Both movies and music are universal human dialects. Paired together, they have the ability to hit just the right note, unveiling the deep, dark depths of human emotion. The best of them will simultaneously illuminate character motivation, set the tone, and introduce a potential plot, all while keeping audiences bopping along at the edge of their seats. A mainstayof modern musicalsand animated delights alike, the best of the best allow the audience a passenger-seat view alongside their new (and old) favorite characters.
Update Jul 19, 2025: Before this sing-along gets underway, you should know that this article was updated by Amanda Minchin to include even more great villain songs.
An ever-popular subgenre among these is the villain song. This is the song typically sung by a traditional antagonistic villain. They use this moment in the spotlight to belt out just how right (albeit deplorable) they are or what terrible deeds they have in mind, both past, present, and future. This gives the audience insight into the villain’s point of view. Done right, these songs stand out as some of the best within their respective films, outperforming scores of others by the lead characters. While animation houses like Disney are notorious for them, they are by no means the only place to find these lyrical gems. Here is where you can find some of the best villain songs in film.
10Kidnap the Sandy Claws - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmashas its share of heart-warming villain songs. The cast is filled with the creepy crawly residents of Halloween Town, from mad scientists to witches and everything in between. The main big bad, however, is clearly Oogie Boogie, who lives just outside of town. A potato sack-wrapped voodoo creature full of wriggling, writhing bugs, his henchmen (and women) are, of course, the best trick-or-treaters in the land, Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Highly influenced by promises of sweet treats, they’ll do just about anything he says… even if that means going against the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington. To be fair, though, Oogie Boogie is scary enough on his own.
While Oogie Boogie has a pretty epic self-titled duet alongside Old Saint Nick, what makes the song sung by the henchmen unique is all the killer ways they plan to kidnap what is arguably the world’s nicest person. The distinctly Grinchian lyrics are hilarious and made all the more comical by their interpretation of just who “Sandy Claws”, their mark, is. Plus, as kids, they’re constantly interrupting and trying to speak over one another. In the hands of accomplished voice actors like Paul Reubens, Catherine O’Hara, and Danny Elfman, this earworm is simply a masterpiece. Good luck trying to get it out of your head!
9"Poor Unfortunate Souls" - The Little Mermaid (1989)
In a movie packed with iconic musical numbers, it’s no wonder whyThe Little Mermaidmakes the cut. What makes this song so great is how much the villainess, 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 to her eel henchmen that says quite the opposite. 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 one and only answer to her dilemma.
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This song has cemented its spot among the best villain songs for over thirty years. With lyrical mastery by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, it was sung to perfection by Pat Carroll,who imagined the character as, " an ex-Shakespearean actress who now sold cars". Melissa McCarthy, who trained with a vocal coach to reprise the song as Ursula for the live-action film remake, said she was at first worried aboutgiving justice to Carroll’s rendition. “I was, like, ‘I don’t know how to do things if it’s not in character… And he’s, like, ‘Singing is the same thing.’ And then it made sense to me. I said, ‘I don’t know how to do something in any area perfectly, but if I can do it in character…'”. Needless to say, she succeeded.
8"Epiphany” - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, it’s not hard to see why this song fromSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Sleet Streetmakes the list. Up until this point in the movie, Sweeney’s bloodlust has been kept mostly in check, with very few kills to his name (the fake Italian and Adolfo Pirelli, who tried to blackmail Todd). There’s just one more name on his list: Judge Turpin, the man who sent him to exile in Australia, sexually assaulted his wife and took their daughter in as his ward.
However, when Todd’s golden opportunity to slay Turpin is ruined, he slides right on into this haunting melody. This song is a fantastic look into his descent into madness and villainy. 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 by Sondheim and wonderfully shot bydirector Tim Burton, this wonderfully villainous song features dark lyrics, like “And I will get him back even as he gloats / In the meantime I’ll practice on less honorable throats…”. It’s lyrics like this that transform Sweeney Todd from a vengeful spirit to a full-blown villain.
7"Toxic Love" - FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Out of context, this song from the filmFernGully: The Last Rainforestsounds like anything but an animated movie about fairies saving a rainforest. Songs about pollution should not sound this erotic… but maybe that was unavoidable, especially sinceTim Curryis the one singing it. Wonderfully and creepily disturbing in nature, it evokes the spirit of destruction’s extreme passion for pollution with every sensational lyric, from “Slime beneath me / Slime up above / Ooh, you’ll love my / (Ah-ah-ah) Toxic love!”. Tim Curry, as his usual incredible self, sounds like he’s seconds away from total pleasure as he belts out every lyric. The animation for this song just adds to the uncomfortably sexy vibes, especially those opening in the first few seconds. The song is incredible, but sexualizing pollution is just… not right… which is precisely what makes it such a fantastic villain song.
6"Sweet Transvestite" - The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Speaking of which…
For those who don’t know,The Rocky Horror Picture Showis nothing short of epic, a true and wonderful cult-classic, counter-culture bonanza in the formof an R-ratedB-movie musical. “Sweet Transvestite"is the audience’s first introduction to Dr. Frank N. Furter, an over-the-top evil genius with a penchant for dressing in women’s clothing. In this case, however, the name is not about his gender identity so much as it is a tongue-in-cheek reference to his intergalactic origins - his home planet is Transsexual, in the Transylvania galaxy.
