Movie villains are meant to be scary. They exist to strike fear in the viewer's heart and keep them up at night. A good villain is terrifying, ruthless, and memorable, which makes the audience care more about the protagonist and their potential fate. Some villains achieve this by appearing out of nowhere and providing intense jump scares, like Ghostface from the Scream franchise. Others use more sinister methods, like dark magic, voodoo, or supernatural powers.
Over the years, many movie villains have used magic to overpower the hero of the story. For instance, Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter franchise uses the dark arts to cast spells, read minds, and teleport at will. Ralph Fiennes was great at playing Voldemort, but he's not the only movie villain that haunts your nightmares. These are the scariest villains that use magic in movies.
10 The Wicked Witch of the West
The Wizard of Oz is a classic of American cinema. Released in 1939, the movie follows Dorothy (Judy Garland) as she's transported from her farm in Kansas to the magical world of Oz. As she travels down the yellow brick road, she meets a cast of characters including the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. If Dorothy wants to get home, she must escape the wrath of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).
Hamilton was downright frightening as the Witch, which is a testament to her acting ability. The role has become an iconic one, with many kids remembering the Witch as one of the first movie villains that kept them up at night. The Wicked Witch of the West uses magic in the forms of pyrokinesis, teleportation, and spell casting. The Wizard of Oz is a favorite for many film fans, and its production contains some interesting stories.
9 The Evil Queen
Another movie from the 1930s with a scary villain is 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Disney film is based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and it's largely considered to be the first animated feature film ever made. In it, Snow White lives with her stepmother, the Queen, who's jealous of her beauty and wants to get rid of her. The Queen reveals herself to be evil and hires the Huntsman to track down Snow White and kill her.
After the Huntsman fails to kill Snow White, the Evil Queen uses magic and makes a poison apple She then uses her powers to disguise herself as a crotchety old woman. This version of the Evil Queen is probably the version that most viewers remember, as her appearance was dark, disgusting, and downright scary. Actor Rachel Zegler once mentioned that the Evil Queen scared her so much as a kid that she couldn't watch the film again.
8 Darth Sidious
Darth Sidious is an ominous villain and one of the scariest figures in the Star Wars universe. Played by Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, Darth Sidious harnesses the Dark Side of the Force to manipulate people, primarily Anakin Skywalker. Sidious uses his Force strength to increase his power, agility, and speed at will and eventually controls Anakin until he converts to the Dark Side as well.
Darth Sidious is one creepy-looking villain with a fascinating backstory. In creating the character, George Lucas said he was inspired by dictators like Adolf Hitler and Julius Caesar. The image of Darth Sidious' wrinkly skin, deep voice, and dark cloak is forever carved into the audience's memory long after the credits roll.
7 Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is an iconic Marvel villain with supernatural powers. In 2005's Fantastic Four, he's played by Julian McMahon. When Victor Von Doom, Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Susan Storm (Jessica Alba), and her brother Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) are exposed to a cosmic energy blast during a research experiment, all four of them are endowed with supernatural powers. Doom is the only one who uses his magic abilities for evil.
With a metal shied all over his body, Doctor Doom is practically invincible. He's able to use his magic powers to manipulate electricity, absorb energy, and travel through different dimensions. His metal mask makes him terrifying as nobody can see his true identity. Fantastic Four didn't score very good reviews, but some argue the movie is not as bad as critics say it is.
6 Kaecilius
Speaking of MCU movies, Kaecilius is the latest Marvel villain to strike fear in the hearts of moviegoers. Mads Mikkelsen plays the sorcerer in the 2016 film Doctor Strange. The movie opens in Kathmandu, with Kaecilius stealing pages from a book that belongs to the Ancient One. His goal is to achieve eternal life, and he's determined to eliminate anyone in his way, including Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).
