Top 20 Movie Villains of the 1990's
By Connor Eyzaguirre
The 1990's brought us some of the best movies ever made, as well as some of the most diabolical and dastardly villains. From Hannibal Lecter to Keyser Soze, we saw the emergence of movie villains that would become legends and cultural icons. This is my definitive list of the 20 greatest movie villains to come out of the 1990's. While some are obvious, others may surprise you.
20.) Captain Hook in Hook (1991)
We begin with Dustin Hoffman's captivating performance as the villainous Captain Hook in 1991's Hook. He played the Captain like we'd never seen before. A sad, broken man who lives only for vengeance against Peter Pan. Since Peter's an adult in this film, it's reasonable to assume that Hook has been holding on to nothing but revenge for a good thirty years. He's cold, ruthless, and has no qualms about murdering children. Not a very good role model.
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19.) Edgar the Bug in Men in Black (1997)
Vincent D'Onofrio's performance as Edgar is easily the best villain of the Men in Black franchise (though MIB 3's Boris the Animal is easily a close second). D'Onofrio owns every scene he's in, giving us a gruesome alien villain who wants to start a war on Earth and destroy the humans in the crossfire. Having killed a farmer upon arriving on our planet, skinned him, and proceeded to wear his deteriorating skin, Edgar commits so much murder and mayhem that it's impossible not to put him on this list.
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18.) Imhotep in The Mummy (1999)
Arnold Vosloo's take on the infamous Mummy in 1999's franchise reboot remains infinitely creepy. Though The Mummy did not have many fans (I, however, loved it), Imhotep was a terrifying presence in every scene he was in. Imhotep was a high priest to the pharaoh who plotted to kill him, and after doing so, he was mummified alive and cursed. If he was ever awakened, he would be invincible and cover Egypt in darkness. Big surprise, he woke up. Rumors of another reboot are circulating, and I can't help but wonder who will attempt to fill Vosloo's shoes. I doubt they can do it as well as he did.
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17.) Castor Troy in Face/Off (1997)
No 90's villain countdown is complete without a little Cage. 1997's Face/Off is one of the best action flicks of the decade, providing us with not one, but two Castor Troys. Both Nicolas Cage and John Travolta played the psychotic terrorist, giving audiences two over-the-top performances that are still entertaining to see. Between the two, Cage's performance is the best, with his introduction being one of the most unintentionally funny moments of Cage's career.
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16.) The Candyman in Candyman (1992)
Tony Todd is one of the creepiest actors in the business, so it's no surprise that his most famous role would land him on this list. The eponymous Candyman from 1992's Candyman is the ghost of a murdered slave who returns from the dead to brutally murder anybody who says his name into the mirror five times. He has a hook wedged in a bloody stump and is filled with bees. He is easily the most disturbing villain to come out of the 90's and his performance is still chill-inducing to this day.
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15.) Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The 90's was a great decade for Disney films, with movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and of course The Hunchback of Notre Dame becoming instant classics. And while all of these films had great villains, it was Claude Frollo from Notre Dame that was the most realistic and terrifying. He was a judge with a God complex who wanted to hunt down and kill every gypsy in Paris. He murdered Quasimodo's mother and raised him in the bell tower under the guise that his mother died birthing Quasimodo. What makes him so disturbing, however, is the scene where he sings about lusting after the gypsy Esmeralda and faces an army of demons who appear in a wave of fire. Yeah, thanks for the nightmares, Disney.
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14.) Norman Stansfield in Lèon: The Professional (1994)
Gary Oldman plays an incredible villain, and his role of Norman Stansfield in Lèon: The Professional is maybe his best. Stansfield is a corrupt DEA agent who's dealing on the side and is after young Mathilda for witnessing a murder. Lèon is the assassin she goes to for help, prompting a battle between him and Stansfield that culminates in one of the best shootouts in movie history. Oldman is so crazy as Stansfield, so much to the point that it's almost ridiculous, giving us a glimpse at how insane this man really is. He owns the role and chews every scene he's in. Would we expect anything less from Gary Oldman?
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13.) Ghostface in Scream (1996)
Before the Scary Movie franchise goofed him up, the iconic Ghostface from Scream was the most terrifying face of the 1990's. He was a remorseless killer who murdered dozens of people in his sick game he played with Sidney Prescott. Even in the sequels, no matter who the killer was, the face remained the same. A cheap costume turned into the face of evil itself. Because of that face, the Scream franchise remains one of the best horror franchise ever made.
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12.) Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
What's scarier than the Boogieman? Nothing, that's what! Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas is the creepiest animated villain of all time. He's so evil that even the fearsome creatures of Halloweentown fear him. He's made of bugs, has a gambling addiction, and has no problem torturing Santa Claus. His musical number is definitely one of the best in the film and cements his place on this list.
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11.) The Raptors in Jurassic Park (1993)
Before the dinosaurs even show up in Jurassic Park, we're led to believe that it isn't the Tyrannosaurus we should be scared of. It's the Velociraptors. While the T-Rex is fearsome and terrifying, the Raptors are far creepier. They're smarter, they're stealthier, and they hunt in packs. When the Raptor cage goes belly-up, the entire tone of the movie shifts from dinosaur adventure to horror thriller as the humans are picked off one by one by these carnivorous monsters. Maybe they shouldn't have cloned every dinosaur.
