathing, terrified awe and even physical illness. So to try and narrow it down I thought about how little I'd like to get stuck in a room with any of these characters and that helped. And then I discounted alien and monsters and creatures from other planets. Because of course no one wants to get stuck in a room with Alien, or with The Thing, and anyway, they would all be contenders for a Top 10 Film Monsters and Aliens list. But hey, I don't have to try and justify how I categorised these choices and came to my final decisions, because this is my blog and my list. If you don't like it, make your own. Oh, and I guess it is internet protocol to warn you: spoiler alert.
10. Judge Doom - Who Killed Roger Rabbit (Christopher Lloyd)
When a freakily bald headed Christopher Lloyd, screeches "Remember me, Eddie? When I killed your brother, I talked... just... like... THIS!" followed by his eyes popping out in the shape of daggers, that was fear to a 9 year old. It was cartoony fear, but the voice sent chills down my little spine.
When a freakily bald headed Christopher Lloyd, screeches "Remember me, Eddie? When I killed your brother, I talked... just... like... THIS!" followed by his eyes popping out in the shape of daggers, that was fear to a 9 year old. It was cartoony fear, but the voice sent chills down my little spine.
9. General Paul Mireau - Paths of Glory (George Macready)
What a bastard. The aquiline features, the calculating cold-bloodedness, the cowardly malevolence... all make for one of heartless and hateful son-of-a-bitch. His own French troops are being slaughtered, mown down by reams of ceaseless enemy machine-gun fire and all he wants to do is send them back for more. When the reasoning Colonel Dax (an excellent Kirk Douglas) tries to talk some sense into him, he thunders, "If those little sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll face French ones!". And they wonder why morale was low.
What a bastard. The aquiline features, the calculating cold-bloodedness, the cowardly malevolence... all make for one of heartless and hateful son-of-a-bitch. His own French troops are being slaughtered, mown down by reams of ceaseless enemy machine-gun fire and all he wants to do is send them back for more. When the reasoning Colonel Dax (an excellent Kirk Douglas) tries to talk some sense into him, he thunders, "If those little sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll face French ones!". And they wonder why morale was low.
8. The Wicked Witch of the West - The Wizard of Oz (Margaret Hamilton)
I don't know how I ever slept after watching this, aged about 7. She haunted my dreams and is the reason why I thought I'd get caught and boiled alive in a huge cauldron if I ever had to go pee in the middle of the night. I do kind of wish I had my own army of flying monkeys, although I could never command them in the same terrifying manner as "Fly my pretties!"
I don't know how I ever slept after watching this, aged about 7. She haunted my dreams and is the reason why I thought I'd get caught and boiled alive in a huge cauldron if I ever had to go pee in the middle of the night. I do kind of wish I had my own army of flying monkeys, although I could never command them in the same terrifying manner as "Fly my pretties!"
7. Reverend Harry Powell - The Night of the Hunter (Robert Mitchum)
You know a character's going to be nuts when they show up with 'love' and 'hate' tattooed onto the knuckles of either hand. Even if he is a Reverend. And this guy is one amoral, duplicitous, murdering git. Even snuffing out women and children pose no moral conundrum for him. A wolf in sheep's clothing if ever there was one in cinematic history.
You know a character's going to be nuts when they show up with 'love' and 'hate' tattooed onto the knuckles of either hand. Even if he is a Reverend. And this guy is one amoral, duplicitous, murdering git. Even snuffing out women and children pose no moral conundrum for him. A wolf in sheep's clothing if ever there was one in cinematic history.
6. Hank Quinlan - Touch of Evil (Orson Welles)
If big equals bad then they don't get much badder than this. A huge Orson Welles terrorises poor Janet Leigh (what was it about her that made directors want to do nasty things to her?!) with calculating corruption and greed. Quinlan's unscrupulousness could be expected of those on the wrong side of the law, but as the Police Captain you expect a certain amount of aid and cooperation. No so. His dominating frame fills the screen and quashes his opposition without the blink of an eye. He even makes Charlton Heston look good.
