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Movie Villainess 101 Rank #81

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This ex-spy is certainly no angel

Movie

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

A sequel to a re-imagining of an old TV series, which itself has since been rebooted. Perhaps audiences are growing tired of the whole remake thing, as the latest attempts were commercial failures.

The movie with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as the secret agents hasn’t aged well. From a modern viewpoint, the heroines are overly sexualised with many instances of male gaze. But Full Throttle addresses the imbalance by adding topless men into the mix.

These films are better at humour than plot development. Given that jokes often fall flat, this should give some idea of how obvious the twists are. Plenty of action, though the fights are cheesy with impossible stunts involving CGI and obvious wire work. The first Charlie’s Angels film had its critics, but had a decent box office return. Hence, no change in style for Full Throttle.

If viewers switch off their brains and don’t take the movies seriously (is that even possible?), there is much to enjoy. Both entries feature a major villainess and the expected catfights that come with her. While the sequel is weaker than the first film, Madison makes my list because of her more interesting backstory.

Villainess

Madison Lee (Demi Moore)

The Charlie’s Angels films directed by McG have similar themes. There’s a mission that’s not what it seems, a supposed ally that turns out to be manipulative, and a last act reveal for the villainess. The sequel adds a dark-haired female antagonist (seen from behind) early on. So when a former Angel named Madison Lee enters the picture, it’s obvious she’s the bad girl.

A Mongolian warlord is the main villain in the opening teaser where the heroines rescue a US marshal (Robert Patrick). However, it soon becomes apparent that these are minor players in a much bigger scheme. The dark-haired lady is after two titanium rings, decoders that reveal the identities of people in witness protection.

The marshal had one ring, and a Justice Department official is guarding the other. Bruce Willis has a short-lived cameo as the second man. He discovers his entire detail dead in an aircraft hangar (somehow they got slaughtered with absolutely no noise). The stealthy masked assailant hangs from the plane’s roof, like something out of Splinter Cell, and holds a gold-plated Desert Eagle to the official’s head. This is someone who kills with style.

The Angels track a surfer henchman to a beach. An excuse to show attractive women in bikinis, including Madison and a Baywatch-style entrance. The assassin is eliminated by the acrobatic Thin Man (returning from the first movie). There’s a history involving Drew Barrymore’s character and an Irish mobster against whom she testified. Given who’s playing the US marshal, it’s no surprise he’s a turncoat. In summary, a convoluted mess of minor villains and subplots.

Madison reveals herself as the principal antagonist when she blows the marshal away with a pair of Desert Eagles. In case you’d forgotten, those were the weapons used by the masked killer. The villainess likes her golden guns and uses several in the action sequences that follow. This, together with her black outfits and egotistical boasts, makes her a stylish foe who should have been revealed much sooner.

Madison is a formidable opponent for the Angels, countering their dodge moves with gunplay. One on one, the heroines are no match, and even all three acting together struggle to defeat the villainess. Only after a lengthy finale do the agents beat Madison in an abandoned theatre. She gets a good death scene when she falls through the floor and accidentally shoots an exposed gas pipe.

Honourable Mentions: Charlie’s Angels

Charlie’s Angels (2000) – Vivian Wood (Kelly Lynch)

The first Charlie’s Angels movie also featured a villainess with stylish attire, though Vivian didn’t wear her skintight black catsuit until the finale. She’s proficient in unarmed combat and goes toe to toe with the Cameron Diaz character. The downside is that nothing stands out about her character. She’s a secondary foil to the chief bad guy, more of a henchwoman than a villain in her own right.

Vivian’s reveal is handled better than Madison’s. While viewers may suspect a plot twist is on the agenda, there are no giveaway shots of a mysterious female pulling the strings. So the client isn’t that suspicious before her heel turn.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #82

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Let’s make this an unfair fight, shall we?

Movie

Man of Steel (2013)

Another movie in the never-ending deluge of Hollywood reboots, this is a solo outing for Superman. One difference from earlier adaptations is that the hero doesn’t work at the Daily Planet. He only takes on his Clark Kent “disguise” in the film’s last scene.

When reworking a franchise, it’s a good idea to revisit the previous movies, reuse the ideas that worked well, and ditch the rest. That appears to be the strategy. Man of Steel combines the origin story from Superman: The Movie (1978) with the rogue Kryptonian villain arc from Superman II (1980). As in the latter film, the main villain is General Zod, with Michael Shannon taking on the role previously played by Terence Stamp.

Besides the obvious improvement in special effects and scope, the pacing is superior to the 1978 film, where the villain’s plot only came into play later on. And Zod doesn’t have to share the stage with the overused Lex Luthor. In the DC Extended Universe movies, that character was saved for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

The first act centres on Superman’s struggle with his identity and reporter Lois Lane’s investigation into his mysterious past. Things ramp up when Zod and his Krypton followers arrive on Earth, with a nefarious scheme to terraform the planet and wipe out humanity. With superhuman powers of their own, the villains are worthy adversaries and don’t need to rely on kryptonite to weaken the hero.

Villainess

Faora-Ul (Antje Traue)

Ursa and Faora-Ul are two distinct characters in the comics, but they fill the same role as Zod’s second in command. Overall, I prefer the villainess in Man of Steel because her physical confrontations are better staged.

Faora appears in the Krypton-set prologue as part of Zod’s rebellion. Following their defeat, the rebels are sentenced to the Phantom Zone until (as in Superman II) a cosmic event frees the villains. Superman is the son of the man who imprisoned them, so the vengeful general travels to Earth.

Zod and his underlings brush aside tanks and gunships and make a televised demand that the authorities turn Superman over to them. It’s then that the villainess introduces herself, leading to an explosive series of action set pieces. These culminate in a one-on-one battle with Superman. Rules about male/female fights have been relaxed over the last forty years. They are now expected to be brutal, and this one certainly delivers.

The winner is debatable, as both Superman and Faora are invulnerable to each other’s attacks. Neither pulls any punches, as entire buildings get destroyed during an epic fight that lasts several minutes.

Arguably, the most memorable encounter is when an ordinary soldier challenges Faora with a knife. Brave and foolish, and it would have meant certain death save for a last-second intervention from Superman. In the finale, the soldier commits suicide by crashing a spaceship (with Faora on board) into an alien device, a heroic act which returns the villainess to the Phantom Zone.

