WOMEN are generally known for their loving, caring and nurturing nature. There are, however, some evil twisted ones within the population that Hollywood does not hesitate to immortalise on the silver screen. Here are some of film’s famous femme fatales.

1 O-REN ISHII (KILL BILL VOL. 1)

A SOFT-SPOKEN woman dressed in pastel-coloured kimono. Yet she controls Tokyo’s organised crime and the loyalty of deranged murderous henchmen. Lucy Liu’s best role so far — guaranteed to make heads roll.

2 CATHERINE TRAMELL (BASIC INSTINCT)

NO man (or woman) can resist this sexy siren’s call. Alluring and deadly beautiful, who can ever forget that infamous scene when sultry Sharon Stone crosses her long gorgeous legs?

3 ALEX FORREST (FATAL ATTRACTION)

THE perfect answer to all married women’s prayers, this is the woman (played by Glenn Close) who makes men think twice before indulging in extramarital dalliances. Especially men who’ve got pet rabbits in their homes.

4 CATWOMAN (BATMAN RETURNS)

MICHELLE Pfeiffer reigns supreme as the feline femme fatale who’s just too yummy to kill. That tight black shiny get-up, the delicious red lips, the bath scene. Just purr-fect!

5 MYSTIQUE (X-MEN)

LONG before Zoe Saldana in Avatar, Rebecca Romijn shows the world how sexy the colour blue can be on a gal. The lithe and long-legged mutant is the epitome of lethal body perfection.

6 WHITE WITCH (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA)

POWERFUL and cold-blooded, she turns humans and animals into stone without remorse. Children, beware of her Turkish delight promise! Tilda Swinton delivers a chilling portrayal of the icy witch.

7 ELLE DRIVER (KILL BILL VOL. 1 & 2)

NOTHING is scarier than a female assassin who wears an eye patch, sports a samurai sword and hides a snake in a suitcase. But seriously, where does Daryl Hannah get those cool killer clothes? We want them too.

8 ANNIE WILKES (MISERY)

EVERY writer’s nightmare comes to life in this dangerous diehard fan, brilliantly portrayed by Kathy Bates. Writing a book can be a life-changing experience, after all.

9 MARQUISE ISABELLE DE MERTEUIL (DANGEROUS LIAISONS)

GLENN Close scores another hit as the aristocrat masterminding a treacherous game of lust, seduction and betrayal. The character is so powerful, it spawns the modern-day Kathryn Merteuil (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Cruel Intentions.

10 NURSE RATCHED (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST)

MALICIOUS and almost devoid of any sign of compassion, this tyrannical nurse (Louise Fletcher) is committed to make the wretched crazies in her mental ward, well, crazier.