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10.) Pennywise in It (1990)
Despite being a made for TV movie, 1990's It is one of the creepiest movies of all time, with Tim Curry's performance of Pennywise being the sole reason. Pennywise is an interdimensional monster that disguises itself as a clown in order to terrify his victims even more before he eats them. Oh, and did we mention he feeds on children? The creepiness factor jumps to 11 every time he appears on screen and he manages to keep us captivated in a three-hour plus film that spans two discs. That alone is a feat worthy of this list.
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9.) Amon Goeth in Schindler's List (1993)
This Nazi scumbag is the commandant of a death camp. That's all the credentials he needs to get on this list. Ralph Fiennes earned his first Oscar nomination for this role, playing Goeth as creepily charming but incredibly sadistic. Schindler's List is a phenomenal film that will live on for decades, as will Fiennes's performance as this vicious Nazi bastard.
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8.) John Doe in Se7en (1995)
Se7en is an unbelievably disturbing film, with each murder being more gruesome than the last. Kevin Spacey played John Doe, the psycho religious killer behind a series of brutal murders related to the seven deadly sins. When he finally appears, the film's tone becomes much creepier (if that's even possible) and we all start bouncing with anticipation as we try to figure out his endgame. To those of you who haven't seen the movie, let me just say heads up.
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7.) T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Robert Patrick's T-1000 is one of the best sci-fi villains of all time. He is cold, ruthless, and state-of-the-art, providing more than a match for Ah-nold's outdated T-800. From the get-go, we were scared of the T-1000 and once we know he's made of liquid metal and can morph into other people, we were terrified. He's the perfect yin to Schwarzenegger's yang, being seemingly indestructible and always getting up no matter what the good Terminator throws at him. I wouldn't want to get on this guy's bad side.
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6.) Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects (1995)
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." This line catapulted Verbal Kint, aka the legendary crime lord Keyser Soze, into the annals of movie villain history and earned Kevin Spacey his first Oscar. The Usual Suspects is a brilliant film and a perfect example of impeccable screenwriting, with the character of Verbal narrating the overall tale from inside a police station following a botched heist. Throughout the whole film, we are led to believe he is nothing but a lowly henchman who's afraid of Keyser Soze, but as the ending reveals, he is so much more than that.
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5.) Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990)
Annie Wilkes is every writer's worst nightmare: The ultimate fan who will go to any lengths to bring her favorite character back to life. In 1990's Misery, Annie rescues her favorite author Paul Sheldon from a car crash and nurses him back to health, making Paul think she's his savior. But after she reads his newest book and finds out her favorite character has been killed off, Annie goes from angel to devil in a flash, torturing Paul and demanding he write a do-over. What cements her place on this list is the infamous hobbling scene that still leaves viewers with ankle pain. Just thinking about it hurts.
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4.) Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Mr. Blonde is the worst of the bunch, and that's saying something when every character in the film is either a hardened killer or an undercover cop. He's a man of few words and little patience, and is more than happy to murder innocent people if it means the job is over faster. His defining moment, of course, is the scene where he tortures a cop for fun and cuts his ear off, all while dancing to Stealers Wheel's 'Stuck in the Middle With You,' a song that has since become iconic. Mr. Blonde will always be Michael Madsen's greatest role.
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3.) Agent Smith in The Matrix (1999)
The second he appeared on screen, we knew who the big bad was gonna be. Agent Smith is a computer program designed to seek and destroy escaped humans, but his primary objective is to kill the One. Upon learning of the existence of Neo, Smith becomes obsessed with him, even to go so far as to cut himself off from the other agents and fight Neo himself. Hugo Weaving's performance still gives me chills, even in the sequels. The second we hear him address Neo as "Mr. Anderson," we know something is going down.
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2.) Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990)
Has there ever been a crazier movie mobster than Tommy DeVito? Joe Pesci delivered the greatest performance of his career with this Mafioso role that earned him an Oscar. He's a psychotically unstable gangster who will kill anyone who insults him, no matter who they're connected to. Even though he's loyal to Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway, they're still afraid of him. There will never be another mobster like Tommy ever again. After all, the Mafia movie pretty much died in the 90's and I'm 90% sure Tommy's the one who murdered it.
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1.) Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Taking the number one spot is the creepiest doctor in movie history, Hannibal Lecter. A genius with a god complex and a habit for eating his patients, Dr. Lecter is confined in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and only gets around 16 minutes of screen time. But Anthony Hopkins owns every single one of those scenes, giving us a glimpse into the mind of a true psychopath. Hopkins's performance earned him an Oscar that was well-deserved and he played the role two more times in 2001's Hannibal and 2002's Red Dragon, shining brightly in both. Though the role of Hannibal Lecter has been played by several others, nobody will ever top Anthony Hopkins in a role that cemented his place as the greatest movie villain of the 1990's.
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