8. John Kramer (Jigsaw) Saw Series
John Kramer comes back to that idea I stated earlier in the article that the scariest villains are those who believe their actions are justified. Kramer realises, after being diagnosed with cancer, that life is actually pretty special. What a great revelation. That is until he decides to use his new-found awareness to torture people into feeling the same. The original Jigsaw, Kramer creates traps that dismember and mutilate innocent victims. The catch is that, by doing extremely painful and difficult things, these victims can survive their ordeals...giving them the same new outlook on life he has. His justification is that people are earning the right to respect their lives. Hes most certainly a psychotic villain.
7. Voldemort Harry Potter Series
Heres a villain that deserves to be on this list just because of how damn long it took the heroes to get rid of him. Voldemort starts out as a murderous psychopath who, like a fantasy version of Hitler, wants to exterminate half-blood wizards who he sees as inferior to him. He then goes on to kill an extremely bright wizard couple but spares a young boy. Big mistake, buddy. After he is finally killed, he still doesnt give up his fight for injustice, however. A number of years later he decides to return as the back of a mans head. Deciding that this isnt the best form to fight the forces of good, he eventually resurrects himself fully and murders a whole lot more innocent people, before tearing down an expensive private school and ultimately being killed by the same young boy he spared all those years ago. Because of his shelf-life alone, Voldemort has earned a place as one of the greatest film villains of the 21st century. Did you notice that Ralph Fiennes got two entries into the top 10, by the way?
6. Bill the Butcher Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York was a fantastic epic. Martin Scorseses historical gangster epic covering the origins of New York had plenty going for it, and one of those huge outstanding features was, by far, Daniel Day Lewiss performance as the psychotic Bill the Butcher. An expert with knives and a very cruel character, Bill is willing to kill his enemies in broad daylight and sees himself as virtually indestructible. His personal relationship with the protagonist, Amsterdam, having killed his father, makes him a compelling antagonist. What's more, the threat of this man is emphasised by the very fact that he has been in charge long enough to be facing off against the child of his old enemy.