Bleed You Will Part 1

When I say "Film Villains" what comes straight to your head? Would Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers or Chucky be the first villains you think off, or are do you think of villains like Alex from A Clockwork Orange, John Ryder from the Hitcher or Norman Bates from Psycho. You are probably asking yourself what's the difference between all these villains. The answer is this: these villains convey the human condition or the darker side of human nature and that is what this blog is going to be all about. This is my top 20 favourite human villains from cinema (in no specific order). There will be no Darth Vader, Chucky or Pinhead so don't even ask why they are not here. Let's start.

CAPTAIN RHODES (DAY OF THE DEAD - 1985)
Captain Rhodes is a cold hearted military man who is in charge of an Underground US Army Bunker near the Everglades. He is in command of everyone there including the scientists who are trying to find a cure to the zombie virus. He is a tyrant within the base and threatens to kill anyone who disagrees with him. He is cold, merciless and is absolutely evil in every single way. At the end of the film he is torn in half by a zombie horde who enter the base and his final words are "Choke on 'em" as he watches the zombies eat his intestines. He shows the darker side of the human condition because he does not care about anyone but himself and will kill anyone standing in his way.

Capt. Rhodes

MR. BLONDE (RESERVOIR DOGS - 1992)

As discussed in 2 of my blogs ("I'm Busy Right Now Part 1" and "Reservoir Fiction Or Pulp Dogs") Mr Blonde is a twisted character. He is sadistic and cold-hearted. He will kill anyone who doesn't listen to them and essentially he was to blame for the Diamond heist going wrong after killing the people who set of the alarms. Later on we are shown how evil he truly is when he begins to torture a police officer with a straight razor while dancing to the song "Stuck In The Middle With You", he then cuts off the police officers ear and leaves to get a gasoline can with which he soaks the cop. At the end of the song, he is about to set the police officer alight until he gets shot by Mr. Orange and dies. He shows the worst of the human condition due to him having no care about life and is willing to kill anyone who puts him at risk of going back to prison.

Mr Blonde



THE JOKER (THE DARK KNIGHT - 2008)

In terms of this Batman villain, The Dark Knight's change of The Joker is highly appraised by critics everywhere. Instead of him having a grotesque grin on his face, he wears a "Glasgow Smile" and has facial scars from child abuse and self-mutilation. He usually carries with him a wide range of knives, but he also uses explosives and guns. His face (unlike every other adaptation) wasn't chemically changed, it's just make-up. In this adaptation he is responsible for the creation of Two-Face. He conveys the worst of the human condition because he has no care in the world for anyone and brings Gotham City to his knees. He is sadistic, violent and just wants chaos.

The Joker

JOHN DOE (SEV7EN - 1995)

Now another person I have discussed in a previous blog; John Doe from the 1995 David Fincher film is a cold and ignorant man who strongly feels that his belief is the only reason he needs to validate his crimes. The way he kills his victims is related to the deadly that is related to them (such as force-feeding a fat man food until his stomach bursts or forcing a lawyer to cut out a pound of his flesh to weigh on scales - symbolising greed). He believes that God told him to commit these crimes. He is a brilliant example of the worst of the human condition because he uses his faith as a reason.

John Doe



LEATHERFACE (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - 1974)

Leatherface is a mentally challenged man who wears a mask of human flesh (hence the name). He kills his victims for 2 reasons: because he is told so by his family; and because he was treated like a freak due to his facial disfigurement. Another possible reason he kills is because he is afraid of strangers and can't stand them being in his home. He is another great example of the worst of the human condition because he shows desperation and fear and how it can turn someone completely mosntrous.

Leatherface

PATRICK BATEMAN (AMERICAN PSYCHO - 2000)

Patrick Bateman is a rich man who works for the investment firm "Pierce and Pierce" and lives next to Tom Cruise. He is a rich, greedy, vain and shallow man who loves to murder people (including prostitutes). During the film you see him slowly break down into a madman on a murdering rampage. He kills fellow workers who have better business cards than him, kills a homeless man and his dog as well as killing some prostitutes for no reason. He is a great example as it shows the mental deterioration of someone from a highly intelligent man into a cold-hearted lunatic.

Patrick Bateman



BILL "THE BUTCHER" CUTTING (GANGS OF NEW YORK - 2002)

Bill "The Butcher" Cutting is a racist, arrogantly proud man who runs the derelict "5 point" district in New York. Violent, aggressive and sadistic; he is one of the hardest men in that district. He despises the different races within the district and wants to get rid of them all. His nickname comes from killing his victims with knives and cutting them up, also because he is a butcher. He is another example of the worst of the human condition, because it shows how shallow and close-minded he is.

Bill "The Butcher" Cutting



NORMAN "STAN" STANSFIELD (LEON - 1994)

Stansfield is an insane and corrupt DEA agent. He murdered a whole family (including the kids) because he lost some money from a dealer. He doesn't care about anyone but himself and is willing to let anyone else die, as long as he survives. He is killed by an explosion. Another example of the worst of the human condition as he is willing to kill anyone in his way and has the power to destroy anything just to get one man.

Norman "Stan" Stansfield

NORMAN BATES (PSYCHO - 1960)

Norman Bates is a motel owner who murdered his own mother and kept her hidden in the basement. He acts calm and patient, but is in fact a cold-blooded killer. He has 3 personalities, "Norman": his child personality, "Norma": his mother and "Normal": a barely functional human being. Another brilliant example of the worst of the human condition as he is able to transcend from a polite man to a bloodthirsty psychopath.

Norman Bates



JOHN RYDER (THE HITCHER - 1986)

John Ryder (or the hitcher) is a very twisted villain and is a perfect way to end part one of this blog. He is a cruel character with no regards to any form of life, he is a relentless man who has a thirst for blood. The way he selects is victims is simple meaning that anyone's chance of survivial is slim. This is probably one of the most perfect examples of the worst side of the human condition because he has no reason to kill people and he will keep killing people until his last breath.

John Ryder



Stay tuned for part 2.