A great villain can make or break a film and they have been a staple of storytelling since the dawn of cinema. There have been hundreds of incredible, iconic villains audiences have loved to hate. Some movies are even so rich as to have more than one of these incredible foes.

Villains can be used to gain a different perspective, or sometimes simply be agents of chaos to shake up the tale. No matter what, villains add so much flavor to a film, and more than one can be even more fun.

10

Freddy Krueger Clashes With Jason Voorhees

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

In one of the greatest crossover films of all time, horror fans get to see the ultimate battle in action as Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th films takes on Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Although both are horror titans and both come from the same era of slasher films, these two horrific foes couldn’t be more different. Freddy is a loudmouth, almost comical slasher, while Jason is a silent tank of a slayer.

While the film was a box office success, audiences were divided over the film. Many thought that the plot was weirdly constructed, but these classic slasher franchises were never really beloved because of their plot. What made these killers work were their entertaining characters, bloody kills and iconic moments. Both have cemented themselves as some of the biggest horror icons in pop culture, and audiences finally got to see them duke it out on the big screen in Freddy vs. Jason.

Freddy vs. Jason

Release Date

August 15, 2003

Runtime

98 Minutes

9

Django Has the Most Despicable Villains

Django: Unchained (2012)

One of Quentin Tarantino’s best films he has ever made is the almost three-hour western epic Django Unchained, starring the incredibly talented Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz. Django is a freed slave emancipated by Dr. King Schultz, and the pair become ruthless bounty hunters who track down and take out criminals throughout the West. Soon, Django learns that his wife, Broomhilda, is owned by a slave owner in the South, a diabolical and charismatic man named King Candy, played by the amazing Leonardo DiCaprio.

DiCaprio’s Calvin Candy is as wicked as movie villains can be, and he’s unfortunately aided by Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson. The two make a diabolical pair as they discover Shultz’s and Django’s schemes, and try to take them down once and for all. Thankfully, Tarantino gives the audience extremely satisfying death scenes for both characters, putting an end to two of the most evil villains ever seen in cinema.

8

Hannibal Lecter Helps Catch Buffalo Bill

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs is the only horror film to ever win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and many believe it to be totally deserved. The film sees FBI prodigy Clarice Starling, played by the talented Jodie Foster, being tasked to interview famed serial killer cannibal Hannibal Lecter, played by the incredible Anthony Hopkins. Starling intends to gain insight into Lecter’s twisted mind in order to gain knowledge about a new serial killer making waves named Buffalo Bill, played by Ted Levine.

Both Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter provide an intense, terrifying, eerie aura to the immensely well-written and directed film, but it’s hard to deny that Lecter is anything but perfectly chilling. The film also sees both killers in action, leading to a dark confrontation between Starling and Bill, where Starling gets the upper hand. Just when she thinks everything is safe, she gets a call from Lecter, who has escaped prison and is looking to start his killing spree once again.

7

Ghostface Was Actually Two Killers

Scream (1996)

Scream was Wes Craven’s second revolutionary horror flick, starring Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, a high school girl at the center of what is known as the Woodsboro Massacre. A killer in a Halloween costume named Ghostface is stalking and murdering the people around Sidney, and she and her friends have to figure out whodunnit. While this film might not seem as groundbreaking due to its age, it’s still an incredibly exciting horror film and should be appreciated for that.

The Scream franchise has become well known for its third-act reveals which tell the audience who is under the Ghostface mask. One of the biggest contributions to horror is the idea that there could be more than one killer in the film, which is where Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher and Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis come in. In a major twist, Sidney learns Ghostface is both Stu and Billy, as Billy is getting revenge and Stu is there for the ride.

Scream

Release Date

December 20, 1996

Runtime

111 minutes

6

Scott Had to Fight the Seven Evil Exes

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Edgar Wright is a visionary director who can make the wildest and most entertaining ideas and dreams come true, which made him perfect for the comic book adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The story sees Scott, played by Michael Cera, who immediately falls for Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. However, if Scott wants to get with Ramona, he’s going to have to battle her seven evil exes.

Each ex brings their own entertaining style, memorable scenes, clever way they’re defeated, and incredible action sequences. These exes are played by Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Brie Larson, Shota and Keita Saito, and Jason Schwartzman. These exes bring so much fun to the film, making Scott Pilgrim vs. the World a truly memorable comic book extravaganza.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Release Date

August 12, 2010

Runtime

113 minutes

Director

Edgar Wright

Writers

Edgar Wright, Michael Bacall

5

Puss in Boots Is Back and Better Than Ever

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Fans of the original Shrek and Puss in Boots films were shocked to see the seemingly random sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, debut with such an incredible story and amazing animation. The Last Wish is one of the greatest sequels and animated films to be released within the last ten years. The film once again stars Antonio Banderas as Puss, alongside Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws and Harvey Guillén as Perrito. However, the real meat and bones of the movie come from the plot and its villains.

