Nurse Ratched: The worst villain in the history of cinema

As rightly said, cinema has no boundary, it is a ribbon of dreams.

This makes it evident that movies in general, and their premise and characters, in particular, make an effective impact on the intellect of the audience. From depicting heroism to showcasing the dark “villain”, cinema especially Hollywood has catered to every bit. However, analysing the top villains has always been a dilemma. I know, I know, you might be thinking of Joker as the worst villain in American cinema, right? But let me clarify that you are wrong. Rather ostensibly, it’s Nurse Ratched.

Nurse Ratched at the helm of villains

First introduced in the 1962 novel ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, Nurse Ratched’s character went on to become the most terrifying villain of all time. Nurse Mildred Ratched is the main antagonist in the 1975 film adaptation of the same name as well as the main villain of the 2020 TV series ‘Ratched’.

The American psychological comedy-drama describes the mainstay as the cold and sadistic head nurse of the Salem Oregon State Hospital. She uses stern discipline and penalties to subjugate her inmates. She is also the protagonist’s archenemy since he defies her orders and is a rebellious patient.

Nurse Ratched was undeniably a cruel tyrant, portraying a cold and heartless character on film. She controls almost all aspects of the facility and the patients’ lives, including their access to medications, basic needs like food, toiletries, and privileges in general.

She does not inflict any violence on her victims. But she still messes with people in such a manner that their already unstable condition gets even worse, which Nurse Ratchet seems to enjoy immensely. Even her presence is terrifying to the patients as she makes them succumb to their deepest fears and insecurities.

She is considered to have exceeded all other well-known villains like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction, Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity and Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca. Ratched is frequently listed among the most despised characters in film history.

Ratched’s performance made the audience believe that mental institutions have nurses like that. That’s certainly horrifying when you think about it. Some also address her as a remorseless and calculated monster who has risen to a mediocre position of authority and wields her power like a sadist. With a dark splash of gothic horror, the recently released Netflix original Ratched, which stars Sarah Paulson as the titular character, tries to bring Nurse Ratched’s backstory to life.

Also read: The underlying social commentary in comedy flick “The Big Lebowski”

Comparing the Joker

Reminiscing the roles of Hollywood villains automatically drives us to the epic character of “Joker.” This character is frequently regarded as the evilest and most obvious villain. However, the reality is upside down. The Joker, one of history’s most recognizable supervillains, has been immortalized by actors like Heath Ledger, and most recently Joaquin Phoenix.

But the Joker was not really a villain, he was a psycho and had an obsession with Batman. Whereas, nurse Ratched is just an ordinary person like you and me. She didn’t have any reasons and thus did it all deliberately.

As is believed by many, what you see is not exactly what it is. To summarize, the Joker is not the worst villain in the history of Hollywood, as many people believe. In terms of every parameter, Nurse Ratched takes the cake of being the most terrifying villain in the entire history of Hollywood cinema.