Usually the main villain of a movie is the most fearsome character in the story, but sometimes there are other characters who are even more intimidating. In some cases, a minor villain or one of the movie’s henchmen steals the show from the main villain. In other cases, the main antagonist may be more central to the story only to have a larger threat in the shadows.
Even if the film’s main villain is a bit underwhelming, these other minor villains fill that void nicely as the genuinely menacing threats and amusing foes of the heroes. Examples of this can be seen in everything from big superhero movies like Dr. Strange to Oscar-winning classics like The Shawshank Redemption. These minifigures make for excellent scary movie villains even if they are not the main villain.
10 Doctor Strange (2016)
In his first solo movie, Doctor Strange faces off with Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One who has embraced a new leader. Kaecilius is the villain, battles bizarrely throughout the movie and makes a formidable enough foe. However, his plan to unleash the Dark Dimension on humanity reveals the much greater threat than Mamo’s role. The Lord of the Dark Dimension is a gigantic floating fiery head that instantly fills viewers with fear by displaying his immense strength. While Kaecilius was just a failed follower, Dormammu could become a future big bad villain in the MCU.
9 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
while The Shawshank Redemption It is a prison film about hope, and also shows the horrors and cruelty of imprisonment. Norton, the warden of the prison, is the main villain, a corrupt man who orders the death of a prisoner just to keep Andy Dufresne behind bars. However, the most feared man in Shawshank is the prison’s commandant, Captain Hadley. He is a ruthless thug who beats prisoners to death for nothing more than crying in their cells, nearly throws Andy off the roof for a perceived insult, and acts as a Norton operator in illegally executing an inmate.
8 Batman Begins (2005)
Christopher Nolan’s first Batman adventure, Batman begins, used the villain Ra’s al Ghul as the main opponent of the Caped Crusader. The choice fits well in this origin tale as he serves as a mentor to Bruce Wayne before revealing his cruel idea of ​​justice. While Ra’s al Ghul’s evil plans were certainly wide-ranging, it was one of his henchmen who really inspired fear in others. Scarecrow is another classic Batman villain that was solidified in Nolan’s movie but is still terrifying. Cillian Murphy gives a chilling performance as Jonathan Crane and gets even scarier when he dons Scarecrow’s mask of fear. Not surprisingly, he’s the only villain to appear in all of the Nolan Batman movies.
7 Road Warrior (1981)
as the second Mad Max venture, The way of the warrior It finds the hero teaming up with a group of desperate survivors in the dystopian wasteland to protect their home from the powerful warlords known as The Humungus. He’s an effective main villain with his muscle-bound body and face hidden behind a fearsome mask. But it’s his assistant Wiz who steals the show. With his wild eyes and animal demeanor, he feels like a dangerous, inexplicable force of nature.
6 The Shining (1980)
The role of Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance the shining He is a prominent figure in the genre of horror films. The image of him wielding an ax and walking through a door is truly unforgettable. But while his wild performance is effective, there is a smaller, scarier side that seems to make a bigger impression. in one scene the shiningThe ghostly twin girls standing in the hallway eerily asking little Danny to play with them is something that still haunts audiences. And they didn’t even need an ax to be so intimidating.
5 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
during the Lord of the rings trilogy, Sauron was the main villain that loomed above it all. His dark forces spread across Middle Earth in search of the One Ring that will restore him to his great power. But with only his blazing eye looking at everything, he failed to be so intimidating and fell for his minions to make an impression. in The return of the kingThe Sorcerer King of Angmar is a truly fearsome foe. He is a powerful warrior who is said to be unbeatable and an agonizing threat in the final battle.
4 Robocop (1987)
Wild action movie of the 80’s Robocop He finds a hero cop who gets revived as mostly a police officer. While he is effective at cleaning up the streets, he also discovers that the company that made him corrupt and greedy CEO Dick Jones is behind it all. Jones makes an appropriately obnoxious villain, but the mercenary carrying out his own evil deeds is far funnier. Clarence Bodekker is a sadistic and ruthless criminal who seems to take genuine pleasure in his violent actions, including his brutal execution of Alex Murphy.
3 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Given how popular the Indiana Jones hero is, Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark Overly memorable by comparison. He acts as a replica of Indy, reclaiming ancient artifacts purely for his own greedy desires. But as Belloc works alongside the Nazis to recover the Ark of the Covenant, Nazi officer Toht makes for a fearsome secondary villain. He is ruthless and willing to kill his own men, and always has an annoying grin on his face that makes the audience on edge as soon as he appears on screen. It remains to be seen if any of the bad guys are in Indiana Jones 5 She can live up to Toht’s fearsome presence.
2 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
in the middle Silence of the Lambs It is a crime thriller about Clarice Starling who is hunting down the serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. In no other movie, Buffalo Bill would be the scariest character because he is such a horrifying threat. But compared to Hannibal Lecter, he’s not so scary. Although Hannibal spends most of the movie in a cage and isn’t a major threat in the story, he is an intimidating presence throughout the film. And his incredible escape sequence proves that audiences were right to fear him.
1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
as the first star Wars spinoff movie Rogue One Cleverly filled in the blanks in an adventure about the Rebels securing the plans for the Death Star. The main villain is Krennic, an Imperial officer who seeks to make a name for himself by creating this weapon. But Krennic is just an agent working for more powerful villains, including Darth Vader. Although Vader only appears in a number of scenes, Krennic is shown to shrink in his presence. and final Vader Rogue One The scene of him attacking the Rebel ship is the most terrifying character ever.
