"Evil" characters are so much more interesting than supposed "good" characters. They represent the parts of us that most people are too afraid to let loose. Plus they have more fun and create interesting scenarios. But this should be news to no one. Seeing as how TV is my specialty, my obsession, my life, I have selected five of the most delightfully evil characters in televised horror (just because the ladies of Desperate Housewives have a distinctly skeletal vibe doesn't make them horror). I stuck with women for this list - they are so much craftier than the boys.

Drusilla (as portrayed by Juliet Landau) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Drusilla is one of my all-time favorite TV characters. She and boyfriend Spike were often referred to as the Sid and Nancy of vampires. Drusilla's origins are dark. Angel, back when he was the evil Angelus, became obsessed with human Drusilla, a virtuous young woman with the power to see the future. Threatened by her purity, he kills her family and follows her when she flees to a convent in Prague. He tortures and kills everyone in the convent, which drives Drusilla to madness. As icing on the cake, he makes her a vampire. Her sanity lost to the ages, Drusilla is fond of sing-songy non-sequiturs that only she and her dolls understand: "Everything in my head is singing" or "Miss Edith speaks out of turn. She's a bad example and will have no cakes today." 

Among her evil deeds: She killed Kendra, a slayer, by slashing open her throat with her fingernail; torturing her maker and former lover Angel just because she had time to kill before a ritual; slaughtering an entire firm of lawyers.

Lila Tournay (as portrayed by Jamie Murray) - Dexter

In the second season of Dexter, Dex and Rita's relationship is a rocky one. Rita suspects Dexter of being a drug addict and he doesn't deny it. At her behest, Dexter begins attending NA, where he meets Lila. The enigmatic, waifish Brit is instantly drawn to Dexter and insists on becoming his sponsor. It doesn't take Lila long to become fully obsessed with Dexter, and she meddles in Dexter's relationship until Rita dumps him, leaving the two to enter a torrid relationship.

Among her evil deeds: When Dexter starts to pull away from Lila, she sets fire to her apartment so that Dexter will have to rescue her; when she discovers evidence that Dexter is a serial killer - and finds Detective Doakes chained in a remote cabin - she sets the cabin on fire, killing Doakes and destroying any evidence of Dexter's deeds; she frames Batista for rape, then tells Dexter she will drop the charges if he comes back to her; jealous of Rita and the kids, Lila kidnaps Astor and Cody and threatens to kill them.

Katherine Pierce (as portrayed by Nina Dobrev) - The Vampire Diaries

Actress Nina Dobrev does an excellent job portraying both vampire Katherine Pierce and her human doppelganger, Elena Gilbert. There is a subtle shift between her portrayal of the girl next door and a centuries-old manipulative vampire that goes beyond hair styles. Katherine's real name was Katerina Petrova. She was driven from her home in Bulgaria for having a child out of wedlock, and took up residence in England, where she met original vampire Klaus. Klaus recognizes her as the one who can break his spell, freeing the werewolf side of him. If she weren't human her blood would be useless to him, so she begs Rose to turn her. Klaus still wants her dead (purely out of revenge), and Katerina - now Katherine - flees to the States. She turns both the Salvatore brothers into vampires and against each other.

Among Her Evil Deeds: She turns Caroline into a vampire; she uses and abuses both Damon and Stefan for sport; she tries to offer up Elena to Klaus to spare her own un-life; she sets up Aunt Jenna and delivers her to her death (though she does seem to feel bad about it after).

Illyria (as portrayed by Amy Acker) - Angel

Illyria was an Old One, a pure demon of substantial power. When the Old Ones fell from power, Illyria's essence was embedded in a sarcophagus according to her directions, so that she could resurrect herself when the time was right. That time ended up being in the mid-2000s, when her coffin shows up in the lab of demon law firm Wolfram & Hart. Illyria takes over the body of staff physicist Fred. Illyria walks a fine line, first trying to destroy the world, then, realizing that she no longer could, eventually joins the good guys - kind of.

Among Her Evil Deeds: Resurrecting her old demon army in order to wipe out all of humanity is pretty much all you need to be evil, right?

Maryann Forrester (as portrayed by Michelle Forbes) - True Blood

The "big bad" of season two, Maryann was a maenad - a female follower of the Greek god Dionysus, who were often given to bouts of frenzied dancing, drinking, and sex. Self-control could be erased by a maenad, and Maryann was no exception. She incited frequent orgies, wild parties, gluttonous feasts, and violent rages. Maryann comes across as sweet, loving, and nurturing - so much so that it is impossible not to view her suspiciously.

Among Her Evil Deeds: Slashing Sookie across the back, leaving her with gaping, oozing wounds; framing Sam for the murder of a waitress; using mind control to make Eggs murder at least two people.