# Female villains in literature and cinema **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765 "2005-04-17T14:31:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/1 "2005-04-17T14:31:12Z")
I think the one that stands out in my mind is Annie Wilkes from **Misery**. I haven’t read King’s book, but I love the movie, and if ever there were a perfect casting, it was Kathy Bates as Annie. Annie is simultaneously sympathetic and repulsive. I like that sort of multi-dimensional villain. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/2 "2005-04-17T15:09:34Z")
This may get me laughed off the boards but I really liked Rebecca Gayheart in **Urban Legend**. She had the crazed look to play a very good psychopath. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/3 "2005-04-17T16:08:20Z")
Linda Fiorentino in \*The Last Seduction \* was a great mid-'90s film noir femme fatale. Barbara Stanwyck in _Double Indemnity_, perhaps the quintessential Hollywood femme fatale. In comic books, Miss Misery in the series _Sleeper_ is a fascinating femme fatale, compelling, charismatic, and sexy as hell, but untrustworthy, vicious, and oh so evil. ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/4 "2005-04-17T16:23:20Z")
Livia, in **I, Claudius**. Kathleen Turner, in **Body Heat** ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/5 "2005-04-17T16:24:10Z")
For cinema: Judith Anderson’s performance as Mrs Danvers in Hitchcock’s REBECCA is right up there with the most evil of 'em all. For literature: few villains of any gender are as nassssty as Mrs MacBeth ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/6 "2005-04-17T16:41:47Z")
One of the ‘best’ villians (if you’ll let me use the term) is Ma Mattulich from Lois McMaster Bujold’s short story “The Mountains of Mourning.” Both victim and victimizer… Very chilling, and sad. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/7 "2005-04-17T16:51:39Z")
For a scary villian: Rhoda Penmark (the evil little girl) in The Bad Seed For a creepy, manipulative villian: Eve Harrington in All About Eve ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/8 "2005-04-17T17:01:23Z")
> [@Selkie](#): > > Livia, in **I, Claudius**. > > Kathleen Turner, in **Body Heat** Darn you, I was sure _I’d_ be the first to mention Livia. What a role! If I could have had any part in that show I’d have wanted Livia’s. Her “pep talk” to the gladiators was great! ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/9 "2005-04-17T17:03:37Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Barbara Stanwyck in _Double Indemnity_, perhaps the quintessential Hollywood femme fatale. If you liked the movie, you _must_ read the book. Phyllis is even creepier . . . ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/10 "2005-04-17T17:32:35Z")
Kitty in \*\*Scarlet Street \*\* was rather evil. The Woman in **Detour** wasn’t exactly a wonderful person either. And of course, there’s always Mrs. Iselin in the\*\* Manchurian Candidate\*\*(the original). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/11 "2005-04-17T17:37:28Z")
Nurse Ratchett in _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_. Kathy in _East of Eden_. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/12 "2005-04-17T19:29:08Z")
Milady de Winter in _The Three Musketeers_. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/13 "2005-04-17T19:40:26Z")
Miss Havisham. Eek. I liked her turn as a friendly mentor in the Tuesday Next books. Still wearing the tattered wedding dress and one shoe, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/14 "2005-04-17T19:43:26Z")
Cruella DeVille. And while we’re on the Disney, Ursula from _The Little Mermaid_, too. ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/15 "2005-04-17T20:15:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Cruella DeVille. And while we’re on the Disney, Ursula from _The Little Mermaid_, too. And don’t forget Maleficent from Disney’s version of _Sleeping Beauty_. She’s my favorite villain of all time. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/16 "2005-04-17T20:23:51Z")
Since my son is watching it right now, there’s the Fairy Godmother from **Shrek 2.** ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/17 "2005-04-17T20:51:02Z")
Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction Rebecca DeMornay in The hand that rocks the cradle Glenn Close in The Stepford Wives (2004 version, never saw the original so I don’t know if the villan was female or not) and oooh! Bette Davis in “Whatever happened to Baby Jane” Wow, Amazon has in thier List mania a bunch of movies i have always wanted to see. Blue Angel -The film that made Dietrich an instant star, and a living legend. She’s the quintessential nightclub floozy, leading Emil Jennings to wreck and ruin. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/18 "2005-04-17T20:52:28Z")
Darn! I hit post too soon. [wicked women](http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=wicked+women+movies&page=1&offset=2&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D22eeea581e0bce43%26clickedItemRank%3D3%26userQuery%3Dwicked%2Bwomen%2Bmovies%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.amazon.com%252Fexec%252Fobidos%252Ftg%252Flistmania%252Flist-browse%252F-%252F26YKWQKTGZYYG%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSBoom%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fexec%2Fobidos%2Ftg%2Flistmania%2Flist-browse%2F-%2F26YKWQKTGZYYG) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/19 "2005-04-17T21:00:18Z")
Grendel’s Mother in **Beowulf** Morgan la Fay in any of the King Arthur books/movies Mildred in Maugham’s **Of Human Bondage** She Who Must Be Obeyed from Haggard’s **She** Jason’s mom in **Friday the 13th** ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765/20 "2005-04-17T21:19:33Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Morgan la Fay in any of the King Arthur books/movies Except, of course, _The Mists of Avalon_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-villains-in-literature-and-cinema/299765.md?page=2)