Honourable Mentions: Detective Comics (DC)

Superman II (1980) – Ursa (Sarah Douglas)

It wouldn’t be fair to discuss Faora without mentioning Ursa. The character was created especially for the movie franchise because of a shortage of female villains in the source material. It’s actually she who first encounters the humans during a lunar mission.

A spaceman is understandably shocked to see an unsuited woman float down and survive in the vacuum of space. Curious, Ursa pulls off his NASA badge, which ruptures his suit. Collecting trophies becomes a thing, and she adds a sheriff’s star and general’s stripes to her black outfit.

Ursa gets physical in confrontations with Superman, but never has a one-on-one battle like Faora in the reboot. Some of the action is tame by today’s standards, but Douglas still makes a fine villainess. She also has the honour of being the last villain standing after Superman strips his foes of their powers. Lois Lane gets to deliver the knockout punch, accompanied by a fitting one-liner.

Wonder Woman (2017) – Dr Maru (Elena Anaya)

The female villain’s role in the first Wonder Woman movie is relatively small. Dr Maru (better known as Dr Poison) is a scientist who develops a corrosive gas which could impact the outcome of World War I. Hardly a minor contribution, but she’s a secondary antagonist to Greek god Ares.

Maru has a creepy aura thanks to the mask she wears to hide disfigurement. She also chuckles with the fake, big bad Ludendorff after gassing a room full of German officers. Then the real villain shows up in an overblown CGI finale, and the lethal poison plot becomes an afterthought. In the end, Maru’s fate is ambiguous after Wonder Woman discovers the value of love and spares the villainess’ life.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) – Barbara Minerva / Cheetah (Kristen Wiig)

The female antagonist in the sequel – Barbara Minerva, aka Cheetah – gets a lot more screen time, though she doesn’t take on her villainous persona until the third act. For most of the movie, the chief bad guy is Maxwell Lord: a power-mad businessman obsessed with a mystical artifact called the Dreamstone. The crystal has the power to grant its user a single wish, though it takes something they value in return. Things become desperate when Lord becomes the Dream Stone and abuses its power for his own ends.

Before all that, the timid Barbara wishes to be like Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), which grants her superhuman strength at the cost of humanity. The adverse effects can be reversed by relinquishing a wish, but Barbara embraces her powers and becomes the iconic feline foe.

Cheetah – and Wonder Woman herself – see little action until the second half. One of the villainess’ best moments is when she confronts a man who molested her and enjoys her revenge as only an evil person could. Like the first DCU film, the ending is CGI-heavy, and this time two women battle it out. The confrontation is brief, and Barbara reverts to her human form when it’s over.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #83

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Someone should tell her that hostages are more valuable alive

Movie

Strategic Command (1997)

Royal Oaks Entertainment produced several low-budget action flicks in the 1990s. They always open with stock intro music and usually have Michael Dudikoff in the lead role. In this one, he’s a biologist named Rick Harding who conveniently has a military / martial arts background. Helpful when boarding a hijacked plane mid-air with a special forces unit as backup. Rick’s mission: defuse a nerve toxin bomb before the terrorists use it to attack the US.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the plot is identical to Executive Decision (1996). In that, Kurt Russell is the scientist (no martial arts) and Steven Seagal’s commando is a decoy hero who dies halfway through. The heroes approach the hijacked commercial airliner in a stealth plane and use a connecting tube-like thing to access the cargo hatch. The sequence midway through Strategic Command is a carbon copy.

For added tension, the main character’s wife is on board the plane, which feels convenient and contrived. But since the inspired clone (or knockoff, if you’re feeling less generous) has a female hijacker – and a nasty one – in Mira, it’s worth checking out for villainess fans.

Villainess

Mira (Gina Mari)

Before the mid-air antics, the terrorists raid a chemical storage facility and steal a fictional nerve agent called Bromex. It’s obvious these guys are bad because they wear black commando outfits, and the lone female, Mira, has a sleeveless top to emphasise her sexiness. She sure looks like a sadistic henchwoman, a role confirmed when the leader Gruber (any relation to Hans?) produces a human eyeball. Mira smiles in delight as they bypass a retina scanner.

Some toxin is accidentally released, and a disposable guy is sealed in an airtight chamber. His vomit is supposed to be stomach acid, but resembles milkshake. The terrorists make their escape, and there’s a decently staged shootout with casualties on both sides. And a surprise early fight between Harding and Gruber, but the hero can’t win yet, otherwise there would be no movie.

After the villains hijack a 747 with the Vice President on board, Mira acts the tough girl and headbutts the uncooperative VP. She’s eager to execute some hostages purely for fun. This is one psycho lady, who gets very excited when Gruber murders a press liaison to convince the authorities he’s serious.

Mira’s best moment comes when the Secret Service attempts to retake the plane. A female agent holds the villainess hostage, then a traitor turns the tables. After the would-be heroine surrenders, Gruber orders her execution, and Mira is happy to oblige. The smiling villainess’ reaction – where she pants and draws back her hair – is downright evil.

After the heroes sneak on board Executive Decision style, Mira investigates the cargo hold. Harding escapes the henchwoman on this occasion, but a confrontation is coming. The showdown on the doomed airliner is weak, with shaky-cam fight scenes. It’s Harding against Gruber and Mira versus the traitor (who’s developed a conscience and joined the good guys).

The unlikely hero overpowers Mira and forces her against a fuselage door. Then he opens it, depressurising the cabin and sacrificing his own life to defeat the villainess. There’s a scene a little later where Harding kills Gruber with the nerve agent. The sadistic Mira deserved an equally nasty fate, but went out with a faint scream.

Honourable Mentions: Hijackers

Passenger 57 (1992) – Sabrina Ritchie (Elizabeth Hurley)

British actors playing villains is nothing new in Hollywood. This film gives us two: Bruce Payne’s psycho hijacker and Liz Hurley as his accomplice Sabrina Ritchie. She seems to be an innocent flight attendant, but that accent is a giveaway.

Sabrina reveals her treachery when she offers a meal to two unsuspecting FBI agents and serves up bullets from a silenced pistol. Too bad that’s her only decent moment. After that, Sabrina has occasional dialogue and holds a crew member hostage. The hero knocks her out with one punch, and she’s arrested when the plane lands. Anyone hoping for a decent climax will be very disappointed.

Hijacked (2017) – Sadie (Greer Grammer)

Also known as Altitude, this movie features a villainess with a wonderful introduction. Sadie – yet another fake flight attendant – is part of a criminal gang hunting a former associate. There had to be a simpler solution than hijacking a passenger plane, but it suffices as an excuse plot. The action heroine is hostage negotiator Gretchen Blair (Denise Richards, cast against type).

