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Top 10 Best Female Villains

By Noelle Buffam · August 22, 2011

You have to admit, the female villain has a certain spark to her.

Maybe it's because no one suspects her. Or maybe it's because our society traditionally believes women to be incapable of certain atrocities. Better yet, maybe it's because she uses her "feminine charm" to befuddle those around her.

Playing an integral part in the movie industry, female villains account for some of the best film characters ever made. They are powerful, intriguing, and sometimes… down right freaky.

I know what you are thinking. The latex-covered Catwoman. The flowing red-locks of Poison Ivy. Don't get me wrong, these villains are great. They use their looks as a weapon, and kick-ass while doing it. However, film gives female villains a chance to be more than the classic "femme fatale", expanding on their backstories and motivations.

Whether it's her actions, her personality, or her looks, she defies what is expected of her – that’s what makes female villains so intricate and challenging. So, here's to the ladies that have scared, taunted, manipulated, or killed their way on to the Top 10 Female Villains list. To the women!

10. Eve Harrington – All About Eve (1950)

Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, All About Eve is a Hollywood staple. No doubt, the success of the film hinges much on the character of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). An aspiring actress and con-artist, Harrington maneuvers her way into the life of the celebrated star, Margo Channing. It is here that Eve wreaks havoc. She uses her new-found connections to become a star herself, leaving a trail of lies and betrayal. To say that Eve is ambitious is an understatement. She uses and abuses people under the facade of a naïve, innocent girl to achieve her goals. In the film she is described as a person who has "a contempt for humanity, an inability to love or be loved, insatiable ambition – and talent." And while she is successful in her pursuit, the destruction she causes is tangible. It is clear that Eve loves fame, power, and money above everything else.

9. Cruella de Vil – One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

A wise man once told me, "If you want your villain to be truly hated, he should be capable of killing puppies and babies.” Yes, it's the epitome of evil to bring harm to creatures that are known universally as a symbol of innocence and joy. Enter: Cruella de Vil. If you don't get the proper image of de Vil from her name, then her theme song will certainly do the trick: "The curl of her lips, the ice in her stare, all innocent children had better beware, she's like a spider waiting for the kill, look out for Cruella de Vil.” I admit to having a certain affinity for Ms. de Vil. In fact, the best birthday present I ever received was on my 5th birthday – a lavish, faux Dalmatian-fur coat (with matching headband). Yes, she has the whole "clubbing-puppies" thing going on, but Cruella de Vil is a great female villain not only because of her "profession,” but also because of her look. A painted face. Hair: half white and half black. Tall, skinny, she has angles that would make a Picasso painting jealous. Her look gives off an air of desperation, as she clings on to all things glamorous. Throw in a quellazaire, and the character (voiced by Betty Lou Gerson and animated by Marc Davis) becomes an iconic villain – the one, the only, Cruella de Vil.

8. Rosa Klebb – From Russia With Love (1963)

She's not exactly what you think of when you hear "bond girl.” But, though she is squat and harsh, Rosa Klebb is definitely a 007 staple. In 1963's From Russia With Love, Colonel Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) plays the main antagonist. Cold and calculating, Klebb is a former SMERSH agent who has defected and joined the ranks of SPECTRE. Klebb does not fall into the girlish epidemic known as the "falling-in-love-with-James-Bond-syndrome" like her other female counterparts. Instead, she plots to kill him. She manipulates her way into his life and almost succeeds. In a last ditch attempt, she attempts to kill bond with a poison-tipped shoe blade (pretty cool, right?). While she doesn't succeed in her mission, she goes down in history as a bad-ass villain. Her character is even credited as inspiration for Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers and Irina Spalko fromIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

7. The Queen – Aliens (1986)

So, The Queen from Aliens isn't what you had in mind when you were thinking about female villains. But, being both female and horrifyingly scary, The Queen makes one damn good villain. In the 1986 sequel, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) reluctantly joins a Marines mission as an alien consultant. The heavily armed expedition goes in search of making contact with the colony on LV-426. Soon, Ripley discovers the alien Queen and her egg chamber. She destroys most of the eggs, enraging the Queen. The alien rips free of it's ovipositor and hunts down Ripley and Newt. Unbeknownst the them, the Queen has stowed away on the landing gear. She emerges, impaling one of the Marines and tearing him in half. Ripley and the Queen battle it out in a scene to be remembered. And while she breaks the mold, the Queen teaches a lesson about female villains: whether they are human or alien, big or small, beautiful or grotesque – don't mess with a mother’s babies. She will kick some serious ass.

6. Joan Crawford – Mommie Dearest (1981)

In the 1981 film Mommie Dearest, Faye Dunaway portrays the iconic Joan Crawford. Based on the a memoir by Crawford's adopted daughter, Christina Crawford, the film chronicles Christina's traumatic childhood at the hands of the infamous Screen Queen. From the outside, Joan Crawford is the perfect mother. She's wealthy, famous, and classy. She showers her two adopted children with elaborate gifts. However, when her life spirals out of control because of men, alcohol, and the pressure of showbiz, she takes it out on her children. In the most famous scene of the film, Crawford loses control after drinking heavily and enters her daughter's room to find her clothes hung on wire hangers. She roughly rouses Christina from her sleep, yelling at her about how she should know better. She pulls her daughter out of bed, raises one of the wire hangers, and hits her repeatedly with it, screaming, "No! Wire! Hangers!"… and like that one of film's most iconic lines is born. Yes, with the audience juxtaposing Joan Crawford's screen reputation with the ugly look into her home life, it's no wonder Crawford makes up one of the most fascinating and complex villains on this list.

