The Most Villainous Laughs In Cinematic History Ranked

Forget about the concept of laughter as the best medicine — for villains, a cacophonic cackle or grotesque guffaw holds the potential to do more damage than a rusty screwdriver to the head. Think of it as the equivalent to a bow and curtsy after a rip-roaring performance, as these antagonistic characters receive a moment to bask in their own nefarious glory. After all, what is the point of celebrating the small victories in quiet isolation?

In cinema, a villainous laugh serves the purpose of solidifying the character's actions as something noteworthy and/or to cement their sinister scheme to the viewer. At times, they may also be used to symbolize the hero of the story being in danger, or to create an eerie, unsettling feeling about the current situation. Whatever the intention, a hellish ha-ha hits in all the right spots for those watching in their seats, as most fans love nothing more than to imitate these scenes afterward.

Now, picking the best villainous laughs in cinema could run into the thousands — easily. However, this is about the dirty dozen. The worst of the worst. The sadists of spook. So someone better call an exorcist because these chortles, shrieks, and hoots hold the potential to be more menacing than a phishing scam to a bank account.

Both live-action versions of Pennywise the Dancing Clown – the version in the 1990 miniseries of "It" and the one seen in the 2017 and 2019 theatrical films — are terrifying. But Tim Curry's TV iteration of Pennywise sneaks ahead of Bill Skarsgård's big-screen one by a bright red nose, largely thanks to Curry's inimitable, boisterous laugh.

This horrid clown pops out of nowhere all the time in 1990's "It." That in itself scares the bejesus out of both the kids and adults, but to make matters worse, Pennywise demands to make small talk with its potential victims at the most inopportune times. Yet it gets even worse: When the chattering stops, the laughing usually starts. The low, echoey chuckle comes straight from the belly of the beast, shaking the legs of its victims and paralyzing them with fear. What's even scarier is that Pennywise doesn't even require the shadows to heighten the tension, as a giggle outside, in the middle of a bright, sunny day, frightens as much as it would in a dark room. Curry's top-notch delivery adds an extra layer of menace to this cosmic horror being, as his gestures help to sell the laugh even more.

Interestingly, Curry didn't catch the "It" producers' attention at first. As per the "Pennywise: The Story of It" documentary, Harvey Fierstein, Roddy McDowall, and Malcolm McDowell were all considered before Curry got the part.

As a parody of Ernst Stavro Blofeld from the James Bond films, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) winks at the audience with a wild combination of over-the-top mannerisms and silly plans for world domination. Nothing gets the audience going quite like a dramatic moment when Dr. Evil announces his dastardly plan to the camera, puts his pinkie finger to the corner of his mouth, and lets out the quintessential evil villain laugh.

Normally, the doctor's goons surround him in these scenes, and like good sycophants — and to ensure he doesn't sic the sharks with laser beams on them — they mimic his enthusiasm and cadence. It's the living embodiment of the Ron Burgundy "We Are Laughing" meme where everyone shares the joke, even if they don't quite get it.

An unnamed ex-"Saturday Night Live" writer once claimed that Dr. Evil was actually a caricature of "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels and his mannerisms. However, Myers brushed it off, saying the villain was inspired by Donald Pleasence's portrayal of Blofeld in 1967's "You Only Live Twice."

In 1992's "Aladdin," Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) looks dodgy from the start. From his serpent staff to his facial hair, this sorcerer screams "bad guy" even if he just breathes in someone's direction. Plus the wise-cracking parrot, Iago, on his shoulder doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his overall trustworthiness either.

For the most part, Jafar wears a lemon-sucking face, appearing less than enamored at being the Sultan's advisor and not having control of Agrabah for himself. In fact, his face only lights up for flickers when there's a potential scheme about to unravel. Then it's possible he may crack a sly grin or show a hint of emotion beyond disdain for mankind.

When Jafar's grand plan of acquiring the magical lamp comes to fruition, though, he lets out an almighty maniacal, gleeful cackle. He channels all of his energy into this powerful, heartfelt laugh, as even his eyes become hypnotic in the process. It's as if he finally discovered the Kevin Hart stand-up special on Netflix and he simply can't stop the good times even if he tried.

