The 20 Greatest Ultra Villains in Movies

Posted on 10 mei 2024 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

20. Bill the Butcher

Played by: Daniel Day-Lewis
Film(s): Gangs of New York (2002)
Line: ‘Ears and noses will be the trophies of the day. But no hand shall touch him.’

Nothing goes too far for William ‘Bill the Butcher’ Cutting in his personal mission to oppress the new immigrants whom Bill sees as mere cockroaches. His name is very appropriate: whenever he joins the street fights, he slaughters enemies by the dozens using his vast set of knives and stabbing weapons. He shows a softer side around Amsterdam, who he sees as the son he never had, but in the end, Bill is a bad man. Played to perfection by Daniel Day Lewis.

19. Mr. Joshua

Played by: Gary Busey
Film(s): Lethal Weapon (1987)
Line: ‘See, Martin, we have a problem. Since we have Murtaugh, we don’t really need you. But I believe in being thorough.’

The ultra blond Mr. Joshua is pretty much a badass. He shows his macho behavior in his intro-scene by letting his employer hold a lighter under his arm for a pretty long time. Riggs and Murtaugh have a lot of trouble with this ex-commando. In his mission to smuggle heroin into the United States, he lets nothing or nobody get in his way. He scores extra points for his pretty good fighting skills.

18. The Terminator

Played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Film(s): The Terminator (1984)
Line: ‘Your clothes – give them to me, now.’

Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as a killing machine. The Terminator is one scary motherfucker. ‘Sarah Connor? Yes. Boom!!!’ He is efficient and unstoppable. The perfect invention really. James Cameron (director) and Stan Winston (special effects) have really outdone themselves. The highlight? There are many, but Schwarzenegger barging in the police station killing everybody is pretty damn exciting.

17. Amon Goeth

Played by: Ralph Fiennes
Film(s): Schindler’s List (1993)
Line: ‘Ah, an educated Jew… like Karl Marx himself. Unterscharfuehrer! Shoot her.’

Can a psycho Nazi killer still be charismatic? Leave it to Ralph Fiennes to pull it off. Even though Goeth commits horrible acts and certainly deserves to die for it, he can be touching in a strange and remote way. A truly remarkable bad guy, right up until his ‘Heil Hitler’ sent off.

16. Judge Doom

Played by: Christopher Lloyd
Film(s): Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Line: ‘Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food.’

Christopher Lloyd who nailed the ultimately sympathetic ‘Doc’ in Back to the Future, plays a really scary dude here. Judge Doom is one malicious bastard and the type of villain we could use more of: wacky, evil-lookin’ and carrying a dark secret. Brilliant character in a brilliant movie.

15. Anton Chigurh

Played by: Javier Bardem
Film(s): No Country for Old Men (2007)
Line: ‘What’s the most you have ever lost in a coin toss?’

Chigurh is one weird psycho killer for sure. Armed with an oxygen tank and a shotgun he makes life very difficult for the people in the wasteland of the Texas-Nevada borderlands His entrance in No Country for Old Men alone is enough to earn him this position. Add to that his terrible haircut, his deep voice and his seemingly random killing spree and you got an A-grade villain that’s just hard to forget.

14. Freddy Krueger

Played by: Robert Englund
Film(s): A Nightmare on Elm Street series (1984-2003)
Line: ‘I’m your boyfriend now, Nancy.’

The child murdering Freddy literally gives his victims nightmares. Both his burned face and his evil mind tricks can make everybody crap their pants. Freddy is without a doubt the greatest supernatural killer to ever appear on the white screen.

13. Annie Wilkes

Played by: Kathy Bates
Film(s): Misery (1990)
Line: ‘You! You dirty bird! How could you?’

Pour Paul Sheldon. Being captured by his greatest fan is a nightmare beyond imagination. He is constantly walking on eggshells as the slightest provocation will set off Annie Wilkes big time. It’s hard to say what kind of disorder she actually ‘suffers’ from, but there is no doubt that she is completely batshit.

