15 Chilling Movie Villains That Are Harrowing To Watch

Stanley Kubrick's unforgettable horror film does perhaps miss the point of Stephen King's novel in that Jack is already evidently a bit nuts from the start, rather than gradually descending into madness. This removes much of the novel's depth, so unlike with most of the characters on this list the character's power depends specifically on the performer and less on the writing. Luckily, Jack Nicholson delivers a performance for the ages and one of the best bits of acting in horror history.

Nicholson's demented, crazy and legitimately terrifying performance is still incredible to watch and there's a good reason it has influenced popular culture so much. It's the hammy performance to end all hammy performances and while these performances often veer into comedic territory - not always intentionally - here every little tic adds up to a portrait of madness so frightening and so convincing you'll forget you're watching an actor at all.

Jack Torrance is so crazy that he's intensely difficult to watch, but at the same time thanks to Nicholson's mesmerizing performance it's impossible to look away.