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GROUP FOUR
16. THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST (Margaret Hamilton) in THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939)
Back in the days when "Technicolor" was a new, damn-fangled technology, it was pretty tough to be a proper villain. Villains didn't have the power of CGI or pyro-technics to challenge their adversaries, and usually had to work on limited budgets. This made villainy, especially for rotten women, a very tough profession.
With all of these odds against her, the Wicked Witch of the West came through like the vile merkin of a villain champ she was meant to be. Setting what was then a new standard, the Wicked Witch of the west realized that a villain needed proper evil minions.
What did she do? Hire some lame goons with guns? A bug army? Hell no.
The Wicked Witch of the West had an army of EVIL FLYING MONKEYS. What the hell? Not a villain since that time can claim such a feat. Just imagine if she had access to laser-eye technology, she'd still be wrecking sh*t up to this day. Though the wicked witch also receives style points for green skin, warts and taunts like "I'll get you my pretty", the fact that Dorothy owned her with a cup of water (blame it on cheap makeup artists) takes her down a few notches on the villain's scale.
17. ANNIE WILKES (Kathy Bates) in MISERY (Columbia, 1990)
Annie Wilkes - masterfully portrayed by Kathy Bates - certainly would not classify herself as a villain. In Misery, she simply did what any good citizen would do if they happened to run across her favorite author injured in a car accident in the dead of winter. She took him in and helped him get better. It's the least his number one fan could do.
18. ARTHUR "CODY" JARRETT (James Cagney) in WHITE HEAT (Warner Bros., 1949)
Every third sentence coming out of Cody Jarretts mouth is endlessly quotable, this movie is Scarface of its time. Cagneys character in this movie is larger than life, one of the greatest gangster characters of all time... James Cagney - perhaps his greatest performance ever!
19. JOAN CRAWFORD (Faye Dunaway) in MOMMIE DEAREST (Paramount, 1981)
Based on the book by Christina, Mommie Dearest depicted Joan Crawford as an obsessive, controlling, drunk maniac who couldn't bear not being the center of attention. People my look at this villain and think...ho-hum. But, this is a true story and she was one hell of a bitch.
NURSE RATCHED (Louise Fletcher) in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (United Artists, 1975)
A cold, sadistic tyrant, Nurse Ratched has become the stereotype of the nurse as a "battleaxe." She has also become a popular metaphor for the corrupting influence of power and authority in bureaucracies such as the mental institution in which the novel is set. To be meaner than Jack Nicholson is a plus.
16. THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST (Margaret Hamilton) in THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939)
Back in the days when "Technicolor" was a new, damn-fangled technology, it was pretty tough to be a proper villain. Villains didn't have the power of CGI or pyro-technics to challenge their adversaries, and usually had to work on limited budgets. This made villainy, especially for rotten women, a very tough profession.
With all of these odds against her, the Wicked Witch of the West came through like the vile merkin of a villain champ she was meant to be. Setting what was then a new standard, the Wicked Witch of the west realized that a villain needed proper evil minions.
What did she do? Hire some lame goons with guns? A bug army? Hell no.
The Wicked Witch of the West had an army of EVIL FLYING MONKEYS. What the hell? Not a villain since that time can claim such a feat. Just imagine if she had access to laser-eye technology, she'd still be wrecking sh*t up to this day. Though the wicked witch also receives style points for green skin, warts and taunts like "I'll get you my pretty", the fact that Dorothy owned her with a cup of water (blame it on cheap makeup artists) takes her down a few notches on the villain's scale.
17. ANNIE WILKES (Kathy Bates) in MISERY (Columbia, 1990)
Annie Wilkes - masterfully portrayed by Kathy Bates - certainly would not classify herself as a villain. In Misery, she simply did what any good citizen would do if they happened to run across her favorite author injured in a car accident in the dead of winter. She took him in and helped him get better. It's the least his number one fan could do.
18. ARTHUR "CODY" JARRETT (James Cagney) in WHITE HEAT (Warner Bros., 1949)
Every third sentence coming out of Cody Jarretts mouth is endlessly quotable, this movie is Scarface of its time. Cagneys character in this movie is larger than life, one of the greatest gangster characters of all time... James Cagney - perhaps his greatest performance ever!
19. JOAN CRAWFORD (Faye Dunaway) in MOMMIE DEAREST (Paramount, 1981)
Based on the book by Christina, Mommie Dearest depicted Joan Crawford as an obsessive, controlling, drunk maniac who couldn't bear not being the center of attention. People my look at this villain and think...ho-hum. But, this is a true story and she was one hell of a bitch.
NURSE RATCHED (Louise Fletcher) in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (United Artists, 1975)
A cold, sadistic tyrant, Nurse Ratched has become the stereotype of the nurse as a "battleaxe." She has also become a popular metaphor for the corrupting influence of power and authority in bureaucracies such as the mental institution in which the novel is set. To be meaner than Jack Nicholson is a plus.