12. Skeletor

Played by: Frank Langella
Film(s): Masters of the Universe (1987)
Line: ‘I am Skeletor.’

Masters of the Universe is no masterpiece, but Frank Langella really elevates the movie with his highly enjoyable appearance. His portrayal of Skeletor, who was already a favorite villain in cartoons, became a most memorable bad guy. His looks are spot on, and he rules his underlings with an iron fist. It’s a total shame that He-Man kicks him into a dark, deep shaft at the end of the movie.

11. Saruman

Played by: Christopher Lee
Film(s): The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001 / 20 02 / 2003)
Line: ‘Hunt them down! Do not stop until they are found. You do not know pain, you do not know fear. You’ll taste men-flesh!’

While Sauron may be the real bad guy in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman makes a far greater impression. His voice is perhaps his greatest asset. The way he utters spells and commands is just the ultimate in evil cool. Christopher Lee, almost 80 when he played this, is remarkable in the role that he was born to play. When it comes to evil old wizards surrounded by Orcs, Saruman is the man.

10. Agent Smith

Played by: Hugo Weaving
Film(s): The Matrix (1999) / The Matrix Reloaded (2003) / The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Line: ‘I will enjoy watching you die…Mr. Anderson.’

Who ever thought a software application could be this menacing? Smith may be funny with his monotone voice and robotic locomotion, but he can be vicious as well. It’s really hard to relax with this guy around, and he is always around. When you think he’s finally gone, he returns with clone abilities. Smith is an unstoppable force of destruction and can ultimately be only stopped by himself. Now that’s pretty bad.

9. Clarence Boddicker

Played by: Kurtwood Smith
Film(s): RoboCop (1987)
Line: ‘Can you fly Bobby?’

It’s not exactly his looks that make Clarence Boddicker ultra villain material. It is his ruthless and merciless attitude. He first shows his vileness, when he kicks one of his wounded cronies out of a moving truck. Soon after, he displays a real sadistic streak when he brutally murders Murphy. Although he’s a street level boss, he meets personally with Dick Jones, Vice President at OCP (Omni Consumer Products) showing he is also an intelligent and competent gang leader.

8. T-1000

Played by: Robert Patrick
Film(s): Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Line: ‘Thank you for your cooperation.’

Robert Patrick as the liquid metal T-1000 is an example of perfect casting. This unstoppable and constantly morphing killing machine is pretty scary at times. The fact that he is wearing a police uniform makes this even worse. Rather than ‘protect and serve’, he fanatically chases John Connor around while killing everybody that gets in his way. Glad to have Schwarzenegger around, the only one with a remote chance to stop it. Now that’s pretty telling.

7. Bill

Played by: David Carradine
Film(s): Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) / Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Line: ‘Do you find me sadistic?’

Bill is a murderous bastard, but he can be honorable as well. When the Bride arrives to take revenge on Bill for shooting her in the head, he grants her one night with her daughter, who she had presumed to be dead. Make no mistake though, in the duel that follows he would have killed her without mercy if it hadn’t been for her special skills. A classic villain who gets extra points for his great knowledge of martial arts and pop culture.

6. Major Arnold Toht

Played by: Ronald Lacey
Film(s): Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Line: ‘You Americans, you’re all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions.’

The boring communists in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull showed again what great villains Nazi’s can be. Major Toht is an absolute favorite. A very unpleasant appearance and an equally disturbing voice can make someone cringe. It’s a true relief when his face starts melting towards the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

5. Emperor Palpatine

Played by: Ian McDiarmid
Film(s): Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Line: ‘Welcome young Skywalker. I’m looking forward to completing your training. In time, you will call me…master!’

