The villain song; the song where a villain sings about how nasty they are or what terrible deeds they want to perform throughout the course of the movie. Done right, these songs more often than not, stand out as the best songs of their respective films. While Disney does have a large amount of good villain songs, they are by no means the only place to find some great ones. Here are some of the best villain songs in film.

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7 “Epiphany” - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

     Distributed by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, it’s not hard to see why this song makes the list. Up until this point in the movie, Sweeney’s bloodlust has mostly been kept in check, with the only kill to his name (the fake Italian, Adolfo Pirelli, who tried to blackmail Todd) and only one other name on his list: Judge Turpin, the man who sent him to exile in Australia, sexually assaulted his wife, and took their daughter as his ward. However, when Todd’s golden opportunity to slay Turpin is ruined, this song begins, and it’s a fantastic look into a descent into villainy and madness.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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Believing that every last person deserves to die for one reason or another, Sweeney sings about how he’s going to kill anyone and everyone he can get his hands on. Masterfully composed, as is expected from Sondheim, and wonderfully shot by director Tim Burton, this is a wonderful villain song. Featuring wonderfully dark lyrics like “And I will get him back even as he gloats/In the meantime I’ll practice on less honorable throats,” this song transforms Sweeney Todd into a full-blown villain.

6 “Dentist!” - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

     Distributed by Warner Bros.

Imagine if the Joker became a dentist. That’s Little Shop of Horrors’ Orin Scrivello in a nutshell. In fact, he gets off on the suffering he causes, as the lyrics of this song make blatantly clear. What makes the song so good is the absolute joy that Steve Martin sings it with. He’s proud of all the pain he inflicts. While the lyrics themselves are wonderfully hilarious, the visuals elevate this particular number. Almost every moment of the song has Scrivello inflicting misery in some form, whether it’s punching people out, slamming doors in their faces, or straight-up torturing his patients with dental tools. There is not a second of this song that isn’t funny, and it’s absurdly catchy, too. Run away immediately if you’re ever in a dentist’s office and hear this song start playing.

5 “Poor Unfortunate Souls” - The Little Mermaid (1989)

     Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

What makes this song so great is how much Ursula plays up her altruistic side, making it seem like she genuinely helps those who are, in her own words, “Miserable, lonely, and depressed.” Of course, immediately after this lyric, she gives an aside whisper to her eel henchmen and says “Pathetic!” Still, everything about this song works. It’s a seduction, with Ursula doing a darn good job at convincing Ariel that she’s really the answer to Ariel’s dilemma. Perfectly sung by Pat Carroll, this song has cemented its spot amongst the best villain songs for over thirty years.

4 “Toxic Love” - Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

     Distributed by 20th Century Fox and Hoyts-Fox-Columbia-TriStar Films

If you listened to this song without any context, the last thing you would assume is that it’s from an animated movie about fairies saving a rainforest. Songs about pollution should not sound this erotic, but maybe that was unavoidable, especially since Tim Curry is the one singing it. The music is incredible and while it sounds disturbing to say, erotic really is the only word to describe this song. Tim Curry is his usual incredible self and sounds like he’s seconds away from total pleasure as he belts out every lyric. The animation for this song just adds to the sexy vibes, especially those opening first few seconds. The song is incredible, but sexualizing pollution is just… not right. However, that is precisely what makes “Toxic Love” such a fantastic villain song.

3 “Be Prepared” - The Lion King (1994)

     Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures

The motto for the Boy Scouts? Yes. The title of a brilliant villain song all about how someone is planning to kill their brother and nephew to gain political power? Also yes. “Be Prepared” is amazing. The lyrics are great, with equally great visuals to match. We’re talking about a song that sees hyenas marching in goose-step like they’re at a Nazi rally. Plotting a coup has never sounded so good. One of the more underrated aspects of the song is how Scar gets the hyenas onboard with his scheme. He promises them food. You can hear the hyenas, who form the chorus, singing about just that towards the end of the song. “Be Prepared” is flawless. Make sure to check out the original 1994 version of the song. The version from the 2019 telling of the tale is not worth your time.

2 “Cell Block Tango” - Chicago

     Miramax

“He had it comin’/ He had it comin’/ He only had himself to blame” sing the merry murderesses of the Cook County jail. Five of the six actually did commit the murder they’re imprisoned for. The sixth, the Hungarian woman, is innocent. All of them (aside from the one innocent, who is more confused as to why she’s imprisoned) sing with such infectious energy about how and why they committed their murders. They sing “It was a murder, but not a crime,” a lyric that perfectly sums up how they see their deadly deeds. The choreography is top-notch. The sequence is seven minutes long, the longest song on this list. It’s impossible to take your eyes off this number even for one second. Vivacious and energetic, “Cell Block Tango” is one of the best musical moments of the last twenty years.

1 “Hellfire”- The Hunchback of Note Dame (1996)

     Buena Vista Pictures

“Hellfire” is without a doubt, the best, and most disturbing villain song of them all. Frollo, who claims to be a man of God, sings in front of his fireplace all about how he blames Esmeralda for making him attracted to her. Unable to control his desires, Frollo sees two options: Esmeralda either submits to him or gets burned alive. Throughout the song, Frollo never accept blame, singing about how it’s not his fault he feels the way he does. Ominous Latin chanting sings “Mea culpa,” meaning “my fault”, proving that Frollo is in fact to blame for how he feels.

This is a dark, disturbing song, sung to perfection by Tony Jay. Religious hypocrisy is on full display here, making it a very bold song indeed. It’s big, bombastic, and intense. How The Hunchback of Notre Dame got a G-rating with this song in it is a mystery that will baffle us for a very long time. Also keep in mind that this song comes from a Disney movie.