When you look back on the best movies of the 1970s, what kinds of characters come to mind first? We are willing to bet it is not the good guys, but the bad buys you remember the most fondly. Let’s take a menacing walk down memory lane with some of the most iconic ’70s movie villains.
Michael Myers (Halloween)
The masked killer from John Carpenter‘s horror movie classic, Halloween, is, arguably, Â the scariest slasher of all time, and not just because he is one of the first of his kind. In the 1978 original, Michael Myers has no apparent motive to stalk Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and other Haddonfield babysitters, save an unsatiable, natural-born bloodlust that makes him the embodiment of evil.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Smokey And The Bandit)
The only thing in the way of The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) getting his black T-top Trans Am — one of the coolest cars in cinematic history — across state lines is Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Comedy legend Jackie Gleason steals the show in 1977’s Smokey and the Bandit as the relentless lawman who becomes The Bandit’s pursuer after Carrie (Sally Field) leaves his son at the altar.
Xenomorph (Alien)
Has there ever been a scarier cinematic creature than H.R. Giger’s design of the Xenomorph in Alien? The bloodthirsty extraterrestrial proves to be a little more than a thorn in the side of the crew of the Nostromo in the masterfully suspenseful, 1979 sci-fi movie classic from director Ridley Scott.
Lex Luthor (Superman: The Movie)
The Man of Steel has the ability to do things no human being can, and yet his archenemy is a mere mortal of immense power and intelligence named Lex Luthor. Academy Award winner Gene Hackman’s performance in one of the best superhero movies, 1978’s Superman: The Movie (also starring Christopher Reeve in the title role), has since become the definitive live-action portrayal of the DC villain.
Dr. Christian Szell (Marathon Man)
If going to the dentist was not already nerve-racking enough for some people, director John Schlesinger’s 1976 thriller Marathon Man made the idea seem anything but safe. Sir Laurence Olivier gives a brilliant, chilling, Oscar-nominated performance as Dr. Christian Szell — a Nazi war criminal and diamond smuggler who tortures his victims with painful oral surgeries.
Nurse Mildred Ratched (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest)
While One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is praised as one of the most honest movies about mental illness, one thing about the 1975 classic that we would hope is exaggerated is how Mildred Ratched treats patients. Louise Fletcher earned a well-deserved Oscar for portraying the abusive, self-righteous mental nurse with a severe lack of humanity.Â
Pazuzu (The Exorcist)
Regan MacNeill (legendary horror movie Scream Queen Linda Blair) often shows up on many all-time best horror movie villain lists, but she is the victim here. The true antagonist of 1973’s The Exorcist is the demonic force possessing the 12-year-old girl known as Pazuzu.
Scorpio (Dirty Harry)
Only a cop as tough and rebellious as Det. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) could take down a psychopathic murderer as cunning and unpredictable as the mysterious “Scorpio.” Andrew Robinson is unplugged as the out-of-control antagonist of 1971’s Dirty Harry, whose penchant for toying with the authorities through ransom notes was loosely inspired by the real-life Zodiac Killer.
Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)
Sometimes the protagonist of a story counts as its villain and such is certainly the case for Stanley Kubrick’s classic film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. Malcolm McDowell stars in the controversial 1971 thriller as sadistic criminal Alex DeLarge, who undergoes an experimental program that intends to correct violent people.
Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Easily the most recognizable character from the entire Star Wars franchise is Darth Vader and it is easy to see why. Voiced by James Earl Jones and originally portrayed in person by David Prowse in the 1977 original, the Sith Lord’s ominous baritone, striking helmet design, and ruthless devotion to the Dark Side make him an intimidating force in any galaxy.
Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Apocalypse Now)
Capt. Benjamin L. Willard certainly experiences great “horror” in Francis Ford Coppola‘s 1979 war movie masterpiece, Apocalypse Now, at the hands of Col. Walter E. Kurtz. Inspired by a 19th-century ivory trader from Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, Oscar-winning Marlon Brando’s role is an unhinged sadist who will go to unimaginable lengths to win the Vietnam War his own way, no matter who has to kill or torture.
Margaret White (Carrie)
Her telepathic powers may have sealed the doom of many people, but the titular teen from Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie (played by Sissy Spacek) is anything but an antagonist. She is a victim of intense emotional and physical abuse by her own religious fanatic mother (and one of the all-time best female horror movie villains) Margaret White (Academy Award nominee Piper Laurie).
Alain Charnier (The French Connection)
Gene Hackman leads William Friedkin’s 1971 Best Picture Oscar winner The French Connection as Popeye Doyle, who is the unique kind of cop who knows how to think like a criminal. However, even he struggles to stay one step ahead of Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), who is the elusive, Marsaille-based leader of a crime operation in New York.
Leatherface (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)
There really is no slasher in horror movie history quite like the flagship antagonist of Tobe Hooper’s relentless nightmare transferred to celluloid, 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Being a cannibal who wears his victim’s faces as a mask makes Leatherface (Gunner Hansen) bad enough but chasing people around with a bladed power tool is pure insanity.
Apollo Creed (Rocky)
In the original sports movie classic, 1976’s Rocky, all we want is to see Sylvester Stallone‘s titular rookie take down the arrogant boxing champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), which he finally manages to do in the 1979 sequel. Of course, all of that would change in 1982’s Rocky III when the rivals formed a friendship that ended with Apollo’s tragic death in the ring in the fourth film.
Kurt Barlow (Salem’s Lot)
One of the most terrifying vampires to ever grace the small screen was Kurt Barlow (Reggie Nalder). Director Tobe Hooper’s two-part, made-for-TV 1979 adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot offers a wildly different interpretation from the novel’s bloodsucking nobleman, his more creature-esque appearance, arguably, made for a more memorably creepy portrayal.
