10 Films Where Villains Are Introduced In Unique Ways

George Sluizer's incredible 1988 Dutch horror classic The Vanishing is unforgettable for not only its deeply disturbing twist ending, but also the highly unconventional means through which it depicts its murderous villain, Raymond (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu).

Raymond is the man responsible for the disappearance of Rex's (Gene Bervoets) girlfriend Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) early in the film, but rather than conceal Raymond's identity and save it for a third-act plot twist, Sluizer deals with him in shockingly matter-of-fact fashion.

In our very first glimpse of Raymond, we see him trying on a fake cast for his arm, which he ultimately uses to lure Saskia to her doom.

There is no attempt made to disguise Raymond or make him out to be cartoonishly evil - subsequent scenes depict him as a charming family man who dispassionately trains himself to abduct women.

As a result The Vanishing is a jaw-dropping portrayal of the banality of evil, presenting a difficulty-to-quantify villain who couldn't be further from the serial killer stereotype seen so often in Hollywood films.