7. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood
Played By: Daniel Day-Lewis At the centre of Paul Thomas Anderson's epic masterpiece is a ruthless oilman who possesses as many of mankind's negative attributes as is possible. He is manipulative, ruthless, cruel, terrorising and vengeful. Plainview is as ferociously frightening as Leatherface and as cunning as Hannibal Lecter and his relentless quest for totalitarian power is never-ending, no matter what the cost to his soul or those around him, most importantly his son and his nemesis, the charlatan, Eli. Daniel Day-Lewis gives his mightiest performance as Plainview, completely dominating the screen with his stature and words. He towers above all, forcing them to bow and cower before his presence. Plainview is a colossus of a man who is psychologically unnerving as he is capable of anything and more than willing to cross any line to get what he wants. He jumps from calculated deception to roaring intimidation in a whim and Eli found out the true meaning of vengeance in the film's riveting climactic scene.
6. Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of the Lambs
Played By: Anthony Hopkins Hannibal is the perfect movie villain - he is utterly insane, irredeemably chilly but charming and clever. Anthony Hopkins delivers one of the all time great acting performances as the cannibal who helps the FBI catch a serial killer and he earns an Academy Award for his efforts despite being on screen for around 16 minutes. Lecter is an unassuming, unimposing man that looks as if he should be working in a library, not committing vile, unspeakable acts. But that's the genius to the characterisation of Lecter - he's a calculated sociopath who keeps you on edge without doing anything. Anthony Hopkins' eyes tell the story of Lecter - they are still and sinister, hiding something of great darkness. The minimalist movements of Hopkins create a scarier effect than any grandiose set-piece as the character becomes psychologically intimidating. Lecter by nature is animalistic, always patient, biding his time to strike and he does in his epic blood-soaked escape from prison. Hannibal Lecter is one of the few screen villains who scares us more through his words than actions.
5. Frank Booth - Blue Velvet
Played By: Dennis Hopper The late, great Dennis Hooper convinced David Lynch to cast him in the role of Frank Booth by proclaiming that he was Frank, which is a very scary thought indeed considering who Frank Booth is. Frank Booth is a sadomasochistic, profanity obsessed psychopath who takes unnerving delight in participating in disturbing acts, none more so than his rape of Dorothy whilst inhaling an undescribed drug which Hopper later claimed was amyl nitrate. Blue Velvet resurrected Hopper's career and made Frank Booth an instant icon of cinema. Booth is one of the most dangerous characters to ever appear in cinema as his ferocious instability and penchant for extreme violence with little regard for anything kept you on edge throughout. There are charming villains and tragic villains but Frank Booth just wants to see hurt and destruction as he swaggers about with terror and menace afraid of nobody. In his lengthy and storied career, Hopper never managed to top his unchained and deeply unsettling performance as Frank Booth that would leave the hardest of men with nightmares.