Netflix’s New 84% RT Thriller Has Given Us The Most Terrifying TV Villain Of The Year

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Spoilers for The Beast in Me are ahead!

Netflix’s latest thriller is earning rave reviews (with an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes) and has introduced what many are calling the scariest TV villain of the year, surpassing even those in dedicated horror shows. While we often root for the heroes, let’s face it – compelling villains are often the most memorable part of a thriller or horror series.

There’s a unique thrill in watching a truly frightening and complex villain. Thankfully, 2025 has already given us some fantastic ones on TV. We’ve seen powerful antagonists like It from Welcome to Derry, Evelyn Wade in Wayward, Vecna from Stranger Things, and one particularly memorable character from Alien: Earth – but we won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen the show yet!

Despite a strong field of contenders, Nile Jarvis, the antagonist in Netflix’s The Beast in Me, manages to outshine them all in just six episodes.

The Beast In Me’s Nile Jarvis Is Absolutely Bone-Chilling

Nile Jarvis initially comes across as a handsome, polished, and arrogant man with a strange appeal. He’s often cold, dismissive, and disrespectful towards women, which doesn’t immediately seem unusual. But as you watch the first episode, a growing sense of unease sets in. Even before he actually harms anyone, there’s a constant feeling that he’s on the verge of losing control.

When he looks at Aggie, his eyes have a disturbing and unsettling quality. His comments about the missing boy feel threatening. Nile eats a chicken with a raw, almost savage hunger. Considering how he acted at the beginning of the story, it’s easy to suspect he killed Madison much earlier than we find out.

He’s not constantly threatening, which actually makes his frightening behavior even more unsettling, much like how real abusers operate. He might take Aggie to a dangerous height, like a building under construction, making it seem like he’ll harm her, but then suddenly switch to joking about his own difficult childhood or dancing to music. This constant shift between kindness and menace keeps the audience constantly anxious and on edge.

Nile Jarvis Beats Out Every Thriller & Horror TV Villain This Year

While 2025 has given us some frightening TV villains, many are either monsters or overly outlandish. They lack the believability to feel truly threatening in the real world. Nile Jarvis stands out as the most terrifying villain of the year because his evil feels disturbingly realistic.

Nile embodies a very real and disturbing kind of evil. He’s cold, calculating, and expertly manipulates others, treating people like pieces in a game. He maintains a normal public persona while secretly committing terrible acts, and his position of power allows him to cover them up.

Knowing that women are actually killed by their partners in real life makes the danger Nile faces feel even more frightening and immediate.

Nile Jarvis is convincingly villainous because he feels like a genuine threat, making his defeat in The Beast in Me particularly rewarding.

How Matthew Rhys Creates A Terrifying TV Villain With Very Little Violence

Matthew Rhys truly shines in The Beast In Me. Playing a character like Nile is incredibly challenging – it would be easy to make him either unconvincing or over-the-top, and either way, he wouldn’t be frightening. Rhys, however, perfectly struck the right balance, making Nile genuinely scary.

Despite appearing menacing, Nile is only physically violent in around three scenes – actually a small amount for a villain. However, Rhys manages to convey a sense of danger even when he’s not using physical force, through his body language and subtle facial expressions. He’s always projecting a threatening presence in The Beast in Me.

Beyond his expressions, his eyes convey a constant, simmering anger. Ultimately, it’s the subtle details in Matthew Rhys’s performance that create something truly remarkable.

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2025-11-25 17:08