If you say you’re a horror movie fan, that’s not really giving a lot of information. There are so many different types of horror movies and sub-genres of horror movies that two big fans of horror movies may like completely different films. While zombies, vampires, and werewolves all have their place, one of the most intriguing type of horror movie villains are psychopaths.
Human, yet incredibly evil, psychopaths are able to pass themselves off as another normal human being, yet how can you know that person standing next to you in an elevator is evil incarnate? While there are literally dozens and dozens of great psychopath movies, here is my list of the top ten movie psychopaths, based on charisma of the character, and scariness (so even though Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” is a classic, you won’t see it on this list).
10. Highwaymen 2003
This movie stars Jim Caviezel as the protagonist, Rennie Cray, a husband whose wife was murdered by Fargo, a serial killer who gets kicks murdering women with his 1972 Cadillac El Dorado. Most of Fargo’s body are prosthetics, but he managed to make his car like an extension of his body, and he travels around the country murdering women, and leaving clues to taunt Rennie as he tries to follow him from town to town. Fargo is cruel and taunting, and he picks his victims out and hunts them down. While the movie is an iffy B movie, Fargo is a great modern psychopath.
9. The Good Son 1993
Macaulay Culkin as Henry Evans proves that you don’t have to be an adult to be psychotic. Something about having a boy that young with no regard for human life whatsoever is creepy beyond belief. How often can a movie show a child smile, and you become chilled to the bone?
8. Silence of the Lambs 1991
Hannibal Lecter is one of the most infamous and bone chilling psychopaths to ever grace the big screen. Even more amazing is how long Lecter stays in your nightmares and gives you chills, considering in the movie “Silence of the Lambs,” this cultured, eloquent, and articulate cannibal and serial killer only has 17 minutes of total screen time.
7. Peeping Tom 1960
You have to hit the vaults to find this classic treasure. This movie was so disturbing that Director Michael Powell’s career never recovered after he directed this extremely controversial film. This film features the psychopath as the main character, as insane voyeur Carl Boehm films his female victims’ dying gasps as he impales them with a sharpened camera tripod. Even 50 years later this film is still scene as a ground breaking film in psychological horror.
6. The Night of the Hunter 1955
Movie psychopaths don’t come much more terrifying than the one portrayed by Robert Mitchum. He plays “The Reverend” Harry Powell, a religious fanatic who is on a crusade to rid the entire world of what he calls “perfume smellin’ things.” Reverend Powell is a twisted and murderous misogynist well known because of the switchblade he conceals in his pocket (take a guess at what he uses that for) and he has the words “Love” and “Hate” etched on his knuckles. Mitchum’s portrayal of this psychopath will stay with you long after the movie is over.
5. American Psycho 2000
Kudos to actor Christian Bale, who adopted a perfect American accent and a male model’s physique to play the part of white collar psychopath Patrick Bateman – a Wall Street hot shot by day who spends his spare time as a blood thirsty butcher in this gory cinematic gem. The scene where Bateman uses an axe to hack apart a rival piece by piece while dancing to Huey Lewis’s “Hip To Be Square” is well deserving of its infamy.
4. The Shining 1980
Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, writer turned mad man. “Here’s Johnny!” “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…” One of the most convincing movie psychos of all time, that big insane grin and evil eyed look is so well known it’s part of main stream cinema history.
3. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986
What is so frightening about this film is how mundane the act of violent murders are to the psychopaths in this film. It’s just normal, like picking up the mail, or shopping for some groceries. This film starts with a blue collar type of guy teaching a friend how to murder without getting caught. This is loosely based on a real life story of a serial killer, and Michael Rooker’s portrayal is unsettling because he seems like such a common man. After watching this movie, even you’re most normal of neighbors can seem threatening, if you’re the paranoid type.
2. No Country for Old Men 2007
Javier Bardem as sociopath Anton Chigurh is nothing short of evil personified in this film. Anton Chigurh almost took the top spot on this list, but one man barely held him off. Ice water doesn’t even begin to explain what runs through this psychopath’s veins, and the inventive weapon, refusal to stop, and the strange code of honor (heads or tails to see if you live or die—Friend-O) makes him even more terrifying. This is one of the best and most interesting psychopaths ever, which is appropriate since this is one of the best movies to come out in years.
