The 90's is more stuffed full of villains than myself after visiting a Brazilian Steakhouse! I'm kind of surprised that nobody has yet to mention Amon Goeth from Schindler's List. He made me so angry.
I'm even more surprised that nobody mentioned Shooter McGavin!
My choice will still be Hannibal Lector, even though Buffalo Bill was the real villain of the movie.
Bruce from Portland - 1 week ago
Here's the flaw I detect in this not too deeply flawed poll.
Villain: (in a film, novel, or play) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot
While Silence of the Lambs wouldn't be the same without Hannibal Lecter, it would have a psychopath, the Buffalo Bill killer, driving the plot. In this story, Hannibal Lecter's role is consulting detective. His grisly escape and creepy farewell are incidental to the plot.
I went with Kevin Spacey's psycho in Seven over the psycho he played in The Usual Suspects. I figure one of the choices has a better choice than "other."
Isabel Bishop - 2 weeks ago
I'm not denying the eeriness of Hannibal Lecter or how psychotic John Doe is. T2 and Agent Smith are in 2 of my favorite action movies and are both terrifying and indestructible monsters. But no scene in the history of film makes my whole body cringe more than THAT scene in Misery. And you know what scene I'm talking about without me saying--that's how memorable it is. Annie Wilkes is not a serial killer, a killing machine, or even a Shakespearean fratricidal lion. She's just a human being who has lost all semblance of her sanity, and she's the best 90's villain.
I like to support vegetarian causes whenever I can so I voted for Lecter in gratitude for his support of fava beans.
Damian Cannon - 2 weeks ago
OK there's a big hole in your poll if you're looking for an unhinged, bonkers movie villain. I refer of course to Norman Stansfield (Léon: The Professional). He's a poll-popping agent of chaos and slaughter who thinks nothing of corrupting himself and others. Like a stick of rock he has EVIL stamped all of the way through. And this is a conscious decision unlike just about everyone else in the list who is a victim of genetics or circumstances.
Gabriel - 2 weeks ago
I will say Calvin Candie (DiCaprio’s best performance).
Dave Davidson - 2 weeks ago
All good picks, but it’s got to be Simon Peter Gruber. He’s foreign! He’s in a sequel! He’s got an elaborate plan! And be honest with yourself the rest of these villains could be from any time period but in addition to the above Simon Says also occupies a pre 9/11 New York, and therefore he alone truly epitomises what it is to be a NINETIES villain, I rest my case thank you goodnight.
Lizzie Drexler - 2 weeks ago
If we consider Sam’s definition of a ‘90s movie villain, then Hannibal Lecter is too multi-faceted, too intriguing, and he’s arguably not even the main villain in The Silence of the Lambs or its sequels.
However, Sam Rockwell’s Wild Bill Wharton from The Green Mile has absolutely zero redeeming qualities. Over-the-top evil. Serves only one purpose and that purpose is to elicit hate and repulsion in the viewers. The perfect counterpart to Michael Clarke Duncan’s John Coffey. A true sociopath and the ultimate ‘90s movie villain. My blooding is boiling just writing about him.
Hannibal Lecter - 2 weeks ago
I'd advise voting for me. Of course, if you feel the T-1000, Hans Gruber, or some animated nonsense is more deserving, I will respect your decision completely. I would only ask that you leave your name, address, blood type, and preferred wine pairing in the comments. I do so enjoy meeting an independent thinker for dinner.
Andrew Howell - 2 weeks ago
Dr. Lecter wasn't as diabolical as John Doe (in the context of the movie) - but I had to vote for Annie. Name another movie that has a scene that you can feel as viscerally as the sledgehammer to the ankles - while I didn't like what was "in the box", my own ankles and desperation were effected more by Annie than John Doe. And in the end, we're all still in awe of Hans Gruber....for there were no more worlds to conquer....
Trent Robb - 2 weeks ago
I wanted to come here and vote for someone besides Hannibal, but the other choices just aren't that great to me. I like Dudley Smith in LA Confidential. Bobby Peru in Wild At Heart. "Little" Bill Dagget in The Unforgiven. Faderen in The Celebration.