Dean Vernon Wormer (National Lampoon’s Animal House)
If there is anything more important to the college experience than education, it must be a student’s success in maintaining a social life, sometimes if that means indulging in debaucherous acts with fellow Greek life members. However, John Vernon’s Dean Womer from the 1978 comedy classic National Lampoon’s Animal House does not share this philosophy and, as a result, wishes to extract the rowdy Delta Tau Chi from Faber College.
Evelyn Draper (Play Misty for Me)
Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with the 1971 thriller Play Misty for Me, in which he also stars as a radio DJ who crosses paths with Evelyn (Jessica Walter), a frequent caller who particularly favors an Erroll Garner classic. What starts off as a casual romantic encounter proves to have deadly consequences for Eastwood’s Dave Garver as Evelyn forcibly inserts herself into his life.
Grand Moff Tarkin (Star Wars)
Of course, the most memorable villain from the original Star Wars is Darth Vader, but many fans might claim that the film’s more formidable threat is the Sith Lord’s right-hand man. Horror legend Peter Cushing stars as Tarkin, whose devotion to the Empire leads him to commit horrific acts, such as destroying Princess Leia’s home planet, Alderaan.
Emilio Barzini (The Godfather)
There are not many “good guys” in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 adaptation of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, but one of the absolute worst is Emilio Barzini. Richard Conte’s crime boss proves to be the greatest foil to the Corleone Family.
Kananga/Mr. Big (Live And Let Die)
Yaphet Kotto gives a wonderfully charming, but also menacing, performance as one of the best James Bond villains of the 1970s, Dr. Kananga, in Live and Let Die. The most fascinating aspect of the politician, whom Roger Moore‘s 007 takes on, is his double life as a peddler called Mr. Big.
Han (Enter the Dragon)
Even a martial arts master like Bruce Lee had his fair share of challenging onscreen foes, especially in the 1973 kung fu movie masterpiece, Enter the Dragon. Lee (also the actor’s character) is enlisted to investigate Han (Kien Shih), who is a shady former monk with a bladed left hand that makes him a horrifying opponent in combat.
Luther (The Warriors)
Actor David Patrick Kelly performs one of the most iconic improvised movie moments in Walter Hill’s 1979 thriller, The Warriors, as Luther. The menacing gang leader tries to entice his titular rivals by clinking three glass bottles together and serenading them to “come out to play.”
Mayor Larry Vaughn (Jaws)
We would call the shark from Jaws a type of horror movie villain with understandable motivations (considering the animal has no real violent ambitions and just wants to eat), but we believe does not really deserve that label. As far as we are concerned, the true antagonist of director Steven Spielberg‘s 1975 blockbuster is Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), who greedily ignores any warnings of the aquatic apex predator and decides to keep Amity Island’s beach open, leading to more bloodshed.
Toecutter (Mad Max)
Years before George Miller brought him back to play Immortan Joe in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the Australian actor starred in the 1979 original Mad Max movie as its main antagonist, Toecutter. The sadistic criminal is not only a pivotal force in the fall of society, but you could also say he is the creator of the Wasteland’s savior as it is his gang that killed Max Rockantansky’s (Mel Gibson) wife and child, transforming the once devoted cop into a hardened road warrior.
Damien Thorn (The Omen)
What better representative of villainy could there be than the literal embodiment of evil? Harvey Stephens gives a chilling performance in 1976’s The Omen as young Damien Thorn, whose parents Robert (Gregory Peck) and Katherine (Lee Remick), make the terrifying discovery that he is the Antichrist.
The Tall Man (Phantasm)
Jebediah Morningside (better known as The Tall Man) is the best-known role of actor Angus Schrimm, who was hired for the part in Phantasm based on his naturally unsettling appearance. Don Coscarelli’s cult favorite 1979 supernatural thriller follows two young brothers who suspect the strange man is robbing from graves and sets out to figure out the shocking truth behind it.
Billy (Black Christmas)
There is very little known about the killer from one of the greatest holiday horror movies, Black Christmas, such as his true name, his actual appearance, and his reason for stalking and killing members of Pi Kappa Sigma. That is precisely what makes the villain of director Bob Clark’s influential slasher such a hauntingly unsettling presence.
The Mutants (The Hills Have Eyes)
One of the earliest Wes Craven movies sees a vacationing family fall prey to another family of vicious, savage mutants when an accident leaves them stranded in a deserted area where nuclear testing once took place. The most iconic villainous cavedweller from the 1977 original The Hills Have Eyes is, easily, Michael Berryman as Pluto.
Lord Summerisle (The Wicker Man)
The character that made Christopher Lee a horror movie icon would have to be Hammer’s iteration of Dracula, but the British actor brought an even more unique level of deceptive charm to his performance in 1973’s The Wicker Man. He plays Lord Summerisle, who is the leader of an island community whose customs clash wildly so with Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) as he searches the land for a missing little girl.
General Woundwort (Watership Down)
In the 1978 adaptation of Richard Adams’s novel, Watership Down — an animated film primarily for adults — the rabbits’ main obstacle is human land developers destroying their home. However, they also come at odds with one of their own kind named Gen. Woundwort (Harry Andrews), who became a violent and erratic creature due to a brutal upbringing.
Dr. Phibes (The Abominable Dr. Phibes)
One of the most underrated roles on Vincent Price’s prolific resume is the widowed Anton Phibes. The 1971 release of The Abominable Dr. Phibes sees him seeking to punish the physicians who were accidentally responsible for his wife’s tragic death.