Think of slashers like Jason Voorhees from "Friday the 13th" and Michael Myers from "Halloween." They go about their business in silence. They don't say too much, as they let their weapons do the talking. On the other hand, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) from "A Nightmare on Elm Street" possesses the (black) heart of a showman. He doesn't only want to invade dreams; he wants to leave a permanent mark with the blades on his fingers and his extrovert personality.

Despite the torment and torture he puts the teenagers through, he ensures that there's always a smile and laugh for his victims. The "Elm Street" franchise contains several moments of Freddy cackling like the nightmare monster he is, but the original 1984 film features the most villainous laugh of the entire series.

After Tina Gray (Amanda Wyss) falls asleep next to her boyfriend, Rod Lane (Nick Corri), it doesn't take too long for Freddy to invade her dreams and attack her. Fighting back in the nightmare, Tina reaches for his face and his skin falls off to reveal a grotesque visage. At the same time, Freddy erupts into a delirious chuckle. And with that, no one has ever slept peacefully ever since.

The demon Pazuzu doesn't like to pay rent. Instead, it decides to live rent-free in 12-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) in 1973's "The Exorcist." The hostile takeover doesn't sit well with Regan's mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), so she calls in the experts to exorcise the demon out of her daughter. When the priests visit, Pazuzu turns it into a slumber party, with games and tricks like spinning Regan's head or making her levitate above her bed.

Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) try a few different methods to free Regan from Pazuzu's clutches, but the entity refuses to let go, even laughing at their efforts as the little girl's body begins to suffer. At one point in the film, the priests stand over the bed and pray vigilantly. A green vomit-like substance — like a mushy pea soup — spills out of Regan's mouth as Pazuzu howls in presumed pain. The moans soon turn into laughter as the cupboard doors rattle, signifying that these efforts are all in vain and the demon is ready for another round.

The voice of Pazuzu actually belongs to the late Mercedes McCambridge. As director William Friedkin revealed in a behind-the-scenes video, McCambridge prepared for the role by swallowing raw eggs, smoking a ton of cigarettes, and consuming alcohol to get into character. This might help to explain the unhinged quality of the laughter here.

Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" remains one of the most haunting films of all time — mostly due to Jack Nicholson's mesmerizing and disturbing turn as Jack Torrance, who slowly unravels as he and his family stay at the Overlook Hotel. Over time, Jack's personality shifts and becomes more insidious as the hotel's ghastly influence seeps into his being. His transformation results in him becoming a danger to his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), as he eventually tries to kill them.

While there are numerous moments where Nicholson puts on an acting master class, such as the infamous "Here's Johnny" scene, the sequence at the empty bar showcases how far gone Jack Torrance truly is. Speaking to the ghost bartender, Jack says, "Hi, Lloyd. A little slow tonight, isn't it?" Then he looks directly at the camera, takes a beat, and explodes into eerie, full-blown laughter. It isn't merely the fact that he chuckles at his own joke here, but it's more to do with the vacant look in his eyes as he does so. The person laughing here is no longer Jack, but something else entirely.

No matter which film it is, Willem Dafoe continues to be immune to bad performances. In addition, he mastered the art of the movie laugh, providing several iconic guffaws for many of his characters. However, he puts on quite the show as Norman Osborn, aka Green Goblin, in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man." True to form, Dafoe embodies the Machiavellian spirit of the character from Marvel Comics as he gleefully hurls pumpkin bombs at the people of New York City.

Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," Osborn struggles to contain the monster that is the Green Goblin within him. In one scene, he looks at the mirror and sees the reflection of the evil side of him. They have a conversation about the events leading up to this moment and their plan to get Spider-Man to team up with them. The evil Osborn's lips curl upward as his mouth parts to show his teeth. Then an ominous chuckle escapes as the eyes light up with sheer wickedness.

Dafoe proves to be a master of contorting and utilizing his other facial features to accentuate the moment. Taking this into account along with his laugh, it's no wonder that fans have wanted to see him play the Joker for so many years.

Out of all the villains on this list, none come close to matching Cruella de Vil's (Glenn Close) depravity. In "101 Dalmatians," she harbors the unholy desire to kill Dalmatian puppies — yes, puppies! — to dress herself up in their fur and be fabulous. This is far worse than Leatherface's desire for human masks in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series, because puppies. This despicable excuse for a human being known as Cruella lives up to her name and shows no remorse or regret for her actions, believing fashion trumps animal rights here.

