The Four-Front of Horror: Magnetic Madmen

We may be holding out for a hero, but these unhinged villains make our hearts skip a beat with their crazy but captivating screen presence.

Sure, we root for a great hero, and many of the most enduring icons of horror are the ones who go from victim to survivor. But let’s face it, the real reason most of us can’t get enough of horror films is the villains. What would great horror, or cinema in general, be without those killer bad guys and gals to raise the stakes, put our heroes in peril, and keep us enthralled with their every devious move?

Great villains come in all shapes, sizes, and disguises. Unlike heroes, who are often quite one-dimensional personalities, often driven simply by the will to survive, villains have many fascinating reasons for wreaking havoc — from classic revenge to psychological dysfunction to a torturous backstory to the mere fact that being bad is just so much damn fun.

While a list of iconic horror villains could be endlessly long, we’re highlighting just a few of the most menacing, mesmerizing, magnet madmen (and women!) in modern horror.

1. Pearl (Pearl, 2022)

First on our list is the titular character from Ti West’s stunning follow-up to his surprise indie horror hit X. Released just last year, Pearl is a smart, stylish slasher horror film that delivers the perfect blend of arthouse sensibility with genuine thrills and chills. Rarely do we get a film where the protagonist — the one whose eyes the story is told through — is also the villain. The exceptional Mia Goth shines in the riveting backstory of the unhinged elderly woman Goth portrayed in X (in a dual role, also playing the beautiful young adult film actress Maxine).

Pearl is a girl who’s stuck on her family farm, looking after her ill father and helping her mother. But she dreams of life on the big screen, believing she’s destined to be a star. It’s a passion her mother does not support. But when a production company rolls through her sleepy little town looking for local girls to audition for a show, Pearl is determined to make the most of the opportunity she’s convinced will be her big break.

Unfortunately, things do not go well, sending the sensitive Pearl spiraling into the path of darkness. Though she’s clearly unwell and exceedingly dangerous, it’s hard not to care about Pearl and wish she could get her happy ending. Goth is mesmerizing as the sociopathic but still endearing Pearl, and it’s impossible to look away when she’s on the screen.

2. The Man (Poker Night, 2014)

Poker Night (released in the UK as The Joker) is a compelling, deeply investing crime thriller written and directed by Greg Francis. Poker fans and fans of the versions of online blackjack will love the film’s central premise: a poker night between several seasoned detectives and a rookie joining the crew for the first time. During this traditional game night, the veterans share war stories with the rookie Stan Jeter (Beau Mirchoff), offering him priceless career advice to help him get out of the worst situations he may find himself in.

However, you don’t have to enjoy poker to appreciate this smart, twisty thriller because the game is only the backdrop for some thrilling anthology-style vignettes and the overarching story of a sadistic, masked killer who kidnaps Detective Jeter and his girlfriend Amy (Halston Sage), the underage daughter of a police officer.

Jeter must use what he’s learned from the stories of his fellow poker players to find a way out of his deadly predicament.

The identity of the masked killer remains cloaked in mystery until the very end. He’s known only as ‘The Man’ (Michael Eklund). Like most monsters, he was just a normal man at one time, living an ordinary life with his wife and kid and going to work each day at his uneventful office job. After years of droning on day after day in a humdrum life, he snaps and decides to live out his dreams. Unfortunately, his “dreams” consist of pedophilia, rape, and murder.

Now, every villain on this list is certifiably insane. Many, however, also manage to be quite captivating. The Man in Poker Night is easily one of the most despicable bad guys, and the film makes zero attempts to give him any humanity or likability. In fact, making him a child rapist as well as a serial killer pretty much seals the deal that we feel nothing but disgust toward him. But that doesn’t mean he’s not multi-dimensional.

In scenes where he’s revealing his origin story to Detective Jeter, he’s quite funny, and you’ll find yourself laughing at him even as you recoil at his heinous acts. He’s also, like another bad boy on this list, wickedly smart, frequently managing to outsmart the brightest criminal minds at every turn. And though it’s his sick tendencies that first send him down the path of corruption, it’s loss and the desire for recognition that puts him on a collision course with our hero. He may not have any redeemable characteristics, but he’s not inhuman.

The ending of this one packs a punch and will leave you reeling. But be warned; this is a film you have to pay close attention to. It’s non-linear, jumping back and forth in time from different perspectives. But it’s never boring and promises to keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens next.

3. The Joker (The Dark Knight, 2008)

The Joker isn’t specifically a horror character, but that doesn’t keep him from being one of the nastiest, most terrifying villains in all of cinema.

There have been countless iterations of the numero uno Batman baddie over the years, and everybody has their favorite. And regardless of which Joker you prefer — from Mark Hammil’s iconic voiceover work in the animated shows to Jack Nicholson’s campy, scenery-chewing turn in Tim Burton’s Batman to Joaquin Phoenix’s ultra-dark, haunting portrayal of a broken man turned monster in Joker — the character is always as intriguing as he is certifiably insane.

For many, Heath Ledger’s performance as the psychotic supervillain stands head and shoulders above the rest, even though his casting was considered highly controversial at the time. Ledger cited it as his most enjoyable role.

In a career-defining performance, he manages to be both sinister and sympathetic, infusing the Joker with a humanity that gives him depth and complexity before he sadistically shreds that humanity in a reign of terror. It’s often said that nothing is scarier than a cold and emotionless killer who doesn’t have a solid grasp on right versus wrong. But we’d argue that a madman who knows exactly how wrong his actions are but does them anyway (with a giggle and a permanent smile) is far more unnerving.

Ledger’s interpretation of the Joker as an agent of anarchy and chaos was influenced by the graphic novels Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. Ledger took inspiration from everything from paintings by Francis Bacon to the novel and film A Clockwork Orange to various punk rock musicians.

Tragically, Ledger died six months before the film was released in July 2008. And he didn’t get to enjoy the widespread acclaim his performance received, as well as the many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His portrayal of Joker is often listed as one of the greatest and most iconic villains in film and popular culture.

4. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs, 1991)

Is it even possible to create a list of the most compelling, utterly watchable, deeply fascinating villains without including Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lecter? His classic performance as a brilliant but psychopathic serial killer will go down in history as one of the most bone-chilling in all of cinema.

We’re willing to bet you’ve seen this undisputed horror-thriller masterpiece by now. If not, we implore you to drop what you’re doing and go watch it immediately. In the film, we follow rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she solicits help from a former psychiatrist and cannibalistic killer, Hannibal Lecter, hoping he can help her stop another serial killer and save the life of a young woman.

Like others on this list, Hannibal is no doubt deranged and dangerous. But you can’t help but be charmed by him. He exudes intelligence and sophistication — someone you’d kill to have dinner with if you could be sure you wouldn’t wind up on the menu. There’s something almost tender about his relationship with Starling, and it’s hard not to root for him in spite of everything you know about his dark nature.

While Hopkins’ Hannibal is universally known as the chef-d’oeuvre when it comes to portrayals of the gentleman psychopath, Hannibal as a character is so rich and deeply fascinating that others have delivered incredibly fine performances worthy of enjoying. Mads Mikkelsen was masterful at bringing the good doctor to life on the small screen in the Hannibal television show. Like Hopkins, he’s almost impossible not to be seduced by, even after you watch him commit the most unspeakable of horrors. As the show perfectly illustrates, it’s an exceedingly terrible idea to let him inside your head — or your bed — but that won’t stop you from seriously considering it.