40 Best Movies Where the Villain Is the Main Character

Stories have always been part of human society. We all have heard and read tales of ghosts, heroics, and gods since our childhood. And one thing that has always been present in them is the element of hero-villain.

The clash of two opposite forces, i.e., protagonist and antagonist, is generally the driving force behind the majority of stories. The Avengers had it with Thanos, The Fellowship against Sauron, and Potter against Voldemort. These, of course, are just a very few examples from a sea of endless ones.

One rule of any book, manga, or movie is that the audience roots in the protagonist. This is how it has been, well, ever since humanity drank the intelligence juice and discarded the dum-dum drink.

That rule, however, isn’t something the audience or the author, for that matter, has to follow. There are numerous instances where the villain simply becomes the main character, even if there’s a clearly defined protagonist.

But why does it happen?? Well, there are countless reasons why it happens so. Some villains are outright charismatic. Others possess a goal that feels more right than the heroes’ own. And few come bundled with those two things.

Movies are a perfect example of these. From Star Wars to Batman, you have got these amazing villains who, at times, the audiences are more in tune with than the protagonist themselves. And so, keeping that in mind, we have curated a list of the 40 best movies where the villain is the main character. 

American Psycho

Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel, American Psycho centers around Patrick Bateman. An investment banker by profession, Patrick is materialistic to the core and a sociopath through and through. The novel was a success, but its popularity hit the charts when Mary Harron released her film in 2000.

Starring Christian Bale as our titular main character, the movie has become a cult classic in the movie industry. Bale’s portrayal of the murderous social elite is a sight to see and one which borders on the absurd and comic.

Today, besides its classic status, American Psycho is a constant source of memes on the internet. If you have been here long, you must have seen loads of memes around the business card scene and the Paul Allen one too.

As a character, Bateman is iconic not due to his murderous rampage but because of the need to show his perfect personality and taste. The minute he feels lacking compared to others, Bateman resorts to crime. Not even sparing his colleague. American Psycho not only focuses on Patrick but the rampant conspicuous consumption of society.

• Director – Mary Harron
• Screenplay – Mary Harron, Bret Easton Ellis, Guinevere Turner
• Cast – Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe
• Run time – I hour 42 min.
• Rating – R

No Country For Old Men

Few villains are as scary as Anton Chigurh. And no one could have portrayed the role of this calm and effective assassin as Javier Bardem. Released in 2007, No Country for Old Men was directed by the legendary duo – Coen Brothers. This one, too, was adapted from a novel of the same name authored by Cormac McCarthy.

No Country for Old Men is a story of circumstances, one that will rope in three unknown men and tie their fates together. Javier Bardem’s character, Anton Chigurh, is a deadly hitman who doesn’t show remorse or any fear. He decides people’s fate on a coin toss and lives by his decision.

Llewelyn Moss is a war vet on the run after he realizes he’s being hunted for the money he stole. And Ed Tom Bell is the town’s sheriff where Moss resides, thrown unknowingly into this cat-and-mouse chase. No Country for Old Men is Coen Brother’s chef-d’oeuvre. Go watch it!!

• Director – Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Screenplay – Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Cast – Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson
• Run time – 2 hours 2 min.
• Rating – R

Psycho

It was only evident that Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic would land on this list. Regarded as a cult classic with the likes of Nosferatu, The Shining, and Rosemary’s Baby, Psycho was one of the first horror-thrillers to garner wide appreciation for its representation of violence, mental disorder, and sexuality at a time when such things in Hollywood were shown as little as possible. Besides Psycho, Hitchcock was also responsible for many impactful movies like The Birds, Vertigo, North By Northwest and many many more.

Psycho is also adapted from a novel of the same name written by Robert Bloch, which was published just a year before its movie adaptation. The story mainly takes place at the Bates Motel, owned and run by a mother-son duo. But all is not well at the motel as guests appear to be missing, nowhere to be found. Psycho is a Hollywood classic, and Anthony Perkins’ performance in it is just absolute gold.

• Director – Alfred Hitchcock
• Screenplay – Joseph Stefano, Robert Bloch
• Cast – Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh
• Run time – 1 hour 49 min.
• Rating – R

The Human Centipede

Warning! If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s recommended that you do so only if you are comfortable with body horror.

Horror fans know how deep some of the stuff can get when it comes to the matter of disturbed and depraved. No matter which medium of art, horror will get deranged if you start delving deep into it. From Event Horizon to Cannibal Holocaust, horror in movies is no stranger to the unhinged.

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is a body horror film that was released in 2009 by the Dutch director Tom Six. It’s the first film in the Human Centipede trilogy, all directed and produced by him. Notorious for its graphic depiction of violence, sex, and whatnot, the franchise is slated to come back once again as Six has been developing a new film called – The Human Caterpillar.

Yes! The Human Centipede is about humans being turned into centipedes physically. How you may ask?? Well, our “main character,” Dr. Josef Heiter, is a master of surgery and has been known worldwide for separating Siamese twins. But his interest lies somewhere else now. He dreams of creating something that will outshine all of his past achievements as a surgeon.

Hence, the Human Centipede project, where he will combine the bodies of alive humans and stitch them together from the first one’s anus to the mouth of the second one and so on. Trust us, and our description has been highly PG compared to the chaos you will see unfold in front of your eyes. And this one is considered to be the tamest of the trilogy. Go wonder how the rest will be.

• Director – Tom Six
• Screenplay – Tom Six
• Cast – Dieter Laser, Akihiro Kitamura, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie
• Run time – 1 hour 30min.
• Rating – R

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

A gothic slasher musical directed by Tim Burton? Well, what’s better than that?? A gothic slasher musical directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, of course!!! Burton’s 2007 release was highly praised by critics for its faithful adaptation of the 1979 musical by Stephen Sondheim. Both Depp and Carter were excellent in their performances which is saying something, as Depp had to take lessons for his singing.

