Hollywood has had a big influence on our perceptions of psychopathy, which is defined by a complete absence of empathy or consciousness.
Psychopaths have been portrayed as cold, calculating, and impossibly smart by popular villains such as Anton Chigurh of No Country for Old Men, Hannibal Lecter of The Silence of the Lambs, and Catherine Tramell of Basic Instinct. Psychopaths are usually more rash and unpolished in real life than they appear in movies (sorry to disappoint).
The human mind is a frightening place. And it’s always piqued our interest.
Throughout human history, it appears that we have been fascinated by the macabre and interested in the unknown — human characteristics that have driven our imaginations, creativity, and discoveries. The human mind, notably psychological diseases, is one of the mysteries that fascinate us.
Maybe that’s why our art tries to imitate it. The psychotic villain is a figure who frequently appears in our films. The chillingly cold and sociopathic businessman, the diabolical killer, and the quiet one with a terrible secret are all roles played by the archetype.
Here are some of the most believable psychopaths you’ve ever seen on screen:
1. Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men)
In No County for Old Men, Anton Chigurh stole the show. He never gets upset or excited, a drug cartel enforcer – he’s always cool, aloof, and collected – a true psychopath! Chigurh’s moments are tense because he appears to be looking at humanity as an extraterrestrial observer, baffled by our emotional frailties.
He also has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in his way, whether it’s someone he’s after or a random stranger on the street. This is a terrible man, and movie characters would do well to avoid him if they want to live!
2. Begbie (Trainspotting)
Begbie is the unwelcomed friend who no one dares to tell to go. Sure, he’s amusing at times, especially after a few drinks, when he’s laughing, making jokes, and even seeming downright nice.
Until someone makes a joke about him (which it isn’t), at which point he transforms from pleasant affection to psychopathic menace in 0.003 seconds.
He’s now trying to stab your friend in the throat with a beer bottle that he’s broken in half on the bar top.
3. Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)
Alex is a member of a group of hooligans that run rampant over future London, enjoying them while engaging in “ol’ ultra-violence,” which includes rape, murder, and assault, in Kubrick’s dystopian future thriller.
In the last half-century, one of cinema’s most terrifying figures.
4. Amon Goethe (Schindler’s List)
He is, after all, a Nazi. He is the commandant of a concentration camp in Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, which he can observe from his bedroom balcony.
A balcony from which he nonchalantly yawns scratches himself, and slouches inside for breakfast, firing his sniper rifle at the people below, murdering a number of them. It’s not a huge deal.
5. Mr. Blonde (Reservoir Dogs)
Leave it to Mr. Blonde to abduct a cop in the trunk of his car when a heist goes awry.
He drags an officer back to their hideout and patiently waits for everyone to depart before torturing him by cutting off his ear and then pouring gasoline on him and burning him alive.
He can because…well, he can. Torture is just a fun side pastime for Mr. Blonde.
6. Colonel Hans Lada
Colonel Hans Lada, a self-described Jew hunter, is a specific kind of cruel in that he enjoys prolonging the moment of the kill, making it endure as long as possible; it’s clear that he enjoys prolonging these moments.
His attraction to the Nazi party is understandable as a psychopath.
7. Alonzo Harris (Training Day)
Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Alonzo Harris is full of frenetic hyper energy, as his character seamlessly switches between two identities: a crack team cop and a bad guy stealing and selling drugs.
Alonzo manipulates everyone in his life, whether his new partner, long-time teammates, or even his loved ones, like a true psychopath.
This is one dirty cop you don’t want pulling you up, especially with his police badge shielding his shows of aggression.
8. Catherine Tremell
Catherine Tremell, played by Sharon Stone, is stunning, affluent, and bright. And the fact that she’s a psychopath only adds to her peril.
Of course, she attracts guys easily, making it all the simpler for her to leave a trail of dead lovers in her wake.
9. Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs)
The Silence of the Lambs is full of psychopaths, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter should have been on the list, but – here’s the problem – even though he is a cannibal killer, Dr. Lecter is an intellectual and smart man.
And one would hope that they could reason with Dr. Lecter. Not so with Buffalo Bill, the serial killer Dr. Lecter is assisting in the hunt for.
Buffalo Bill is the definition of weird, attempting to build a woman’s suit out of the skin of women he has murdered. Even glancing at his photo gives me the chills.
10. Tommy Devito (Goodfellas)
Tommy, like Begbie in Transporting, is a fun character to be around until he becomes aroused when something piques his interest.
Tommy has an extremely short fuse, and the most terrifying part is that no one knows what will set him off.
An unintentionally made off-handed remark, a joke, or an opinion Tommy, like Begbie, can’t take being insulted, and he punishes those who do with a pistol to the face.
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