After Sadie breaks a jokey attendant’s neck to show off her martial arts prowess, she tricks her way into the cockpit. There, she injects the pilot with poison and stabs his co-pilot with her heeled shoe. An awesome double kill, but the film doesn’t build on this impressive opening.

The fight scenes are poorly choreographed and edited, and the two “confrontations” between Gretchen and Sadie don’t amount to much. Eventually, the villainess is sucked out of the plane. In hijack movies, you can guarantee at least one baddie will die this way. But it’s predictable and unconvincing.

Hijacked (2012) – Liesel (Ashley Cusato)

Yes, there are two generic B-movies with the same title. This one has more star power, with Randy Couture as CIA agent Paul Ross, who teams up with Dominic Purcell’s bodyguard to foil a hijacker extortion plot. The target is a private jet owned by a wealthy businessman, and – to make things personal – Ross’ girlfriend Olivia is on board. This appears to be a plot contrivance, but is later revealed to be a setup.

The villains are bland, leaving it to the henchwoman Liesel to offer the best action. Though her role is mostly limited to sinister facial expressions and the occasional tough-girl speech, she gets two great kills. Liesel is sadistic and trigger-happy. That goes for all the hijackers, since the businessman wants the hostages murdered as part of his diabolical scheme.

The opening party scene has a British spy played by Vinnie Jones (in a rare good guy role) don a tuxedo and do a not-so-great 007 impression as he flirts with a sexy woman. The awkward romance gets cut short by a phone call, then the MI6 agent and Ross later discover the female tied up during an armed raid. A trained operative should spot the warning signs, but he’s stupidly caught off guard. The villainess seems to enjoy her deception before she blows his brains out.

After the mercenaries board the jet with help from an inside woman (who’s nowhere near as smart as she thinks), Liesel enters a private cabin through a hatch. She surprises a couple in the middle of passionate sex, takes a moment to enjoy the view, and finishes them with a silenced pistol. Her best scene in the movie, and while it’s possible Liesel gets an off-screen kill later on, the shooter isn’t confirmed.

After a string of “act tough but don’t do a lot” scenes, Liesel engages the heroes in combat. Sadly, the henchwoman doesn’t have the fighting skills you’d expect, and is easily captured. For the last act, Liesel is a prisoner until she’s released to help defuse a bomb. She has no idea how to disarm it, but escapes and aims her gun at the careless Ross. Then the inevitable happens: Olivia shows up to put a bullet in the villainess’ back.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #84

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When the action starts, these women won’t be stopped

Movie

Momentum (2015)

When compiling my list, one goal was to vary the content as much as possible. So I included protagonists who commit serious crimes, and anti-heroines just as ruthless as the bad guys, even if their intentions are noble. The main character in Momentum fits into both categories.

For viewers who prefer outright villainy, there’s a cold-blooded – and especially hard to kill – henchwoman. More than enough to justify placing these deadly women in my rankings.

Anti-Heroine

Alexis Faraday (Olga Kurylenko)

The protagonist is a professional thief, and straight from the outset, it’s clear she’s not a woman to mess with. Make that person, because the armed robbers are masked during the opening bank heist in Cape Town, South Africa.

The crooks wear sleek black outfits with body armour and voice modulators. Those conveniently light up in different colours, so we can tell the four apart. In one bizarre moment, a drugged-up robber quotes Dirty Harry to a terrified security guard while sounding like a robot.

The voice distortion and form-concealing outfit might fool the hostages into thinking the heist crew are all male. But anyone who’s read the blurb in advance or seen this trick before (most viewers, I suspect) won’t be deceived. But we still get an awesome reveal moment after the crazy robber shoots it out with Alex and her mask comes off in the struggle.

While the protagonist has a moral compass (no killing innocents), she is ruthless. When the bank manager doesn’t cooperate, she punches out his tooth, then forcibly re-inserts it to bypass a biometric security lock. And Alex has no problem executing her treacherous crew member, even if the lunatic had it coming.

Olga Kurylenko as a tough girl with a mysterious past? Familiar territory by now, but the actress plays these parts well, which explains why producers keep casting her.

Villainess

Ms Clinton (Shelley Nicole)

The villains are “cleaners” (translation: professional killers) employed by an unnamed senator. The big bad is played by Morgan Freeman, who always seems to be cast as a politician. James Purefoy is the evil Brit (there had to be one) and the antagonist with the most screen time.

His character is Mr Washington, whose team includes the equally ruthless Mr Jefferson, Mr Monroe and Ms Clinton. These are either code names based on former US presidents or one amazing coincidence. Since Clinton is female and the film predates 2016, perhaps the filmmakers assumed a certain woman would become president, which seems presumptuous now.

Clinton is a skilled fighter who kickboxes Alex’s partner into submission. The bad guys want a data drive stolen during the heist, which holds vital information about the Senator’s plans. After Washington’s crew torture the poor guy to death, Alex retrieves the MacGuffin and goes on the run.

Somewhat refreshingly, Ms Clinton is more professional than sadistic. Mostly calm, with the occasional smile and snarky comment to suggest she enjoys her work. Like the other cleaners, she’s a competent operative. Alex often evades the opposition through ingenuity, rather than their being hopeless.

However, the expected confrontation between the two women never transpires. The climax – in an airport terminal – has the crippled Alex outsmarting the villains by detonating a bomb. A risky move, but the security staff identifies Clinton as the threat. Probably because she strikes first and beats them up while Alex grapples with Mr Washington.

The cleaners are difficult to kill. Before this point, the baddies have survived explosions, a knife to the back, and stab wounds. So the outnumbered Ms Clinton was never going down easy. She takes out several men despite starting the fight unarmed. Until a more sensible guard shoots her. Yes, that’s right – killed by an unnamed character. Original, perhaps, but unrewarding.

As for Alex, she outsmarts Mr Washington and makes a memorable anti-heroine. Too bad the movie failed at the box office, and the sequel setup – with the senator still at large – will probably remain unresolved.

Honourable Mentions: Professional Killers

The Courier (2019) – Agent Simmonds (Alicia Agneson)

Olga Kurylenko has made a name for herself as an action star. In this movie she’s a motorcycle courier with – yes, you guessed it – a mysterious past. Mostly set in London, the story begins when she delivers a package to a safe house. Bad move, since it’s a disguised cyanide dispersal device. Say goodbye to a key witness.

