Traditional figures in the roster of the arch-villains of books, film and television -- Frankenstein's monster; Transylvania's blood thirsty gift to the ghastly, Count Dracula and the entombed terror of ancient Egypt, the Mummy -- took the lead in the survey by Dateline News Service with 50% of those polled.

But for a full 30 percent of the respondents, the 20th century's most sinister characters were ominously newer: the visored darkness of Star Wars' Darth Vader; the muzzled fury of Hannibal Lecter, and the alien evil of Terl, the space villain of L. Ron Hubbard's science fiction epic Battlefield Earth, whose nine feet of taloned, gas-breathing Menace -- personified by John Travolta -- is already giving film goers a "teasing" glimpse on his way to filling the country's movie screen in May, 2000.

Three other fictional super-threats -- Elm Street's very own nightmare, Freddy Krueger; Friday the 13th's helmeted hatchet man, Jason and Halloween's pitiless Michael Myers -- combined their villainous talents, meanwhile for 15 percent of the respondents in the Dateline News Service survey.

And rounding out the roll-call of the 20th century's most notable nasties -- with five percent of the poll -- were 007's silver-plated adversary, Dr. No; Flash Gordon's classic nemesis, Ming the Merciless; Dr. Jekyll's cold-blooded alter-ego, Mr. Hyde, and one crafty curio, Sax Rohmer's infamous Fu Manchu.

As for the 21st century, virtually all respondents were sure their favorite fictional arch-villains will continue to live on -- probably more villainous than ever.

For more information, contact:

Bev Widder
Dateline Communications
310-581-2680