In cinema, the role of an antagonist, or simply, a villain, has proven instrumental. It is the chaos of their design, the purpose they have or even their purposelessness that makes us feel uncomfortable with their omnipresence. The worse a villain is, the better they are. So, without further ado, let us delve deep into the list of most terrifying villains we have grown to hate (or root for).
6. Tyler Durden
(“Fight Club”)
Not a character of flesh and blood, but rather the manifestation of the frustrating consumerist culture of the United States, Tyler Durden is in many ways the most unique villain on this list. The protagonist of the movie, named the narrator, describes a story of shocking twists, and the shock value can pretty much be credited to Durden. We find midway through the movie that Tyler Durden is not an actual person, but rather the result of the split personality disorder of the narrator. Durden is an extremely complex and clever character, and it takes the narrator to put a bullet in his own mouth to finally put a stop to the madness. Imagine the stakes!
5. Calvin Candie
(“Django Unchained”)
Tarantino’s filmography boasts some of the most spiteful villains ever. For example, Calvin Candie from “Django Unchained” is a character most hateful and shockingly malicious. Played to perfection by Leonardo Dicaprio, the utter monstrosity Candie represents is magnificently rotten. Even Dicaprio said in an interview that he had seen racism against people of color growing up, but the way his character had to treat others in the film was disturbing. Calvin’s monstrosity may be best represented in a scene where he captures a fleeing slave, and in front of everyone, casually feeds him to the dogs. We see in terror that the slave’s flesh is torn into pieces without mercy.
4. Voldemort
(“Harry Potter” franchise)
Imagine a character so petrifying that the whole wizarding community doesn’t dare pronounce his name. Voldemort, or the you-know-who is the noseless antagonist of the most popular mega-franchise of this generation: Harry Potter. His spitefulness for the muggles (people who can’t use magic), love for pureblood, and skillfulness in manipulating the plot make him a dangerous character to deal with. Voldemort’s presence throughout all eight movies is exceptionally well realized, which makes the final encounter between him and Harry all the more exciting.
3. Anton Chigurh
(“No Country For Old Men”)
The Coen brother’s magnum opus, “No Country For Old Men”, showcases one of the most creatively dangerous villains of modern cinema, Anton Chigurh. It takes a simple gas station scene of a coin toss for us to fathom the malevolence of Chigurh. He coldly tells the proprietor that a coin toss will decide whether he gets spared. When the toss ends in the proprietor’s favor, he simply lets him go. Chigur’s conversational qualities build tension in each scene, and his random nature elevates him as a pitiless murderer. Once you have experienced the terror, you can’t look at coins the same way anymore.
2. Joker
(“The Dark Knight”)
Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy remains the king of superhero cinema, but its most celebrated installment, “The Dark Knight” has its own crown jewel, The Joker. Played by Health Ledger, Joker is a character of severe ambiguity. We do not ever really understand his motives. He is psychopathic, clever, manipulative, and in some way, comedic. All these ingredients make for a character who shocks us in every encounter on screen. The white-red face of the clown king is dubious, to say the least. Imagine a knife on your cheeks while you are asked, “Why so serious?”
1. Hannibal Lecter
(“Silence of the Lambs”)
The highly intelligent cannibal psychiatrist that we all have come to love can be attributed to the unrestricted talent of Anthony Hopkins, who became the definition of sheer terror in the 90s. What makes Hannibal an eccentric antagonist is his composed aura. He is sophisticated, calm, and likes to cook Michelin-star recipes with human organs. Bon appetit! Hannibal, though a psychopath, is shockingly ordered in fashion, a trait when combined with his unconventional appetite creates an unparalleled evil presence that we hate to love. All these paired with his complex motives make him one of the most menacing antagonists we have enjoyed (or been terrified of) on the big screen.
Saugata Debnath can be reached at [email protected]