!['Halloween'](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/ezxuejlecfbgwivanl5n/halloween-promo.jpg?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto)
Every good movie has a villain, some antagonists trying to keep our heroes from achieving greatness (or just, you know, surviving). From The Silence of the Lambs to Star Wars to Psycho, movie villains can be straight out of our worst nightmares, the serial killers and monsters who only plague our minds as we're trying to go to sleep. Whether you're haunted by Michael Myers, Freddy Kreuger, Hannibal Lecter, or Darth Vader, the great villains of cinema history are the ones who stay with you long after the credits roll.
A great villain can make you love—or at least respect—them, even while actively rooting for their defeat. Think about it; if you're a horror movie fan, you've likely had to give at least one or two villains their props, even as they're terrorizing the protagonist. Of course, sometimes movie villains turn out to be real-life villains, making their performances all the more harrowing.
These are the best movie villains in film history. Don't forget to check under the bed tonight.
Pennywise
![Tim Curry as Pennywise in 'It'](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/nsyqvc3ashaq8ndpiasv/pennywise-it-1990-miniseries.jpg?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto)
Chucky
![Child's Play](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/fm7gqhuiy0xdb5lw4daj/childs-play-1988.jpg)
The Wicked Witch of the West
![best villians movie history margaret hamilton](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/qn5ux3lmyncgb44ja0sy/best-villians-movie-history-margaret-hamilton.png)
Thanos
![Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/dfwaftxgkqw1wvaxcdpe/thanos-infinity-war.jpg)
Norman Bates
![best villians movie history anthony perkins](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/bls6hkzhwcb2liq1otp5/best-villians-movie-history-anthony-perkins.png)
Hannibal Lecter
![Hannibal Lecter](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/upedg5iqlp9ifs2spz78/hannibal-lecter.jpg)
The Xenomorph
![best villians movie history alien](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/uqn461dlhtghfutdensw/best-villians-movie-history-alien.png)
Baby Jane Hudson
![best villians movie history bette davis](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/lawholskiqjznsa4pf2w/best-villians-movie-history-bette-davis.png)
Alex
![best villians movie history malcolm mcdowell](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/hnlyinvnncfe47d6jcly/best-villians-movie-history-malcolm-mcdowell.png)
Amy Dunne
![Image via 20th Century Fox](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/w3e0w0kahwoozngrj7ad/gone-girl.jpg)
Agent Smith
![best villians movie history hugo weaving](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/egwrx5gzlcub4yxcfb4w/best-villians-movie-history-hugo-weaving.png)
Annie Wilkes
![best villians movie history kathy bates](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/kxw0qw81k7ti2iijcdk0/best-villians-movie-history-kathy-bates.png)
The Terminator
![best villians movie history arnold schwarzenegger](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/uvskpdrova2dajd2iyr9/best-villians-movie-history-arnold-schwarzenegger.png)
Anton Chigurh
![No Country For Old Men](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/k3zenysqkkq6zuufiol0/no-country-for-old-men.jpg)
Michael Myers
![Halloween](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/k7hwsipqlraxyaq50psn/halloween.jpg)
Harry Powell
![best villians movie history robert mitchum](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/ysunz4ljttmpp4osafuk/best-villians-movie-history-robert-mitchum.png)
Noah Cross
![best villians movie history john huston](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/u2or2hywxtihb4b0pgvs/best-villians-movie-history-john-huston.png)
Freddy Krueger
![best villians movie history robert englund](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/kmfna83nadvmhelft3lx/best-villians-movie-history-robert-englund.png)
Darth Vader
![best villians movie history darth vader](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/lsevzxoo2jgnjzoo6lft/best-villians-movie-history-darth-vader.png)
Colonel Hans Landa
![Christoph](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/utehhkoxxwid6ivux4gq/christoph-waltz.jpg)
Keyser Söze
![the usual suspects kevin spacey](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/Y19jcm9wLGhfNjY0LHdfODg1LHhfMTcseV8w/dkowxcm8dsadlijkwpff/the-usual-suspects-kevin-spacey.jpg)
Max Cady
![best villians movie history robert deniro](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/ubpwrevv0riuae5syazj/best-villians-movie-history-robert-deniro.png)
Nurse Ratched
![best villians movie history louise fletcher](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/jz1odzgcun2woxzhnjdk/best-villians-movie-history-louise-fletcher.png)
Frank Booth
![best villians movie history dennis hopper](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/axqdrtnf9izcssxczlkl/best-villians-movie-history-dennis-hopper.png)
T-1000
![Terminator 2](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/inbhlgeuholizuegahae/terminator-2.jpg)
Peter and Paul
![best villians movie history frank giering](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/r5dkoygmxjrr2phhuein/best-villians-movie-history-frank-giering.png)
The Joker
![Joker](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/rgq0cjd6qu9bcmqsstyg/heath-ledger-joker.jpg)
John Doe
![best villians movie history kevin spacey](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/complex/images/z11hcyzoipcxsjvnqf50/best-villians-movie-history-kevin-spacey.png)