John Mulaney lends his hilarious talents to Jack Horner, a nursery rhyme character whose whole thing is that he’s simply an awful person. On top of that brilliant performance, Florence Pugh leads three bears as the now-thieving Goldilocks. However, the villain that most audiences fell in love with the minute he came on screen, and is still revered to this day, is the big bad wolf Death, who haunts Puss throughout the film. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has many strong suits, one being its impressive array of villains.

4

All of Spider-Man’s Greatest Villains Return

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is amid the Multiverse Saga following the Infinity Saga and the epic conclusion, Avengers: Endgame. Since the studio saw how massive of a success that film was, Marvel has been trying to recapture that magic and spirit in every project since, for better and worse. However, one of the best examples of the multiverse being used to full effect in an MCU film has to be Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The third film in Spider-Man’s MCU trilogy sees Peter Parker exposed as the web-head and seeks help from Doctor Strange to erase everyone’s memories. However, the spell accidentally tears a hole in the multiverse, causing several of Spider-Man’s greatest foes to enter his universe. Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Alfred Molina’s Doc Oc, Thomas Hayden Church’s Sandman, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Rhys Ifan’s Lizard all return to battle Spider-Man once again.

3

Joker and Two-Face Cause Chaos in Gotham City

The Dark Knight (2008)

Easily the two greatest comic book villains of recent years come from Christopher Nolan’s revered follow-up The Dark Knight. Starring Christian Bale as the returning Batman, the film sees him take on a new threat to Gotham City, the mysterious and elusive Joker. Played by the late Heath Ledger in an Academy Award-winning performance, the character feels like a perfect adaptation to the grittier side of Gotham Nolan created so perfectly.

Amid Joker’s reign of terror in the city, he sets out to tear down the reputation and sanity of “Gotham’s Golden Boy,” Harvey Dent. Played by Aaron Eckhart, Dent is driven to darkness by the corruption and crime plaguing Gotham by the Joker, and elects to get revenge as Two-Face. Both villains have incredibly unique, yet classic designs, and both go down in history as some of the best Batman rogues ever seen on screen.

The Dark Knight

Release Date

July 16, 2008

Runtime

152 minutes

2

Bullet Train Is a Perfect Thriller

Bullet Train (2022)

Bullet Train is a literal starring vehicle for Brad Pitt as Ladybug, who finds himself in transit along with several assassins and criminals all with their own agendas. The underrated thriller masterpiece is directed by David Leitch and stars a massive cast of current beloved stars from film and other media. There are plenty of villainous forces to choose from throughout the movie, such as Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s twin assassin brothers Lemon and Tangerine. Their relationship roots the film with heart, and their story becomes just as loveable as the movie itself.

While they have a face turn during the latter half of the film, other villains include Zazie Beetz as The Hornet, Joey King as The Prince, Logan Lerman as The Son, and even an action-packed appearance of Bad Bunny playing The Wolf. However, the big bad twist villain of the film is Michael Shannon as The White Death. With so many more amazing characters, along with an exciting story, Bullet Train easily became one of the most underrated films of recent years.

Bullet Train

Release Date

July 29, 2022

Runtime

126 minutes

Director

David Leitch

Writers

Zak Olkewicz

1

The Princess Bride Is a Romantic, Swashbuckling Masterpiece

The Princess Bride (1987)

As the title would seem to suggest, The Princess Bride is the perfect fairytale story, filled with plenty of exciting action, romance, comedy, danger and more. From the perspective of a grandpa reading his sick grandson the book, the story sees Princess Buttercup get captured by three villainous thieves. The Sicilian mastermind Vizzini is played by Wallace Shawn, the Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya is played by Mandy Patinkin, and a large Turkish wrestler named Fezzik is played by André the Giant.

However, Vizzini is bested by the hero, Westley, and Inigo and Fezzik fight for good to stop the true villains of the film, Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen. Initially, Humperdinck seemed to want to marry Buttercup, but instead was using her to start a war with a neighboring country. However, Westley and the others thankfully bested the villain, and he and Buttercup lived happily ever after.

The Princess Bride

Release Date

October 9, 1987

Runtime

98 minutes

Director

Rob Reiner

Writers

William Goldman