Female Villains In Film: 6 Of The Best. By Laurie Wood.

With Halloween on our doorstep, let’s refresh ourselves with some of the best female villains in film, not necessarily horror. There are plenty more I could add, but we will be here for ages if I did. Here are my top 6, female villains in no particular order. Warning, spoilers are ahead.

Who: The Grand High Witch
Film: The Witches (1990)

The Grand High Witch played by the incredible Anjelica Huston, first appears to show elegance, with her sleek black hair and slim figure (an early Morticia Addams, maybe?).  Though this soon changes. In a meeting with her coven of witchy followers, they begin to relax and physically, show their true selves.

The Grand High Witch pulls off her face mask to reveal a terrifying monster beneath. Upon my first watch as a child, it shook me to the core. The grotesque-ness of the aesthetics really heightened her sense of evil power, especially in comparison to her followers who look fairly tame in comparison. This witch was one you did not want to mess with… Or risk being turned into a mouse.

Who: Esther
Film: Orphan (2009)

Esther, played by Isabelle Fuhrman, is a young orphan girl who gets adopted, but, things start to turn South. Esther starts showing hostile tendencies and a threatening attitude towards her adopted parents, Kate and John. As the plot unravels we discover Esther, is actually a 33-year-old woman with Hypopituitarism, which explains her maturity and obsession over John.

While watching the film, we know something isn’t right with Esther, she displays a dark and psychotic side which makes it uncomfortable to watch, asking yourself, how can a young girl be so evil? The stubbornness of her character and domineering presence on screen makes her a candidate not to get too close to.

Who: Miss Agatha Trunchball
Film: Matilda (1996)

Female Villains In Film: 6 Of The Best. Most children have some memory of a teacher they did not get along well with in school, but Miss Trunchball was on a whole new level. Played by Pam Ferris, she was a large woman with a serious attitude problem. First appearing on screen, her presence made the playground silent, her clothes were reminiscent of an army officer and she displayed something of a God complex, walking on screen with complete power.

She’s ruthless with her strict rules and if a child goes out of line they get sent to the Chokey, a small cupboard with nails sticking out of it. For any child watching this film with years of schooling left in them, she will certainly put the fear of dread in you.

Who: Regina George
Film: Mean Girls (2004)

“What could I tell you about Regina George… Her hair is flawless”. The film which took teenage girls everywhere (including myself) by storm! Regina George played Rachel Mcadams (yes, the actress featured in basically, every rom-com), is the main antagonist in the film, Mean Girls. She is the personification of a Queen Bee, always getting what she wanted, being incredibly manipulative and down-right bitchy.

She uses her sex appeal to lure men and stamping on the insecurities of girls to make them feel small. Regina, is a back-stabbing bitch, to put it politely. She is the girl you didn’t want to even look at in case she made you her next target, but at the same time, you couldn’t help but stare. A modernised female villain, she is an enemy it paid to be close with. 

Who: Poison Ivy
Film: Batman & Robin (1996)

“I hate to disappoint you but my rubber lips are immune to your charms”… Okay, so this film was not very good, however, no-one can say that about Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. Transforming into a half-woman, half-plant with two legs, she is a woman who could seduce a person to actual death. She was also beautiful which subconsciously, makes her appear trustworthy at first glance.

Although I appreciate her eco-warrior side, she uses it in such an extreme way that she sacrifices people to save plants. That’s a whole new level of Veganism. You really don’t want to take this woman on a date to Nandos.

Who: Amy Dunne
Film: Gone Girl (2014)

This mystery thriller features Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne, a missing and beloved wife. At first, it appears she is a victim at the hands of her evil husband, but as it turns out, she wants to escape their marriage, so frames her husband making it appear he had something to do with her disappearance. She’s been planning this disappearing act for months, setting everything up into place, right under her husband’s nose.

While her plan didn’t exactly go how it should have, she found herself yet another workaround, which involved killing her ex-partner. Amy will do anything to ensure she stays out of prison and gain the media’s trust. Even induce pain against herself, so after she was examined by medical it appeared her story of being kidnapped and abused was real. This is an intelligent but untrust worthy woman. You just never know how she could be playing you. 

Follow me @LaurieWoodUK for film, cats and social media!

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