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MM Top 5: Movie Bad Guys

After a lovely, family orientated MM Top 5 last time, I decided that something a little more gritty would be suitable as our next topic of conversation. It was a tough choice, there are so many different categories to choose from and I look forward to them being the subjects of debate over the coming weeks, but for now let’s focus on this fortnight’s MM Top 5, which is, Movie Bad Guys.

5. Michael Myers: Halloween
Michael Myers: 5

Michael Myers: 5

You can’t have a bad guy list without having a horror franchise included in it, and with so many to choose from it was always going to be a difficult decision as to which one would make the cut. Here we have Michael Myers, perhaps the most feared serial killer in film ever. His iconic stare, lack of vocal ability and of course that hideous mask have made him somewhat of a movie icon over the years.

He has become, unfortunately, a bit of a hack and slash maniac after several outings of the series that failed to amount to anything other than sheer popcorn fodder, but let’s not forget his humble beginnings as a normal suburban boy who killed his sister and his parents.

The directors may have changed over the years, but one thing hasn’t – Michael. That’s why this bloodthirsty psychopath, described by the late Donald Pleasance as ‘Pure evil’ makes it to number 5 on my list.

4. Scar: The Lion King
Scar: 4

Scar: 4

The only animated villain to make the list is as cold as he is camp. Scar featured in the original Lion King series and was the cause of many a tear from children across the globe. Murder was certainly not beyond him as the much beloved Mufasa found out as he was pushed off a cliff and into a stampeding herd of wildebeest.

Unbelievably, Mufasa was Scar’s younger brother, so killing family wasn’t even beyond him. The themes that ran throughout the film were widely criticised for being too adult for the young audience it was trying attract and in no scene was that more apparent than a certain musical number with a few hundred hyenas.

The chilling quote ‘Run away and never return’ was a highlight of Scar’s tyrannical personality and the wonderful voice work by Jeremy Irons meant that it stayed with many for a long time after the final credits rolled.

That is why, Scar, the campest villain in cinema history rightly takes 4th place in this list.

3. Lord Voldemort: Harry Potter
Lord Voldemort: 3

Lord Voldemort: 3

Children across the globe dreamt of travelling to Hogwarts with their own animal, wand and a suitably feisty array of school supplies, but I can’t imagine any of them would have wanted to come up against the fearsome Lord Voldemort like Harry Potter did throughout the series.

J.K Rowling started the whole process of creating a villain long before she published the first book back in 1997, but it wasn’t until the 4th film in the series, Goblet of Fire, released in 2005, that he truly came to life.

Whilst some of the elements of him could be considered rip-offs from other similar titles, it is the sterling performance by Ralph Fiennes, virtually unrecognisable in truly terrifying make-up, that made Voldemort one of the most original bad guys seen on the big screen.

The hatred Voldemort or ‘He Who Shall Not Be Named’ or even ‘The Dark Lord’ had for Harry Potter finally came to a head in the 8th and final film of the series, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, when a battle of epic proportions took place. In the end, Voldemort came off a little worse for wear but his legacy would still live on, within the confines of Hogwarts and the minds of children who have grown up with series and still love it to this day.

Never has a bad guy had so many names, Voldemort fully deserves the bronze medal in this list.

2. Xenomorphs: Alien
Xenomorph: 2

Xenomorph: 2

I know what you’re thinking, the creatures (Xenomorphs) from the Alien series aren’t technically bad ‘guys’ but how can you possibly look at that face, and mouths, and not include them in this list?

First seen on the big screen in 1979, Alien revolutionised special-effects, without the use of costly, and in those days practically unheard of CGI, it made people believe these creatures were alive, murderous and unforgiving. Unbelievably, most of this was achieved with a simple costume which a stuntman would climb into each day to film the scenes with the Xenomorphs in.

Towering over their human prey, they were truly terrifying and now not only have a cult following with fans of the series and newcomers alike, but they cemented Alien as one of the best sci-fi action films of all time.

Heck, if Sigourney Weaver is petrified by them, so am I, and that’s why they deserve a very prestigious silver medal in this fortnight’s MM Top 5.

1. Darth Vader: Star Wars
Darth Vader: 1

Darth Vader: 1

Ah, the number one spot, the gold medal, the rosette – you get the picture.