As in Momentum, the main villain directs his business from overseas. Gary Oldman is the big-name baddie: a criminal boss sporting an eyepatch. His inside woman is Simmonds, a corrupt Interpol agent who murders her colleagues for financial gain.

Despite being fourth on the credits, Alicia Agneson’s character dies in the first twenty minutes. Presumably, her prominent position is because she has multiple dialogue lines in a movie where most characters don’t speak. Before the villainess leaves us, she shoots the courier (and stupidly assumes she’s dead), gets her ass kicked in retaliation, and ends up on the losing side.

A disappointment, but the treacherous agent looked fantastic in a gas mask.

Full Disclosure (2001) – Michelle (Penelope Ann Miller)

Michelle is a secondary character, but still features prominently on the movie poster. Why? The ruthless and efficient hitwoman is the most interesting part of this dull political thriller.

Reporter John McWhirter (Fred Ward) investigates the murder of a prominent businessman. The muddled conspiracy surrounding his death leads to many encounters with recognisable B-movie actors. Christopher Plummer’s FBI boss is the definition of shady. Rachel Ticotin is a Middle Eastern love interest, and Virginia Madsen has an extended cameo as John’s newspaper editor.

Plot elements go nowhere, notably the Algerians behind the assassination, who don’t feature at all in the second half. Before they disappear, they hire Michelle to tie up loose ends, which gives viewers something to get excited about. The blonde woman is a cold professional who murders and tortures people as if it’s normal. After she eliminates the assassins, John is next on the list.

Fortunately, the reporter has a secret hiding spot in his apartment, allowing his female guest to surprise Michelle. The disappointing duel has the assassin chase the woman, and John uses her own silenced pistol to kill her. Then some postmortem shots to remind us how great the character was.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #85

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This ruthless businesswoman is determined to kill the scandal

Movie

Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal (1989)

Don’t be dissuaded (or fooled) by the raunchy title. It may sound like a late-night softcore flick, but this is an NBC TV movie from the late 1980s. No nudity except rear shots of Lisa Hartman, though the film received an 18 certificate for its UK DVD release. One assumes the sex videos, which feature a dominatrix and whips, were enough to classify this as adult material.

A masked intruder murders a prostitute but flees when the flatmate returns earlier than expected. A stolen videotape gets left behind, and clearly contains footage someone is prepared to kill for. The foolish witness isn’t deterred by dead bodies and auctions the tape with the help of an adult film producer. Powerful men would prefer to keep their kinky private lives secret, so it’s a lucrative if dangerous play.

While two bidders are prepared to pay over $100,000 (a lot of money in 1989), the leather-clad, masked killer prefers more direct methods. The intruder gatecrashes the auction and wastes the competition with a shotgun. Great stuff, although violent for TV, and another potential reason for the age rating.

Duplicate tape recovered, but there’s still a copy out there, plus loose ends for the shooter to deal with. The two main characters, Lieutenant Thompson and rookie DA Sarah Dutton, must solve the murders, but find their investigation obstructed by an obviously corrupt police chief and judge. Are they on the tape by any chance?

Villainess

Debralee Taft (Jennifer O’Neill)

The investigators soon discover a connection between the dead prostitute and a modelling agency run by Debralee Taft. Since an unnamed bidder was absent from the auction massacre, it’s easy to infer Debralee is the culprit or somehow involved. She claims to be a legitimate businesswoman, but her evasive answers to Thompson’s questions – and a hulking bodyguard named Earl – suggest she’s hiding something. After an undercover policewoman is killed on her way to Debralee’s office, Thompson agrees to Sarah’s plan to pose as a model.

Debralee makes the list because she’s an unusual villainess. Instead of a typical psycho, this is a scheming businesswoman quite prepared to kill people herself. Jennifer O’Neill brings gravity to her performance, leading to a foreshadowed but welcome reveal in the last twenty minutes. The greedy flatmate gets shot with a silenced pistol, and the murderess in black leather goes after Sarah, who now has the all-important tape.

Sarah’s house is the setting for the showdown with Debralee and Earl. While never explicitly confirmed through dialogue, it’s likely Debralee committed the murders since her black jacket matches the killer’s. Earl has a shotgun, but voiced his objection to the killing spree. The predictable outcome sees the bodyguard shot by Thompson and Sarah cornered by the homicidal villainess. There’s a distraction, a chase where she fires a few shots, and a last-moment rescue by the hero.

Honourable Mentions: TV Movies

Weep No More, My Lady (1992) – Judy (Cécile Paoli)

This TV movie has imaginative murders and a mystery killer who wears two different masked outfits, but the pacing is ponderous, with all the exciting bits saved for the last half hour. The story, based on a novel by Mary Higgins Clark, is set in a Parisian chateau. So it’s strange that a Japanese theme runs throughout, right from the opening credits that include animated images of kendo fighters.

The main plot is rudimentary, and annoying side characters help stretch the runtime to ninety minutes. An actress named Leila (Francesca Annis) is driven mad by creepy phone calls, which strains her relationship with sister Elisabeth (Kristin Scott Thomas) and husband Ted. Leila has vocal arguments with her family in public, so when a scuba diver drowns her in a nearby lake, everyone assumes she’s run away. Except for Elisabeth, who’s determined to uncover the truth.

After the slow opening act, there’s a tense sequence where the kendo-masked killer eliminates a female assistant with a bow and arrow. The murderess then reveals herself – and a typical jealous lover motive – to a nosy guest too inquisitive for her own good.

Elisabeth replaces her dead sister in a movie production, and Judy takes a stunt diver’s place to make one last attempt on the heroine’s life. The killer dons a scuba mask as dramatic music plays, but what should be an exciting climax is a total dud. Gloomy underwater action shots, and a pathetic resolution where the film director saves Elisabeth.

Ladykillers (1988) – Morganna Ross (Lesley-Anne Down)

This TV movie from the late 80s is difficult to find, so my review is based on an average quality broadcast scan with mediocre sound. The novel scenario takes a well-worn premise and gender-flips it. A mysterious blonde-wigged assailant slashes a male stripper while he’s performing on stage at Ladykillers nightclub. Forensics have a hard time identifying the murder weapon, which turns out to be an artist’s tool used for sign painting.

