Rebecca de Mornay in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle was pretty damn creepy!

Beth Sherlock, Aberdeen, Scotland

its got to be Paddy Considine in Dead Mans Shoes

lee, builth, powys

Rutger Hauer in Hitcher, I couldn't drive my car late at night for weeks, and I locked the front and back door when I was alone even in the daytime.

L. Novello-Davies, Bordon, England

I always felt that Ben was quite scary. How Bill stayed with him I don't know. Still I guess it is just like the Balance of Life - Good Flowerpot Man - Bad Flowerpot Man.

Peter, Medina Sidonia, Spain

Bobby "Just like the country" Peru from "Wild at heart"

Ben Kingsley in "Sexy beast"

Dennis Hopper i "Blue Velvet"

Arne Tirsgaard, Vejle, Denmark

Darth Vader in Star Wars... or that big ugly rabbit in Watership Down,

lorenzo, bristol,

When it comes to psychopaths, there is one movie that tops them all. Chinatown. What makes Noah Cross (John Huston) so evil is he sees nothing wrong in what he has done. Instead, he sees his actions as a reward for his power as well as the means by which he attains and retains that power

Steven Benedict, Ireland,

Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) in Blue Velvet beats all-comers in my opinion.

Richard Edenborough, Oxford, UK

I think the number one should have been Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet.

Can't believe he didn't even get a mention.

Raw, Sydney, Australia

Ben Kingsley in "Sexy Beast," for sure. A realistic psychopath, not a movie invention of one.

DDodge, Kansas City, USA

what about Heath Ledgers Upcoming Joker portrail? I think that should be well up there

Liam, Swindon, UK

I shudder everytime I think of John Reginald Harold Christie's (played masterfully by Richard Attenborough) softly spoken, whisper- like voice as he invites women back to his home at 10, Rillington Place, to kill them and then perform perverted acts of necrophilia on them. A real-life creepy.

Michael Taylor, Cardiff, UK

I don't know why John Malkovic is not on this list. Did they not see his final scene in SEVEN? Also I would be remist in not including Al Pacino as SCARFACE and Matt Damon as The Talented Mr.Ripley. But that dude from No Country for Old Men is definitly in the top ten.
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<br/>Humbly Opined

Donald Forcer, new york, u.s.a.

Edward Norton in "Primal Fear".

And, yes, Ben Kingsley in "Sexy Beast". *hides behind sofa*

Sebastian, London, UK

Gary Old as Milton Glenn in Murder in the First and Norman Stansfield in Leon :)

Jo, San Jose,

Yeah, Begbie (the EDINBURGH hardman) was really good.
Throughout the Irvine Welsh books trainspotting, porno, marabou stork nightmares( which is fantastic, by the way) and even Glue you do meet just as frightening if not more scary characters eg: Chizzie the Beast, Larry Wilie and the Doyles, not to forget Lexo the mad casual and rapist. Welsh is a genius in my humble opinion. :- )

jennifer, Dundee,

Could we include Tom Cruise for his role in "Real Life"?

Terreyo, San Fransisco, USA

Begbie was an Edinburgh psychopath. Not a Glaswegian.

Mike, Beijing, China

Malcolm McDowell and Paul Bettany as Gangster Number 1 in the film of the same name.

Also Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge in Clockwork Orange

AKULA, london, UK

Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth in 'Blue Velvet' defines psychopath.

Paul R, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, USA

Norman Bates is missing.... So is the magnificient Travis Bickle or Clarence Bodiker in Robocop...

Joseph, paris, france

Hans Beckert in "M" played by Peter Lorre. His monologue at the end is great. He begs for mercy because he can't help but kill, no matter how hard he fights it.

Steve, Anaheim,

Rutger Hauer as John Ryder in The Hitchicker, surely one of the best psycho turns on screen, rides high alongside Nicholson, Bale and Hopkins.

Will, London,

Wings Hauser as Ramrod in Vice Squad ! youtube it.

Peter, seattle,

Ben Kingsley in "Sexy Beast"

B, NJ, NJ

Donald Sutherland in "The Eye of the Needle"-the way his eyes glowed when he explains "he kills her; she broke his heart",,,ooooh, still sends chills down my spine!

And Albert Finney as Danny in "Night Must Fall".

Laura G., San Clemente, California

Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in 'No Country for Old Men'. Resolute, relentless, wothout remorse..................

Mark, Enschede, Netherlands

Rutger Hauer in "the Hitcher" ??

P Smith, Rugeley, Staffs, UK

Ben Kingsley's character in 'Sexy Beast' - Don Logan - is surely the most derranged psychopath ever. While I nod in agreement with the list above, I think I would rather covered in butter, lightly panfried and served up on a plate to Hannibal Lectre than be anywhere near Don Logan... he scares me...

shane luskie, sydney, australia

Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter is surely worth a mention - a truly psychopathic character - additionally one of the greatest films ever made - if you have not see this film then do, also it's Charles Laughton's only film and Yorkshiremen can be very freaky,,,

simon, london,

What about The Talented Mr Ripley!