It’s a great adaption, even though Burton had to get rid of some songs due to the movie’s runtime. Depp plays the role of Sweeney Todd, a barber on his murderous quest to kill the ones who wronged him and his family. Besides the aforementioned cast, Sacha Baron Cohen and Alan Rickman also star in this musical. Do give it a try if you like musicals. Or you can just watch it for Helena Bonham Carter alone.

• Director – Tim Burton
• Screenplay – John Logan
• Cast – Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jayne Wisener
• Run time – 1 hour 57min
• Rating – R

The House That Jack Built

Lars Von Trier’s style of filmmaking is interesting, to say the least. If you have seen any of his films, you would understand what we are talking about. Antichrist was such a heavy film that it’s still polarizing for a lot. One word that would describe his work is – controversial. A word the director himself is not a stranger to.

After finishing his Depression trilogy, consisting of – Antichrist, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac, Von Trier started working on his next project called The House That Jack Built. The project was created as a television show at first, but Von Trier decided to make it a movie later on.

The plot of the movie centers around a serial killer called Jack and his killings from the 1970s to 1980s. Reception around the film was typical as any Von Trier film – polarizing. It has a 42 Metascore on Metacritic out of a total of 29 critic reviews. Meanwhile, the user score is generally favorable, with a 6.8. It’s a Lars Von Trier film, so be prepared for everything.

• Director – Lars Von Trier
• Screenplay – Lars Von Trier
• Cast – Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Bruno Ganz, Riley Keough
• Run time – 2 hours 31min.
• Rating – R

Split

M Night Shyamalan’s career has been one hell of a roller-coaster ride. Directing wonders like Signs, The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable made him a highly respected director. But then he directed the disaster that was The Last Airbender in 2010.

That movie is still cited as the most abysmal adaptation of an IP. And mind you, and this is a space where you have 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and Super Mario Bros (1993 one, not the new unreleased one).

Shyamalan did make his comeback with 2015’s The Visit. It wasn’t a heavy hitter like Sixth Sense, but it allowed Shyamalan to get his groove back, which he did with the James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy starrer Split.

Serving as its director, producer, and writer, Split was a major success financially and critically. Critics were impressed with Joy’s and McAvoy’s performances, catapulting their careers further into stardom.

Split deals with the topic of multiple personality disorders and mental health. James McAvoy gives an incredible performance as the antagonist of the movie, who suffers from a dissociative identity disorder.

A total of twenty-three personalities inhibit his psyche, with a twenty-fourth one ready to manifest. One which is feared by other personalities and is, suffice to say – a Beast. If you are a Shyamalan fan, this one will pique your interest.

• Director – M. Night Shyamalan
• Screenplay – M. Night Shyamalan
• Cast – James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jessica Sula, Haley Lu Richardson
• Run time – 1 hour 57min.
• Rating – PG-13

A Series of Unfortunate Events

You really can’t deny Jim Carrey’s ability as a comedian. No one in Hollywood even comes close to his mastery of that art. Well, except for Norm and Carlin, of course. But aside from these great legends, Carrey has remained an exceptional comedian with an equally impressive line of work.

Ace Ventura, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and Liar Liar are only a few of his best works from a list of many. And his comeback as Dr. Eggman in the video game adaption of the Sonic Franchise was just awesome, to say the least. Besides his exemplary comedic chops, the actor has also shown his expertise in more serious roles in movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show.

2004’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is counted in the list of Carrey’s most exceptional performances. Directed by Bradley Mitchell Silberling and screenplay by Robert Gordon, the movie stars Carrey in the lead villain role along with other talented actors such as Emily Browning, Luis Guzman, Meryl Streep, and Catherine O’Hara.

The film follows three orphan siblings who try to escape from an evil stage actor as he yearns for their family’s wealth. This is all but a simplification of the plot, but regardless it’s a film you wouldn’t regret watching. Carrey’s acting is hilarious, even if he dons the antagonistic role here.

• Director – Brad Silberling
• Screenplay – Daniel Handler, Robert Gordon
• Cast – Jim Carrey, Emily Browning, Liam Aiken, Meryl Streep, Catherine O’Hara, Jude Law
• Run time – 1 hour 47min.
• Rating – PG

There Will Be Blood

If Jim Carrey is the master of comedy, then Daniel Day-Lewis is the master of drama. The British actor is a well-known method actor in the industry, which you can witness if you see his filmography.

Although he retired in 2017 after finishing Phantom Thread, he is still cited as not only Hollywood’s but UK’s best actor to date. He was the recipient of three Academy Awards in the Best Actor category, and it’s a testament to his ability and dedication to his work.

Like many of the movies on this list, There Will Be Blood is based on a book called Oil! By Upton Sinclair. We follow Daniel Plainview, portrayed by Day-Lewis himself, an oilman who thirsts for nothing but wealth.

Plainview’s character symbolizes the hunger capitalism creates, one which can never be satiated. As always, Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t disappoint here with his performance. Plus, he won Best Actor for his acting in this film, so you already know this one is great.

• Director – Paul Thomas Anderson
• Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson
• Cast – Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciaran Hinds, Kevin J. O’Connor
• Run time – 2 hours 38min.
• Rating – R

A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick has his plethora of disturbing movies, but it’s A Clockwork Orange that takes the cake here. Released in 1971, Kubrick adapted it from Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel. Besides directing it, he also served as its producer and wrote the screenplay himself. The movie deals with a lot of themes, including morality, government totalitarianism, and free will, among others.

