The most scary literary villains in books/ films

[Lampros]

I'll start...Miss Trunchbull. Still scared when I read the book or watch the films as a 35yo!

Voldemort. I had to miss paragraphs out when I was reading the first book because I was so scared (I was 8 in fairness). I can say his name now though, I’m over it.

Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal. Although everybody was pretty awful in that. Likewise The Crying Game come to think of it. Again, beware the nutter who thinks that they're in the right and has a certain social standing.

Yes! I was concerned it took so long for him to be mentioned

That's exactly who I was thinking of and I've met people that just ooze malevolence and who could turn on a sixpence.

The green witch in the wizard of oz. The child catcher in chitty chitty bang bang. Both terrified me as a child. An avid reader but never found the written word particularly scary.

Alec d'Urberville from Tess of the d'Urbervilles

The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. I have always found her terrifying. Didn't like the munchkins as a child either.

The head witch in The Witches is scary too.

The Daleks!

Quint from Turn of the Screw. Terrified me for years!

"The Freak" from Prisoner Cell Block H.

Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter.
Brian Cox as Logan Roy.

Begbie in Trainspotting.
Jack in Lord of the Flies.
Kevin, in We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Carrie’s mum in Stephen King’s Carrie.

It’s the unhinged ones that scare me.

70s kid here..I used to hide behind the sofa.

Oh yes, "We Need To Talk About Kevin." The most disturbing film. Ezra Miller's life is a bit controversial too.

Oliphant in Life after Life. When I reread the book I had to skip that section

The main character in Perfume by Patrick Süskind.

I had to get the book out of my house once I had finished it. Horrible character, horrible book. Was very well written to have had that strength of reaction from me.

God, yes!

Uriah Heep from David Copperfield. You have to read the book to get beyond the caricature and into the bone-deep evil and malice driving the man. Not to mention his creepy lust for poor Agnes. Ick.

Jennet Humfrye from Susan Hill's ghost story, The Woman in Black Jennet is not someone you want to run into in the dark. Or broad daylight. Or just anywhere.

The Foxworth family in Flowers in the Attic. I don’t know how they hold up by today’s standards but I read the series when I was around 12 and it creeped me out.
A really obvious one is Kevin from we need to talk about Kevin.
Mr Harvey from The Lovely Bones is a terrifying character.
And I am currently reading my first ever Stephen King, Needful Things, the shop owner in the book, Leland Gaunt has definitely got some creepy vibes (Only a few chapters in though so I could be wrong) I’m enjoying the book a lot though.

I thought We Need To Talk About Kevin was brilliantly, compellingly written and as a pp said with reference to Suskind's Perfume, I couldn't wait to get it out of the house. It'll be a cold day in hell before I re-read it.

I can’t remember his name but the boy in Susan Hill’s “ I’m The King of The Castle” who systematically destroys the other boy. Really stays with you.
It was Edmund.

Agree on Uriah Heep - had a visceral reaction reading the book... 😨

I think the Demon Headmaster is more scary than the Trunchbull. Dahl's villains were always somewhat OTT, and always got their comeuppance.

I found the quiet but totally ruthless villains far more scary. The ones who will probably get away with far more because they appear respectable.

For me one of the scariest moments in a children's book is in Enid Blyton's Sea of Adventure. They're getting away in a boat, and run out of petrol. Bill looks up, sees Lucy Ann and says "don't worry, they won't hurt children." That says such a lot. He's clearly desperate, and can't even pretend they won't hurt him - and the reassurance is clearly empty words too, he knows that they will hurt the children to make him talk.
You don't, if I remember rightly, actually see the villains, but that one sentence tells you what they are capable of.

Dolores Umbridge. More immediate and believable than Voldemort.
Jacko Vance in Val McDermid's Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series.

Yes, oh yes. Such a powerful novel and such a cruel story. It’s so well written but I’ve never been able to bring myself to read it again. The ending still haunts me.