Femme Fatales: Why we can't get enough of these dangerous beauties

An aspiring writer (Camille Keaton) is repeatedly gang-raped, humiliated, and left for dead by four men whom she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.

We all graduated high school with a few douchebags that we maybe, sort of, kind of had to repress a few homicidal tendencies around during the day-to-day. Veronica Sawyer has no such inhibitions. Do the bitchy girls and crude bullies who incur her wrath and later end up dead do so by accidental prank gone too far, or does Veronica know exactly what she's doing? With the first "suicide," perhaps, but after that, we rule her incidental house cleaning as very intentional.

No list of this nature would be complete without a mention of this iconic femme fatale. Trained by the shadowy group known as “the Centre” since her teens, Nikita has dedicated most of her life toward the pursuit of becoming the world’s premier assassin. Armed with a diverse set of abilities comprising weapon-handling, martial arts, and computer skills, Nikita is well-equipped to put down any target her employers want taken care of.

Who’s That Girl: Trashy fiction author whose lovers all seem to turn up with ice picks in the head. Infatuated Detective Curran (Michael Douglas) best watch his bonce.

Sexy Style: Looks her most devastating in slinky, figure-hugging white dress. Though she does spend most of the film wearing absolutely nothing.

Killing Method: Aside from the ice pick, she’s likely to make men sweat to death by doing her leg crossing routine and getting everyone unfeasibly hot under the collar. 

In Tim Burton's gothic Batman universe, Selina Kyle is positively unhinged, her personality disorder represented by her oddly stitched, patchwork yet form-fitting costume, one of the hottest in all of superhero cinema. She's also a more vengeful take on the character, spending most of Batman Returns expending her (literal) nine lives in an effort to take out the murderous millionaire (Christopher Walken) who tried to kill her, all while driving both Bruce Wayne and Batman (Michael Keaton) wild. Everything about her is over the top, from the purrs to the whip, but Michelle Pfeiffer makes it all work, and then some.

Who’s That Girl: Former Soviet soldier and now gun for hire. The most beautiful and deadly of all the women to ever cross paths (and legs) with 007 James Bond.

Sexy Style: Gives off a powerfully sexual vibe with her military uniform and massive, erm, weapons. Also looks stunning in a cocktail dress with matching suspender/gun holster.

Killing Method: In the throes of passion she grips her victim’s body between her thighs and squeezes the life from them. What a way to go.

There's been a fair progression of female characters from damsel-in-distress to badass in cinema over the years, but the trade-off is, if they excel in that area, then they're more than likely a wreck in any domestic situation. Which is why we give props to Charly Baltimore, who, by the end of Long Kiss Goodnight, has learned to reconcile her elite assassin skill-set with holding it down in the suburbs as well. A woman who can more than handle her own and still keep it together on the PTA and around the house is a keeper.

Who’s That Girl: A women scorned personified, The Bride goes on a blood-soaked revenge mission after groom-to-be Bill tries to bump her off at their own wedding. What a waste of a buffet.

Sexy Style: The “Sporty Spice” of the femme fatale world, her trademark look rocking the iconic Bruce Lee tracksuit. Sleek, sweaty and most definitely hot.

Killing Method: Prefers to lop off limbs with a samurai sword, but as a trained assassin, she can do it either way. 

After a thirteen-year imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a six-year-old boy, Guem-Ja Lee seeks vengeance on the man truly responsible for the boy's death. With the help of fellow inmates and reunited with her daughter, she gets closer and closer to her goal.

“Sin City” is infested with criminals, crooked cops and sexy dames, some searching for vengeance, some for redemption and others, both. Miho resides in Old Towne and with one word from Gail, the appointed matriarch, Miho dispatches raiders and men alike with razor-sharp accuracy.

As a world-class athlete, martial artist, and marksman trained in the arts of assassination and subterfuge, Black Widow easily qualifies as being one of the most dangerous people in the world. On top of this however, she also possesses biotechnology that grants her improved healing abilities and resistance to disease, amongst other things. When you consider the fact that she can call upon the services of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers for backup, it becomes readily apparent why Black Widow might well be the most lethal female character to ever grace the big screen.

After the disappearance of Amy (Pike), the wife of Nick Dunne (played by an impressively vacuous Ben Affleck), an investigation leads police to suspect foul play. And with good reason! Literally every admissible piece of evidence points to Dunne, who’s depicted in Amy’s own journal as a controlling, abusive partner. The thing is, it's all a ruse, set up by Amy herself. This psychopath constructed the perfect murder to frame her husband for his crime of being the Wonder Bread of domestic partners, and Pike’s performance as a malevolent woman unhinged earned her award nominations across the board.