A Clockwork Orange was a box-office success earning $114 million against a meager budget of only $1.3 million. Critic reception, on the other hand, was divided. Malcolm McDowell, who plays the main character of Alex, was praised for his acting, but reviewers hated the amount of violence portrayed.

The story is set in a near-future Britain and follows Alex, who, along with his gang, commits extreme crimes. Later on, he is caught by the authorities. But instead of keeping him imprisoned for the rest of his sentence, they decide to experiment with a new psychological technique for him to rehabilitate. Even today, A Clockwork Orange remains an unnerving movie to watch.

• Director – Stanley Kubrick
• Screenplay – Anthony Burgess, Stanley Kubrick
• Cast – Malcolm McDowell, Michael Bates, Patrick Magee
• Run time – 2 hours 17min.
• Rating – R

Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese made his mark in the film industry when he released Taxi Driver in 1976. His previous “big” film, Mean Street, was a stepping stone for him, one which he used to hone his skills as a filmmaker. And it all paid off gracefully after Taxi Driver was praised highly by the critics and audience. Scorsese even went on to receive the 1976 Palme d’Or for his direction.

Taxi Driver features Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Peter Boyle, and Cybill Shepherd in the lead roles. De Niro portrays the main character of Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War vet who works as a taxi driver in New York City. Like many who served in Vietnam, Travis also suffers from the effects of PTSD. Each day his mental state deteriorates, finally culminating in something unfortunate.

• Director – Martin Scorsese
• Screenplay – Paul Schrader
• Cast – Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd
• Run time – 1 hour 53min.
• Rating – R

The Wolf of Wall Street

So many Scorsese films on this list!! What can we say? The man loves making banger movies. And what could be more banger than 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street? Please go watch it if you haven’t. This one may be different from Scorsese’s usual serious crime movies, but it’s a great watch. And an absolute must if you happen to be on a Scorsese binge-watch.

The Wolf of Wall Street is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir, which was published in 2007. The movie had to go through a lot of directorial issues due to Warner Bros. did not green-light the project, which annoyed Scorsese so much that he decided to instead work on Shutter Island.

He did come back to the director’s chair after it was given the go-ahead by Red Granite Pictures along with no-restriction filmmaking. Leonardo Dicaprio, who portrays Belfort, gives one of the best performances of his career in this. Plus it has such an excellent cast which is simply amazing. Go watch it if you haven’t. Certainly Scorsese’s best modern crime movie.

• Director – Martin Scorsese
• Screenplay – Terence Winter
• Cast – Leonardo Di Caprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal
• Run time – 2 hours 59min.
• Rating – R

Reservoir Dogs

How can this list be complete without even a Quentin Tarantino movie to boast about? Besides being known for his foot shots and memorable dialogues, Tarantino is an expert in making his villains stand out. From Inglorious Basterds to Kill Bill, the director has never failed to produce a “bad” movie over his entire career so far.

Reservoir Dogs was the fateful start of Tarantino’s career. Being his debut director, he had to shoot the film on a low-level budget. Harvey Keitel, who loved the script, helped him in raising close to 1.5 million dollars for the production.

The story for the majority of the film takes place in a warehouse as we follow a group of thieves and the aftermath of a robbery gone wrong. The reception around Reservoir Dogs was highly positive. Of course, this being a Tarantino work, many were surprised by the amount of profanity and violence shown. Something they would have to get used to as four years later, in 1994, he would release Pulp Fiction.

• Director – Quentin Tarantino
• Screenplay – Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
• Cast – Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Micheal Madsen, Chris Penn, Quentin Tarantino, Lawrence Tierney
• Run time – 1 hour 45min.
• Rating – R

Goodfellas

The unfortunate passing of Ray Liotta was a sad loss for the movie industry. The Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor saw his career rise after he portrayed Henry Hill in the 1990 crime feature Goodfellas. Liotta did leave us with one last performance, which will be released this year, called – Cocaine Bear.

Goodfellas is about Henry Hill’s time in the mafia and his eventual arrest by the authorities. Nicholas Pileggi wrote a book on him called Wiseguy, which also serves as the movie’s foundation. Upon its release, it became a quick hit and a box-office success. It was also nominated for various awards, including Academy and Golden Globe.

Joe Pesci went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tommy DeVito. Today, Goodfellas frequently comes up in discussions around the greatest gangster film ever made. Suffice it to say Liotta’s legacy and Scorsese’s direction will always be remembered.

• Director – Martin Scorsese
• Screenplay – Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Pileggi
• Cast – Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco
• Run time – 2 hours 26min.
• Rating – R

Nightcrawler

It took a long time for Jake Gyllenhaal to have his big break, but the actor finally got one after the release of Nightcrawler in 2014. Donnie Darko was his first film to establish him as a good actor in 2001. Then in 2005, Ang Lee directed Brokeback Mountain, earning him wide recognition for his performance.

Gyllenhaal plays the role of Louis Bloom or Lou, who sells crime footage to news stations. While his footage may be the absolute best, it’s his method of capturing them that questions his morality. Nightcrawler is an enjoyable psychological thriller to watch. One which will leave you wanting more.

• Director – Dan Gilroy
• Screenplay – Dan Gilroy
• Cast – Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, Rene Russo, Ann Cusack, Bill Paxton
• Run time – 1 hour 57min.
• Rating – R

Perfume: Story of a Murderer

Adapted from Patrick Suskind’s 1985 novel of the same name, the movie is a joint co-production from Germany, the US, France, and Spain. However, Suskind himself had no involvement in any process of production.

Its producer Bernd Eichinger who is also credited with its screenplay, has close ties with the IP as he wanted to make a film based on the book quite a long ago. He had approached Suskind in 1985 but wasn’t given permission to access the rights of the book. However, on his second try in 2000, he got them.

