Ah villains, we love to hate them. Villains play an important role in a hero’s journey, they can evoke fear and hate. Some do it subtly, others love being over the top. Here is a list of my favorite bad guys.
10. Dumbledore (Harry Potter Series)The single most controversial character on my list and I have few supporters in my view, but I believe Dumbledore is one big villain. Knowing that Harry is the only person that can destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes, Dumbledore uses Harry to find them. That would be fine if he told Harry, but instead he deceives Harry and Snape into doing his dirty work since he himself cannot destroy Voldemort. He also knows that Harry will die and must die when he faces Voldemort…hmm a professor leading a student to his death…sounds like a villain to me.
9. Jigsaw (Saw series) Maybe a hero in his own mind, John Kramer was diagnosed with terminal cancer and instead of just dying he decided to take out revenge on those who take life for granted. By making his victims choose between life and death gives him a twisted god complex. Played with cool and calmness by Tobin Bell, Jigsaw is one of the newest bogeymen of horror.
8. Predator (Predator series) A badass hunter from space the Predator collects other species for trophies. Cool weapons and awesome technology these creatures rock. They also take on the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, aliens from the Alien movies and… Danny Glover?
7. Evil Ash (Army of Darkness)What happens when you take the smart assy-ness of Ash from Army of Darknessand combine it with the fury of an undead demon? A totally awesome villain. He’s funny and scary played perfectly by Bruce Campbell, I love this character and wish he wasn’t blown up at the end of the movie, because it would be awesome to see him lead an army of the dead again.
6. Freddy Krueger ( A Nightmare on Elm Street series) Crazed child molester Fred Krueger was burned alive by venegful parents, but what they didn’t know was that act birthed something much worse. Able to murder children in their sleep where no one can protect them, Freddy unleashed his revenge. Robert Englund was amazing and gave the boogeyman a voice and very distinct manners. Also played well by Jackie Earle Haley in the 2010 reboot, if it wasn’t for some truly goofy sequels Freddy would be higher on my list.
5. Norman Bates (Psycho series) Talk about mommy issues. Norman Bates ran the Bates Motel with his mother for years. Truly in love withhis mother when she took a lover and ignored him, he poisoned them both. But it doesn’t end there. Instead of burying his mother he keeps her corpse in her bedroom, wow that’s crazy but wait there’s more. He also dresses up in her clothes and murders more people in his mothers disguise. Perkins is so scary and amazing in this role even the scene where he just talks to Janet Leigh gives you chills.
4. Dr. Horrible (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog) Trying to get into the Evil League of Evil Dr. Horrible uses his inventions to impress the leader Bad Horse. He believes his latest invention a Freeze Ray will get the job done. Neil Patrick Harris is money as the hapless villain. The story also has a douche bag hero Captain Hammer(Nathon Fillion who also rocks) who always seems to show up when Dr. Horrible is about to commit a crime. This once download only series became such a hit that you can now get the DVD, Blu-Ray, and also a soundtrack. Get them all, as the story is at one time funny, political, romantic, and finally tragic with NPH nailing all aspects.
3. The Joker (The Dark Knight) Forget Jack Nicholson’s Joker from Batman ‘89, Heath Ledger’s Joker is the best. At the time of the casting no one believed the hunky star of a Knight’s Tale could bring the kind of crazy neededbe the Joker. But much to the surprise of even the most hating fan boys, everyone was singing his praise. The unfortunate death of Ledger makes his performance even more haunting and tragic as the possibility of another Batman/Joker showdown will never be realized. And we will never look at a magic trick the same.
2. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th series) Starting his cinematic career as a throw away scare at the end of the first Friday the 13th, Jason has become one of the most popular and terrifying villains in movie history. Silent and determined to kill everyone just because Jason is the ultimate untimely death. Debunking a myth; Jason doesn’t kill because you have sex or smoke weed, he kills because he can, and will with no remorse. Don’t believe me? Ask Mark form Part 2 who was in a wheelchair when he took a machete to the face.
1. Darth Vader (Star Wars series) The ultimate bad guy is the baddest dude in the whole galaxy. A master of the force and Jedi skills Anakin Skywalker choose the more rewarding life as a sith lord. Able to choke people by just wishing it he is feared like no one else. He even chopped his own sons hand off when he refused to join the darkside. And he also decapitated his former mentor and friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. Did I mention he also ordered the total destruction of a whole planet? Don’t mess with Vader!
