The Femme Fatale is defined as a mysterious and seductive woman who charms potential lovers and uses them to her advantage.
During the height of classic film-noirs in the 1940s and 1950s, the femme fatale character broke out in American cinema, but the character type still exists in modern Hollywood.
The most iconic femme fatales can be found throughout cinematic history, from the original noir classics to modern hits of today.
Phyllis Dietrichson — Double Indemnity (1944)
One of the original femme fatales and still one of the best 80 years later.
Barbara Stanwck’s Phyllis Dietrichson remains the gold standard for the femme fatale character. She knows what she wants and plays Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) like a fiddle.
Her iconic line, “I never loved you, Walter, you or anybody else. I’m rotten to the heart,” exemplifies everything a femme fatale is about.
Kitty Collins – The Killers (1946)
Phyllis Dietrichson wasn’t the only femme fatale featured in 1940s film noir, but there’s only one who compares: Kitty Collins.
Ava Gardner’s performance would make anyone weak, but for “The Swede,” he had no chance.
Selina Kyle — Batman Returns (1992)
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman is one of several adaptations from the comics, but it’s still the most iconic.
Maybe it’s the costume, maybe it’s her performance that stands out compared to other movies of its time, but Pfeiffer’s Catwoman still holds up today.
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Amy Dunne – Gone Girl (2014)
If Phyllis Dietrichson and Kitty Collins are the perfect classic examples of the femme fatale, then our next two are the perfect examples for the modern era.
Amy Dunne looks like the picture-perfect woman: conventionally beautiful, successful, and rich. You could say that she’s amazing.
Deep inside, though, she’s cold, manipulative, and assertive. She’ll get whatever she wants, no matter what it takes; she always comes out on top.
Jennifer Check – Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Before Amy Dunne, Jennifer Check was, and arguably still is, the peak of the modern femme fatale.
Jennifer’s Body is an excellent showcase of the new-age femme fatale, one who plays into a world where she’s objectified and uses this to her advantage.
Kathryn Merteuil — Cruel Intentions (1999)
A modern adaptation of the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, Sarah Michelle Gellar embraces her sexuality to her advantage.
She’s just as cold and manipulative as the femme fatales of the 40s and 50s, with her character and actions updated for the late 90s. Seriously, who in the modern era would work so hard for insurance fraud when you can just use others as your personal playthings?
Xenia Onatopp — GoldenEye (1995)
The Bond Girl is not a novel concept, especially in 1995. Famke Janssen’s Xenia Onatopp is a truly unique Bond Girl, one with far more agency in her actions but also with an incredible amount of femme fatale qualities.
She gets off by killing her enemies (literally!) and doesn’t have an ounce of humanity.
Lynn Bracken — L.A. Confidential (1997)
Kim Basinger’s Lynn Bracken is an excellent homage to the classic noir femme fatale, fitting for a movie inspired by and taking place in 1950s Los Angeles.
Visually, Bracken is a textbook femme fatale, but her actions transcend the typical motivations you’d expect. She’s not as heartless or cold as Phyllis Dietrichson but is still smart enough to know how to play the game.
Alex Forrest – Fatal Attraction (1987)
Speaking of cold and heartless, let’s talk about Alex Forrest.
Yes, it may seem ironic to mention the word heartless here when Forrest is madly in love with Dan Gallagher, but how much of a heart can you have when you go through with everything Alex Forrest does?
She’s an excellent example of how a more modern femme fatal innovates on the classic character: she’s not just manipulative but also capable of anything.
Kathie Moffat – Out of the Past (1947)
Let’s go back to a classic.
Jane Greer’s Kathie Moffat is the epitome of a classic femme fatale: runs away and steals $40,000, makes the person tracking her down fall in love with her, and ultimately meets her untimely downfall.
Ellen Berent Harland – Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Gene Tierney’s Ellen Berent Hardland is arguably well ahead of its time, having more in common with the femme fatales of the 1990s.
Tierney plays the role of a jealous socialite to perfect: seducing and falling in love with Cornel Wilde’s Richard Harland, then refusing to let go of that love once Harland’s estranged fiancé returns.
Catherine Tramell — Basic Instinct (1992)
What, you thought we’d forget about Catherine Trammell?
Sharon Stone’s portrayal of Trammell is so iconic that, in the eyes of some, she has become the textbook definition of a femme fatale. She has the look, the confidence, and the determination.
Poor Michael Douglass; he never had a chance against these ladies.
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