True to its title, the film deals with the idea of scent. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who’s played by the lovely Ben Whishaw, is a man who possesses an incredible ability to smell scents, unlike others which he lacks. Unable to contain his desire to make a perfume that will give him his scent, he starts a murder spree of women whom he picks as having the best scent. If you are a Ben Whishaw fan, Perfume: A Story of a Murderer is a must-see.

• Director – Tom Tykwer
• Screenplay – Tom Tykwer, Andrew Birkin, Bernd Eichinger
• Cast – Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman, John Hurt, Rachel Hurd-Wood
• Run time – 2 hours 25min.
• Rating – R

Scarface

Over his long career in the movie industry, Brian De Palma has directed some of the most well-known crime thrillers and horror movies. His adaptation of the Stephen King book, Carrie, emerged as a box-office hit and even went on to have a remake in which Chloe Grace Moretz played the titular character.

His other notable works include Tom Cruise starrer Mission Impossible and The Untouchables, a fictionalized take on the arrest of Al Capone.

Scarface is most probably Palma’s magnum opus. Look, the man has an impressive resume, but on that resume, Scarface stands out the most. It’s a cult classic, after all. Adapted from Armitage Trail’s novel of the same name, Scarface saw its release on 9 December 1983. It stars Al Pacino in the lead role as Tony Montana, a refugee from Cuba who quickly goes on to become a crime lord. But anything that rises must fall too.

• Director – Brian De Palma
• Screenplay – Oliver Stone
• Cast – Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
• Run time – 2 hours 50min.
• Rating – R

Lord of War

The Nicolas Cage renaissance has been in full swing ever since the actor starred in Panos Cosmatos, directed by Mandy. For a long time, he had been in a limbo of bad movies, which struck his reputation as an A-list actor. This was largely due to the debts he had accrued over the years, forcing him to take any roles he could get to finish off those debts. The actor did confirm in 2022 that he had successfully finished paying them.

One of the most underrated Nicolas Cage movies is Lord Of War. Directed by Andrew Niccol, the film is narrated by Cage himself as he plays the role of Yuri Orlov, an international arms dealer with connections reaching far and wide.

Lord of War, through its story, tries to make the audience focus on the rampant arms trafficking and especially US’s involvement in them. A recommended watch, to say the least.

• Director – Andrew Niccol
• Screenplay – Andrew Niccol
• Cast – Nicolas Cage, Ian Holm, Jared Leto, Ethan Hawke, Bridget Moynahan
• Run time – 2 hours 2min.
• Rating – R

The Shining

Often regarded as the Master of Horror, Stephen King has written some of the best-known works out there. Some that even are not under the umbrella of horror. Titles like Cujo, It, Carrie, Salem’s Lot, and the recently released Fairy Tale are just a few from a list of numerous masterpieces.

Furthermore, if you didn’t know, he wrote The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption, two of the most famous dramatic movies of all time. He is simply a man with hands which weave stories that one can do nothing but admire.

Of course, we had to also include The Shining here. It’s really hard to select which book to choose as King’s chef d’oeuvre due to the sheer amount of genre-defining books he has authored. And frankly is a debate left for another time. He’s just the physical incarnation of the “Suffering from Success” meme.

Aside from this, it’s also the adoption of his stories in movies and television that have contributed to the popularity of his books. King alone is on a whole nother level. But when you pair his works with a good adaptation, that just makes it to heights achieved only by the likes of George R.R. Martin and the great J.R.R. Tolkien.

While King considers Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining to be his least liked, even going as far as to say that he hated it, many think the opposite of it.

Kubrick himself is someone whose name is remembered when you mention legendary directors of all time, along with others such as Alfred Hitchcock, Satyajit Ray, Akira Kurosawa, and Orson Welles. Even years after The Shining was released in 1980, people can’t stop talking about it, with there still being discussions and theories around the film’s plot and mysteries.

The Shining focuses on the Torrance family consisting of the father, Jack, his wife, Wendy, and their son – Danny. The Torrances decide to live at the Overlook Hotel after Jack accepts a position there as a caretaker during its off-season.

It doesn’t takes too long for things to start turning worse as both the father and son experience some unnatural happenings. Ultimately culminating in a climax so famous that even a shot of it will start reminding people about it.

• Director – Stanley Kubrick
• Screenplay – Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
• Cast – Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
• Run time – 2 hours 22min.
• Rating – R

The Founder

There’s no arguing around the fact that Ray Kroc is what made McDonald’s it is today. His handling and ideas revolutionized the fast-food industry, one which is still followed by numerous chain restaurants around the world. But by no means was he a saint. That has been pretty clear from all the interviews, memoirs, and the 2016 film.

Directed by John Lee Hancock, The Founder is a biographical film on the life and events of Ray Kroc. Micheal Keaton stars as the narcissist and ruthless “founder” of the McDonald’s fast-food chain who, at the start of the movie, was just some salesman selling milkshake machines to potential buyers, unsatisfied with his life and work.

As Kroc comes to know about the McDonald brother’s impressively fast service system at their restaurant, he finds what he had been waiting for – A chance. The film shows his struggles to make the brothers accept his idea of a uniformed chain restaurant, included with a fast delivery system.

His eventual falling out with his wife and the McDonald brothers. And all the nasty things he did to make McDonald’s successful. Although The Founder does take some liberty to dramatize the events, it’s a great movie that encapsulates Ray Kroc – Persistent, Narcissistic, and Ruthless.