While the Ewoks made Return of the Jedi just a little too child friendly, Ian McDiarmid restored the balance with his dark portrayal of the Emperor. Allegedly, serial killer Jeffrey Damner was a huge fan of Palpatine. This figures, because Palpatine is a true incarnation of evil. Every line he utters comes out as pure poison. He is often underestimated because of his fragile old appearance, but make no mistake! When Palpatine starts using his dark side force techniques there is nobody who can stop him. Well there’s always one.

4. Hans Gruber

Played by: Alan Rickman
Film(s): Die Hard (1988)
Line: ‘Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself. Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.’

Another German villain to make the list. It is just hard to ignore their bad guy potential. Hans Gruber is the perfect baddie against Bruce Willis’ hero John McClane. He is both ruthless and smart, but certainly not without a sense of humor and style. You gotta hand it to this guy. Up till now, the Die Hard creators haven’t yet found a suitable replacement for him as the villains in the four sequels all made far less of an impression.

3. Frank

Played by: Henry Fonda
Film(s): Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Line: ‘I could crush you like a wormy apple.’

Not a businessman but ‘just a man’. If that is true, humanity is truly fucked. Look at Frank’s sins: killing a young boy in his first appearance, raping Jill McBain and off course the thing he did to royally piss off Harmonica. Nobody figured the sympathetic Henry Fonda could play a bad guy this well. He proved them dead wrong. Frank is one of the most accomplished villains ever, and Fonda should have won an Oscar for the part.

2. Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Played by: Anthony Hopkins
Film(s): The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Line: ‘I’m having an old friend for dinner.’

Anthony Hopkins delivers a wicked and Oscar-winning performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Charming, extremely intelligent, psychically strong: Lecter has it all. One of the few baddies in this list who actually survives the films he is in, Lecter stands above the regular laws of good and evil. He just does what he does. His character has been exploited a little too much in modern cinema and literature, but his turn in The Silence of the Lambs remains one of the most chilling and spellbinding performances ever in cinema history.

1. Darth Vader

Played by: David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice)
Film(s): Star Wars Trilogy (1977 / 1980 / 1883)
Line: ‘If you only knew the power of the dark side.’

Its villains have always been the best thing about Star Wars, but Darth Vader is the baddest motherfucker of them all. It is hard to say which is cooler; his voice (and breathing), his name or his appearance. His introduction in A New Hope alone makes him the best movie villain ever. But he also has a fair share in fighting skills, force power and strategy. Just a fantastic character altogether.

Cannibalism Now!

Posted on 4 oktober 2023 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

In Cannibal Holocaust from 1980, a four-headed film crew heads into the Amazon jungle to shoot a documentary about cannibalism. They never return. When their cans of film are found later on, the gruesome truth about their faiths is uncovered. The film has been extremely controversial since its release and is still banned in several countries. Cannibal Holocaust remains a very unpleasant viewing today due its nauseatingly realistic scenes of violence and mutilation. Still, the shocking subject matter seems to have a certain appeal on many people. What is it with cannibalism that fascinates people so much and how is this fascination translated into cinema?

In Western civilization, cannibalism is considered as something perverted, disgusting, extremely primitive, sick and demented. In most countries there is not even a law against cannibalism. Whenever an occasional case of cannibalism does come to light, the perpetrator is mostly convicted of another act such as murder or necrophilia. The eating of individuals from the same species does still occur, but it happens very marginally. The fact that it still happens means that it is definitely human. We can only admit to this repressed fascination by engaging in fantasy. Through books, music and – off course – movies we can come to terms with the cannibal inside of us.

Cannibals in cinema go back a long time. As far as I can tell, the first movie that features cannibalism is the short Queenie and the Cannibal from 1912. It is the beginning of a very long list. Last century alone, 90 movies premiered with the notion ‘cannibalism’ in the title. Movies that feature the theme cannibalism encompass several genres and subgenres. Very often they are horrors, adventures or crossovers. Mostly, they are also exploitation and sexploitation flicks (or straight out porn). Many can also be classified as racist – as natives are portrayed as savage flesh eaters. Some examples of these types of cannibal movies include; Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977), The Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978), Cannibal Ferox (1981), The Flesh (1991) and Diary of a Cannibal (2007). Human’s fascination with the subject is also translated into the zombie film. After all, despite the fact that they are dead, zombies are still humans that eat other human’s flesh.

