2. Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of the Lambs
Most likely the most memorable for most people. (There's a lot of mosts in there.) But seriously, I'm sure a lot of you think it's preposterous I put Hannibal the cannibal in the number two spot and it was a tough, tough call. By the book, he's the number one for a lot of folks and rightfully so. Hannibal is the perfect mastermind and the perfect villain. He's cold, cool, and calculating, and what's the most terrifying about him is that he's so likable. This is definitely the professor you get together with to have drinks and discuss the finer things in life, to share a plate of fava beans and a nice chianti. I think that's what always got my skin tingling when it came to Hannibal, that you could become so close to this person, share in enlightening conversation, appreciate the finer things in life, think that you're both great pals, and then one day he may decide it's time to eat you. I feel like a fella' with a lot of good friends and for that I'm very fortunate. But I couldn't pin point the one who might also be a psychopath who wants to turn our dinner party into a murderous movable feast. The fact that, that could happen at the drop of a hat with Hannibal scares the hell out of me, especially in his cooperation with Clarice Starling and Will Graham. When you rely so heavily on a criminal mastermind to help you solve a couple horrific cases you never can tell when he may be leading you down a devilish path and, eventually, right into his trap. Because his motives are always up in the air, Hannibal becomes one of the most sadistic killers of all time, also because he holds his intelligence and power over our heads like a carrot. Hannibal knows when people need him and he takes great pride in knowing he's a valuable asset to the rest of the world, that to find a killer you've got to think like one and deal with the greatest. Because he holds himself so highly it means that he has, almost at all times, power over us, regardless of whether or not he's "locked up" in a padded cell. Even when he's behind bars Hannibal's gaze extends far beyond even our own. He's always three steps ahead of the rest of us and when his plans are fully realized they end in fear, panic, and bloodshed. Everyone on this list is terrifying as all hell, but only one person is both a murdering psychopath and a sinister criminal mastermind with class. Bravo, Mr. Lecter