• Director – John Lee Hancock
• Screenplay – Robert D. Siegel
• Cast – Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, Nick Offerman, B.J. Novak, Linda Cardellini
• Run time – 1 hour 55min.
• Rating – PG-13

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Made on an even lower budget of $110,000 than Friday the 13th’s 550,000, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer saw its premier in 1986 at the Chicago International Film Festival. Like most horror films released at the time, it’s a slasher movie loosely based on the crimes of real-life criminals – Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.

Before becoming a regular in James Gunn’s movies, Micheal Rooker made his career debut in this movie. Here he plays the eponymous role of Henry, a man addicted to killing others. With his roommate, Otis, both of them start murdering people, but things take a different turn when Henry’s sister, Becky, comes to live with him. It’s a disturbing film, to say the least, so be prepared for anything.

• Director – John McNaughton
• Screenplay – John McNaughton, Richard Fire
• Cast – Micheal Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles
• Run time – 1 hour 23min.
• Rating – Unrated

Falling Down

You know there are days or even moments when you want to scream at something with all your frustrations, just to feel some comfort, some peace. That’s what Falling Down is like, albeit a bit more extreme. As the times have changed, so have the opinions about this movie too.

Falling Down stars Micheal Douglas in the lead role as William Foster, who has just lost his job as a defense engineer. Frustrated and angry, he decides to visit his daughter, who just so happens to live with his estranged ex-wife.

But circumstances don’t allow him peace, and he faces a myriad of obstacles along the way. On IMDB, Falling Down stands at a good 7.6 out of 10, while RottenTomatoes has it at an equal 75% Tomatometer with an audience score of 84%.

• Director – Joel Schumacher
• Screenplay – Ebbe Roe Smith
• Cast – Micheal Douglas, Barbara Hershey, Robert Duvall
• Run time – 1 hour 55min.
• Rating – R

Fight Club

David Fincher is the person you go to experience great psychological thrillers. Throughout his career, he has directed the most impactful movies and shows ever to grace the genre in Hollywood (David, please bring back Mindhunter Season 3!). From the lukewarm reception of Alien 3 to the love Gone Girl got from critics and audiences, Fincher has secured his position as the master of psychological thrillers.

After releasing Seven in 1995, Fincher collaborated with Brad Pitt again in 1999 for Fight Club. Besides Pitt, the movie featured Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter in the leading role. And this one, too, is based on a book of the same name by Chuck Palahnuik.

We follow Norton’s character, who isn’t named and just simply called “The Narrator,” as he strikes a friendship with a soap salesman, Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt). Together they form a fight club that grows in popularity by the day while new motives arise behind their minds. If you could rank Fincher movies in terms of their following, Fight Club would be up there with Seven and Gone Girl. It’s that enjoyable.

• Director – David Fincher
• Screenplay – Jim Uhls
• Cast – Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto
• Run time – 2 hours 29min.
• Rating – R

The Devil Wears Prada

Meryl Streep is the best example of getting better with age. The New Jersey-born veteran actress has been part of many widely loved and influential movies throughout her career. The Laundromat, Mamma Mia!, Death Becomes Her, Julie and Julia, The Post, and Kramer vs. Kramer is always counted in a list of best Meryl Streep movies. And we agree.

Streep’s career shot through the roof after the release of The Devil Wears Prada. Directed by David Frankel and released in 2006, it’s also a book adaptation. Particularly the 2003 Lauren Weisberger chick-lit genre novel.

The gorgeous Anne Hathaway stars as Andrea Sachs, who joins a fashion magazine company. But her time at her job isn’t easy as the magazine’s editor, Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep), is demanding and someone who’s not so easy to work with. If you are a big Meryl Streep fan, go watch this. It’s Micheal Scott certified, after all.

• Director – David Frankel
• Screenplay – Aline Brosh McKenna
• Cast – Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci
• Run time – 1 hour 49min.
• Rating – PG-13

Whiplash

Damien Chazelle’s latest movie Babylon has had an interesting reception from critics and the audience. The visuals and cinematography were highly praised. Meanwhile, the script was deemed subpar at best. Chazelle sported an amazing filmography, so seeing Babylon not being able to match his other work is disappointing.

Whiplash was Chazelle’s foray into becoming a renowned director. The story of an abusive, abrasive conductor tormenting his students to deliver the perfect music was loved by the audience and critics. Mike Teller and J.K. Simmons gave some amazing killer performances of their career. Simmons even went on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the movie’s central antagonist, Terence Fletcher.

• Director – Damien Chazelle
• Screenplay – Damien Chazelle
• Cast – J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist
• Run time – 1 hour 46min.
• Rating – R

Casino

The casino is like a little brother to Goodfellas. You gotta see both movies back to back if you want to enjoy that classic Scorsese gangster movie combo. Released five years after Goodfellas in 1995, Scorsese, like his previous film, adapted Casino from a book called Casino: Love and Horror in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi.

The movie focuses on the life of Sam Rothstein, who’s played by frequent collaborator Robert De Niro as he handles the work of Tangiers Casino located in Las Vegas. Along with De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, and Don Rickles also play major roles in the movie. The casino was a huge success receiving an Oscar nomination for Stone’s performance as Rothstein’s wife, Ginger McKenna.

• Director – Martin Scorsese
• Screenplay – Martin Scorsese
• Cast – Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, Don Rickles, James Woods
• Run time – 2 hours 57min.
• Rating – R

Shin Godzilla

Three things you can never separate from Japan – Mecha, Anime, and Godzilla (or Gojira). There’s one more, but we can’t talk about that here. From an outsider’s perspective, Godzilla seems nothing but just a big terrifying monster hell-bent on destruction. That’s a fair look, and the character is all of that, but there’s more to him.