Exploitation films that deal with cannibalism are often horrors, but there are quite a lot of comedies as well. Ivan Reitman’s second feature film is the Canadian comedy-horror Cannibal Girls about three beautiful young women who lure men with their seductive charm to their home in order to kill and eat them. By drinking their blood and eating their flesh the women maintain their youthfulness and immortality. Eating Raoul is a 1982 black comedy in which cannibalism is used for the central gag. Another black comedy and horror is Motel Hell (1980) about a farmer / hotel owner who makes meat products with special ingredients. Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies (1992) already tells you all you need to know with its title and Trey Parker from South Park made Cannibal! The Musical (1993) in his college days. This blend of comedy, biography and musical is loosely based on the history of Alfred ‘Alferd’ Packer who was convicted for cannibalism in 1874.

While Italians can often be credited for nasty exploitation cannibal films, the French are largely responsible for putting cannibals in the Art House. A Taste For Woman (1964) is a black comedy by French director Jean Leon from an adapted screenplay by Roman Polanski. This is about a vegetarian restaurant that acts as cover for a sect that eats women as part of a full moon ceremony. Jean-Luc Godards Week End (1967) shows the savage journey of a bourgeois couple through France. They eventually fall prey to hippy cannibals. In Delicatessen (1991) by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet a butcher / landlord sells human flesh to his odd tenants in a post-apocalyptic world. Finally Les amants criminels (1999, François Ozon) is a thriller that retells the Hansel and Gretel legend, only with the wicked witch replaced by a woodsman with cannibalistic tendencies.

While the Art House and Grindhouse cinemas have had their taste of cannibalism, mainstream Hollywood has also exploited the theme for big time box-office return. The Silence of the Lambs was a sleeper hit in 1991, and its main star Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, returned in Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002). Especially the first sequel has scenes of explicit cannibalism in it, just look at the scene in which Lecter feeds on Ray Liotta’s brains. In Sin City (2005), the mute serial killer Kevin (Elijah Wood) kills prostitutes, mounts their heads on a wall like hunting trophies and cannibalizes their remains, feeding the leftovers to his pet wolf.

Not a Hollywood film, but immensely popular was The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974. In it, a group of friends stumble upon a family of cannibals in rural Texas. The film was made independently by director Tobe Hooper for just around 140.000 dollars. Due to its graphic content, the film was banned in several countries, but did make 30.8 million dollars at the U.S. box office alone. It got five sequels and a remake in 2003. A quite similar film is The Hills Have Eyes, which is a cult classic directed by Wes Craven in 1977. The story revolves around a family of mutant cannibals that prey on a family who have been stranded in the Nevada desert. In 1991, Craven also made The People Under the Stairs about a psychotic and cannibalistic couple played by Everett McGill and Wendy Robie who also played a couple in Twin Peaks. They ‘keep’ people between the walls of their house and eat the occasional liver.

While Cannibal Holocaust and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre only pretend to be based on reality, there are also real real-life stories about cannibalism that have been turned into movies. Think about Grimm Love aka Rohtenburg. This movie is based on the true story of self-confessed cannibal Armin Meiwes and the ‘internet cannibal movement’. In March 2001 Meiwes killed and partially ate a man he had met on the internet. The eating was based on a mutual agreement. The movie was banned in Germany after Meiwes filed a complaint against it. True cannibalism is also found in Alive (1993). This film tells the story of the Uruguayan national rugby teams’ plane that crashed in the middle of the Andes Mountains in 1972. The survivors have to take desperate measures to stay alive, including eating their deceived friends and family members.

