I’m back with part 9 of the best villainesses in the horror genre! For whatever reasons they could muster, these woman have maimed, murdered, and manipulated their way to pure villainy. I hope you enjoy and let me know which villainess you feel should be in this series! (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

Cleopatra – Freaks

Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) was a gorgeous woman on the outside, but perfectly horrendous on the inside. After taking a job in the circus, she caught the attention of Hans (Harry Earles), a little person who was in charge of the circus’s side-show. He showered her with lavish gifts and she made him believe she loved him, all while making fun of him and fooling around with Hercules (Henry Victor), another performer behind his back. When she heard just how wealthy Hans was, Cleopatra and Hercules schemed that she would marry Hans, poison him, then run away with his fortune. She’s a very manipulative person, but she’s definitely not the brightest. She and Hercules weren’t subtle at all with their plans or their affair. She even tried giving Hans another dose of poison while she was surrounded by Hans’ friends. She almost had him completely wrapped around her finger, but an ugly person can only pretend to be beautiful for so long.

Divine/Babs Johnson – Pink Flamingos

Divine was an underground criminal who tabloids called the Filthiest Person Alive. While in hiding with her family, she coined the name Babs Johnson and continued her filthy escapades unfettered. She was living her dream with her family until a disturbing couple, Raymond (David Lochary) and Connie Marble (Mink Stole) set out to destroy her and snatch her title. Babs was truly despicable. She engaged in acts of murder, cannibalism, incest, and public execution. She certainly showed that she wasn’t going to let anyone come after her, her family, or her reputation. She tormented, tortured, and terrorized all with the biggest smile on her face. Babs Johnson truly was the filthiest person alive!

Mallory Knox – Natural Born Killers

Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) had a horrible childhood. She had an abusive and predatory father and a mother who just sat back and let his abuse happen. When she met her future husband, Mickey (Woody Harrelson), she believed she was finally on a path to happiness. Together, they killed her parents, then they set off on a road trip filled with carnage, bloodshed, and misery. She screeched and howled her way through America, killing everyone in her path for little to no reason. She did have a moment of clarity at some point, but it didn’t really last long after they were apprehended by the police. She was crazy, broken, and almost unstoppable!

May Canady – May

Ever since she was a little girl, May (Angela Bettis) never really fit in. Her mom always told her if she couldn’t find a friend, she should make one. As she got older, she developed relationships with the people around her, just for them to fall through one by one. As she socialized more, she began to develop an obsession with her peers’ body parts and when she hit a downward spiral, she decided to take her mother’s words to heart. One by one, she killed her ex friends and acquaintances and stole the body parts she needed to build the perfect friend. She was a tragic character who felt she had no one and that it was up to her to create a friend by killing those she thought she could trust.

Vera Sawyer-Carson – Leatherface

There was only one thing that Vera Sawyer (Lili Taylor) held above everything else: family is the most important thing. Anyone outside the Sawyer family was considered nothing but expendable threats. She raised her kids to kill anyone outside of the family for whatever reason. When her youngest son, Jed (Sam Strike) was taken away from her, she tried everything to get him out of the institution he was kept in for years. When she took the legal route to see him and failed, she resorted to more drastic actions. She assaulted the staff, unlocked doors, and caused a full-blown institutional riot. She even bribed a cop to track down her son and killed him when he asked for his money. She was a monster who created more monsters and her reign caused a lot of damage.