10 of the Most Dangerous Femme Fatales in Cinema

Dangerous and alluring, femme fatales have been a staple archetype in Hollywood since film noir graced the silver screen. While the “fatal female” or “lethal woman” has changed over the years, her prominence as a complicated woman looking to ruin a man’s life in one way or another has made the character someone to love or loathe (and sometimes both). 

From classic film noir to modern-day thrillers, these ten femme fatales encompass how the archetype has changed or stayed the same throughout her time in cinema. 

Scripts from this Article

Double Indemnity

Body Heat

Blue Velvet

Fatal Attraction

Basic Instinct

Cruel Intentions

Gone Girl

Promising Young Woman

1. Phyllis Dietrichson, Double Indemnity (1944)

Screenplay by: James M. Cain, Billy Wilder, and Raymond Chandler

From her manipulative charm to her betrayal of Walter (Fred MacMurray), Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) has made a name for herself in cinema as one of the most dangerous femme fatales. Phyllis is so dangerous that she made AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains.

Phyllis demonstrates the key characteristics of a femme fatale: cunning, seductive, and a willingness to use others for her gain. She is the catalyst for Walter’s conflict as she plans to murder her husband for financial freedom.

Read More: The Dark Side of Cinema: Uncover the Masterpieces of Film Noir

2. Cora Smith, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Screenplay by: Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch

Similar to Phyllis, Cora Smith (Lana Turner) is a dangerous femme fatale who attempts to murder her husband with her lover. Her lack of empathy and seductive charm create a manipulative villain who pokes at the underbelly of society to achieve her level of notoriety. What makes Cora a formidable character in the development of the femme fatale is the tragic consequences that come with being a “morally corrupt” woman. Her behavior leads her to death, which restores the balance of the film’s world.

3. Helen Grayle, Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

Screenplay by: David Zelag Goodman

While she is initially pushed to the side as an incidental side character, Helen Grayle/Velma Valento (Charlotte Rampling) is slowly revealed to be one of the most dangerous women on the screen. 

Her ruthlessness to kill off anyone who discovers her true identity and beauty, which acts as a weapon and disguise, makes her a formidable opponent to the famed detective Philip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum).

4. Matty Walker, Body Heat (1981)

Screenplay by: Lawrence Kasdan

Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) is a direct descendant of Phyllis Dietrichson and Cora Smith, ushering in a new era for the femme fatale in the 1980s and 1990s. Matty easily convinces Ned (William Hurt) through her cunningness and sexuality to help her kill her husband. Once her husband is dead, Matty flees the scene, leaving Ned to clear up the mess she’s gotten him into.

Unlike femme fatales of classic film noir, Matty is not punished for her wrongdoings. Instead, she gets away with murder, freeing women of the neo-noir era to play the game however they want.

5. Dorothy Vallens, Blue Velvet (1986)

Screenplay by: David Lynch

Blue Velvet reframes the femme fatale archetype through Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), playing into the tough Golden Age temptresses in looks only to break that illusion behind closed doors. Dorothy, while not inherently dangerous, drags Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) further into the disturbed underbelly of suburbia.

Dorothy is in and out of easy female victimhood, blurring the line that is often drawn between suffering and satisfaction for women. While Matty allowed femme fatales to get away with murder in Body Heat, Dorothy’s desire and shamelessness challenged traditional cinematic portrayals of women, putting cinema’s ideas of what a woman should want in danger.

6. Alex Forrest, Fatal Attraction (1987)

Screenplay by: James Dearden and Nicholas Meyer

Desire became the focus of femme fatales by the late ‘80s, and no other femme fatale could match the obsession of Alex Forrest (Glenn Close). A gorgeous, successful woman becomes obsessed with Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) after they spend a weekend together. While Dan attempts to brush her off, Alex makes herself known in his life, threatening his work, life, and family.

Alex lives up to the title of “fatal woman” as she attempts to take Dan’s life several times in the film, but ultimately meets her end at the hands of the “good woman,” Dan’s wife, Beth (Anne Archer). Still, you can’t look at a boiling pot of water on the stove without thinking of Alex Forrest.

Read More: 5 Plot Point Breakdown: Fatal Attraction (1987)

7. Catherine Tramell, Basic Instinct (1992)

Screenplay by: Joe Eszterhas

Probably the most lethal and iconic seductress in all of femme fatale history is Basic Instinct’s Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone). The swept-back blonde hair, affluent San Francisco lifestyle, and crisp white clothing that scream wealth make Catherine, a crime novelist, a commanding power.

When she isn’t writing the script we are watching, she presents a threat to anyone who questions whether or not she is capable of committing the murder that kicks the film into gear.

8. Kathryn Merteuil, Cruel Intentions (1999)

Screenplay by: Roger Kumble

Cunning, cool, and rich, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a master of manipulation. From Annette (Reese Witherspoon) and her step-brother Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), no one is safe from the cruel game Kathryn is playing.

With a cocaine-filled crucifix and a thin veil of hypocrisy, Kathryn’s lack of empathy and self-preservation make her one of the most dangerous femme fatales of all time.

9. Amy Dunne, Gone Girl (2014)

Screenplay by: Gillian Flynn

After her husband’s infidelity shatters the perception of her as a faithful wife, Amy Dunne (played by Rosamund Pike) reveals herself as a femme fatale, plotting to destroy her husband’s life by framing him for her own “death.” Amy introduced a new wave of dangerous femme fatales in cinema, ones who will take matters into their own hands to prove a systematic point.

For Amy, this idea is the “cool girl,” or the woman who is okay with being whatever their partners want them to be without getting to know who they actually are. Amy uses this idea as her weapon, deploying it whenever it serves her needs, even if that means killing an ex-lover.

Read More: The Complex Morality of David Fincher Movies

10. Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas, Promising Young Woman (2020)

Screenplay by: Emerald Fennell

Following the femme fatale archetype crafted by Amy Dunne, Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas (Carey Mulligan) leans into the dangers faced by women and weaponizes them against men who try to take advantage of women. 

While depicted in sickly sweet pastels, Cassie’s path of self-destructive vigilantism positions her as a femme fatale ready to expose the deep-rooted misogyny in the world, thus becoming a threat to men.

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Femme fatales have transformed throughout cinema. While some may appear more innocent than others, these dangerous women distort the traditional portrayal of women in cinema by revealing the darker aspects of womanhood.

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