If big equals bad then they don't get much badder than this. A huge Orson Welles terrorises poor Janet Leigh (what was it about her that made directors want to do nasty things to her?!) with calculating corruption and greed. Quinlan's unscrupulousness could be expected of those on the wrong side of the law, but as the Police Captain you expect a certain amount of aid and cooperation. No so. His dominating frame fills the screen and quashes his opposition without the blink of an eye. He even makes Charlton Heston look good.
5. Stansfield - Leon (Gary Oldman)
This guy is so bad. So sadistically bad. So bad that he takes drugs! So bad that he has no moral compunction about killing women and children! So bad that he listens to Beethoven whilst doing all sorts of amoral things! Trapping her in a bathroom, and having heard that Mathilda likes her life, he cooly sneers, "That's good, because I take no pleasure in taking life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it." And to a 14 year old too. As I said, this guy is bad.
This guy is so bad. So sadistically bad. So bad that he takes drugs! So bad that he has no moral compunction about killing women and children! So bad that he listens to Beethoven whilst doing all sorts of amoral things! Trapping her in a bathroom, and having heard that Mathilda likes her life, he cooly sneers, "That's good, because I take no pleasure in taking life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it." And to a 14 year old too. As I said, this guy is bad.
4. T-1000 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Robert Patrick)
He just never stops! Bullets don't stop him, car crashes don't stop him, fire doesn't stop him, liquid nitrogen doesn't stop him, even Arnie can't stop him (well - for most of the movie at any rate). And all the time Patrick impassively stares. No joy. No pain. No fear. Just a complete lack of emotion that procedes to hunt down John Connor like the Duracell Bunny on crack. This guy is so icily sinister he chills me more than the sound of nails on a blackboard or of a frozen T-1000 cracking his leg at the knee joint as he relentlessly pursues.
He just never stops! Bullets don't stop him, car crashes don't stop him, fire doesn't stop him, liquid nitrogen doesn't stop him, even Arnie can't stop him (well - for most of the movie at any rate). And all the time Patrick impassively stares. No joy. No pain. No fear. Just a complete lack of emotion that procedes to hunt down John Connor like the Duracell Bunny on crack. This guy is so icily sinister he chills me more than the sound of nails on a blackboard or of a frozen T-1000 cracking his leg at the knee joint as he relentlessly pursues.
3. Nurse Ratched - One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (Louise Fletcher)
"She's a nurse, she can't be bad." Don't kid yourself. This woman is oppression in a uniform. Vindictiveness in a caregiver's hat. Don't let the medicinal, virginal white outfit fool you, this is one cold-hearted, acrimonious woman. She wants control of her ward, and no-one is going to wrench it from her. When McMurphy pushes her buttons, she retaliates with a dictator's scorn for her subjects and gives the poor bastard a lobotomy.
"She's a nurse, she can't be bad." Don't kid yourself. This woman is oppression in a uniform. Vindictiveness in a caregiver's hat. Don't let the medicinal, virginal white outfit fool you, this is one cold-hearted, acrimonious woman. She wants control of her ward, and no-one is going to wrench it from her. When McMurphy pushes her buttons, she retaliates with a dictator's scorn for her subjects and gives the poor bastard a lobotomy.
2. Hans Gruber - Die Hard (Alan Rickman)
You simply have to have an Alan Rickman villain in your Top 10 list as he plays them so damn well. I was extremely tempted to have his incarnation of the Sheriff of Nottingham here, by far the best in all the Robin Hood films. His pantomime exuberance, epitomised with his spitting "And call off Christmas!" is an absolute delight. Also, of course, you have his superb turn as Severus Snape: masterly in shadiness and contempt. However, were I to include him here, I would rise up a veritable army of Potterites shooting me down for calling him a villain. "He is good, he is good, it was all an act!" they'd cry in demented outrage. And whilst they may be technically correct, no one can deny that he played the villain the whole time. So to cut a long story short, I went with Hans Gruber: A cool, calculating European mastermind, with his heart set on stealing millions at Christmas. A man who has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in the way of his loot. But a man who didn't count on meeting one Officer John McClain. Yippee kay-yay.