1. Cape Fear 1991
Robert de Niro’s character, convicted rapist Max Cady, goes to prison. His defense attorney had a document that could have gotten him acquitted because the rape victim, a 16 year old girl, was promiscuous, but knowing what his client was like, he hid the document. In prison, Cady learned to read and vowed revenge. After 14 years in prison he tracks down the lawyer, starting by killing people related to the family. The scene involving a bed and hand cuffs is one of the most disturbing in the history of psycho movies, and Max Cady is too insane, too vengeful to bump out of #1, even if it was close.
Any honorable mentions list could include dozens of psychos, but this list is the top ten movie psychos of all time, and each film will deliver the chills and psychological horror that you yearn for.
Contributor: Shane Dayton
DeNiro overacted so much in Cape Fear I found it hilarious. Also they made Cady a crazed christian (bonus points for originality there, guys). Sorry Bobby, but you’re just not as scary as Mitchum
But if a DeNiro Psycho is going to be #1, it has to Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver.
for me hannibal was not that scary. expecially after reading the books and finding out why he is that way and the fact that he really only kills *****s. if you read the whole series you allmost end up liking the guy. american psycho deserved higher on the list.
I think Joshua should be on here. He’s one messed up child.
I’d have to say that Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men should have gotten the top spot. He was spot-on psycho.
agreeing with brotherman about falling down . there’s when you feel fear when someone just snaps,also saw posted rutger hower in the original hitcher…then again any movie where he plays a psycho which there are quite a few
Francis Dolarhyde from ‘Manhunter’ (1986). Helluva presence, especially when he shoots that guy on the lawn like he was waving away an irksome fly.
The Cable Guy is creepier than any of these
Ok, so I watched American Psycho tonite for the firt time. My boyfriend brought it home since i asked about it. Wow. That was just totally psycho(for lack of a better word.) But now I’m confused about the ending. Did he really kill those people or was it all in his head, or what? I’ll watch it again tomorrow and hopefully i can get it.
The Good Son is just a remake of the truly messed up child-psycho movie The Bad Seed.
My vote for Black Male Psycho:
Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris in the movie Training Day.
Maybe not a horror movie but he scared the hell out of me.
My vote for Female Psycho:
Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Her lipstick alone scared me.
My vote for Hottest Psycho:
Johnny Depp as Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Anyone who kills Borat is A #1 in my book.
I think that Kurt Russell was pretty good in Death Proof.
And Silence of the Lambs was a really good movie Hanibal Lector was scary as hell.
“I’m having an old friend for dinner” that line is just classic!!
great call on american psycho.
momento? the fact that he’s been killing for years and has NO IDEA makes him a bit noteworthy, since the movie never fully puts forth that he’s fully and completely insane and evil.
I’ve never seen any of these. Seriously. Of course due to my parents my cinema knowledge is seriously lacking.
Mom: I’m just using this list as an example. Go back and look at all the other “people” lists, and you’ll start to see what I’m getting at. It’s not horribly bad, yet, but I thought it should be addressed. Interesting that there’s no comment from jamie.
32.John-Word! “*****s don’t get a second chance.”
I was happy to see that Night of the Hunter was on the list. I would contend that Mitchum’s version of Max Cady was scarier than De Niro’s. The scene where Cady is attacked by the hired thugs in the original was frightening to me.
Macaulay Culkin also played a fantastic Psychopath in the movie Party Monster… creepy.
Michael Douglas Falling down???
good list, De Niro’s accent alone is creepy in cape fear. Also Alex from a clockwork orange and Bill Paxton’s character from frailty are two of my favorites
No one has mentioned the guy from Seven. He’s only on screen the last of the movie, but we see the results of his work throught the whole movie. Scary!!
i think alex delarge from clockwork orange should be on this list…im kinda disappointed he isn’t
I agree with Kevin Spacey in Se7en! Kevin Spacey is one of my favorites, he is really underrated!
Peter Lorre in “M” ?
akkris: excellent suggestion. i had forgotten about him. when somebody is smart, rational and as the movie says “methodical, patient and a total nut bag” you’ve got the makings for a truly disturbed man.