James, Melbourne, Australia

Any list of this ilk is incomplete without Terry 'Stepfather' O'Quinn. Also, Mitchum was way scarier in Night Of The Hunter.

Jerry, London,

I used to have nightmares about Captain Vidal from "Pan's Labyrinth". Yeah, Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast was scary but - Captain Vidal was really scary.

The good news is that those nightmares have gone. The bad news is that they have been replaced by nightmares about Anton Chigurh. This is a man who I might come into contact with. All the other people mentioned live in a different world to me. But this man, this man shops at the same place I shop. What happens if he ever decides I ask a stupid question: "Will that be all?"

Now, that's scary!

Will, Tijuana, Mexico

I wager if this list had been compiled in 12 months time, would it include the late Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker from The Dark Knight?

Some very prominent voices have alluded to the darkness of the performance.

Darren, Norwich,

How about the "Child Catcher" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - a real nasty piece of work!

ChasNDave, Cumbria, UK

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai in David Cronenberg's 'Eastern Promises' just sends shiver s down my spine. The eyes have it - guy deserves an Oscar. Bette Davis has the female version of that same look. Robert de Niro did a good turn in Cape Fear also. One that comes to mind is Robert Duvall as Lt.Col. Bill Kilgore in 'Apocalyse Now' ....The "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning. Smells like .....Victory" scene set to the music of Wagners 'Ride of the Valkyries' is just legend too.

Tracy , Edinburgh , Scotland

Have to agree with Nicky and Nora, Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast was just awsome, to think that was Ghandi !

Also dont see any David Lynch charcters on there, Frank Booth?

Bobby Peru, London, UK

Boris Karloff in The Body Snatcher (1945). I saw it as a very, very young child and it gave me many a tormented night!

Ray Massart, Hombeek, Belgium

As we were reminded this week, the late Richard Widmark's portrayal of the giggling psychopath and hitman in "Kiss of Death" (1947) is the touchstone by which all others are measured.

Bob, Princeton, NJ

In memory of Richard Widmark, surely Tommy Udo should be at least top ten. But I'm not sure I'd put him above Baby Jane.

David, London,

Jake Heke, Once were Warriors.
"Cook the man some eggs!!!!"

jim, brussels, belgium

mark read isnt a psychopath,hes a bloody reasonable bloke.I,d buy him a pint any day.

ed, melbourne, australia

Robert de Niro in Cape fear merits a place amongst the top ten definitely, its not his sheer compelling performance but also the ferocity in which his portrayed the character, the last scen before he goes down on the river pulled by the cuffs, staring at nick nolte a stare i cannot forget till now.

S ahmed, CAIRO, Egypt

Nicky from Melbourne is right. Ben Kingsley's performance in Sexy Beast is incredible - a true depiction of an evil psychopath if ever I saw one.

Nora, London, UK

What no Ben Kingsley from Sexy Beast!!!????

Nicky Dubya, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

I'd Say Eric Bana in Chopper is definately worth a mention.

Stef Knight, London,

Actually, I liked Brian Cox as the original Hannibal Lector in the 1980's film "Manhunter". Engaging, eager to please, personable one moment, but at the same time arranging for the murder of a police detective.

I heard an interview with a FBI Profiler on the radio a number of years ago. He uses Cox's portrayal as an example of how a serial killer would act in real life.

rob, Fairfax, Virginia

How old is this list? Where's Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men? "Call it, friendo."

William Huynh, Modesto,, CA

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Kathy Bates in Misery?

OUCH! remind me of my mother.....

tim b, Peterborough, UK / CAMB'S

Add Antony Perkins in Psycho to your list.

Robert, Dallas, USA/TX

These aren't psychopaths. Psychopaths dont kill or harm for pleasure, if they kill or harm they do it for personal gain of some kind - the difference is that they are devoid of empathy, completely indifferent to the suffering of others. They are likely to be very plausible liars. They may well appear the warmest most charming, sympatico person you've ever met. The reason being that they have no core existence and what you see is their emulation of the kind of persona their intense study of you tells them is necessary to adopt. Having no core existence they are not actors masking from time to time a real self - there is no real self so their emulation must never switch off if they are to pass as being normal hence it is seamless and they may well appear more real than a real person. To meet them the first time is to know them apparently completely. They thus make the ultimate con-artists. To know them a long time is not to know them at all.

Bob, London, UK

Sorry peeps, while Robert Carlyle maybe be a Glaswegian...the character he plays is a Hibs loving Leith man...and whilst this is a list of movie psycho's...in the book he would probably make the top 5 with his own self-justification of his actions

Andrew Wilson, Beijing , China