10 Scariest Mad Scientists In Horror Movies

There are many reasons why a scientist can be driven to madness such as grief, revenge, or rejection. But for Antonio Banderas's Dr Robert Ledgard in The Skin I Live In, it was all three. After his wife suffered horrific burns across her body, she was driven to suicide. Ledgard was heartbroken but this tragedy inspired him to try and create synthetic skin that could withstand burns. When his colleagues ordered him to abandon his research, Ledgard was devastated.

Worse still, a man called Vicente viciously beat Ledgard's daughter, which traumatised her so badly, she convinced herself she was raped by her father. Unable to live with the shame, she took her own life.

As a result, Ledgard kidnapped Vicente and spent six years transforming him into a replica of his wife against his will by reforming his body with synthetic skin. Ledgard's experiment had three purposes - to punish his daughter's killer, to be taken seriously by his peers, and to reunite with his partner on a psychological level.

Even though you can sympathise with the doctor, it doesn't change the fact that his actions are pretty messed up.