smartest

Of all the crazy, deranged, homicidal, suicidal killer geniuses in horror and suspense movies, who is or was the most effective bad guy out there?

Here are some I can think:

Kevin Spacey in Se7en
Hannibal Lector
That guy from Saw

I know there are many more so feel free to add to the list.

I personally think Kevin Spacey was the smartest/deranged. He always stayed at least 2 steps ahead of everyone and even predicted that Pitt would kill him.

John Doe in Se7en. The bad dude in The Bone Collector and the bad dude in Kiss The Girls.

If you mean criminaly genius, I'd say John Doe from Se7en. But if you mean the most intellectual, I'd go with Hannibal Lecter.

Originally posted by Impediment
If you mean criminaly genius, I'd say John Doe from Se7en. But if you mean the most intellectual, I'd go with Hannibal Lecter.

Agreed.

Ok. Do you think Doe could devise a plan to take out Lecter?

Nice thought. But Doe selected his victims on their flaws and weakness, and his plans were based on the very influencial and predictable reactions his prey would display.
Hannibal Lector is a whole different target compared to Doe's victims. He is hard to observe, hard to predict and very hard to fool.
John Doe might get in over his head trying to kill Lector.

Originally posted by Pandemoniac
Nice thought. But Doe selected his victims on their flaws and weakness, and his plans were based on the very influencial and predictable reactions his prey would display.
Hannibal Lector is a whole different target compared to Doe's victims. He is hard to observe, hard to predict and very hard to fool.
John Doe might get in over his head trying to kill Lector.

I agree It would be hard for Doe to control Lector like he did his other victims.. What is Doe and Lector teamed up to make a master mind serial killing tag team... that would be scary 😛

Lecter has a different kind, and possibly more severe, kind of psychosis than John Doe. Doe's motivation for his murders is religious, a forced form of attrition based on the seven deadly sins. Lecter would probably look down his nose at Doe, making observations and diagnoses about his psychosis. Lecter is a true psychopath/cannibal, and we still dont know the motivation for his killings and regime of crime.