Top 20 Movie Lunatics

by Edward Zarnawski
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

20. Patrick Bateman (American Psycho). Although he was completely crazy, the end of the film lets us down with the discovery that it was all in his head.

19. Jack Torrance (The Shining). One of the most well known nut jobs in cinema didn't get a higher spot on my list only because of the fact that he didn't kill anyone - not for lack of effort.

18. Annie Wilkes (Misery). This lady is as looney as can be. Is there anything more terrifying than an angry hulking woman with a sledgehammer? I think not.

17. Norman Bates (Psycho). The name says it all. Psycho was the first of its kind and a great film. No one who has seen this one has ever felt the same way while showering. But momma's boys aren't really all that scary.

16. John Ryder (The Hitcher). He tormented and mutilated his way into the lexicon of movie madmen with a creepiness that still sends a shiver down my spine. I'm still a little wary eating french fries.

15. Rusty Nail (Joy Ride). He ripped a huge guy's jaw off with his bear hands. Need I say more? And that voice. Creepy.

14. Krug's Gang (The Last House on the Left). These are some of the scariest, ruthless and all around despicable group of characters ever. For its time this movie was horrifying, and a bit too realistic.

13. Firefly Family (House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. A family that kills together stays together. This degenerate clan murdered and mutilated through two movies. The fact that they think what they are doing is fun is the scariest part.

12. The Dutch Buisinessman (Hostel). Torturing and killing young innocent people is a staple in horror movies, but the fact that this guy thought that it sounded like a nice thing to do on vacation is insane.

11. Frank Zito (Maniac). This story of a serial killer loose in the streets of New York has it all - scalping women, creepy mannequin fetish and double barrel shotguns. Frank is one sick pup.

10. Mick Taylor (Wolf Creek). He comes to the rescue of three helpless victims, makes them like him then kills them with a grin and a goofy laugh. Mick's good at what he does, although what he does isn't very good.

09. Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal). Even though he is very menacing in all three films, I picked Hannibal for the simple fact that he is out, and that is terrifying. We came for the fava beans and chianti, we stayed for the human brains.

08. The Kids (Eden Lake). These kids are evil plain and simple. Hunting and trying to kill a couple on a weekend excursion, this gang of adolescent pshycos represent everything that is wrong with society today. The only thing scarier than them is their parents.

07. Francis Dollarhyde (Red Dragon). The whole scenario of this film is terrifying. But the centerpiece is Dollarhyde, revealing himself to the bound and petrified Freddy Lounds. This scene alone is worth the price of admission.

06. Henry (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer). The cold and calculating nature of Henry is the focal point of this film. With no rhyme, reason or remorse Henry and his lackey Otis go on a crime spree of murder and mayhem that won't soon be forgotten...and if it is there are always the tapes that they made to refresh their memories.

05. The Strangers (The Strangers). Being alone in a secluded place in the middle of the night is scary enough. Add Three masked tormenters and now your really screwed. The real terror of this film and its antagonists is the fact that there is no reason for any of it. Unless 'because you were home' is a reason.

04. Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs). This dude is messed up. Heads in jars, human skin jumpsuits and a pit for keeping chicks are all pretty crazy. But the weirdest, grossest and most creepified scene is the one where he dances around to 'Goodbye Horses' with his junk tucked between his legs. I think I need a shower now - yuck.

03. Asami Yamazaki (Audition). The shy and unasuming girl from the casting is the last person that you would suspect was insane, but she is. Why else would she be sitting in a dark room crouched down waiting for the phone to ring next to a writhing convulsing bag. The last ten minutes of this film will haunt you. I can still hear the sounds of flesh being sawed through, and her laughing.

02. Alex (Haute (High) Tension). This movie was intense. The murderer was awsomely horrific. The kills were brutal. And the fear that Alex was feeling was so real that you almost forgot that this was a movie. An end so shocking and disturbing. When you realize that Alex and the killer are one in the same you are so drained by that time you think you wouldn't be shocked by anything, but you are. That chick was crazy.

01. John Doe (Se7en). Only someone truely insane could think of this staging all of these events to take place years in advance, only to set up the final scene and complete his masterpiece. The most horrific is the 'lust' killing. I have seen that movie a number of times and it still shocks and disgusts me every time. It's not just pshycotic, it is on the level of evil mastermind. Emphasis on the evil part. John is so cold and deliberate in his 'work' it is shocking and terrifying. The greatest pshyco in all of horror movie history. John gets in your head and he doesn't leave.