Certain names have become synonymous with villainy: Darth Vader, the Joker, Hannibal Lecter, Voldermort, Micheal Myers (see a fuller roster on Complex). We could go on. While each of these villains appeared in movies that were released after 1970, there is another, earlier era in film history that produced its own legendary antagonists. From the silent period to the 1960s, directors and screenwriters brought truly sinister figures to life in ways that would inspire the “bad guys” to come. So, for this list, we’re digging through classical cinema to find the best of the best (read: most evil) when it comes to villains, however underrated they are today.

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7 Charlie Oakley - Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

     Universal Pictures

In a classic of example of unexpected villainy, we have Charlie Oakley from Alred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (which he thought of as his best movie). He masquerades as a lovable uncle figure, all while hiding a dark, criminal past and violent tendencies. He brings this hidden violence to bear on his niece and her family, whom he uses to disguise himself from any who might come looking for him. Joseph Cotten’s performance of “Uncle Charlie” is tremendous. We get to see his evil bubbling beneath the surface before finally breaking free.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 Clare Quilty - Lolita (1962)

     MGM

Clare Quilty might not be the true villain of Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita, considering that its narrator, Humbert Humbert, is a child predator. But Quilty is at least one of its villains, and perhaps the most memorable. Peter Sellers (star of The Pink Panther) plays him as a sleazeball of the highest order. His voice - and his actions - will make your skin crawl, which is no small feat in such a thoroughly chilling film. The character is at once nervous, sly, and manipulative, and Sellers does justice to Vladimir Nabokov’s novel.

5 Kathie Moffat - Out of the Past (1947)

     RKO Radio Pictures

A gelid, shadowy noir starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer, Out of the Past features one of the greatest femme fatale characters in film history: Kathie Moffat. Played by Greer, Moffat does not seem like a villain at first, until you come to understand that she double-crosses nearly everyone she meets, and doesn’t mind killing to get her way. However much you might want to trust her, we learn in the end just how dangerous it is to be involved in her schemes. The lesson? Stay far, far away from Kathie Moffat.

4 The Bey - Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

     Columbia Pictures

The figure of the Bey (a Turkish title for a kind of chieftan) in Lawrence of Arabia reminds us that even unnamed characters can be memorable villains. This Bey is played by José Ferrer, the famed Puerto Rican actor and father to Miguel Ferrer. His part in Lawrence of Arabia is not a big one, but he lends an intensity and depravity to some of its darkest scenes. In particular, a torture sequence involving the Bey and a captive Lawrence stands out as one of the best of Ferrer’s career.

3 J.J. Hunsecker - Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

     United Artists

Sometimes, the greatest villains seem to have the best of intentions. Newspaper mogul J.J. Hunsecker may be a tough cookie, but his concern for his younger sister’s well-being appears genuine - at least at first. But as Sweet Smell of Success progresses, we learn that he’s more obsessive than protective, and that he uses his sister as an excuse to hurt anyone who crosses him (see Collider for more on his motivations). Burt Lancaster plays this role like he was born for it, and it may be his all-time best performance.

2 Bruno Antony - Strangers on a Train (1951)

     Warner Bros.

Robert Walker plays Bruno Antony in the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock classic, Strangers on a Train. The film’s protagonist, Guy Haines, meets Antony on a train, and the two strike up a friendly conversation. Both men have someone in their lives that they’d like to get rid of, so Antony suggests they swap murders: Haines will kill Antony’s father, Antony will kill Haines’s wife, and no one will suspect that the two deaths are connected. Though Haines assumes Antony is joking, he’s dead serious, and later goes through with his half of the so-called bargain. Walker’s performance of the psychopathic, silver-tongued Antony is wildly impressive, and deserving of the utmost praise.

1 Phyllis Dietrichson - Double Indemnity (1944)

     Paramount Pictures

Phyllis Dietrichson, played by Barbara Stanwyck, is the icy heart of Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity, a classic noir thriller from 1944. Dietrichson is an unhappy housewife who hatches a plan with an insurance salesman, Walter Neff, to kill her husband for his life insurance money. She’s a thrilling character to follow, capable of manipulation and deception, but also showing vulnerability in key moments. Her chemistry with Neff remains electric throughout, and their descent into a morally ambiguous world is darkly captivating. Phyllis’s cool, calculated nature and her ability to keep her true intentions hidden make her a formidable villain, and her ultimate downfall is both tragic and fitting. She may be the greatest femme fatale figure to ever grace the screen.