Except for voluntary cannibalism there are also quite a few examples of people who force or trick people into eating other humans. Look no further than The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) and Titus (1999) based on a play by William Shakespeare. There is also Jennifer’s Body (2009), starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried and written by Oscar winning screenplay writer Diablo Cody. In it, Megan Fox plays a high school beauty queen who eats her boyfriends.

Judging from this overview, movies that feature cannibalism come in many forms and vary strongly in quality. Compared to food, they range from the cheapest junk to the highest culinary achievement. Either way, the theme has successfully manifested itself into cinema and still fascinates people to this day and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future.

Hannibal: De TV-serie (recensie)

Posted on 18 oktober 2013 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Door Jeppe Kleijngeld

Seriemoordenaars en psychopaten zijn in trek sinds Dexter. Maar nu deze hitserie op zijn einde loopt, vonden verschillende producenten het tijd worden om twee van de beruchtste killers van het witte doek maar eens naar het kleine scherm te halen. Norman Bates (Psycho) mocht opduiken in Bates Motel en Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs) in Hannibal de TV-serie. In beide gevallen betreffen het prequels.

In Hannibal volgen we speciaal FBI-medewerker Will Graham. Deze profiler heeft zoveel empathie dat hij zich geheel kan verplaatsen in de geesten van seriemoordenaars. Jack Crawford, hoofd van de FBI’s afdeling voor gedragswetenschappen, neemt Graham mee door het land om seriemoordenaars op te sporen, maar vreest voor zijn mentale welzijn. Daarom schakelt hij de briljante psychiater Dr. Lecter in die Graham mentaal gaat begeleiden.

Hannibal is gebaseerd op personages uit het eerste boek uit de Hannibal-serie Red Dragon. Kenners van de Harris boeken zullen dan ook zeker dialogen herkennen uit dit werk, maar ook uit de andere delen van de reeks is geput om de mythologie van Dr. Lecter vorm te geven. Zo is de verminking, waarbij er van een slachtoffer een engel is gemaakt door zijn longen als vleugels uit te klappen, afkomstig uit het boek Hannibal.

Mads Mikkelsen zet op formidabele wijze de culinaire kunstenaar Hannibal neer.

Ik was in het begin nogal sceptisch over deze serie. De inferieure eerdere sequels en prequels (Red Dragon, Hannibal & Hannibal Rising) op dat punt hadden mijn honger voor meer Hannibal Lecter al gedempt. Toen ik echter zag dat Mads Mikkelsen de rol van de beruchte psychopaat vertolkte werd mijn interesse toch gewekt. Ik heb de carrière van Mikkelsen gevolgd sinds ik hem zag in Pusher II op het International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2005. Een briljant acteur. Als iemand het zou kunnen flikken was hij het wel.

Bovendien is het concept van een serie over Hannibal in de jaren dat hij nog actief is als werkend massamoordenaar en psychiater een buitengewoon fascinerend idee. Maar alles valt of staat met de uitvoering. En gelukkig kan ik meteen melden dat die uitermate geslaagd is. Niet direct in het begin overigens. De eerste vier afleveringen van de 13 zijn behoorlijk zwak, vooral omdat er daarin geen aandacht wordt besteedt aan de karakterisering van het personage Hannibal.

Ik vreesde dus dat ze het verknald hadden, maar alles komt goed. Meer dan goed zelfs. Hannibal is bij vlagen briljante televisie. De show kruipt langzaam onder je huid en blijft daar vervolgens nog heel lang nasidderen, het effect dat de beste televisieseries – zoals Twin Peaks – kunnen hebben. Hannibal is een unieke combinatie geworden van enge, intelligente, fascinerende en baanbrekende televisie.

‘Hannibal’ is visueel prachtig met onuitwisbare indrukken van grafische horror.