To top it all off, Cruella finds the humorous side of this. Whenever someone brings up the topic of the Dalmatians, she breaks out into wide-eyed, berserk fits of laughter like someone asked her to pull their finger. It's as if the simple thought of committing these heinous acts tickles her funny bone and she can't help but double over and cackle about the outcome. Honestly, where is John Wick when you need him the most?

Every iteration of the Joker boasts their own trademark laugh, so it's difficult to identify who is the best of the best here. However, Jack Nicholson's Clown Prince of Crime nudges ahead of Cesar Romero, Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix (not you, Jared Leto) by a whisker. The reason for this? Along with Michael Keaton, Nicholson helped to reinvigorate the Dark Knight and his famous foe for an entire generation of fans in Tim Burton's "Batman."

Also, consider this: Every time Nicholson's Jack Napier walks onto the screen marks an iconic moment in the movie. Whether he roars in delight while murdering mobsters or after showing his true face to Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), the villain possesses a serious case of the chuckles.

That being said, the scene that still sends a shiver up the audience's spine occurs after Jack falls into the vat of acid. Surviving the incident, he goes to a "budget-friendly" surgeon to fix his face. Out of focus, the surgeon holds a mirror for Jack to see his new face after the operations. At first, his moans appear to be of utter dismay; however, this morphs into a creepy, maniacal laugh that causes people to need to change their underwear. This scene also signals an important transformation in the movie as Jack Napier dies and Joker is born.

Credit needs to go to director Francis Ford Coppola and his team for the ambience of "Bram Stoker's Dracula." From the visceral lighting, imaginative transitional shots, and Wojciech Kilar's haunting score, it's impossible to avoid the chill of the movie. Gary Oldman also gives it his all as the head bloodsucker from Transylvania, Count Dracula — especially in mastering the vampire's sinister laugh.

One of the more terrifying moments in the film occurs relatively early on, when Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) visits Dracula's castle. There, the Count's vampire brides feast on Jonathan until they're interruped by their master, who orders them to stay away from Jonathan as he is reserved for Dracula only. As consolation, the Count provides his three consorts with an infant instead. Jonathan screams in horror as the Count smiles lasciviously, his lips curving up devilishly before he lets out a forbidding laugh and the screen fades to black. Again, the tension of the music and red lighting only add to the spooky experience, as the moment comes across as deliciously evil.

The world possesses over 3,000 species of snakes — with Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) being #3,001. This slithery Sith lurks in the background of "Star Wars," conniving and poisoning the well as he plans to eliminate the Jedi and create a new galactic order. The terrible tyrant loves to play political games, proving how he would be a fantastic addition to any corporate team's management structure. However, what freaks out even the calmest of individuals is his villainous laugh when he believes he's won a victory.

Case in point: "Star Wars — Episode VI: Return of the Jedi," when Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) brings his son, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), to Palpatine. Cackling like the cosmic warlord who destroyed a family, Palpatine can't help but soak up the effects of his plan coming to fruition. It might not be a throw-your-head-back-and-laugh-like-no-one-is-watching action, but it's the undertone and delight in this specific scene that hits differently. For those who prefer heartier guffaws, Palpatine rages like an absolute psychopath in many other moments throughout the "Star Wars" franchise, such as the time when he thinks he's gotten the better of Yoda in the prequel series.

Look, if someone drops a house on your sibling, expect bad vibes to fester for a long time. As such, no one can blame the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) for holding a grudge against Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her dog, Toto — although, the pooch didn't exactly do much here. In Victor Fleming's "The Wizard of Oz," the Witch interrogates Dorothy about what happened to her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. Matters escalate when she sees Dorothy wearing her sister's ruby slippers, because who steals a victim's shoes like that?

The Witch gets in Dorothy's face, promising revenge in the near future: "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too," she warns, before bursting into a high-pitched, loud cackle that scares the frightened Munchkins in attendance. Then, poof! The Witch disappears into a cloud of smoke like she is a ninja.

While numerous and memorable villainous laughs have resonated throughout cinema history since 1939's "The Wizard of Oz," the Wicked Witch of the West's shriek remains arguably the most iconic of the lot. Even if someone fails to remember much about the movie or its plot, they will recognize Hamilton's unmistakable eruption of witchy goodness.