Lieutenant Flannery (Marilu Henner) is a tough homicide cop, and an early scene has a female PR agent sneak up on a showering man and pretend to strangle him with a scarf. In this movie, it’s women in charge and the males who get topless. This includes a mass strip scene at the police station when Flannery and club owner Morganna audition detectives to go undercover as a dancer.

After a near miss when the slasher almost kills a second stripper, an ex-prostitute gives Flannery a crucial lead. In an original turn of events, the heroine rushes to save her boyfriend. Morganna is revealed as the murderer, and the struggle in a burning lounge is above average for a TV thriller. Furniture gets knocked over as the two women wrestle, then the villainess gets the standard “tossed through a window” treatment.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #86

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Today’s lesson will be deadly

Movie

Demolition High (1996)

An unlikely hero trapped in a building with terrorists planning extortion. Sound familiar? Yep, this is another Die Hard scenario movie. A fair number of these films made my list because they often include above-average villainesses. The setting is (unsurprisingly) a high school, and the hero is Lenny Slater (Corey Haim), a recent transfer from New York City who’s quite handy in fistfights.

Lenny isn’t popular with the school bully, but they put aside their quarrel and team up with a timid girl to battle the bad guys. The rough kid must be a fan of the 1980s TV series MacGyver because he fashions makeshift weapons from whatever materials are lying around. He’ll need those skills, since the enemy leader is planning to launch a stolen missile at a nuclear power plant.

The movie is competently made (by B-movie standards) and moves along at a brisk pace. No plot twists to floor the audience, but an undemanding watch. A digitally restored version is available on DVD and many streaming services, worth watching for action lovers and Haim fans. Stacie Randall, an on/off action star in the 1990s, offers “support” as an interfering FBI agent.

Villainess

Tanya (Melissa Brasselle)

The sadistic henchwoman dressed in black is a stock character in these films, but Tanya is better than most. She remains a constant presence throughout the runtime, and there aren’t many action sequences where she doesn’t play a part.

Many characters exist simply to show how evil Tanya is. These include a security guard who chats her up, a cop who pulls the villain’s van over after they steal the missile, and a nameless thug who gets captured by Lenny. All get blown away by the villainess’ nickel-plated Desert Eagle.

Tanya makes it clear she wants a larger share of the take, so it’s no surprise she considers Lenny’s hostage expendable. Fortunately, the hero evades Tanya and disposes of her with a fire extinguisher and calligraphy pens (which make a crude launcher). At least he thinks he’s won, because the wounded woman comes back with a fire axe to finish the job.

The henchwoman’s death scene is below par compared to what came before. A police sniper shoots Tanya in the back after she gets the better of Lenny. It would have been more fitting if the resourceful kid had devised another ingenious way to defeat Tanya for good, but overall Melissa Brasselle plays a solid, if not spectacular, female foe.

Honourable Mentions: Demolition Series

Demolition University (1997) – Elia (Michelle Maika)

The producers re-used many plot elements from the original. Lenny the hero, a bully sidekick, terrorists take over a building (surprisingly not a university) and a cruel henchwoman. Elia, while not as sadistic as Tanya from Demolition High, is still a cold-blooded killer. Die Hard in a water treatment plant – another location to cross off the list.

Elia’s introduction is pretty lame. She infiltrates a guarded research lab wearing a masked ninja outfit and garrotes two stronger army guys. Don’t expect any realism. The choke scenes both last five seconds with no resistance from trained soldiers. We get a decent unmasking (though it’s obvious the attacker is female), followed by a poorly staged shootout and a deadly nerve agent heist.

Overall, the sequel is more amateurish than its predecessor, with an annoying subplot where an American traitor flirts with Elia. Viewers will root for the villainess when she calmly executes the cocky American late in the film. Elia is so confident in her aiming skills she’s not concerned about harming his hostage (her own brother, no less). Or that her target might drop a vial of nerve agent and kill everyone in the room.

Lenny’s final “fight” with Elia is poor stuff. An easy knockdown, then a weak comeback where she garrotes the hero only to drop her weapon for no obvious reason. The hero sets the villainess on fire, raising hopes of a spectacular death, but she goes out with a whimper.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #87

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Reliving memories of murder could make you her next victim

Movie

Sensation (1994)

Many movies on my list are from the 1990s, the “golden age” for direct-to-video and a treasure trove for female villains. This was especially true for the erotic thriller genre. That term has become synonymous with softcore pornography, but believe it or not, these movies once had recognisable B-list talent and actual plots.

Sensation, starring Eric Roberts, Kari Wuhrer, and Ron Perlman, is a fine example. One nude scene has the main female character relaxing in a bathtub after canvas painting, surrounded by multicoloured floating blobs. Erotic imagery is present even when people are clothed, with surreal portraits of naked women and fertility statue antiques in the background. Modern viewers can watch the movie in wide-screen HD after its restoration from the original film footage.

The storyline is bizarre, but definitely original. Lila Reed (Wuhrer) is a graduate student hired by the mysterious Dr Ian Burton (Roberts) to study psychometry. That involves detecting imprints or “sensations” from objects and reliving the experiences of previous owners. Interesting study material, but Lila discovers some items belonged to a murdered student named Carrie Reiner, putting herself in danger.

Creepy men in Lila’s life include her pushy boyfriend, a stranger she meets in a bar, the eager Detective Pantella (Perlman), and Dr Burton himself. When Lila moves into Carrie’s old apartment, the landlord Mitch takes a voyeuristic interest in his new tenant and watches her shower through a skylight. No shortage of suspects, then.

Savvy viewers will write these off as red herrings, and as usual, it’s the one person who isn’t presented as sinister who turns out to be the killer.

Villainess

Paula Langford (Claire Stansfield)

The murderess’ motive is generic: a jilted lover and colleague. Why do scorned women always go crazy in these flicks? Paula’s infatuation with Burton is obvious from the moment she first enters his office. It’s later revealed she gave Dr Burton an alibi for Carrie’s murder, claiming they were together. A clever deception that also gives Paula an alibi. She’s playing you, doc.

Given that the killer strangles her victims with a leather cord, the 6’2’’ Claire Stansfield was a good casting choice with her towering physical presence. In most scenes, she dwarfs her male co-stars. The actress is also attractive and convincing as the femme fatale the story requires, including a topless sex scene with Eric Roberts.

Paula doesn’t appear much, however. Her only victims are poor Carrie (seen in the opening title sequence and psychic visions) and Lila’s best friend, Maryann, who dies because of a borrowed coat and mistaken identity. The late death in a fountain plaza occurs entirely off-screen, except for when the black-gloved murderess grabs her prey.

