Today, a preview of this weekend’s New York Times Magazine’s annual Hollywood Issue is available online. Vamps, Crooks and Killers features 13 of this year’s great performers trying on the black hat and impersonating specific icons of unpleasantness or tapping into the primal fears that remain a potent source of pleasure and discomfort at the movies. The ability of these actors to disturb us with a gesture, a change of expression or a simple stare only serves to make us like them more.

On portraying Alex from ‘‘A Clockwork Orange’’:‘‘There is something off about Alex, something slightly androgynous and something much more fascinating and complex than simply a ‘villain.’ I also knew it would save me time in hair and makeup with only having to apply one fake eyelash.’’

Courtesy Of NY Times for the above materials.