Your favourite on-screen psycho

Seans_Username

Just finished watching Léon for the first time, and I thought Gary Oldman's performance was brilliant. When he went into the apartment with the shotgun at the start and did what he did I was in shock! The way he acted on the drugs was terrifyingly excellent. The things he did and the way he did them was bone-chilling :eek:

I wouldn't say he was my favourite, but I thought he was a great psychopath. A few honourable mentions include Patrick Bateman, Hannibal Lecter, Don Logan (Sexy Beast) and (probably my favourite) Colonel Kurtz.
I know most of them were created in books, but its the performance in the films that I'm talking about

So who would you consider to be the best (or just your personal favourite) psycho on screen, and why?

mike65

Gene Wilder - Willy Wonker. You know I'm right!

krudler

Oldman is superb in that alright, it cracks me up when the little old lady comes out and gives out to him and he puts a bullet right through the window next to her "he SAID...go back inside!"

Birneybau

Hitchcock's.

Fcuk Gus Van Sant!

kevohmsford

Heath Ledger as The Joker was an amazing performance. Also Kevin Spacey in Se7en was exceptional.

kevohmsford

Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men was one scary character and also one of my favourites. What a psycho

happyman81

Patrick Bateman

WatchWolf

Patrick Bateman of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return some video tapes.

Zillah

Hannibal Lecter by Anthony Hopkins is just incredible. Gary Oldman was great in Lyon too.

What do you mean 'everyone'?

al28283

a few weeks ago my boss asked everyone to assemble for a meeting and linked this to us all

RobbingBandit

Cyrus the Virus.
Bill The Butcher Cutting.

Tipsy McSwagger

Begbie of course

weemcd

Christopher Walken as Frank White in King of New York

Otis Driftwood

Easily Michael Rooker's portrayal of Henry in Henry : Portrait of a Serial Killer.

It is as icy a performance as I have ever seen from someone playing a killer.The dead look in his eyes throughout,little of no change in his demeanor despite carrying out vile acts,its what I imagine a real life serial killer to be like.

splashthecash

Ben Kingsley's character, Don Logan in Sexy Beast....class!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7ymGLcbq8A

dark crystal

Annie Wilkes is definitely one of my favourite on-screen psycho's of all time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueHC7pgfYGU

That scene alone would scare the cock-a-doodie out of anyone :eek:

MJ23

Michael Douglas in Falling Down.

castletownman

Not sure he's as classic a psycho as the others mentioned but my favourite is Merv in Sin City.

JaMarcus Hustle

Hardy was pretty damn sensational as Bronson. Love this scene (NSFW)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsAPNeWqoUY

Goldstein

De Niro's Max Cady is probably my favourite. He's such an entertaining and charismatic psycho you start to like him.

_Kaiser_

Joe Pesci in Goodfellas

Cage/Travolta (as Castor Troy) in Face Off

Defiler Of The Coffin

Edwin Neal as the Hitchhiker in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The most psycho psychopath I've ever seen. Here's the classic scene where the kids first pick him up. Check out the bit at 2.40 where he cuts himself with a knife!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-73BUDHcCCc

CountryJoe

Joe Pesci in Goodfellas
Norman Bates - Psycho
Michael Myers - Halloween
Alex - A Clockwork Orange
Frank Booth - Blue Velvet
Ichi - Ichi the Killer
Asami - Audition

MaxFlower

Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and she didn't need a knife, gun or any weapon other than her own mind.

NotorietyH

Saw the thread title and immediately thought of Gary Oldman in Leon. Other than him Kevin Spacey in se7en would be another one.

Less showy but I loved Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley, really unsettling.

Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood and I suppose Gangs of New York would be another couple of great psychotic performances.

Speaking of Scorcese, nearly any character Robert De Niro played in any of his movies.

ziedth

I immediately thought of Kevin Spacey but I think it has to be Gary Oldman in Leon.

Sardonicat

DeNiro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. All the creepier because he is thought of as a hero by the end of the film. Run, Betsy, run!