Sean - 2 weeks ago
Also, meant to add that the actor who portrayed John Doe turned out to have been an actual 90s villain.
Sean - 2 weeks ago
Voted for John Doe.
Lecter is perhaps the best character on this list and (with deep respect for Kathy Bates) arguably the best performance. But his charisma and charm and, um, refined taste make him seem less of a direct threat. You're unlikely to encounter Lecter in daily life, even at Whole Foods.
John Doe, however, is a blank slate, a cipher, a nameless nobody who serves as a mirror for the average citizen disgusted with the degradation of modern (90s) society. And have the targets of his disgust improved in the (Jesus Christ, I'm old) 30 years since? The scariest part about John Doe is that he almost convinces you his diagnosis was right, even if his solution was not.
Sam Thompson - 2 weeks ago
Catherine Tramell, of course! The 90s most delectable villain in the forever iconic: Basic Instinct. Pretty much as 90s as you can get.
Nice try, Sam, but D.A.R.E. taught me not to cave to peer pressure. Hannibal gets the vote.
Scott Ross - 2 weeks ago
Wes Studi's Magua. If you see the film you will never forget him and his gesture at the riveting finale of Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans" is an all timer.
And if villain can be classified as "A person, thing, or force blamed for a specific problem or bad outcome" I vote for the emotional force called "repression", which stymies Anthony Hopkins' Mr. Stevens and what could have been a happy life for him and Miss Kenton.
As others have already mentioned, while Lecter is the most memorable character on this list, and certainly villainous, he is not the primary villain of the film. I’m voting for John Doe because he delivers the most chilling and malevolent blow against the protagonists and the audience. I still get sick just thinking about it. Someone can ruin my day by asking the question “What’s in the box?” and they will not even realize what they have done.
Villains who I’d seriously consider as well:
- Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley in Heat (a villain we cannot help but care about and perhaps even root for)
- Gary Oldman as Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula
- Ed Harris as Kristof in The Truman Show
Honorable mentions::
- Alec Baldwin as Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross (Villain-ish?)
- Paul Newman as Sidney Mussburger in The Hudsucker Proxy
- Kris Kristofferson as Charlie Wade in Lone Star
- Gary Oldman as Zorg in The Fifth Element
- The villain of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (There’s more than one possible name I could list, and they’re all terrifying.)
Jesper - 2 weeks ago
Tempting to go with other and just write Gary Oldman who had a pretty villainous run in the 90s: Norman Stansfield in Leon, Zorg in The Fifth Element, Ivan Korshunov in Air Force One, Dracula anyone? And the minor villain Drexl Spivey in True Romance. All these characters made a pretty lasting impression in this adolescent’s nightmares.
With that being said none of them scarred me like John Doe
Dramadaddy - 2 weeks ago
I was between Hannibal and John Doe simply because they are the only two that can be considered to have "won" in the end. I think I choose John Doe in the end because his plan worked flawlessly. Yes, Hannibal got away, but he had been captured at some point in the first place and in the sequel he gets caught again and has to cut his hand off to escape.
John Huntzinger - 2 weeks ago
It's very close for me between Agent Smith and John Doe, but went with Smith only because he gets more screen time. Lecter doesn't really belong here; Buffalo Bill is the villain of Silence of the Lambs.
Mike Bell - 2 weeks ago
I go with Smith. Lecter is not the really the “villain” of Silence of the Lambs. I can’t pick Annie Wilkes because, while she is a bona fide villain, she’s also that character that the movie studies…T-1000 is my runner up.
Maria (from Kent, UK) - 2 weeks ago
Scar is clearly very very cruel. It makes little Simba into an orphan without batting an eyelid. He kills his own brother!! What can be worse than this? He shows no remorse and just watches his own brother being trampled to death.
Really shocking!
The other villains don't have such close relationship with their victims. They are surely sadistic (and one is not even human) but they don't go killing their own siblings. And Scar saying to Mufasa as he plunges to his death:"Long live the king" is spine chilling.
Really a bad guy!
