Jason Voorhees Friday The 13th, Part II (1981)
The Psycho: A ‘special’ young man who was presumed drowned as a child, Jason returns to wreak hell on Camp Blood campers after having watched his mother die.
Creepiest Act: That shiver-inducing scene when Jason’s in a dark cabin room – except Ginny (Amy Steel) and Paul (John Furey) can’t see him.
“There’s someone in this room…”
Rupert Pupkin The King Of Comedy (1982)
The Psycho: A wannabe stand-up comedian, Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) nonetheless suffers from a crippling lack of talent.
Creepiest Act: After meeting successful comedian Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), Pupkin fantasises that they are friends.
He even takes a date – uninvited – to Langford’s house.
Then kidnaps him…
Peter Loew Vampires Kiss (1988)
The Psycho: A ranting literary agent whose grip on reality is slackening considerably, Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage) is on a tailspin into hell.
And not just because he’s convinced he’s turning in a vampire.
Creepiest Act: After buying a pair of plastic fangs, Peter attacks a woman in a club…
Don Logan Sexy Beast (2000)
The Psycho: A bank-heist-obsessed sociopath, Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) likes to think of himself as a victim of circumstance and doesn’t take rejection very well.
He’s also got a bit of a temper.
Creepiest Act: Logan attempts to kill former associate Gary Dove (Ray Winstone), first by smashing a beer bottle in his ear…
Belial Bradley Basket Case (1982)
The Psycho: The Siamese twin of Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck), Belial was detached from his brother as a child and consigned to a basket.
He’s hideous.
Creepiest Act: Crawling into bed with Duane’s lover, in an incredibly misguided attempt at seduction.
Nobody needs to see that.
Fargo Highwaymen (2003)
The Psycho: Fargo’s body, to put it bluntly, is fucked – he’s mostly made up of prosthetics.
Which is why he loves his 1972 Cadillac El Dorado so much.
Not least because he uses it as a very speedy murder weapon.
Creepiest Act: Not satisfied with killing women alone, Fargo leaves clues for Rennie Cray (Jim Cazaviel) to follow.
Alex Forrest Fatal Attraction (1987)
The Psycho: A flipped-out fashion editor, Alex (Glenn Close) starts losing her rag when she can’t have Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), the married man she had an ill-advised affair with.
Creepiest Act: Boiling the family’s pet bunny, of course.
So atrocious it coined a turn of phrase still used today to describe a psycho ex-lover.
Patrick Bateman American Psycho (2000)
The Psycho: An on-edge Wall Street worker who fantasises about butchering people in various nasty ways.
Likes looking at himself in the mirror. A lot.
Creepiest Act: Pretty much everything Bateman does can be classed as creepy, but his dalliance with a pair of prostitutes is definitely up there.
Papa Jupiter & Sons The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
The Psychos: A clan of psychos fathered by Papa Jupiter (James Whitworth).
This singularly odd-looking lot live out in the desert and prey on innocent people who stray into their territory.
Creepiest Act: The clan tie up Ruby and force her to eat her dog, Beauty.
Norman Stansfield Leon (1994)
The Psycho: A drug-addicted narcotics cop (oh the irony), Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) is as crooked as they come.
Don’t let the suit fool you.
Creepiest Act: Ordering a hit on a couple of kids isn't exactly what we'd call lovely behaviour.
But it's Stansfield sweaty drug-fuelled fondness for Mozart and Brahms that sends a shudder up our spines.
