While a movie doesn't necessarily need a villain, it usually helps the plot along if there is a bad guy. And one of the ways a filmmaker lets an audience know that a certain character is up to no good is by making him belt out a maniacal laugh.

As you can see in the above supercut from YouTube user James Chapman, many of your favorite actors have showed off their evil laughs. Some, like Jack Nicholson, have done so in multiple movies. There is even a special part of the video just reserved for Nic Cage's predictably over-the-top maniacal bellows.

Interestingly, the evil laugh is almost an exclusively male dominion, save the Wicked Witch of the West and a few others. However it certainly doesn't have to be a human doing the cackling -- just ask Jabba The Hutt or Chuckie.

The evil laugh is often played for laughs. Sometimes, as in the case of Dr. Evil's extended crack up, it's straight up parody.

But, all in all, watching this supercut reveals how important of a role the maniacal laugh has played in some of films' more memorable scenes. Which evil laugh is your favorite?

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