As far as character introductions go, the good doctor’s is easily one of the best. Tim Curry epitomizes this role both on stage and on screen. The tone is all oh no, little old me wouldn’t hurt a fly… a notion which is decidedly disavowed soon after. His audience clearly fears him. While other songs speak to his motivation as a villain, this song speaks to Dr. Frank N. Furter as a character who craves attention and needs to be the star of his own machinations. No other lead singers are allowed in this castle, even if they are the acclaimed Meat Loaf.
5"Be Prepared” - The Lion King (1994)
Is this the motto for the Boy Scouts? Yes… But it’s also the title of a brilliant Disney villain song. Who knew fratricide could have such a catchy ring to it?
This song from the originalTheLion Kingis all about how Scar is planning to kill his brother and nephew in order to gain political power, ala its Shakespearean influence. With music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, who wrote severalaward-worthy songs for the feature, the sequence in the film is paired with equally great visuals to match, including hyenas marching in goose-step like they’re at a Nazi rally. One of the more underrated aspects of the song is just how Scar maneuvers the hyenas onboard with his scheme by promising to fulfill their basic needs, like food. You can hear the hyenas as the chorus sings about just that towards the end. In their eyes, plotting a coup never tasted so good.
4"Dentist!" - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Imagine if the Joker became a dentist, and that’sLittle Shop of Horrors’ Orin Scrivello in a nutshell.
As the lyrics of this song make blatantly clear, he gets off on the suffering he causes as a dentist. He’s proud of all the pain he inflicts. While the lyrics themselves are wonderfully hilarious, it’s the visuals that truly elevate this particular number. Almost every moment of the song has Scrivello inflicting misery in some form or another, whether it’s punching people out, slamming doors in their faces, or straight-up torturing his patients with dental tools.
What makes the song so good is the absolute joy thatSteve Martin has in singing it. Martin’s casting is absolutely perfect in this regard. His tongue-in-cheek comedy stylings often include moments of impromptu song, and he’s even played in several bands with his trusty banjo. There is not a second of this song that isn’t funny. Not only that, but it’s absurdly catchy, too. If you ever hear this song playing in your dentist’s office, we suggest running away.
3"Cell Block Tango" - Chicago
From beginning to end, this spicy number from the hit movie musicalChicagodares to convince the listener that murder really is the only option. It’s sung by the six merry murderesses of the Cook County jail, all but one of whom is actually guilty of their crimes. With lyrics like “He had it comin’ and “He only had himself to blame”, their energy is infectious as they tell us just how they committed their crimes. “It was a murder, but not a crime,” is the lyric that perhaps perfectly sums up how they see their deadly deeds.
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At a whopping seven minutes long, the accompanying choreography is also top-notch and full of drama… and, frankly, impossible to take your eyes off even for one second. Mad props go out to Catherine Zeta-Jones for filming this movie while pregnant. Vivacious and energetic, “Cell Block Tango” is easilyone of the best musical momentsof the last twenty years. Its ending leaves the audience wondering - if you were in their position, would YOU have done the same?
2"I’m Just Ken” - Barbie (2023)
It’s not your traditional song for not a traditional villain. While “I’m Just Ken” might not seem like it, it does function inBarbieas a villain song within the film, offering insight into Ken’s motivation and his inner thought process. Ken is not “evil,” but he is the film’s main antagonist and the one who almost destroys the entire world in which Barbie lives due to him being allured by the concept of patriarchy.
The number is a standout in the film, already generating Oscar buzz. From Gosling’s incredible musical delivery to the film’s epic final dance number where a group of Ken’s do a riff onGrease, this song certainly earns a spot on this list.
1"Hellfire"- The Hunchback of Note Dame (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Damemay be your typical Disneyfied adaptation of a popular story, but it is also home to one of the best and perhaps creepiest villain songs of all time. “Hellfire"is, without a doubt, the best and most disturbing villain song of them all.
The song features the archdeacon Frollo, a man of God with some serious lust issues. He pines for the woman Esmeralda, singing about her in front of his fireplace like a main character would. Sounds kosher, right? Wrong. In his eyes, only he can have her, and no one else can… and yet he shouldn’t be able to ‘have her’ at all! He blames Esmeralda for making him attracted to her, watching her form burn in the fire (a hint at what’s to come). Unable to control his desires, Frollo sees two options: Esmeralda either submits to him or gets burned alive. Throughout the song, Frollo never accepts blame, singing about how it’s not his fault he feels the way he does. In the background, ominous Latin chanting of “Mea culpa,” which means “my fault,” can be heard, proving that Frollo is, in fact, to blame for how he feels. This dark, disturbing song is sung to perfection by Tony Jay, whose voice is nothing short of haunting.
Definite adult themesand religious hypocrisy are on full display throughout, making it a very bold song, indeed, especially for Disney. It was heavily evaluated and re-evaluated in order to keep its G-rating. Pairing it alongside Quasimodo’s upbeat rendition of “Heaven’s Light,” a song that covers similar feelings and the complete opposite handling of them.