While all the later released movies, and especially the 2014 American reboot, have turned the King of Monsters into more of an anti-hero, the original Gojira was more of a metaphor for the fears the Japanese people had around nuclear weapons. Something which 2016’s Shin Godzilla was able to emulate.

Hideaki Anno’s struggle with the Evangelion franchise has always been well-known. His depression and thoughts all boiled down into that series. So it was nice to see him focusing his talents on other projects.

Over the years, Gojira has gone through more than twenty-five films with two reboots. Shin Gojira was going to be the third. Anno and Shinji Higuchi, directors of this new reboot, decided to go back to the roots. The God of Destruction was no more a benevolent savior of humanity or an anti-hero. He was uncontrollable, destructive, and ever-evolving.

Its release was a major win for everyone involved with the project as the movie received several Japanese Academy Awards and emerged as the most successful Godzilla film created in Japan. The next Shin film, titled Shin Ultraman, saw its release the previous year, while Shin Kamen Rider is set to release in March of this year.

• Director – Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi
• Screenplay – Hideaki Anno
• Cast – Satomi Ishihara, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Hiroki Hasegawa, Kengo Kora
• Run time – 2 hour
• Rating – Unrated

Inglorious Basterds

Everyone loves a good Hitler killing. And, of course, hunting some Nazis on the way. Well, Tarantino gave us all that when he released Inglorious Basterds in 2009.

Now, there has been quite a massive debate about which movie is Tarantino’s masterpiece. Some say it’s The Hateful Eight. Some argue it’s Kill Bill. But Inglorious Basterds has some major competition in that department. All thanks to Christoph Waltz.

The movie has an amazing star-studded cast which includes Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, Daniel Kruger, and Melanie Laurent in major roles. While all these actors gave an amazing performance, it was Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa that made the film so much more exciting and intriguing.

Inglorious Basterds has the most beautiful yet terrifying opening sequence. It’s something that only films such as RRR and The Godfather have been able to put out. Now you may argue that Hans Landa isn’t the main character in the movie, but it’s rather Brad Pitt’s crew. But we would like to differ on that. Don’t believe us?? Well, we think it’s time for us to hop on to Netflix and start watching Inglorious Basterds.

• Director – Quentin Tarantino
• Screenplay – Quentin Tarantino
• Cast – Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Melanie Laurent, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger
• Run time – 2 hours 32min.
• Rating – R

Friday the 13th

The 1980s were easily the best decade when horror movies, especially the ones from the slasher genre, got mainstream and popular.

Evil Dead, The Shining, My Bloody Valentine, Child’s Play, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Hellraiser, Gremlins, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and lastly, the twenty-ninth movie on this list – Friday, The 13th. All these and more saw their release in the 1980s and were arguably the greatest horror renaissance of the old days.

Made on a shoestring budget of just $550,000, Friday the 13th was directed by Sean S. Cunningham and released on 9 May 1980.

It can be argued that this movie laid the groundwork for the flood of upcoming summer camp horror movies Hollywood saw in both the early and late 80s. 13th itself borrowed some inspiration from legendary horror director John Carpenter’s slasher Halloween, particularly the idea of an evil masked and nearly unkillable killer.

The first in a franchise of many, Friday the 13th, takes place in a summer camp populated by a few teenage camp counselors. Unknown to them, a killer is hunting them one by one. Since the first movie’s release, it has turned into an influential horror franchise with its novels, video games, and comics.

• Director – Sean S. Cunningham
• Screenplay – Victor Miller
• Cast – Kevin Bacon, Betsy Palmer, Robbi Morgan, Adrienne King
• Run time – 1 hour 35min.
• Rating – R

Star Wars (Skywalker Saga and the Prequels)

Probably the greatest movie franchise of all time in movie history (Bring back Mara Jade, Disney, you cowards!!). George Lucas’s vision of a space opera involving familial bonds and struggles struck so hard with the audience that the resulting output would go on to become a cult classic. Star Wars made Lucas a legendary director in the movie industry, while the film itself popularized science-fiction among mainstream audiences.

This addition to the list is different from others due to there being a total of six films in it. If you are even somewhat familiar with the original Star Wars franchise, you know that it’s a story of family first and a space opera second.

There’s a reason why Star Trek is less mainstream, while Star Wars is the opposite. Darth Vader and his family are what made Star Wars. Even the Disney sequels were not able to separate that connection. For a chronological watch, start from the prequels and if you want to watch them by their release years, start from the Skywalker Saga.

(STAR WARS: EPISODE IV — A NEW HOPE)

• Director – Geroge Lucas
• Screenplay – George Lucas
• Cast – Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guiness, James Earl Jones, David Prowse
• Run time – 2 hours 1min.
• Rating – PG

The Godfather

When The Godfather came out in 1972, no one knew a crime movie featuring mafias would break records and go on to receive numerous awards ranging from the Oscars to the Golden Globes. It’s still quoted as among the most influential films to ever come out and, in 1990, was subsequently selected by the United States National Film Registry for preservation.

Moreover, the movie laid the foundation for Italian-American Mafia movies, something which Scorsese and David Chase were able to take advantage of.

Francis Ford Coppola, the director of the trilogy, adapted it from Mario Puzo’s eponymous novel, which in itself was a big bestseller. The Godfather and its sequels all center around the Corleone crime family.

While the sequels are still a good watch, the first has always stayed at the top in terms of acting, dialogue, story, and cinematography. Al Pacino is great as ever, and Brando’s performance as the head of the Corleone family, Vito Corleone, is simply awesome.