When Kaecilius arrives in New York City, he uses the stolen pages to awaken Dormammu from the Dark Dimension to destroy the Sanctum. Kaecilius's other powers include casting spells, time-traveling through portals, and enhanced speed and strength. He's very scary looking, with dark circles around his eyes and a menacing frown at all times. Despite this, Kaecilius is not one of the best Doctor Strange villains.
5 Ursula
In Disney's 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid, Ariel is a mermaid who lives under the sea under the watchful eye of her overbearing father, King Triton. She yearns to find out what it would be like to live on land as a human being. When her evil aunt Ursula, an octopus-like creature, offers her the chance to live as a person in exchange for her voice, Ariel jumps at the opportunity without realizing that she's been cast with an evil curse.
The 2023 live-action remake features Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and she does an excellent job. Everything from her hair to makeup to her frightening minion eels is perfect. The original Ursula's most memorable song is "Poor Unfortunate Souls," a tune that outlines her bad intentions and how she can use magic to manipulate Ariel. McCarthy's portrayal of Ursula is certainly one of the most nostalgic moments in The Little Mermaid.
4 Magneto
Magneto is a powerful supervillain who is the main protagonist of the X-Men franchise. He's played in the original movies by Ian McKellen, and later by Michael Fassbender. Magneto was born Erik Lehnsherr, an orphan whose parents were killed in a Nazi concentration camp. After discovering his mutant powers at a young age, Magneto set off to avenge his parent's death. He formed the Brotherhood of Mutants to fight his former friend Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart).
In the movies, Magneto is endowed with the ability to manipulate electromagnetic energy. He can create magnetic fields and lift objects made of metal with ease. He can make anything in his environment a conductor. In addition, Magneto's signature helmet makes him resistant to telepathy and mind control. His sheer power makes him a scary adversary to Professor X and the X-Men.
3 Saruman the White
In The Lord of the Rings, Saruman the White is a chief wizard who pledges allegiance to Sauron, the ruler of Mordor. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Sauron is trying to stop the hobbits from destroying the One Ring, so Saruman dispatches the Nazgul wraith servants to kill Frodo and his friend Sam. Meanwhile, Saruman betrays his friend Gandalf and summons a storm to block the Fellowship from helping Frodo.
Though there's some debate as to who is the strongest wizard in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman possesses some unreal evil powers. He's a master of dark magic with the ability to cast spells and control the Orcs, among other things. The late Christopher Lee does an amazing job of portraying the character, crafting a creepy look and giving bravado to his menacing throughout the trilogy.
2 Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is possibly the scariest villain to ever appear on-screen. In the eight Harry Potter films, he's played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes. Voldemort is the Dark Lord who kills Harry's parents when he's a baby. He was unable to kill Harry, however, leaving a lightning-shaped scar on the boy wizard's forehead. When Harry discovers his powers as an adolescent. Voldemort returns to stop him from becoming too powerful.
Lord Voldemort possesses an array of powers and is the only wizard that can rival Harry's mastery. He's able to cast dark arts spells, teleport, and manipulate objects. Fiennes' best moments as the character truly elevate the Harry Potter series. Voldemort's look and feel in the movies is chilling. He doesn't have any hair, has scaly skin and fingers, he talks in a hissing, raspy voice. If that doesn't keep you awake at night, nothing will.
1 Maleficent
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959 and was Disney's most expensive animated film at the time. Princess Aurora is cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent and doomed to die by the prick of a spindle. The princess is rescued by three good fairies, who reverse the spell by putting Princess Aurora in a deep sleep. The only way she will survive Maleficent's curse is to be awakened by the kiss of her true love, Prince Phillip.
Maleficent is a sinister villain with devil horns and a black robe, giving her a scary and intimidating look. She possesses evil magic powers, like the ability to cast spells and shape-shift. At the end of Sleeping Beauty, she transforms into a dragon to try to destroy Princess Aurora once and for all. Maleficent is portrayed by Angelina Jolie in the live-action films Maleficent and its sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
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