The villains that terrified (and fascinated) me most

I love villains. They are so interesting, with each villain having a different reason for doing what they are doing. Most heroes are exactly the same, wanting to fight for the greater good of the world with some personal vendetta against the villain. But every single  villain has a different backstory, a different motivation, a different goal. Every villain is unique.

As a reader I mainly stick to the contemporary genre, meaning I don't read a lot of books with villains in them. However, occasionally I feel brave and decide to read a book from another genre which, invariably, has a villain in it. And I love it.

Onto the villains!

1- Johnathan Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments

How could you not love Johnathan? He is so completely evil and psychotic that he is the perfect villain. Although he doesn't start all the drama that carries through the last three books of the Mortal Instrument series he is the one who carries it all out and adds to the drama. I know we're meant to hate him because he is a villain, but I can't help but love him.

2- The Grand Witch from The Witches

This woman was evil. There was not a single strand of good in her, she was just evil in the purest form. She was prepared to do anything to take over the world, even turn two children into mice. Not only were her plans evil, they were incredibly well though out. She was so smart and cunning that she became twice as terrifying.

3- Big Brother from 1984

Even though Big Brother isn't present in the book the concept of Big Brother is what keeps people in line. Without Big Brother the world would be less controlled, less strict and the government would be easily overthrown. And the scariest thing about Big Brother? He isn't really a foreign concept. 

4- The White Witch from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

The White Witch terrified me as a child. I remember the first time I watched the film and I had to sleep with the light on because she scared me so much. She managed to break up the Pensive family, and came so close to victory that it felt like she was certain to win. I can't imagine anything more terrifying than permanent Winter under her reign.

5- Mephistopheles from Dr Faustus

Although we can never be sure if he was truly a villain, Mephistopheles definitely does some morally grey things during his time on Earth. He convinces Faustus to do things that mean he would never be able to be redeemed and generally pushes Faustus to exploit his new found powers in the wrong 

ways.

6- Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events

An evil and cunning man, Olaf will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. I loved Neil Patrick Harris' interpretation of Olaf: a funny but evil man who is willing to kill three children so that he get his hands on the money. He is one of my favourite villains of all time because of how ridiculous he is.

7- Celeste Newsome from the Selection Series

Not everyone would count her as a villain, and she definitely isn't the most nefarious person on this list, but Celeste is cunning and evil which is enough to earn her a spot on this list. From the start of the Selection she is determined to beat America and the other contestants, and will stop at nothing to marry Prince Maxon. She is hilarious, dramatic and cunning; making her a perfect villain.

Who is your favourite villain? Are they on this list?

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!