A Celebration of the Loveable Villain
‘Tis the season to be villainous! Throughout the Halloween season, I love to reflect on my favorite bad guys and gals in film, and when I’m thinking of my favorites, my mind always goes to theses loveable villains. They are the baddies that are in love with being evil and causing chaos while simultaneously charming you into falling in love with them. Oh yeah, and they usually have an awesome song. Once October hits, I completely purge my phone of all its music and fill it to the brim with my Halloween jams, including all of my favorite villain songs. In preparation for our upcoming examination of three such loveable (and bewitchingly musical) villains, here are a few of my favorite charming scoundrels.
Fagin (portrayed by Ron Moody in Oliver! – 1968, dir. Carol Reed)
This loveable rogue’s worst crimes are self-preservation and mildly corrupting the youth of London. His endless charm definitely outweighs any of his transgressions.
Villain Songs: The instructional ditty “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” and the self-reflexive patter song “Reviewing the Situation.”
Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons in The Lion King – 1994, dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers)
You know, he did have a point. “Life’s not fair, is it?” Especially when people insist on referring to you by your physical malady. “Hey, Nosebleed.” “Hey, Glasseye.” It’s just hurtful. But seriously: he’s a drama queen, he’s got great eyeliner, he hates everyone, and I love him for it.
Villain Song: The fantastic “Be Prepared” was sung by Irons in part, until he threw his voice out and the unceasingly talented Jim Cummings had to step in and finish the song.
Miss Hannigan (portrayed by Carol Burnett in Annie – 1982, dir. John Huston)
Come on, we’ve all been stuck in a job we hated. How can you not sympathize with poor Miss Hannigan even just a little bit? Being surrounded by a bunch of screaming children in the middle of the Depression would drive me to drink, too.
Villain Songs: “Little Girls” is practically my own personal mantra, but the best song in the film is “Easy Street,” sung by Burnett, Tim Curry, and Bernadette Peters as the dastardly trio scheme in song.
Doc Terminus (portrayed by Jim Dale in Pete’s Dragon – 1977, dir. Don Chaffey)
He’s a master showman, he’s got a great wardrobe, and he’ll go to any lengths to make a buck. I’d pay big money to see a con artist perform like this.
Villain Songs: The Doc details his bogus resume in “Passamaquoddy” and fantasizes about making millions selling an innocent dragon piecemeal in “Every Little Piece.”
Cloris Leachman
Just Cloris Leachman. If you’re a 90s kid as I am, she played hilarious villain after villain in some of the most-beloved family films of the decade. While my favorite of her roles is probably as the evil witch Agatha, in the Olsen twins film Double, Double Toil and Trouble (1993, dir. Stuart Margolin), she doesn’t have a song in that, so I’m combining that pick with her vocal performance as Gnorga, the queen of the trolls in A Troll in Central Park (1994, dir. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman). Both roles, Gnorga in combination with the witch Agatha, are an attestation about being evil (since “It’s the best!”) and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cloris Leachman is the ultimate loveable villain.
Villain song: a fitting closure to this list is Gnorga’s villain song, “The Queen of Mean,” which is a personal celebration of her wickedness. She literally spends the entire song singing about how much she loves to be evil.
Who are your favorite movie villains? Do you have a favorite villain song? Let us know in the comments below! Plus, don’t forget to watch the Sanderson Sisters in all their delightful glory in our October film of the month pick, Hocus Pocus (1993).
Copyright © 2019 Bailey Lizotte