A tense finale has the ski-masked murderess break into Lila’s apartment, bludgeon Detective Pantella, and attempt to strangle the protagonist. This leads to a struggle and a dramatic reveal where Lila rips off the intruder’s mask. There’s a brilliant reaction shot of Paula after she’s exposed, one of the greatest female unmasking scenes in movie history. No hyperbole – it’s that good.

Some viewers have debated whether a male double played the killer in the climax. Personally, I’m inclined to believe it is actually Claire Stansfield under the mask, given her tall build. A shot of the killer’s feminine arms suggests the actress played the part, and the eyes match in close-ups. Seen from a side angle, the body shape is that of a woman. And pausing the improved HD version confirms this.

Stansfield is convincing as the not obviously female intruder, so it would have made sense to use her ski-masked guise more often. We’ll have to make do with the incredible buildup sequence where she stretches her leather cord… and the bland finale that follows her reveal. Dr Burton arrives, discovers the truth about his lover, and they struggle. After the murderess grabs a pair of scissors, Ian shakes her off, then Lila grabs the detective’s gun and blows the psycho away.

Honourable Mentions: Claire Stansfield / Masked Killers

Drop Zone (1994) – Kara (Claire Stansfield)

The versatile actress had another villainous role in 1994, as the sole female member of a criminal skydiving gang. This Wesley Snipes vehicle is fast-paced and entertaining, and the reliable Gary Busey plays the chief baddie (doesn’t he always?). His corrupt agent plans to steal valuable data from high-rise office buildings, and only a cop and hero skydiver, Jessie (Yancy Butler) can stop him.

Kara doesn’t speak much, but gets action aplenty. In her most notable scene, she parachutes onto a police station, impersonates an officer, and shoots a cop to access the evidence lockup. The tall henchwoman comes across as an intimidating and efficient killer, so it’s frustrating to sit through her non-action scenes.

With one woman on either side, it’s no surprise Jessie takes down Kara. Unfortunately, the heroine is a few inches shorter than her Amazonian opponent, so their physical duel is not very convincing. However, the villainess’ memorable and original demise – when Jessie smashes her head through a photocopier – makes up for any shortcomings.

Doorman (1985) – San Lu (Haru Aki)

Movies where the hero literally unmasks a villainess are rare, which earns this otherwise pedestrian thriller an honourable mention. A black-gloved killer prowls an apartment building, offing doormen so quickly that three are dead within twenty minutes. The murderer is a martial arts expert with a death touch technique, somehow able to snap a man’s neck with one hand. Kill scenes are laughably inept, bloodless even by TV movie standards.

Terry Reilly (Bradley Whitford) is a doorman (uh oh!) and budding mystery novelist who teams up with Linda (Sharon Schlarth) to solve the crime spree before he becomes the next victim. Unfortunately, Terry’s recited novels are much more riveting than the actual plot. The murderess has an unfathomable motive, something about stolen packages and a criminal double-cross. Many subplots turn out to be irrelevant, and the padded-out credits show clips of every character with dialogue. That includes the principal cast, minor roles, and extras who barely feature.

After Terry arranges a meeting with resident San Lu, the masked ninja-like killer attacks him in the parking garage. That rare moment of excitement is over in five seconds, and it’s a long wait until their next – and last – encounter. A brief kung fu scene, then Terry unmasks the callous San Lu, who gets a decent bad girl speech before a frustrating off-screen death.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #88

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A noble title for a not so noble woman

Movie

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

A few villainesses covered so far have notable finales in their respective movies, but dull lead-ins. The Rise of Cobra has the opposite problem: a strong opening that establishes the Baroness as a powerhouse to be reckoned with, but a weak conclusion where she switches sides.

The overall tone is a blend of flashy action and science fiction, bordering on fantasy. An arms manufacturer develops a nanobot warhead that eats through metal (and produces evil green smoke as a byproduct). Just the weapon any terrorist would want in their arsenal, so the evil organisation Cobra sends in a commando team led by a brunette in black leather.

The movie essentially serves as an origin story, with a lot of time spent introducing various characters and their backstories. Macho military man Duke once knew the villainess as the blonde Ana. Naturally, these two have a tragic romantic history, and were engaged until her brother was killed on a mission Duke led. And now she hates his guts.

Thankfully, an elite unit known as the G.I. Joes arrives to save Duke’s ass. These guys (and one gal called Scarlet) wear high-tech armour and carry futuristic weapons, and want Duke to join them. He accepts the offer and learns Ana is now an elite Cobra operative known as the Baroness. One of many codenames in this enjoyable, over the top adventure.

Villainess

Ana / Baroness (Sienna Miller)

The Baroness as a physical badass, and the forest encounter is only the first of her skirmishes with the good guys. Whether dual-wielding sonic pistols or kickboxing in her stylish leather outfit, this woman is more than a match for Duke and his crew.

A key figure in the Cobra hierarchy, the villains entrust her with their most important missions. When she leads an infiltration team into the Joes’ base, she takes on Scarlet in a surprisingly intelligent and well-staged fight. Even with optical camouflage, the heroine loses to a combination of wits and martial arts. Despite Duke’s best efforts, the Baroness escapes with the warheads. This round goes to Cobra.

The villainess has a double life as a lavishly dressed noblewoman (hence her title) and devoted wife of a scientist. This is a ruse to gain access to his laboratory, and the operative proves a mistress of deception. Once hubby has activated the warheads, he’s of no further value to Cobra, so they eliminate him. Never trust a beautiful woman in black.

The standout action set piece is a chase through Paris, where Duke and his partner pursue a vehicle on foot. That’s made possible by “jumping” suits that enhance their athletic ability, leading to an entertaining if silly sequence with car crashes and explosions. Females don’t get sidelined in modern action movies, so it’s no surprise Scarlet rides a motorcycle through Parisian landmarks. Think you’re a badass? The Baroness controls missiles and an EMP gun!

Duke chases his ex to a rooftop extraction point while she fires an automatic rifle (and smashes every glass window in sight). That gives Storm Shadow (the evil ninja in white) the opportunity to launch a nanobot warhead at the Eiffel Tower. It’s a race to recover the disarming device from the Baroness as the famous landmark collapses. Then the triumphant villainess gloats with Duke now Cobra’s prisoner.