• Director – Francis Ford Coppola
• Screenplay – Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
• Cast – Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall
• Run time – 2 hours 57min.
• Rating – R

Terrifier

Slasher movies saw their rise in the 1980s. Then the genre got stale. Thankfully, the 2010s was a good decade for slashers. Creep, Halloween, You’re Next, Happy Death Day, and of course, Terrifier. Made on an even more shoestring budget of about $35,000 by Damien Leone in 2016, Terrifier emerged as a cult classic after its release.

Terrifier focuses on a serial killer who dresses as a clown and goes by the moniker – Art the Clown. Being an indie movie of sorts, Terrifier got high praise for its gore and gruesomeness. However, it did receive criticism around the weak script, dialogue, and lack of any major character development.

Not to be disappointed, though, as Leone released the sequel in 2022, which more or less improved a lot upon its mistakes in the first one. And it also became a sleeper hit in 2022, earning about 12 million against a low budget of $250,000. If you know about indie movies in any movie industry, it is a massive successes, to say the least.

• Director – Damien Leone
• Screenplay – Damien Leone
• Cast – David Howard Thornton, Jenna Kanell, Catherine Corcoran
• Run time – 1 hour 22min.
• Rating -Unrated

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Vampires. Like them. Love them. Never get tired of them.

Ever since Bram Stoker published his gothic novel Dracula in 1897, the world had never been the same, especially the literary world. Countless iterations of its main character, Count Dracula of Transylvania, have been made in books, shows, movies, and comics. And boy, oh boy, the vampire genre itself has remained so dominant that even Abraham Lincoln had to hunt them down once.

Now there have been countless adaptations of Dracula, especially since the book became public domain in 1962. So, Francis Ford Coppola, the man behind The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, decided to make one of his own after Winona Ryder suggested the script to him.

Officially called Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it stars Gary Oldman as the Transylvanian count himself, with Keanu Reeves playing Jonathan Harker, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, and Winona Ryder playing Mina Harker.

The movie was a major success in terms of revenue, earning about $215 million, and critics were favorable in their reviews but highly criticized Keanu Reeve’s horrible British accent. It even went on to be nominated for four Oscar nominations and won three in the costume, makeup, and sound editing department.

• Director – Francis Ford Coppola
• Screenplay – James V. Hart
• Cast – Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins
• Run time – 2 hours 3min.
• Rating – R

Tumbbad

Bollywood has never been known for its horror movies. While rom-coms and masala movies have received a lot of love since their inception, horror has always been its neglected child.

However, the offshoot genre of horror-comedy is quite a famous one when it comes to reception by the larger mainstream audience. This doesn’t mean that Bollywood is lacking in terms of good “pure” horror films.

Darna Mana Hai, Darna Zaroori Hai, Ek Thi Dayaan, and 13B are a few great recommendations if you are on the search for such movies. But if you are familiar with Bollywood, you may have noticed that all of them are from several years ago. No modern ones at all.

Since Bhool Bhulaiya, the horror genre has seldom seen any pure horror movies, as that movie effectively gave birth to modern horror comedies. However, in 2018 one film graced the silver screen of Indian cinema, which saved Hindi horror movies from their perversion due to movies like Raaz, Haunted, and 1920.

Tumbbad focuses on the story of a village where it eternally rains and a secret lying in there. The villagers believe the rain is a punishment from Gods for worshipping a shunned god named Hastar. One man Vinayak Rao wants the riches he believes Hastar carries, but will his greed be able to keep up with the wealth he gains?? Well, you gotta watch the movie to find that out!!

• Director – Rahi Anil Barve, Adesh Prasad, Anand Gandhi
• Screenplay – Rahi Anil Barve, Adesh Prasad, Mitesh Shah
• Cast – Sohum Shah, Anita Date-Kelkar, Jyoti Malshe, Ronjini Chakraborty
• Run time – 1 hour 44min.
• Rating – Unrated

The Last King of Scotland

Released in 2006, The Last King of Scotland was directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on Giles Foden’s 1998 book. Both the movie and the book are nowhere near Scotland’s last king at all. It’s actually about the infamous Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, and his rise to power and ruthless rule. The film stars James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker in the lead roles, with Whitaker winning an Oscar for Best Actor.

The Last King of Scotland is part fiction, part true events. Some characters are purely works of fiction, like James McAvoy’s character. But it’s there to serve as a storytelling tool. Amin did overthrow the government to become a dictator. And compared to the real events, the violence portrayed in the movie is very tame.

The title Last King of Scotland refers to the fact that Amin saw himself as one. He believed that the Scottish were a symbol of British resistance. And Uganda was a former British colony, with the Butcher of Uganda having served as a Lieutenant in the empire. It’s a great film, and you won’t be disappointed with this.

• Director – Kevin Macdonald
• Screenplay – Jeremy Brock, Peter Morgan
• Cast – Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington
• Run time – 2 hours 1min.
• Rating – R

Baazigar

It would be a cardinal sin without even mentioning King Khan’s breakout role as the charismatic Ajay Sharma in 1993’s Baazigar. It was adapted from the James Dearden-directed 1991 movie, A Kiss Before Dying which in turn is based on a book of the same name by Ira Levin. Baazigar was a major box-office success in theatres and was responsible for Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, and Shah Rukh Khan’s boost into stardom.

Losing your touch is not something the movie industry is a stranger to. It happened to Robert Zemeckis, and it happened to the famous director-duo, Abbas-Mastan.

The duo directed some of the best Hindi movies like Khiladi, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Soldier, 36 China Town, Race and its sequel, Race 2 but haven’t been able to put out a blockbuster since the release of Race 2 in 2013.

Baazigar is about a man named Ajay Sharma who is on a quest to ruin the life of the individual who directly ruined his by causing the death of his father and sister. Everyone here gives a stellar performance, especially Shah Rukh Khan. It’s a Bollywood classic, so give it a try. And if you have seen it already, have a rewatch it.