5. Annie Wilkies – Misery (1990)

Remember what I said about a villain killing puppies and babies? Well, meet Annie Wilkies (Kathy Bates). The 1990 film, Misery, tells her story based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. In the film, Wilkies rescues the protagonist, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) after he is critically injured in a car accident. Wilkies discovers that Sheldon is her favorite author and reveals, "I'm your number one fan." While tending to him, she reads his newest manuscript and discovers that he kills off her favorite character: Misery. Suddenly, things start to go awry. She lashes out at him, keeping him hostage and torturing him. She forces Sheldon to burn the manuscript and write a new novel where Misery stays alive. One night Wilkies shows Sheldon her scrapbook, revealing that she is a serial killer. Not only that, but she killed her father, her college roommate, and multiple hospital patients (including 11 babies). Subjected to both physical and psychological torture, the crippled Sheldon must now escape her clutches. Out of all the villains on this list, Annie Wilkies proves to be truly memorable. From her look, to her obsession with Misery, to her spastic behavior, her image is haunting not only to Sheldon, but to us all.

4. Alex Forrest – Fatal Attraction (1987)

I imagine she is every man's worst nightmare. Imagine this: you meet a beautiful and intriguing woman. You have a passion-filled, romantic weekend. However, right when decide to put you're lusty weekend behind you and return to normal life, bam! You realize she is completely insane. A psycho. Better yet? She is now totally obsessed with you and will stop at nothing to have you again. That's what happens in 1987'sFatal Attraction. The now infamous Alex Forrest (Glen Close) does a number or crazy and vindictive things to get Dan Gallangher (Michael Douglass) back into her life. Her antics include, but are not limited to, killing a bunny, stalking his family, and kidnapping his child. The best thing about Alex Forrest? The way she plays mind games with Gallangher. Yes, Forrest is a great villain because of the way she bends emotions and manipulates people to get her way.

3. Nurse Ratched – One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975)

Nurse Ratched is one of the most famous literary characters of all time. And with the 1975 filmOne Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, her character has become a current day metaphor for corruption and abusive authority. Nurse Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher) is the head nurse at a mental institution in Oregon. She practices absolute power, restricting the patients from everyday privileges and basic necessities. She encourages the use of anti-psychotic drugs, and has her own special "form of therapy,” in which she humiliates the patients into cooperating with her. When Randal McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) arrives at the institution, her regime is almost destroyed. Nurse Ratched's solution? She has the troublemaker lobotomized. Cool and calculating, Nurse Ratched is a great villain. While her villain counterparts on the list scream of evil, Ratched is more refined… achieving her agenda in a quieter (but just as dangerous) way.

2. Cathrine Tramell – Basic Instinct (1992)

One critic described Basic Instinct's Cathrine Tramell (Sharon Stone) as, "a mix between the classic femme fatal and the new psycho killers.” He went on to say one of the most evil characters ever created, on Hannibal Lector's level." Yes, to be on Hannibal Lector's level is one of the highest compliments a female villain (or any villain for that matter) can receive, and Tramell proves to be worthy. In the film, she plays the main antagonist and love interest of the "washed-up" detective, Nick Curran (Michael Douglas). Tramell became extremely wealthy from an inheritance… something she received after she killed her parents. She is very smart, perhaps even brilliant. She is a master of manipulation, able to use her charisma to win over virtually every person she meets. Tramell blatantly uses her sexuality as a weapon, even seducing Curran. However, the most villainous thing about her is within her motivation. She seems to kill not only when it befits her; she uses murder as a form of amusement.

1. The Evil Queen- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

She's the villain that seems to have started it all. Beautiful. Powerful. Cruel. The Evil Queen came onto the scene as the main antagonist in a German fairytale, collected by the Brothers Grimm. However, her story is most recognizable in the 1937 Disney filmSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After marrying a widowed king, the Evil Queen (voiced by Lucille La Verne) lets her vanity and narcissism get the best of her. Jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty, she hatches a plan to have Snow White murdered. The Evil Queen insists that her faithful huntsman take Snow White deep into the forest and kill her, bringing her heart back in a box. Ah yes, the beauty of a mother's love. However, when her magic mirror reveals Snow White is still alive, the Evil Queen takes matters into her own hands. She mixes a potion that turns her into an ugly, old witch – a true personification of evil – and is able to trick Snow White into eating a poisonous apple. Yes, since the Evil Queen arrived, she has had a dramatic impact on the villain archetype. Her character has been repeated, referenced, and celebrated for over 60 years in popular culture. And as the quintessential female villain, the Evil Queen is most certainly the "scariest of them all"… a title not even Snow White can take from her.