Rank Your Top Five Scariest Joker Incarnations

[Timothy]

1.) ? Heath Ledger: The Dark Knight ?
I'm going out on a proverbial limb here, but I feel that Ledger's Joker will be my definitive Joker come 2008. He's not a chemically altered career criminal or a prankster. He's simply a derranged, sick individual who enjoys hurting people. I was both excited and frightened simultaneously when I read the accounts of him running wild in Gotham and causing anarchy where ever he goes. In terms of live action adaptations, Ledger's probably going to be my new favorite...

2.) Mark Hamil: Batman: The Animated Series
Whether it's his disturbing entrance in Mask of the Phantasm, or the way his animated stare seems to be pointed directly at you, I always feel uncomfortable watching the Joker. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the character and Hamil's work on Batman: The Animated Series, and although this will sound odd, I actually want to be frightened. Otherwise, the character's appearance serves no purpose; after all, Joker is essentially the evil version of Batman... He uses terror to strike fear in the hearts and minds of civilians, while Batman's fear is directed towards criminals.

3.) Jack Nicholson: Batman
The mafia boardroom scene is my all time favorite moment within Batman, and Nicholson's manic laugh and eyes sell it every time. However, he still doesn't frighten me the same way that #2 does...

4.) Cesar Romero: 1960's Joker
There are several scenes of Batman: The Movie where Romero's eyes would just be full of wild expression and momentarily frighten me. I guess it was the wild kinesthetic of his performance that still captivates and startles me to this day.

5.) "The Batman"
The only thing to me that constitutes as "terrifying" is this Joker's Rastafarian dreadlocks...

What are your favorite scariest Jokers and why?

[Jack Napier]

When I was in elementary school, I had this toy called 2XL. He was a robot who played this tape that had an adventure on it. You listen to the tape and at certain times, the robot gives you an option of where to go in the story next (i.e. let Harvey Bullock ride in the Batmobile or leave him at the donut shop). There was one with Batman up against The Joker at this carnival.
Anyways, there was one part on the tape/game in which Batman hears this woman screaming followed by (if my memory serves me correctly) the Joker's laugh. It creeped the hell out of me and the Joker hadn't even shown up in the story yet! That was the first time that I was truly frightened by the Joker.

The second time I've ever been afraid of Joker was in the theater as a kid watching Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I had watched a lot of the cartoon on television, but this movie was a different story. I had my parents cover my eyes when Sal Valestra's smiling corpse, but a glimpse of it was enough to haunt me. That coupled with the Joker's lines on how the Phantasm would be found without spleen or head really made me afraid of the Joker. And whenever the character appeared onscreen next for the rest of the film, I got freaked out. (It didn't help that the next time he'd be seen is when he attacks Arthur Reeves. Another terrifying scene for someone in the first grade).

I've watched Romero and Nicholson countless times, but I don't think I've ever been as scared of them as I've been of the above incarnations. The closest may be, when I was younger, seeing the burnt corpse of Rotelli or the disfigured face of Alicia Hunt.

I'll wait till July to rank Ledger, but I will definitely praise his performance if his Joker makes me feel like that terrified elementary school kid again.

[Timothy]

batmangelus said:

When I was in elementary school, I had this toy called 2XL. He was a robot who played this tape that had an adventure on it. You listen to the tape and at certain times, the robot gives you an option of where to go in the story next (i.e. let Harvey Bullock ride in the Batmobile or leave him at the donut shop). There was one with Batman up against The Joker at this carnival.
Anyways, there was one part on the tape/game in which Batman hears this woman screaming followed by (if my memory serves me correctly) the Joker's laugh. It creeped the hell out of me and the Joker hadn't even shown up in the story yet! That was the first time that I was truly frightened by the Joker.

Interesting; I've never heard of this tape, but now I'm going to have to hunt it down in order to hear it...

The second time I've ever been afraid of Joker was in the theater as a kid watching Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I had watched a lot of the cartoon on television, but this movie was a different story. I had my parents cover my eyes when Sal Valestra's smiling corpse, but a glimpse of it was enough to haunt me. That coupled with the Joker's lines on how the Phantasm would be found without spleen or head really made me afraid of the Joker. And whenever the character appeared onscreen next for the rest of the film, I got freaked out. (It didn't help that the next time he'd be seen is when he attacks Arthur Reeves. Another terrifying scene for someone in the first grade).

I'm definitely with you there; I was scared CENSORSHIP!less for years whenever Joker would stare directly into the camera, or when Sal Valestra's face was shown... I am not going to let my kids watch this until they're older (around ten or so)...