Some of Hollywood’s most psychotic icons come in the form of loopy leading ladies. These memorable characters might not look all that crazy — but take our word for it; there’s more to them than meets the eye. Here’s our ranking of cinema’s top five craziest women, from least mad to most.
5. Rachel Watson – The Girl on the Train
Alright, so, Rachel isn’t all that psycho…but her stalker-ish tendencies and infatuation with solving a random crime is a little odd. In the film based on Paula Hawkins’ acclaimed novel, Emily Blunt plays an unstable alcoholic trying to live vicariously through a mysterious woman she watches from the train. Blunt’s powerful performance, along with Rachel’s unhinged sense of reality, puts this character on the list.
4. Lisbeth Salander – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
She’s equal parts brilliant, relentless, and cray cray. This book-to-movie character, portrayed by Rooney Mara might be a little insane in the membrane but we have to admire her for it (because, let’s be real, she’s genius). We just wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.
3. Nina Sayers – Black Swan
As viewers, we aren’t always sure what is and isn’t real in Black Swan. Natalie Portman plays an ambitious ballerina striving towards perfection, all the while losing her grip on reality. This frightening tale is a disturbing look at what an out-of-control obsession can do. Paired with a haunting score and an award-winning performance, this film certainly ranks with the craziest.
2. Amy Dunne – Gone Girl
We still aren’t quite sure what Amy’s problem is. This crazy character was brought to the screen in 2014 and she’s hard to forget. Rosamund Pike’s amazing performance of “Amazing Amy”, a woman who stages her own disappearance in an elaborate effort to frame her husband for murder, is one-of-a-kind. She terrifies us.
1. Annie Wilkes – Misery
This 1990 thriller quickly became an American classic. Why? It’s just plain hard to forget this creepy and unnerving Stephen King adaptation. Poor James Caan just wants to write his novel, but gets abducted and held hostage by an Oscar-winning Kathy Bates. Bates’ character, a sweet-seeming superfan of Caan’s character, is easily remembered as one of the most deranged characters to ever grace the screen.