If things had continued on this trajectory, the Baroness would have made the top 40 legendary tier. But Ana discovers she was manipulated by her brother (still alive and now the evil Cobra Commander), and breaks free of his supposedly infallible mind control. How Ana does this is never explained, since she still believes her brother is dead and has no incentive to rekindle her romance with Duke.

After all the buildup and villainy, Ana turns good. When the heroes locate Cobra’s underwater hideout and launch an assault, the redeemed villainess co-pilots a minisub and fires torpedoes, but we’d rather watch her fight for an evil cause. In the closing scene, Duke visits the imprisoned Baroness and promises not to give up on her. Sienna Miller quit the franchise after this, but for seventy percent of Rise of Cobra, we had a fantastic villainess.

Discussions: G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

Producers decided on a soft reboot for the sequel, and almost none of the original cast returned. The Baroness is a notable absentee in Cobra’s ranks, and Duke dies in the first act. Many characters in the first film wore full-face masks or had ambiguous fates. Convenient – one suspects the franchise was already in the contingency planning stage, with the option to recast expensive actors or change narrative direction.

If the French had it rough in Rise of Cobra, London suffers worse in Retaliation when the entire city is destroyed. The villains (and American filmmakers) don’t like Europeans much, eh? Amidst all the carnage and fresh faces, a red-garbed ninja named Jinx is the replacement tough girl for Scarlet, and her evil female martial artist counterpart poses no real threat. They dropped the awesome leather-clad villainess for this?

Snake Eyes (2021)

The good news is that the Baroness returns for this origin story reboot. Bad news? We see very little of Úrsula Corberó, as the primary focus is the title character and his backstory. An interesting plot angle has Snake Eyes starting off as a villain and Storm Shadow the more heroic adversary until a late role reversal.

Before the expected development, Snake infiltrates a ninja clan, who test him with three trials. The most ludicrous is a pit full of CGI giant anacondas, psychic creatures that can sense a person’s purity. Cobra are reduced to minor antagonists, and while the Baroness looks evil in her black leather outfit and high heels, she’s barely involved.

There’s an annoyingly brief confrontation with Scarlett (Samara Weaving), then the Baroness forms a temporary alliance with the heroes. Until things get too dangerous, and the villainess (can we even call her one?) bails. Truly pathetic stuff.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #89

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Psychic visions of a creepy scissor killer

Movie

Nothing Underneath (1985)

A scissor killer targets fashion models in this Italian giallo, also known as Sotto il vestito niente. It’s another movie where the ending is the best part, and the super creepy villainess shines in the denouement. Bob Crane is a Wyoming park ranger, and his twin sister Jessica has travelled overseas to become a model. The siblings have a psychic connection, and Bob can sense whenever Jessica’s in danger.

When he “sees” a black-gloved, scissor-wielding psycho head towards his sister’s hotel room, he panics. Despite Bob’s best efforts, he fails to warn Jessica and so travels to Milan to investigate. The psychic device is messy because it’s never explained why Bob sees things from the killer’s perspective when his mental link is with Jessica. Obviously, the filmmakers need to hide the assailant’s identity, but this could have been handled better .

With no body, Bob has trouble convincing Commissioner Danesi (Donald Pleasance taking a hiatus from the Halloween series) that his sister is dead. Until the scissor attacker offs a second model in her hotel bathroom. The suspects include an abusive lover who knew the models, and a weird photographer employed in the fashion world. But any mystery fan knows the answer is rarely so obvious.

Villainess

Barbara (Renee Simonsen)

The real killer is another fashion model, whose earlier gym workout established her as physically capable. Barbara is clever and resourceful, seducing Bob to discover what he’s learned. And there’s a “bluff” where the supposed victim gets nervous when someone loiters outside her room. Savvy viewers won’t be so easily deceived, especially those who notice a long-haired feminine figure hiding behind a clothes rack during the third murder scene.

The gloved killer stole diamonds from the second victim’s room, apparently the connection as the latest dead model also has a valuable gem stash. These are revealed to be payoffs to cover up an ill-advised game of Russian roulette, which went horribly wrong. With an increasing chance of death every time a suicidal woman pulls the trigger and five “players”, it was likely somebody would bite the dust. Guess these fashion models are greedy and stupid.

The stolen gemstones are a red herring, however. Barbara’s actual motive is that Jessica became distant after the fatal shooting, and now the psychotic woman wants revenge on the models and host responsible. Barbara copies Jessica’s handwriting and sends a fake telegram while disguised as her dead lover. This fools Bob for a while, and he’s about to fly back to America when he experiences psychic visions of an apartment building.

Shortly after Bob locates the killer’s lair, Barbara returns and reveals herself as the murderer. The creepy villainess has kept Jessica’s corpse nailed to a chair and even talks to the body. But it’s not long before the psycho model discovers Bob and attempts to kill him off. In the final sequence, Barbara exchanges her scissors for a power drill. The DIY tool becomes a deadly weapon in her hands, especially since Bob injured himself on the way in.

The wounded Bob evades Barbara’s attacks by dodging and throwing items, fending the strong woman off until she pins him down. As she’s about to drill a hole in his face, Danesi arrives and disconnects the power. With Barbara disarmed and outnumbered, she decides tragic suicide is the only way out and pushes Jessica’s chair-nailed corpse through a window. Music plays in the background as events conclude in slow motion, and surely Barbara deserved a better ending than this.

Honourable Mentions: Model Serial Killers

Evil Obsession (1996) – Liz (Stacie Randall)

This direct-to-video thriller features prominent B-movie actors, including Brion James as a tyrannical acting coach who might just be a psychopath. Corey Feldman stars as crazy fan Homer, who sends love letters in crayon to actress Margo (Kimberly Stevens). Worried for her safety – justifiable when twelve models have been slain in Los Angeles – she hires a private detective.

The murderer binds their victims with medical rubber tubing, removes their underwear with a scalpel, and dissects them on an operating table. So, when receptionist Liz tells the PI her father was a doctor, it’s a major clue. The male stalker has a creepy shrine to Margo, but no reason to slay the other victims. In the end, he’s revealed to be a harmless nutcase, and the detective races to save Margo from the killer’s blade.

The climax is uninspired, since we see Margo lured to the acting studio, and in her next scene, she’s being prepped for invasive surgery. No real confrontation, just a single fatal gunshot from the detective. Then the “surgeon” is unmasked as Liz. Lack of a confessed motive makes for a refreshingly different resolution, and viewers are provided with enough details to infer Liz was jealous of successful actresses and models.