Perhaps most of you will be a little disappointed with the outcome here as it is entirely predictable, but is there really any other bad guy who deserved this coveted spot more than our winner? If so, please leave a comment in the box below this article, I’d love to hear from you.

Darth Vader, voiced by the brilliant James Earl Jones made cinema goers sit up and take note of Star Wars and I believe it is this masked villain which we should thank for the series’ continuing success. After all, when the first you see of someone is a silhouette appearing from a wall of smoke, you know something bad is going to go down.

Mr. Vader had the whole package, he had the lust of death down to a tee, but he also had a pretty awesome cape, a brilliant helmet and sense of mystery surrounding him that wasn’t spoilt until Episode 5 of the franchise – we all know what happened there.

George Lucas knew that Vader was the biggest villain of all time and tried to recreate him numerous times as the series progressed, Darth Maul being the closest to a success he got, but ultimately the red faced menace looked a little clownish alongside his black-cloaked counterpart.

Many would say that Darth Vader was simply a puppet, used by the Empire to conduct their evil schemes, but there is no denying that he remains, to this day, a force to be reckoned with – in film at least.

As always, some bad guys (and gals) simply can’t make the cut, but they do feature in my ‘An Honourable Mention’ list, which is below:

  • T-Rex: Jurassic Park
  • Freddie Krueger: Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Mrs. Bates: Psycho
  • Hannibal Lecter: Silence of the Lambs

 

What are your thoughts on this fortnight’s topic? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment in the box below, I reply to them all.

10 Comments

  1. jasllegend

    Other Honorable Mentions should be:
    Heath Ledger- The Joker
    Alan Rickman- Hans Gruber
    Dennis Hopper – Frank Boothe
    Javier Bardem – Anton Chigurh
    Christoph Waltz – Hans Land
    Just to name a few more. Thanks for the post

    • Adam Brannon

      Hello! Thanks for the comment, some great names you mentioned there, I thought Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was absolutely inspired, for some reason he completely bypassed my mind.
      Funny that you should mention Alan Rickman as I was going to include him as Snape (obviously, we now know he isn’t a bad guy) but back when Harry Potter was still new, he was seen as the sneaky, suspicious potions teacher.
      Thanks for commenting!

    • tied2mychair

      Joker
      Leather face
      Predator
      Mr.-the color purple
      Bane

      • Adam Brannon

        Some good choices there. Leatherface is very scary, though I’m not sure if he’s as terrifying as Michael Myers.
        Thanks for commenting!

  2. Sally

    Kesh says Gary Oldman as the bad cop in Leon. Christopher Lee in absolutely everything! And Vincent Price in the Muppets. As for me, well. The guy with the knife in the live action 101 dalmations scares the bejeezus out of me, not to mention Boris Karloff in Arsenic and Old Lace. Have you seen that one? It’s an real classic and sooooo brilliant.

    • Adam Brannon

      Hello!
      I completely agree that the guy with the knife in 101 Dalmations was terrifying – I can’t quite remember who it was who played him, but he scared me too. Though I’m not sure if he was scarier than Glenn Close and her Cruella!
      I haven’t seen Arsenic and Old Lace, I’ll put that on my list. Thanks for the comments.

  3. Fiona

    I like that Scar features in this list, he truly
    terrified me in that film!! And of course He Who Must Not Be Named!! Great list. Can’t think of any more that should be in it as I haven’t seen as many of these films as I have in the previous lists . 🙂

    • Adam Brannon

      I’m glad you like that Scar was included, he scared me to death in the original film, considering how long ago it was and how young most of us were when it was released – he was a truly terrifying prospect.
      Thanks for commenting.

  4. Helen

    Afraid that I have only seen two of the five films (don’t think that watching Halloween behind my hands counts) but would agree with the inclusion of Lord Voldemort and Scar. I’m with Fiona, he used to scare me and after watching this film with a class of 6 year olds recently can confirm he is still having an impact as a worthy villain! Have to say that I would agree with the person who mentioned Heath Ledger as The Joker…terrifying! Think he would have been in my top five.

    • Adam Brannon

      Thanks for the comment Helen, I completely forgot about Heath Ledger in Dark Knight but I’m still not 100% sure whether he would’ve featured or not.
      Scar is terrifying isn’t he?
      I hope you continue to enjoy reading Movie Metropolis.

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