Of course Lecter will rub away with this, very justifiably, but if we try to forget everything that surrounds Kevin Spacey now, John Doe was so patient, methodical, smart and G*damn relentless, to the point that we can say he's the only one on the list that truly wins in the end, that he lived in my nightmares for MONTHS after I saw Seven. To the point I was convinced I would find out he find my girlfriend for whatever reason. Yes it was that powerful for me.
The 90's is more stuffed full of villains than myself after visiting a Brazilian Steakhouse! I'm kind of surprised that nobody has yet to mention Amon Goeth from Schindler's List. He made me so angry.
I'm even more surprised that nobody mentioned Shooter McGavin!
My choice will still be Hannibal Lector, even though Buffalo Bill was the real villain of the movie.
Here's the flaw I detect in this not too deeply flawed poll.
Villain: (in a film, novel, or play) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot
While Silence of the Lambs wouldn't be the same without Hannibal Lecter, it would have a psychopath, the Buffalo Bill killer, driving the plot. In this story, Hannibal Lecter's role is consulting detective. His grisly escape and creepy farewell are incidental to the plot.
I went with Kevin Spacey's psycho in Seven over the psycho he played in The Usual Suspects. I figure one of the choices has a better choice than "other."
I'm not denying the eeriness of Hannibal Lecter or how psychotic John Doe is. T2 and Agent Smith are in 2 of my favorite action movies and are both terrifying and indestructible monsters. But no scene in the history of film makes my whole body cringe more than THAT scene in Misery. And you know what scene I'm talking about without me saying--that's how memorable it is. Annie Wilkes is not a serial killer, a killing machine, or even a Shakespearean fratricidal lion. She's just a human being who has lost all semblance of her sanity, and she's the best 90's villain.
I like to support vegetarian causes whenever I can so I voted for Lecter in gratitude for his support of fava beans.
OK there's a big hole in your poll if you're looking for an unhinged, bonkers movie villain. I refer of course to Norman Stansfield (Léon: The Professional). He's a poll-popping agent of chaos and slaughter who thinks nothing of corrupting himself and others. Like a stick of rock he has EVIL stamped all of the way through. And this is a conscious decision unlike just about everyone else in the list who is a victim of genetics or circumstances.
I will say Calvin Candie (DiCaprio’s best performance).
All good picks, but it’s got to be Simon Peter Gruber. He’s foreign! He’s in a sequel! He’s got an elaborate plan! And be honest with yourself the rest of these villains could be from any time period but in addition to the above Simon Says also occupies a pre 9/11 New York, and therefore he alone truly epitomises what it is to be a NINETIES villain, I rest my case thank you goodnight.
If we consider Sam’s definition of a ‘90s movie villain, then Hannibal Lecter is too multi-faceted, too intriguing, and he’s arguably not even the main villain in The Silence of the Lambs or its sequels.
However, Sam Rockwell’s Wild Bill Wharton from The Green Mile has absolutely zero redeeming qualities. Over-the-top evil. Serves only one purpose and that purpose is to elicit hate and repulsion in the viewers. The perfect counterpart to Michael Clarke Duncan’s John Coffey. A true sociopath and the ultimate ‘90s movie villain. My blooding is boiling just writing about him.
I'd advise voting for me. Of course, if you feel the T-1000, Hans Gruber, or some animated nonsense is more deserving, I will respect your decision completely. I would only ask that you leave your name, address, blood type, and preferred wine pairing in the comments. I do so enjoy meeting an independent thinker for dinner.
Dr. Lecter wasn't as diabolical as John Doe (in the context of the movie) - but I had to vote for Annie. Name another movie that has a scene that you can feel as viscerally as the sledgehammer to the ankles - while I didn't like what was "in the box", my own ankles and desperation were effected more by Annie than John Doe. And in the end, we're all still in awe of Hans Gruber....for there were no more worlds to conquer....
I wanted to come here and vote for someone besides Hannibal, but the other choices just aren't that great to me. I like Dudley Smith in LA Confidential. Bobby Peru in Wild At Heart. "Little" Bill Dagget in The Unforgiven. Faderen in The Celebration.
