Dr Lecter is perhaps one of the most charming characters on this list, although it is this charisma which heightens his status as a deranged psycopath. The Lecter we know and love, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, first graced our screens in 1991s The Silence of The Lambs. While remorselessly murdering is enough for most psychos, Hopkins character then feels the need to gorge on their flesh. Of course, Lecters preferential source of protein is not available in his local Sainsburys, so he obviously is forced to kill whenever possible. It is the threat we feel emminating from Lecter beneath all the charm and in spite of his incarceration for the vast majority of the film which announces his status as the most deranged, ominous psychopaths in the history of cinema. As Clarice Starling approaches his cell we are willing her to keep her distance lest she become his next meal; Lecter's imprisonment in no way detracts from the sense of foreboding we feel every time he is on screen. The worst thing about Lecter is that he is a necessity to the FBI due to his intelligence and connections. In The Silence of The Lambs, Lecter leads agent Clarice Starling to serial killer Buffalo Bill, all while managing to escape himself. Throughout the film we are tricked into believing that it is Bill who is the true psychopath but the reality is that Lecter significantly outranks him in the world of killers. His undeniable charm is what makes Lecter so dangerous. If he really did exist, wed almost definitely be charmed into ending up on his menu, accompanied by some fava beans and a nice chianti.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
