Cruella de Vil, Voldemort and the 25 greatest movie villains of all-time

9. Norman Bates

It can be hard to find dynamic villains in movies that are more about being thrillers with a slasher edge. But somehow, Psycho was able to deliver with Norman Bates.

There is no denying that Bates is a villain, and that is especially true when you consider that he not only murdered his own mother, but he did it because he felt she was not giving him enough attention over her new lover.

While most movies that we deem as slasher flicks work even without a strong motive, in the case of Psycho, Norman Bates has schizophrenia. His mental health is a large contributing factor when it comes to his homicidal tendencies. And the fact that he killed his own mother and now hears her voice in his head, means that while he feels guilt over what he did, it actually leads to an additional personality in his psyche.

Although there are plenty of viewers who might take offense to the idea of Bates being a murderer because of his mother, the fact is that he truly blames her for the things he does. And that makes him terrifying. He has what he believes is a legitimate reason for the things he does. By killing his mother, he triggered his own mental health decline and set free the voice that would help lead him down the path of vicious murders.

There is something to be said for a villain who can turn their guilt over killing their own mother into reasoning over future murders.