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20 Best Character Uses of “The Kubrick Stare” in Film and Television

Taylor Ryan·
Best Of

Warning:
​Contains major spoilers

Alex DeLarge in ​A Clockwork Orange 

A teenage psychopath whose hobbies consist of roaming the streets with his friends causing chaos and destruction.

Watch A Clockwork Orange on iTunes or Amazon

Jack Torrance in The Shining

A writer and redeemed alcoholic gets possessed by a demonic spirit that forces him to try and kill his family. 
 
Watch The Shining on iTunes or Amazon

Dr. David Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey 

He is extremely pissed at the crazy robot he’s stuck in space with.
 
Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey on iTunes or Amazon

Pvt. Leonard Lawrence in Full Metal Jacket 

You can only bend a man so far before he snaps and you know he has snapped when you catch him talking to his M14 rifle. 
 
Watch Full Metal Jacket on iTunes or Amazon

Martin Durnley in Twisted Nerve 

He’s so twisted, he pretends to be mentally disabled in order to get close to a girl and kills anyone who gets in his way.

Norman Bates in ​Psycho 

The lonely momma’s boy with Dissociative Identity Disorder runs The Bates Motel in California.
 
Watch Psycho on iTunes or Amazon

The Joker in The Dark Knight 

Gary Oldman told Ledger after this was shot that his performance was reminding him of Alex in A Clockwork Orange, Ledger admitted he had just been watching that film in his trailer.
 
Watch The Dark Knight on iTunes or Amazon

Hannibal Lecter in ​The Silence of the Lambs 

A highly intelligent forensic psychiatrist by day and a cannibal by night. I mean, the man doesn’t even blink.
 
Watch The Silence of the Lambs on iTunes or Amazon

Dr. Szell in Marathon Man 

Getting work done on your teeth by a Nazi war criminal kind of makes you wonder, is this safe?
 
Watch Marathon Man on iTunes or Amazon

Donnie Darko in Donnie Darko

A young man with some serious psychological issues spends his time sleepwalking and talking to the imaginary Frank.
 
Watch Donnie Darko on iTunes or Amazon

Amy Dunne in Gone Girl 

​Probably the cleverest crazy on our list. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
 
Watch Gone Girl on iTunes or Amazon

Dexter Morgan in ​Dexter  

Our favorite serial killer. His constant struggle with his own humanity forces his mask of deviance to slowly slip away. We can’t help but feel for him and root for him when he’s on the verge of being caught.
 
Watch Dexter on iTunes or Amazon

Max Cady in Cape Fear 

Nothing says terrifying like an ex-con seeking revenge.
 
Watch Cape Fear on iTunes or Amazon

Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List

- "Ralph has a charm which can cut off and become deadly calm. Goeth was such a nasty man, as evil as any of the icons of German Nazism--and Ralph as Goeth looks you in the eye and makes your blood run cold." – Spielberg.
 
Watch Schindler’s List on iTunes or Amazon

Norman Stansfield in Leon: The Professional 

Who’s afraid of him? EVEEERYYYONEEEEE!
 
Watch Leon: The Professional on Amazon

Sylar in Heroes 

He’s kind of like the boogeyman; he swoops in, opens your skull and steals your brain.
 
Watch Heroes on iTunes

Annie Wilkes in Misery

A woman providing shelter for her favorite author turns out to be more than just mentally unhinged. 
 
Watch Misery on iTunes or Amazon

Kevin Khatchadourian in We Need to Talk About Kevin 

The film chronicles a strange child and his descent into homicide. His story is told through flashbacks of his mother and you can’t help but feel sorry for her.
 
Watch We Need to Talk About Kevin on iTunes or Amazon

Tate Langdon in American Horror Story

Partially inspired by the shooters of Columbine, Tate is a conflicted soul. Part of him is insensible, but the other is passionate and fragile.
 
Watch American Horror Story on iTunes or Amazon

Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones 

He is truly twisted and also quite charming which is a deadly combination.
 
Watch Game of Thrones on iTunes or Amazon