Het baanbrekende zit hem in de opbouw en structuur van de show. Lang niet alles wordt weggegeven, maar je wordt als kijker juist uitgedaagd om zelf te ontdekken wat de motivaties van de personages zijn. Daarbij voorzien de schrijvers je via de personages van fascinerende psychologische inzichten, die je kunt gebruiken om een majestueuze puzzel te leggen die nooit klaar is. Daarbij gaat het niet om wie de gezochte seriemoordenaars zijn – die worden meestal vrij snel en gemakkelijk gevonden – het gaat om wat de menselijke geest nou écht drijft. Als kijker wordt je dus ook een soort profiler, een sublieme zet van de makers.

Het grootste mysterie bij het psychoanalyseren is Hannibal zelf. Je leert hem gaandeweg het eerste seizoen kennen, maar een behoorlijk deel van zijn karakter blijft gesloten zodat je als kijker kunt blijven interpreteren wat hij wel en niet is. Hannibal wordt gedefinieerd door zijn acties. Er komen dingen op zijn pad, en hoe hij hier steeds mee om kiest te gaan bepaalt wie hij is. Je leert hem kennen, maar hij blijft toch steeds verassen. Fantastisch.

Gelukkig hebben de schrijvers ook geen ‘bovennatuurlijk’ personage van Hannibal gemaakt, zoals in de eerdere vervolgen. Als actieve seriemoordenaar is zijn grootste uitdaging om zijn misdaden te verbergen voor justitie en daarin schept hij een duivels genoegen. Lecter speelt een groots spel waarin hij zich roert in de wereld van de FBI, psychotherapie en collega seriemoordenaars. Maar niet alles gaat voortdurend van een leien dakje. Hij is gewoon super slim en, zoals een echte psychopaat betaamt, zoekt hij het gevaar graag op.

Mads Mikkelsen zet de rol op uiterst subtiele wijze neer. Hij doet vaak heel weinig, anders dan Anthony Hopkins die voortdurend in onbeteugelde psycho modus zat. Maar dat was ook een Hannibal Lecter die al gepakt was. Mikkelsen toont de modus operandi van de nog onontdekte Lecter, en daar past zijn subtiliteit uitstekend bij. Bovendien gaat er een grote intelligentie schuil achter zijn indringende ogen. Bij ieder woord dat hij zegt, hang je als kijker aan zijn lippen. Naast het briljante spel van Mikkelsen, zet Hugh Dancy op indrukwekkende wijze de getergde Will Graham neer. Laurence Fishburne vult de cast mooi aan. De rasacteur is energieker dan ooit en weet van de -normaal toch wat saaie- Jack Crawford een memorabel personage te maken.

Een briljant aspect van The Silence of the Lambs was dat er naast Lecter een andere angstaanjagende seriemoordenaar in het spel zat in de vorm van Buffalo Bill. Hannibal zit vol met dergelijke donkere geesten. De moordscènes die Will onderzoekt, zijn de meest creatieve en macabere ooit op film vastgelegd. In tijden waarin we aan steeds meer gruwelijkheid en horror gewend zijn, verdient Hannibal een groot compliment voor de wijze waarop het op momenten écht angstwekkend weet te zijn. De onheilspellende dromen van Will, de lugubere moorden en de spookachtige locaties maken de serie onvervalst griezelig. Vooral de aflevering waarin een meisje met het syndroom van Cottard (neurologische aandoening, waardoor ze de waan heeft dood te zijn) op moordpad gaat is doodeng.

Het einde van de serie is op een vreemde manier bevredigend en maakt hongerig naar meer. En dan vooral meer van Mikkelsen’s Lecter. Jazeker, de Deense acteur maakt er echt zijn personage van. En dat is meer dan indrukwekkend als je in de voetsporen van Anthony Hopkins treedt. Een oude passie van mij is met Hannibal weer aangewakkerd. De passie voor briljante seriemoordenaars en compleet gestoorde geesten. En daarvoor ben ik de makers van Hannibal bijzonder erkentelijk. Kom maar op met seizoen 2!