Dominic Corry’s favourite movie psychos.
Tommy Udo
Played by Richard Widmark in ‘Kiss of Death’ (1947)
Widmark won a Golden Globe for his startling debut performance in this noir classic as the giggling psycho whose fate becomes intertwined with Victor Mature’s squealer. Criminal enforcer Udo’s tendency to incessantly laugh at every situation he encounters makes the character a truly chilling bad guy. The scene in which he shoves the wheelchair-bound mother of his intended victim down the stairs to her death still packs a serious wallop, with Udo maniacally cackling all the way. Nicolas Cage never fails to bring the crazy, but even he couldn’t outshine Widmark when he played the equivalent role in the loose 1995 remake.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Callousness; lack of empathy.
Norman Bates
Played by Anthony Perkins in ‘Psycho’ (1960)
The ultimate mama’s boy is the originator with the flavour. Real-life psychopath Ed Gein (who made clothes out of his victims’ skin) inspired everything from The Silence of the Lambs to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but Norman Bates is the most interesting character based on Gein, what with his (spoiler alert!) dressing up as his dead mum to kill women he finds attractive. Hey, we’ve all been there. What makes Norman so interesting is that he remains a sympathetic psycho throughout, even after his actions are revealed. This effectively carries through to the underrated 1983 sequel as well.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Failure to accept responsibility for his or her own actions.
Travis Bickle
Played by Robert De Niro in ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976)
Like Norman Bates, troubled Vietnam veteran Bickle is a sympathetic (maybe even heroic?) psycho, but a psycho nonetheless. Setting aside the assassination attempt and all his violent escapades in trying to “save” teen prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster), how disturbing is that bit where he takes Cybill Shephard on a date to see the weird Euro porn movie? Yeech! Gritty 70s cinema is peppered with memorable psychos (see: any character in any Sam Peckinpah movie), but Travis Bickle is the gold standard for calculated psychopathy. Driving a cab in New York will do that to you.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom.
Clarence Boddicker
Played by Kurtwood Smith in ‘RoboCop’ (1987)
In a movie brimming with psychos, Boddicker is the baddest. Cast by Dutch director Paul Verhoeven for his resemblence to Hitler stooge Heinrich Himmler, Kurtwood Smith broke out of ‘Dad’ and ‘General’ roles with his indelible turn as the callous Clarence. In his introductory scene, he throws an accomplice out the back of the getaway van for burning the money they were stealing (“Can you fly, Bobby?”) and later shoots off the hand of our hero while joking around with his pals. Subverting action movie villain conventions, Smith’s atypical look benefits the film greatly.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Criminal versatility.
Jame ‘Buffalo Bill’ Gumb
Played by Ted Levine in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Jame Gumb is a supporting psycho who out-disturbs the ‘main’ psycho, in this case Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is pretty freaky in this film, but he’s a consultant for most of it, helping Clarice (Jodie Foster) track down the serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. Bill’s taunting of his female captives that he keeps in a pit in his basement (“It rubs the lotion…etc”) is way more messed up than anything we see Lecter do in the film. Lecter would go on to out-psycho Buffalo Bill in the sequel Hannibal, where he helps Ray Liotta to eat his own brain.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Criminal versatility.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Many short-term relationships.
Otis
Played by Tom Towles in ‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’ (filmed in 1986, not released until 1991)
There’s no doubt that Michael Rooker’s Henry is one messed-up dude, but it is his pal Otis that is the most disturbing character in this film. A layabout scumbag who is introduced into the world of random murder by his new pal Henry, Otis takes to the hobby with gleeful abandon, and later rapes his own sister. It’s testament to the odd power of John McNaughton’s film that a supporting player is even more horrific than that the titular character. Otis is so awful he almost manages to make Henry look sympathetic. Almost.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Parasitic lifestyle.
Catherine Tramell
Played by Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct’ (1992)
Most of the attention garnered by Paul Verhoeven’s sex thriller upon its release focused on Sharon Stone (where was the love for George Dzundza?). She plays a Hitchcockian blonde taken to extremes Hitch himself probably would’ve been delighted by. Not only does (spoiler alert!) Tramell totally murder a bunch of dudes with an ice pick, she also flagrantly displays her bisexual leanings. Gay rights groups protested all the murderousness being associated with homosexuality, and these aspects of the film are embarrassingly dated. But all that aside, Stone made for a great psycho who kept the viewers guessing.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Promiscuous sexual behaviour.
Don Logan
Played by Ben Kingsley in ‘Sexy Beast’ (2000)
Currently on the big screen performing an amusing counterpoint to his Sexy Beast role in Iron Man 3, Ben Kingsley demonstrated just how scary he could be in Jonathan Glazer’s stylish thriller. His Logan is a calm, cool and collected career gangster who occasionally explodes with violent rage – this was about as far from Gandhi as you get. Kingsley’s simmering performance, lout-ish accent and controlled physicality amplified the terror.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Grandiose sense of self-worth.
The Joker
Played by Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
While it’s hard to deny that Ledger’s death spookily informed his portrayal of the The Joker, there have been few movie psychopaths as instantly iconic as his rendering of the character. Ledger played The Joker as a fascinating and terrifying dandy, and his and director Christopher Nolan’s version of the character both held up as the driving force of a ridiculously huge movie and emerged even more glorious from the shadow of an iconic predecessor in the role. And I ain’t talking about Cesar Romero.
Most applicable attribute from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Lack of realistic long-term goals.