Where is Amon Goeth from Schindlers List?
Slammerworm: isn’t Dolarhyde from Red Dragon of the Hannibal series?
Lyrebyrd: Good call on Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth. I forgot about him but he would be #1 in my book. That was the scariest performance I’d ever seen.
“Don’t you *****ing look at me!”
“Mommy, mommy, baby wants to *****!”
What a psychopath.
Great list, as usual. You get people talking. that’s always a good thing. Another vote for Se7en. A true psycho believes in what he is doing. Kevin spacey was perfect. Also Tyler Durden. In falling down, Michael Douglas wasn’t psycho through the whole movie. he was fed up with being walked on, and lashed out.
Dennis Hopper was crazy as hell in Blue Velvet, so I agree with Borg and Lyrebyrd. ***** That ***** – PABST BLUE RIBBON or
I’ll ***** anything that moves!
Where’s Charlize Theron? She always seems to make my lists but like Hopper, I was truly freaked out by that character in Monster (though the real person was even scarier).
Andy Robinson who played Scorpio in Dirty Harry was a friggin lunatic too – paying some dude to kick his ass. And his screeching I got rights! While Harry was stepping on his gunshot wounded leg.
Love the list! I would have included the woman from Misery, but this is great nonetheless.
I love American Psycho and it cemented my love for Christian Bale a long time ago. But I will say that I don’t think that is was meant as a satire or gorey comedy (I forget the poster and don’t feel like scrolling up now, sorry). I think it was meant to show that even the most sane people, who appear sane to everyone around them, can be insane on the inside. Because he looked so perfect and had the perfect job and (up until a certain point) said all the perfect things, everyone assumed him to be perfectly upstanding.
How about Colm Feore on “The Storm of the Century”? or Mark Wahlberg in “Fear”?
I don’t understand what it is about No Country For Old Men,I’ve been trying to watch it for three days and I’m still struggling to finish it.Granted,Javier portrayed the character excellently,but the movie is downright boring.
“Bates” from Psycho should definately be on the list, along with “leatherface” if he is considered a psychopath (and not just a maniac) and the roomate from Single White Female
I like the comments, some very good suggestions – I’d like to throw in for Sergi Lopez’s Captain Vidal in Pan’s Labyrinth (The Labyrinth of the Faun). I believe toward the end of the movie he sees how damaged he’s become, and doesn’t care or change a bit.
Red flag moment: beating an innocent man to death and shooting the man’s father immediately afterward; then after finding exonerating evidence in the old man’s satchel, turning to his aide to say “perhaps this will teach you to next time conduct a proper search.” I’m fairly immune to movies these days, but this film got to me, and that scene was actually shocking.
This list sucks.
christian bale is a god
My wife!
Loved SotL. Hannibal Lecter is completely in both worlds-the cut-throat (literally) world of the worst and the elegant, sophisticated world of the best of human nature . . .
American Psycho was a look at the shallow selfish Yuppie 80s culture-no one notices anything he does, they’d too focused on getting their hair done. Darkly hilarious.
Dear Shane, like your list. I love Dr. Hannibar Lecter only at the Silence of the Lamb. I kind of dissapoint to watch him at the other sequel and prequel. I did really get pretty scared the first time I saw Robert de Niro at the Cape Fear. I wouldn’t go outside after dark for a while. American Psycho really got me distrubed, scare and kind of fall in love with Patrick Bateman. And I laughed at how annoyed he was when he compared his colleague’s name card or smirked at his comment to his secretary on how to dress to the (his) office. The Shinning the novel excel the movie much more.
Keep on going, Shane. How about the scariest novel ever written?
here are a few others
Benoit – Man Bites Dog
norman Bates – Psycho
Jon Doe – se7en
Alex Delarge – A Clockwork Orange
Mr. Blonde – Reservoir Dogs
Frank – Blue Velvet
Annie Wilkes – Misery
Although i am sure everybody is sick of hearing this but the Joker from “the dark knight” is rather chilling.
oh and Me-Jkt the film version of The shining is far better than the book. it is cryptic, creepy, disorienting and perfectly crafted in a poetic fashion. The book is a little silly and the film takes itself very seriously which i appreciate because of Kubricks mature obsession with film.