As an aside, Harvey Keitel as the pimp of child prostitutes has got to be one of the most slithery, nauseating sub-humans ever protrayed on film.

gordon_gekko

MaxFlower wrote: »

Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and she didn't need a knife, gun or any weapon other than her own mind.

not sure id call her a psycho , psycho,s like kathy bates in misery are to be pitied as much as to be feared , nurse ratchet was not remotely vulnerable or sympathetic , she is quite posssible the most inherently cruel charechter every potrayed on screen , one of those people who fit the description , they were wrong but they were strong

btw , i once worked alongside someone who made nurse ratched look like mary poppins:eek:

eugeneious

Mr. Blonde for me, for this scene alone;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Wz59jc7lI

Tipsy McSwagger

gordon_gekko wrote: »

not sure id call her a psycho , psycho,s like kathy bates in misery are to be pitied as much as to be feared , nurse ratchet was not remotely vulnerable or sympathetic , she is quite posssible the most inherently cruel charechter every potrayed on screen , one of those people who fit the description , they were wrong but they were strong

btw , i once worked alongside someone who made nurse ratched look like mary poppins:eek:

I agree. Nurse Ratched is a villain not a psycho.

KnowYourEnemy

Danny Dyer in The Football Factory

Pwopa Nawty

p to the e

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Begbie of course

Begbie scared the crap out of me. This little man just gave me nightmares at just how vicious he could turn at the drop of a hat.

Although he is in a film with the infamous Lecter I think Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs was a serious bap short of a bakers dozen!

I think Albert Brooks put in a fine performance of an unhinged man in Drive.

weemcd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNLhvlymOZs

Eric Bana as Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read

WHIP IT!

weemcd wrote: »

Eric Bana as Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read

Can't believe it took three pages for someone to say it...

"Neville... Neville..."

Galvasean

dark crystal wrote: »

Annie Wilkes is definitely one of my favourite on-screen psycho's of all time:

What makes her so scary is how nice she was to begin with... only to go bat scheet loopers at a perceived slight!

Shreddingblood

Jackie Earle Haley- Little Children

gordon_gekko

p to the e wrote: »

Begbie scared the crap out of me. This little man just gave me nightmares at just how vicious he could turn at the drop of a hat.

Although he is in a film with the infamous Lecter I think Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs was a serious bap short of a bakers dozen!

I think Albert Brooks put in a fine performance of an unhinged man in Drive.

begbie was a complete and utter loser , he was as redicolous as he was frightening

james spader can play a really good charismatic psycho , hes done it in quite a few movies , does the yuppy sociopath thing perfectly

gordon_gekko

Shreddingblood wrote: »

Jackie Earle Haley- Little Children

he played a simpleton paedophile

tony1kenobi

Clarence Worley.

Galwayguy35

The seriel killer in Wolf Creek, one cold MF.

jefreywithonef

Frank Booth from Blue Velvet. I don't know if there was anything likeable about the character, but Hopper plays him with such menace it's just a joy to watch.

Also, I've always enjoyed Hopper's remark upon reading the script: "You have to let me play Frank! Because I am Frank!"

ImpossibleDuck

Sardonicat wrote: »

DeNiro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. All the creepier because he is thought of as a hero by the end of the film. Run, Betsy, run!

Or is he? There's a theory that all that was in his own head. Which is plausible given the fact that he is an absolute psychopath, and that the general public don't often praise drug-dealer murderers to that extent. He was living in his own fantasy world, not quite in touch with reality (remember the porn theatre scene?)

Anyway, that's just a theory. I kinda prefer to think that the end was real

Skerries

would Amon Goeth qualify?

OldeCinemaSoz

Any Robinson's Scorpio in dirty harry has gotta be a contenda?!?!

The Eastwood swore he'd never work with him again.

Little surprise. He stole the show.

:cool:

Some of his lines were ad libbed. He took his work seriously.

The definite screen psycho if i say so myself.

al28283

OldeCinemaSoz wrote: »

Any Robinson's Scorpio in dirty harry has gotta be a contenda?!?!

The Eastwood swore he'd never work with him again.

Little surprise. He stole the show.

:cool:

Some of his lines were ad libbed. He took his work seriously.

The definite screen psycho if i say so myself.

Watched this not long ago and I cant really remember him, didnt really stand out tbh

Zaph

jefreywithonef wrote: »

Frank Booth from Blue Velvet. I don't know if there was anything likeable about the character, but Hopper plays him with such menace it's just a joy to watch.

Also, I've always enjoyed Hopper's remark upon reading the script: "You have to let me play Frank! Because I am Frank!"

First person I thought of when I saw the thread title.

OldeCinemaSoz

i loved the lithgow in blow out.

he was mad. i think he wanted nancy allen after
he saw her in dressed to kill.




paul daniels will be good lucked in ireland.

:rolleyes:

Morlar

Paul Bettany in Gangster no.1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnVaiIToVmY

Morlar

Another one is Craig Fairbrass in 'Rise of the Footsoldier' (nsfw)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z91pfrpKXBg

marozz

Rutger Hauer in The Hitcher - a real nut.