You simply have to have an Alan Rickman villain in your Top 10 list as he plays them so damn well. I was extremely tempted to have his incarnation of the Sheriff of Nottingham here, by far the best in all the Robin Hood films. His pantomime exuberance, epitomised with his spitting "And call off Christmas!" is an absolute delight. Also, of course, you have his superb turn as Severus Snape: masterly in shadiness and contempt. However, were I to include him here, I would rise up a veritable army of Potterites shooting me down for calling him a villain. "He is good, he is good, it was all an act!" they'd cry in demented outrage. And whilst they may be technically correct, no one can deny that he played the villain the whole time. So to cut a long story short, I went with Hans Gruber: A cool, calculating European mastermind, with his heart set on stealing millions at Christmas. A man who has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in the way of his loot. But a man who didn't count on meeting one Officer John McClain. Yippee kay-yay.
1. Pennywise the Clown - It (Tim Curry)
And here we have it. Number 1. Just looking at the photo of this taloned, menacing, demonic, bald-headed clown sends shivers down my spine. Yes, a clown. The baddest and most evil and most horribly villainous character in my film Top 10 baddies is a clown. But this is not one you'd want to invite to your kiddie's birthday party. He doesn't pull bunnies out of hats, or blown up humorous balloons and turn them into puppy dogs. This guy feeds off your fears and kills little boys and girls. This guy has been haunting my dreams for years. He is evil to the bone. And yes, I know I am kind of breaking my rule for election criteria as they guy is surely some sort of monster or other-world being, but he is just so bad that were I ever to find myself stuck in a room with him, I'd no doubt crap my pants on the spot and whimper pathetically. Number 1, without a doubt.
Time to go, just seeing that photo in the corner of my eye is beginning to get to me...
And here we have it. Number 1. Just looking at the photo of this taloned, menacing, demonic, bald-headed clown sends shivers down my spine. Yes, a clown. The baddest and most evil and most horribly villainous character in my film Top 10 baddies is a clown. But this is not one you'd want to invite to your kiddie's birthday party. He doesn't pull bunnies out of hats, or blown up humorous balloons and turn them into puppy dogs. This guy feeds off your fears and kills little boys and girls. This guy has been haunting my dreams for years. He is evil to the bone. And yes, I know I am kind of breaking my rule for election criteria as they guy is surely some sort of monster or other-world being, but he is just so bad that were I ever to find myself stuck in a room with him, I'd no doubt crap my pants on the spot and whimper pathetically. Number 1, without a doubt.
Time to go, just seeing that photo in the corner of my eye is beginning to get to me...
Honourable Mentions...
It was extremely hard leaving some of these characters out, but such is the brain-aching challenge of a worthy Top 10.
It was extremely hard leaving some of these characters out, but such is the brain-aching challenge of a worthy Top 10.
- Captain Vidal - Pan's Labyrinth (Sergi Lopez)
- Scar - The Lion King (Jeremy Irons)
- Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of the Lambs (Anthony Hopkins)
- Sheriff of Nottingham - Robin Hood PoT (Alan Rickman)
- Biff Tannen - Back to the Future (Thomas F Wilson)
- The Joker - The Dark Knight (Heath Ledger)
- Vincenzo Coccotti - True Romance (Christopher Walken)
- Jaws - Jaws (Bruce the shark)
- Cruella de Vil - 101 Dalmatians (Glenn Close)
- John Doe - Se7en (Kevin Spacey)
- Hal 9000 - 2001:A Space Odyssey (Voiced by Douglas Rain)