I tried to watch No Country For Old Men, it was just too dull. Why is it the best films of the year？
a psycho list without norman bates? hmmm..
Anthony Hopkins- Mutiny On The Bounty/Silence Of The Lambs and Juliette Lewis- Natural Born Killers should be crowned King & Queen of the asylum because they’re the only two characters that have managed to really just plain flat-out creep the **** outta me!
Though Charlize Theron gets a runner up prize for “Monster”.
List should be updated to include the joker. i mean really even if you think everything else sucked about The Dark Knight you had to think the joker was as crazy as they come.
Yes, the Joker from Dark Knight should be included. And after watching Phone Booth again I noticed that the Caller is a real psycho, too.
LEDGER as the joker in the dark knight was great I thought the bank robbery was the best part actually. p.s. BALE in AMERICAN PSYCO is just great so is COSTNER in MR. BROOKS And what about PITT in KALIFORNIA he is a psyco right
Ledger should definitely make this list, but I do agree with Cape Fear. I skimmed the list hoping to find it, simply because Robert Deniro is absolutely terrifying during the entire movie.
Although Hannibal Lecter may seem like a psychopath, do not mistake him for one. He doesn’t have a skewed view of right and wrong like the majority of pschopaths. If you were to have put Jame Gumb I would have to agree, yet I feel that you have listed the wrong man.
I agree with thepennymachine!
Alex Delarge from A Clockwork Orange is pretty pshychotic too! That weirdo scares the ***** outta me!
I think Mark Wahlberg deserves at least an honorable mention for his portrayal of David in “Fear.” He was so soft-spoken and out of his freaking mind, I couldn’t help but be freaked out a little. I think Wahlberg did an excellent job and it was very believable to me.
I just watched American Gangster and Denzel is definatly a psycho because he ruins the life of every addict as well as the lives of all his brothers and mother, kills a man in front of hundreds of witnesses, loses everything in the end and never for a second reflects on the destruction he has caused. Instead you get the sense that he has no concience,or moral code.
Oh and Nickolas Cage in Lord Of War is also a psychopath, he knows what the weapons do but takes no responsiblity for it and sees no wrong He also ruins the lives of everyone around him. When we see his brothers emotionally suitable reaction to the fact that the weapons being sold will immediatly be used on a refugee camp housing women and children and his inability to live with this its obvious there is something “different” about Cages character.
I still think There Will Be Blood got the raw end of the deal last year. No Country for Old Men WAS an incredible movie, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that There Will Be Blood was better. Daniel Plainview was just as much of a psychopath as many on this list, and good at hiding it too. The final scene in his mini-bowling alley left me speechless.
How about
Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs)
Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) * Original film *
Scorpio (Dirty Harry)
Harry Powell is not a psychopath. Psychopaths are sane, he obviously has some sort of mental illness if he believes god wants him to kill.
You describe Culkin in the good son as being psychotic yet you say this list is a list of psychopaths. When someones psychotic they aren’t sane. Ive never seen the movie so maybe the character in question is a psychopath,but your falsely wrote that he is psychotic
There is also another real nutter in the Australian movie Wolf Creek. They say it was an equal to Cape fear or verry close to it than any other movie, and is based on a true story.
whaddabout Forrest Whitaker as Idi Amin. I lost some sleep over that one.
simon felix from demoliton man he had a sense of humor at least
How did Norman Bates not amek this list?
What about A Clockwork Orange? That was creepy. But great list nonetheless.
I feel obliged to remind people that a psychopath is NOT psychotic. That is why Norman Bates and Kathy Bates are not on the list. For that matter, Jack Nicolson’s work in ‘The Shining’ should not have made this list because he was PSYCHOTIC, not PSYCHOPATHIC.
Let me illustrate the difference: if I were to kill any member who posted that so-and-so should have made the list because I saw a code in their writing that revealed to me they were possessed by the Devil, that would be psychotic. If I killed you for some reason, say, boredom/it seemed like fun/you interfered with something I was doing, that would be psychopathic.
Anyone reading this, please keep this in mind for future reference or I might just go into a killing rage over the mistaken interchangeability of the two illnesses. Thank you! ~