The masses have spoken. Voting is officially over in the week-long poll for cinema and literature’s biggest villains. IT was a tight race for most categories but thanks to polldaddy, tabulating the scores was a breeze.

And now without further ado, I present to you the winners of the first Cinerama Etcetera’s Baddie Awards, whose fame will soon surpass that of major award giving bodies in the United States and Europe.
First up, we have Scariest in Asian Horror.

Our nominees are Lotus Feet (Feng Shui, Philippines), Sadako (The Ring, Japan), Natre (Shutter, Thailand) and Kayako and Toshio (The Grudge, Korea).

And the winner is….. Drum roll please…..

SADAKO

Who can forget this long haired Japanese ghost who haunts those who view a mysterious cursed viodeotape one week after watching. Sadako, since the release of the first Ring movie in Japan has gained infamy throughout the world as different adaptations of the highly successful horror film is made by many countries.

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For the next category, Meanest Masked Menaces, we have several contenders, all wearing scary masks and all out for blood.

The top three in the poll were Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th), Michael Myers (Halloween), Pigface (Saw).

And the winner is….

JASON VORHEES

After 12 movies, a television series and face offs with another screen giant Freddy Kruger, Jason Vorhees, a supernatural serial killer who preys on those who trespass on Camp Crystal. Friday the 13th has been one of Hollywood’s most successful franchises to date due to the sustainable appeal of its lead, a hulking spectre who always dons a blood splattered hockey mask as his trademark look.

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Psycho families in film are a dime a dozen, but sometimes, there are those broods who are more menacing than the others and are capable of horror to such degree that they affect the audience psychologically.

Presenting the winner of the Baddie for the Worst Psycho Family on Film category…

LEATHERFACE AND FAMILY

What worse fate could beget a group of teenagers on a road trip than to meet with a weird town sheriff who happens to belong to a family who preys on travelers on a Texas highway. How else could one describe the terror of knowing that his friends are being skinned alive to make masks for a hulking deformed creature who wields a chainsaw like his own arm and the helplessness of being asked to sit on a table with his family, partaking of another friend for dinner. Well, there you have it… that is why Leatherface and his brood took this category without much contest.

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For the next category, Darth Vader did his best, but no light saber could come close to the sheer intimidation that an Alien could command. Let alone the grossness of being impregnated by one. Regardless of gender. The predators might have defeated them in AVP but they still had the last laugh, slimy S.O.B.s.

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When we were kids (well, I personally), we liked to watch cartoons. In this category, Disney was king in churning out animated classics based on children’s fairy tales. Sure, they trifled with the endings of the darkest fairy tales to make it more child friendly, but still, you have to give the company some credit for bringing to life the wickedest of villains who oppressed the fairest maidens in the land.

It was a tight battle between the Evil Queen (Snow White), and Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother but in the end…

WICKED STEPMOTHER

Just one look at those evil evil eyes would make the bravest of heroines cringe, and even a queen who turns to black magic to accomplish her nefarious plans could not compete with sheer cunning and utter meanness. The schemes of an ambitious widowed gold digger and the determination to get her ugly daughters to wed the prince are truly great motivators to become wicked.

 

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LEX LUTHOR

It isn’t easy being on the other side of the world’s most famous superhero. But Lex Luthor is not just any villain. He has money, he has smarts, and he knows Superman like no other. After all, he used to be his best friend. This best buddy turned arch nemesis has been portrayed in many different ways by comic book illustrators and actors (on the big and small screen). One thing remains the same — that shiny shiny bald head, his signature look. Truly, Lex Luthor deserves the Baddie for being the Best Villain based on a Comic Book.

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The fanboys have all come a calling for this next category and no one wanted to let their favorite villains down. We have a tie for the Best Villain based on a Book category and its no wonder for these two powerful antagonists have reigned supreme.

LORD VOLDEMORT

Hailed as the most powerful wizard in the wizarding world, He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named disappeared into obscurity after attempting to kill Harry Potter, the most popular orphan in children’s literature in the past decade or so. However, a powerful and evil Muggle hater could not be dismissed so easily. He surfaces throughout the seven book series in various shapes and forms and brings back the new age of the Death Eaters, regains his strength and lays siege on the last stronghold of the wizarding world — Hogwarts — where a culminating battle of good vs evil take place.

 

SAURON

Evil is engulfing Middle Earth and a group of seven must journey to destroy the One Ring of Power which the dark lord Sauron needs to control all of the land. Throughout the books, Sauron was depicted as a entity who sees all and all efforts to oppose him. He uses his army of Orcs and his general Saruman to keep the hobbit Frodo and his pack from destroying the Ring. Not being physically present did not hinder readers and audiences from feeling intimidated by this powerful villain. Talk about power.

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THE JOKER

Clowns are supposed to make us feel light and happy, but this villain makes us feel everything but. Depicted in the comic books as a prankster and criminal set on thwarting Batman, Jack Nicholson and the late Heath Ledger portrayed this arch nemesis to be a neurotic criminal which a lot of issues. With a resounding 71.43 percent of the votes, Batman’s worst enemy cast into shadow all of his brothers in the trade who ever tried their hand in breaking the law.

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Be afraid. Be very afraid. Even the greatest psychos in film concede this victory to Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins. He’s infinitely smart and resourceful, and he has the greatest appetite for human flesh. He wants to have you over for dinner… but with you as the main course. Dr. Lecter, ladies and gents… our Baddie Award winner for Best Villain in a Motion Picture.

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It was a tight battle between two of the most infamous characters in the horror genre for the category Ruler of the Cult Classics. Both have had successful franchises to their name, limitless merchandising materials and remakes under their belts. It was no wonder the voters found it difficult to decide the outcome of this one.

Without further ado, here are your winners:

CHUCKY (CHILD’S PLAY)

How do you get rid of a Good Guy doll who is in reality possessed by the spirit of a serial murderer and wants to kill everyone in your family to inhabit your body? That was the dilemma that Andy and his mom were wrestling with at the beginning of the franchise in 1988, and the same dilemma that protagonists were dealing with four sequels later. Producers of this franchise explored every angle, even venturing on a bride and a son for our plastic psycho doll menace. But Hollywood hasn’t had enough of Chucky yet. They are planning a remake slated this year.

FREDDY KRUGER (Nightmare on Elm Street)

Like Chucky, who can forget this striped sweatshirt wearing, blade fingered, wisecracking maniac who kills teenagers in their dreams? After six movies, the first of which starred Johnny Depp in his early days, a sequel and a faceoff with Jason, Robert Englund’s Freddy Kruger remains to be the most menacing and most remarkable of all the horror classics in the list. While the reboot in 2010 was a bit weak compared to the originals, it still turned up well at the box office, proving that the public has a huge respect for the character and the franchise and will soak up anything that has Freddy’s name on it.

So that concludes the first Baddie Awards. Thank you for voting and stay tuned for more polls on your favorite topics soon.