• Director – Abbas-Mustan
• Screenplay – Robin Bhatt, Javed Siddiqui, Akash Khurana
• Cast – Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Kajol, Dalip Tahil
• Run time – 3 hour
• Rating – Unrated

Downfall

Originally titled Der Untergang in German and La Caduta – Gli Ultimi Giorni di Hitler in Italian, Downfall is based on Hitler’s last days in his bunker at the end of World War II, especially the Battle of Berlin.

Upon its release, it was a major box-office success, earning about a total of $92.2 million in revenue. Bruno Ganz, who plays the role of Hitler in the movie, was highly praised for his performance and has been cited as his career’s best.

Not only Downfall received rave reviews from critics and audiences, but it was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in 2005.

Furthermore, the movie has seen a rise in popularity due to one scene featuring Hitler ranting about Steiner’s attack. Oliver Hirschbiegel, the director of Downfall himself, has acknowledged those memes and admitted to liking many of them in a 2010 Vulture magazine interview. If you want to see Nazi tears, go watch Downfall.

• Director – Oliver Herschbiegel
• Screenplay – Bernd Eichinger
• Cast – Bruno Ganz, Juliane Kohler, Ulrich Matthes
• Run time – 2 hour 34min.
• Rating – R

Macbeth

Almost all of us have had to read Shakespeare at some point in our school days. Some of you may have liked it, and some of you may have hated it. But one thing we can’t deny is that he is still the greatest playwright ever to grace the literary world.

No single other playwright has written such influential work as he. Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, The Tempest, Hamlet, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and more, are still read and played today. Needless to say, his legacy will remain rooted as long as man exists.

Macbeth is one of the most well-known plays of Shakespeare. Some may even regard it as his magnum opus, but that is a topic up for debate when there are other contenders in Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar.

In 2015 Justin Kurzel came out with his adaptation of Macbeth featuring Michael Fassbender, Sean Harris, Marion Cotillard, Elizabeth Debicki, and Jack Reynor in the leading role. The film doesn’t try to stray away from its source and is a faithful adaptation of the play. Give it a try if you haven’t.

• Director – Justin Kurzel
• Screenplay – Michael Lesslie, Todd Louiso. Jacob Koskoff
• Cast – Micheal Fassbender, Sean Harris, Elizabeth Debicki, Marion Cotillard
• Run time – 1 hour 53min.
• Rating – R

Ichi The Killer

To be a Takashi Miike fan is to be a lover of the weird and absurd. And this is coming from an industry with movies like Hausu, Tetsuo, The Iron Man, Dead Sushi, Mutant Girls Squad, and more. But it’s weird in a good, enjoyable way.

Miike himself is a master of that theme. Words will not be enough to describe Miike’s style of filmography. It’s something you need to experience for yourself.

Released in 2001, Miike adapted the movie from the eponymous manga by Hideo Yamamoto. Ichi is a man with lots of problems. He’s naive, easily manipulated, and sexually repressed. Something which a certain someone is not shying away from exploiting.

Then there’s Kakihara. He works for the yakuza and can be described in one word – sadomasochistic. There isn’t a single character in the movie industry who’s as masochistic as this guy.

Ichi The Killer is Miike’s most violent movie to date and has been banned from several countries due to this. Here are some more Miike recommendations if you want more of that Miike weirdness – The Happiness of the Katakuris, Audition, Visitor Q, Gozu, and Imprint episode of Masters of Horror.

• Director – Takashi Miike
• Screenplay – Sakichi Sato, Hideo Yamamoto
• Cast – Nao Omori, Tadanobu Asano, Shin’ya Tsukamoto
• Run time – 2 hours 8min.
• Rating – R

Joker

For our last movie on this list, we decided to go out with a bang. And what better way to do that than to suggest 2019’s box-office blockbuster Joker? Directed by Todd Philips of The Hangover film series fame, Joker was DC’s one of best movies to come out in recent years.

And if you have been following the chaos surrounding DC with Ezra Miller’s shenanigans, Zaslav gutting almost all shows, and Batgirl getting shelved, it will be interesting to see how the sequel pans out.

Aside from Marvel, DC has quite a lot of iconic characters to boast about. Superman still rivals almost all superheroes in any media in terms of popularity. Similarly, Batman and Wonder Woman have the same amount of reach both in the comic world and in the live-action one.

Then you have their villains. Lex Luthor is a terrifying antagonist who doesn’t even possess any powers. Despite that, he’s Superman’s greatest threat. And at last, you have – Joker.

The single most iconic villain of all time. His relationship with Batman is one of the perfect hero-villain ones out there. And many writers have explored that with their spin on the duo’s dynamic. Simply lay it out – Without Batman, Joker wouldn’t exist, and without Joker, Batman wouldn’t exist.

The silver screen has also seen its fair share of Joker portrayals. From Jack Nicholson to Jared Leto, many have tried to mold their character into their own, trying to make them unique. While lots of them have been good, only two have been the greatest.

Heath Ledger’s performance as Joker will always remain the greatest Joker portrayal of all time. No debates there. And in 2019, we got a performance that rivaled it. Joaquin Phoenix saw his rise to stardom with Spike Jonze’s 2014 sci-fi romantic drama, HER. But his best performance was yet to come.

And it finally arrived in the form of Joker. The movie follows Arthur Fleck as he slowly turns into Gotham’s most notorious criminal, all thanks to the unfortunate circumstances he had to suffer from. Joker is raw, violent, and brilliant. Tuck the kids in if you are planning to see this one.

• Director – Todd Phillips
• Screenplay – Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
• Cast –  Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro
• Run time – 2 hours 2min.
• Rating – R