Eric B. Ruark, author

Top 10 Tuesday - Fictional Villains Who Steal the Show I’ve always thought that a thriller is only as good as its villain. You can have a terrific hero and a clever plot, but if the antagonist isn’t convincing, the whole thing can fall apart. The best villains aren’t necessarily the most violent. They’re the ones who get inside your head, and sometimes they’re considerably more entertaining than the heroes. Here are ten of my favourites. 1. Hannibal Lecter — The Silence of the Lambs Anthony Hopkins dominates the film despite having relatively little screen time. 2. Anton Chigurh — No Country for Old Men Javier Bardem’s chilling portrayal of a killer who operates according to his own incomprehensible moral code. 3. Hans Gruber — Die Hard Sophisticated, funny, ruthless and blessed with a genuinely clever plan. 4. Annie Wilkes — Misery Kathy Bates is extraordinary as Stephen King’s obsessive fan. 5. Keyser Söze — The Usual Suspects A villain whose reputation is almost more frightening than the man himself. And what an ending. 6. Nurse Ratched — One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Louise Fletcher barely raises her voice, but her quiet exercise of power is absolutely chilling. 7. The Joker — The Dark Knight Heath Ledger’s Joker is frightening because he doesn’t care about money, status or even his own survival. He just wants chaos. 8. Amy Dunne — Gone Girl Brilliantly manipulative, frighteningly intelligent and brought to life perfectly by Rosamund Pike. 9. Norman Bates — Psycho Anthony Perkins makes Norman seem almost sympathetic, which makes Hitchcock’s revelations all the more disturbing. 10. Lorne Malvo — Fargo Billy Bob Thornton’s character is unpredictable, manipulative and seems to take enormous pleasure in making other people’s lives miserable. Who’s your favourite fictional villain?