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Ever since I first developed an appreciation for the cinema, I have had a certain respect for those actors that are capable of portraying truly great villains. A hero is just not as interesting if the person he struggles against is generic or does not feel dangerous in some way. Unfortunately, most villains are little more than obstacles for the protagonists to overcome. But sometimes, an actor (or actress) comes forward and puts on a performance that is positively cringe-worthy.

Today I have decided to put together a list of six of my favorite movie and TV villains. There are plenty more out there, of course, but these are some that were so vicious that they made me want to change the locks on my doors and buy a gun - just in case. These are not proper horror-movie villains (you can find a good list of those at this site). I concentrated mainly on the characters that are creepy and crazy. Hopefully, some of these are your favorites as well.

Javier Bardem - Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men) -

By far the scariest on this list, Barden’s portrayal of Chigurh is the very portrait of a person whose mind is so fractured that normal human beings cannot possibly hope to understand how he thinks. His violence is both focused and random, his methods cold and unmerciful. He is intelligent and brutal and is definitely someone you would never, ever, want coming after you. And Bardem brings it all to life in such a casually insane manner that the creepiness is palpable.

Mads Mikkelsen - Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal) -

Some may say I’m off with this one, that Anthony Hopkins is the superior Hannibal Lecter, but after watching Mikkelsen take on the role during the last year, I would beg to differ. While Hopkins is creepy and mentally invasive, Mikkelsen is a quiet manipulator. You get wrapped up in his charm and casual nature and then you don’t see him coming. He will just as soon kill you as befriend you. He is an intelligent killer that fully embraces his psychopathic nature. To be a killer - in Hannibal’s opinion - is no different than being anything else in the world. And Mikkelsen pulls it off to perfection.

Heath Ledger - The Joker (The Dark Knight) -

Ledger’s performance as the iconic Batman villain is, of course, widely regarded as one of the best comic book villain portrayals of all time. The Joker is a ball of pure and chaotic crazy and Ledger manages to harness that attitude to bring us an epically random villain that is both charismatic and deadly. Worse still, the Joker rarely has reasons for doing anything he does, so you never know where he’s going to go next. When Ledger donned the Joker make-up, he channeled the very essence of that personality, creating a performance that will remain a classic for many years to come.

Daniel Day-Lewis - Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Gangs of New York) -

I wish I could just say “Daniel Day-Lewis as anyone” when it comes to this villain choice, as whenever he decides he’s going to be a bad guy it inevitably ends up being a stellar and very intimidating performance. I chose Bill the Butcher because I think he’s the character that people remember the most. Day-Lewis has that presence to make you feel that if you were in the same room as him, you would be constantly on the verge of crapping your pants. He brings a human element to his villains that contrasts with their bloodthirsty and merciless side. Even as you fear them, you feel the urge to be their friend.

Eihi Shiina - Asami Yamazaki (Audition) -

I have to admit, Audition is one of the creepiest movies I have ever seen. I’m normally not a fan of the director (who shall remain nameless), but this is one movie of his that I really enjoyed. Most of that enjoyment was due to the performance of Eihi Shiina. The character of Asami is one that has had, to put it lightly, one of the world’s worst childhoods. She grew up scarred and proceeded to take it out on the rest of the world in her own crazy way. Her motivations are completely foreign and Eihi is so damned creepy in this role that you can’t help but get chills running up your spine.

Ben Kingsley - Don Logan (Sexy Beast) -

Don Logan is a different kind of villain. He’s the kind that doesn’t necessarily think that he’s being a villain, seeing the phrase “might makes right” as akin to Biblical scripture. When Logan is in the same room with you, there’s that constant feeling that if you say or do the wrong thing he’ll flip out on you and you’ll end up beaten or dead. It is Kingsley’s skill that allows Logan’s personality to really shine forth. He brings intensity to the role and then borders it with an almost absent-minded form of violence. He may not be a rampaging killer, but Kingsley’s Logan in not a nice man.

As I said, this is but a small sampling of the many great villains that have appeared throughout the history of film and television. For a much longer list, head to this site and see what villains they find to be the best.

Photo Credits -

Bardem courtesy of bloguin.com

Mikkelsen courtesy of deadliestfiction.wikia.com

Ledger courtesy of batman.wikia.com

Day-Lewis courtesy of listal.com

Shiina courtesy of paragraphfilmreviews.com

Kingsley courtesy of telegraph.co.uk