Murder in Miami (2014) – Rachael (Caroline Gutierrez)

More model slayings in this low-budget thriller, and oddball photographer James Romero (Joseph Myers) is the suspect. The pre-credits murder, where a black-cloaked intruder bludgeons a woman with a baton and tosses her off a high-rise balcony, is the best part of the film. Before the half-way point, there’s a shower attack homage to Hitchcock’s Psycho, and a lesbian bondage session that ends with a double murder. The topless host is strangled and her tied-up subject gets a kitchen knife through her vagina (!).

All the death scenes are heavy on nudity but light on gore, with cutaway shots and implied violence. The second half is a padded-out snoozefest. Naked women galore, and overlong stock footage transitions that must waste ten minutes in total. Watching trees and buildings is mind-numbing, and the murder storyline gets forgotten for a silly subplot involving drug dealers who supplied the victims.

When James teams up with a woman called Rachael, there are no more killings. Figured it out yet? Rachael plays the helpful assistant and sidekick to James’ amateur sleuth, only to get kidnapped late on. Next up is a “comedy” scene where a chain of people shoot each other, only to get a bullet themselves. When the juvenile stuff is over, Rachael unmasks herself and provides a weak motive that suddenly makes a minor character important. James takes down the villainess with a single gunshot, the last action before the credits roll.

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #90

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When you can’t afford another actress, cast an evil twin

Movie

Exposure (2001)

Quite a few direct-to-video movies made my list, including this one with Alexandra Paul (of Baywatch fame) in a supporting role. Photographer Gary Whitford (Ron Silver) sets off a deadly chain of events when he discovers a beautiful woman sheltering on his property. She’s wrapped in orange fishnet, which triggers flashbacks to Gary’s dark past as a war correspondent. Back then, a brutal military regime executed his lover and left her body wrapped up in… take a guess.

The trespasser is Elaine Drury, a legal secretary played by Susan Pari. Yes, the same actress as the villainess. This is one of those “evil twin” twists to fool the audience and cut down on expenditure. The reveal in this film works better than most, since the bad sister remains a constant threat throughout.

Before the well-choreographed encounters between Gary and the mysterious hooded psycho, there’s an intriguing setup where he and his friend Paul persuade Elaine to become a fashion model. For extra spice, Gary has an intimate history with Paul’s wife, Jackie (Alexandra Paul’s character). Do thriller heroes ever have normal relationships?

After someone murders Elaine and leaves a message in blood referring to the “Holy Trinity”, Gary finds himself targeted by the psycho who clearly didn’t approve of the victim’s modelling career. The dead woman’s boyfriend, Brad, serves as a red herring, though it’s obvious he doesn’t fit the religious angle. Evil twin reveal incoming.

Villainess

Anne (Susan Pari)

Keeping with the religious theme, a mysterious woman leaves a note in a Catholic confession booth. Then the preachy lunatic murders Paul in his office and makes several attempts on Gary’s life. The best of the bunch is a knife attack in a deserted parking garage.

The villainess targets Jackie, and after a lengthy fight, the killer is unmasked as Elaine’s twin sister, Anne. The devout Christian’s parents disowned her after Elaine’s picture appeared on an advertising billboard, and the deranged Anne became convinced it was the devil’s work. Which led to her killing spree.

After the priest recounts the story to Gary and Jackie, he becomes expendable, so it’s no surprise the psycho slasher kills him moments later. The contrived finale has the stalked couple split up for no reason other than dramatic tension. Like all worthy villainesses, Anne proves difficult to defeat. There’s a fantastic moonlit lake encounter where Jackie thinks she’s drowned the murderer, only for her to resurface and resume the attack.

Anne tracks Gary to the same shed where he found Elaine, and the villainess becomes the third woman in this movie to get wrapped in a fishnet. Talk about telegraphing the outcome. With Anne entangled and weighed down, Gary pushes her into the lake. No miraculous recovery this time.

Honourable Mentions: Knife Attacks

Primal Doubt (2007) – Marianne Thorne (Jamie Rose)

Another movie with a masked, knife-wielding psycho, but a few decent moments weren’t enough to earn it a ranking slot. Yet another story where an unhappily married woman arranges an ill-fated date, a plot any Lifetime devotee will know only too well. The outcome is more unpredictable than normal, as the guy isn’t the villain. Instead, someone slits his throat, and it appears the cancelled date was the motive.

While the angry husband is an obvious suspect, the opening murder featured a hooded figure who looked distinctly feminine. After the assailant slices up the best friend in an office (seen as silhouettes through a murky glass door, arguably the best kill scene), the only genuine candidate is the heroine’s psychiatrist, Dr Marianne Thorne.

Other than that, the movie is average. It doesn’t help that the main character is so unlikable and refuses to admit she was cheating. The villainess’ reveal is a mess, too. The masked Marianne murders an assistant, only to appear unmasked in a different outfit a minute later.

To add insult to injury, it’s clearly not Jamie Rose under the balaclava. Differences in eye colour and skin complexion suggest a stunt double took her place. The ending is a clichéd stinker, with the police coming to the rescue at the last moment.

Ultimate Desire (1993) – Adrienne (Mary Stavin)

In a new review for this compilation, I first watched this movie back when Channel 5 (UK) aired uncut erotic thrillers on Friday nights. Unfortunately, the sexy villainess times are long gone.

Restored in wide-screen format for streaming services, the film is far tamer than I remember. A serial killer stabs topless, blindfolded women and douses their bodies in expensive perfume named Desire. The exotic MO provides a novel twist, but the murders are bland and bloodless, with the psychotic slasher reduced to a shadow on the wall.

Perfume magnate Grace Lantel (Deborah Shelton) isn’t happy some lunatic is tarnishing her brand, but fortunately her security consultant Lauren (Kate Hodge) is an ex-cop. The prime suspect is Gordon Lewis (Martin Kemp) who has a revenge motive, British accent, and a letter opener that resembles the murder weapon. Lauren’s police liaison thinks he’s guilty, but it’s too obvious, surely?

The actual murderer is a shop assistant who appeared in three quick scenes. Her nonsensical motive: she was a former employee of Grace and loved her. After Adrienne stabs her ex-boss, she attacks Lauren. A decent climatic catfight, demise, and stunt balcony fall. Compared to the low-budget tripe that infests TV movies today, that merits an honourable mention.