Also, meant to add that the actor who portrayed John Doe turned out to have been an actual 90s villain.
Voted for John Doe.
Lecter is perhaps the best character on this list and (with deep respect for Kathy Bates) arguably the best performance. But his charisma and charm and, um, refined taste make him seem less of a direct threat. You're unlikely to encounter Lecter in daily life, even at Whole Foods.
John Doe, however, is a blank slate, a cipher, a nameless nobody who serves as a mirror for the average citizen disgusted with the degradation of modern (90s) society. And have the targets of his disgust improved in the (Jesus Christ, I'm old) 30 years since? The scariest part about John Doe is that he almost convinces you his diagnosis was right, even if his solution was not.
Catherine Tramell, of course! The 90s most delectable villain in the forever iconic: Basic Instinct. Pretty much as 90s as you can get.
Nice try, Sam, but D.A.R.E. taught me not to cave to peer pressure. Hannibal gets the vote.
Wes Studi's Magua. If you see the film you will never forget him and his gesture at the riveting finale of Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans" is an all timer.
And if villain can be classified as "A person, thing, or force blamed for a specific problem or bad outcome" I vote for the emotional force called "repression", which stymies Anthony Hopkins' Mr. Stevens and what could have been a happy life for him and Miss Kenton.
As others have already mentioned, while Lecter is the most memorable character on this list, and certainly villainous, he is not the primary villain of the film. I’m voting for John Doe because he delivers the most chilling and malevolent blow against the protagonists and the audience. I still get sick just thinking about it. Someone can ruin my day by asking the question “What’s in the box?” and they will not even realize what they have done.
Villains who I’d seriously consider as well:
- Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley in Heat (a villain we cannot help but care about and perhaps even root for)
- Gary Oldman as Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula
- Ed Harris as Kristof in The Truman Show
Honorable mentions::
- Alec Baldwin as Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross (Villain-ish?)
- Paul Newman as Sidney Mussburger in The Hudsucker Proxy
- Kris Kristofferson as Charlie Wade in Lone Star
- Gary Oldman as Zorg in The Fifth Element
- The villain of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (There’s more than one possible name I could list, and they’re all terrifying.)
Tempting to go with other and just write Gary Oldman who had a pretty villainous run in the 90s: Norman Stansfield in Leon, Zorg in The Fifth Element, Ivan Korshunov in Air Force One, Dracula anyone? And the minor villain Drexl Spivey in True Romance. All these characters made a pretty lasting impression in this adolescent’s nightmares.
With that being said none of them scarred me like John Doe
I was between Hannibal and John Doe simply because they are the only two that can be considered to have "won" in the end. I think I choose John Doe in the end because his plan worked flawlessly. Yes, Hannibal got away, but he had been captured at some point in the first place and in the sequel he gets caught again and has to cut his hand off to escape.
It's very close for me between Agent Smith and John Doe, but went with Smith only because he gets more screen time. Lecter doesn't really belong here; Buffalo Bill is the villain of Silence of the Lambs.
I go with Smith. Lecter is not the really the “villain” of Silence of the Lambs. I can’t pick Annie Wilkes because, while she is a bona fide villain, she’s also that character that the movie studies…T-1000 is my runner up.
Scar is clearly very very cruel. It makes little Simba into an orphan without batting an eyelid. He kills his own brother!! What can be worse than this? He shows no remorse and just watches his own brother being trampled to death.
Really shocking!
The other villains don't have such close relationship with their victims. They are surely sadistic (and one is not even human) but they don't go killing their own siblings. And Scar saying to Mufasa as he plunges to his death:"Long live the king" is spine chilling.
Really a bad guy!
Of course Lecter will rub away with this, very justifiably, but if we try to forget everything that surrounds Kevin Spacey now, John Doe was so patient, methodical, smart and G*damn relentless, to the point that we can say he's the only one on the list that truly wins in the end, that he lived in my nightmares for MONTHS after I saw Seven. To the point I was convinced I would find out he find my girlfriend for whatever reason. Yes it was that powerful for me.