"Evil needs to be pondered just as much as good," according to Carl Jung, "for good and evil are ultimately nothing but ideal extensions and abstractions of doing, and both belong to the chiaroscuro of life."

If we accept Jung's idea as valid, then a tangible representation can be found in the cinematic archvillain, the paradigm of evil. It is here that we see the negative, malevolent aspects of human behavior best portrayed. Such larger-than-life characters as The Joker (Batman), Lex Luthor (Superman), Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street), and Darth Vader (Star Wars) haunt our...