55 Best Movies About Serial Killers

55 Best Movies About Serial Killers

Many crime movies provide true crime enthusiasts with a chance to experience how people live outside the law and also give them a jolt of adrenaline as most of the serial killer movies are scary and thus keep the audience on the edge waiting to see what will happen next. These movies also force the person watching to acknowledge the bad side of the human psyche that most people like to pretend does not exist.

Therefore, this article will explore the 55 best movies about serial killers that have ever been made. The list gives the reader variety to watch when they are in the mood for something spooky and a genre that will leave them jumping up in fear. Some of the movies made are based on true events which makes them really scary and at the same time interesting.

1 The Batman

Released in 2022, the movie features Bruce Wayne, a reclusive billionaire who is involved in a never-ending war to protect and eradicate violence and corruption in the city of Gotham when he is forced into a game of cat and mouse with the Riddler who is a maniac killer on a mission to expose the corruption done by Gotham’s politicians by targeting them one by one. Batman must work to stop the killer and, in the process, earns some adversaries and thus must tread carefully.

2 Pieces

The movie was released in 1982 and it is set at a university campus in Boston, coeds are targeted by a serial killer who kills young women and proceeds to dismember their bodies with an axe. The killer takes a body part from each of their victims like he is trying to finish a jigsaw puzzle. Seeing this worrying trend, detective Agent Mary Riggs makes a deal with the dean to infiltrate the institution as a tennis teacher in an effort to find the killer.

3 Summer of Sam

Released in 1999, the movie is set in 1977 when a serial killer identifying himself as Son of Sam puts the city of New York on edge after several people turn up dead. Unbeknownst to Vinny, he almost becomes one of the victims of the terrifying psychopath. He then tries to figure out the identity of the killer together with His wife Dionna, an aspiring porn star called Ruby and his friend Ritchie before it is too late.

4 Hot Fuzz

Nicholas Angel is a police officer working in London. He is very effective and has an extraordinary arrest record but instead of appreciating the work he was doing, his bosses transferred him to a station where he met laid-back officers who were not keen on following his regulations. Everything is slow in the town until they find the corpses of two actors who had been decapitated. More bodies are discovered and the officers must find out who is responsible for these murders that have been disguised as accidents.

5 Memories of Murder

1986 finds Park and Cho two unimaginative detectives tasked with looking into a double homicide in a South Korean province. But, after the killer repeats the same pattern of killing several more times, the police understand that they are on the trail of the nation’s first identified serial killer. In this true-crime thriller, Park and Jo rely only on their fundamental skills and equipment to piece together the clues and solve the case.

6 Eyes without a face

Released in 1960, the movie features Dr Génessier, a skilled surgeon, and Louise, one of his assistants, who kidnap nice young women and take off their faces and attempt to graft them onto the head of his cherished daughter Christiane, whose face was severely damaged in a car accident. However, the victims of all of his experiments perish, and Génessier never gives up. Things turn awry when his daughter discovers what he has been doing.

7 Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

The movie tells the story of Liz Kendal a single mother who is sure that she has met the love of her life. However, her dream is shattered when her man is put on trial for several gruesome murders. In the nation’s first trial to be broadcast nationally on television, Ted Bundy, played by Zac Efron, adamantly maintains his innocence. Liz is also having a hard time accepting the facts at the same time.

8 The Clovehitch Killer

Released in 2016 the movie was inspired by the Kansas Serial Killer who bound, tortured and killed his victims. The story features a 16-year-old boy who discovers that his family which he thought was perfect may not be perfect as he suspects that his father is a serial killer who hides behind the image of a devout Christian. The plot bears similarity to Radner’s story which was about a family man who also secretly killed ten people between 1974 and 1991.

9 No Man of God

The film is loosely based on Ted Bundy who was a serial Killer between 1974 and 1978. The movie shows how an FBI profiling analyst who was intent on understanding the psychology behind Ted Bundy’s crimes. A unique and complex relationship emerges that neither man anticipates as Hagmaier probes Bundy’s dark and depraved mind. No Man of God is based on real transcripts of conversations between FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier and Ted Bundy when he was imprisoned.

10 The Frozen Ground

The movie is based on the crimes of serial killer Robert Hansen who was also known as the Butcher Baker. Hansen kidnapped, raped and murdered women between 1971 and 1983 in Alaska. Before killing them, he would set them free in the Alaskan forest and then hunt them with a knife and a Ruger Mini-14. The film features how an Alaskan state trooper works towards ending the killer’s Reign of Terror after discovering that women were going missing and deciding to investigate. He is assisted by a criminal profiler and together they manage to narrow the list of suspects and finally find the killer.

11 From Hell

The movie released in 2001 is centred on Chief Inspector Fredrick Abberline who is played by Johnny Depp and is on the hunt for a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. The film is based on the criminal history of Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper killed five women in 1888 and it is believed that there were more victims. The killer was never apprehended by the authorities and thus the fact that he got away with murder is chilling.

12 The Boston Strangler

The Boston Strangler, which is loosely based on a true account from the early 1960s, revolves around a man named Albert Desalvo, who is portrayed by Mauro Lannini. Albert Desalvo was found guilty of killing 13 women and given a life sentence as punishment for the crime. Desalvo would go on to conduct a lewd and evil life as a result of his difficult upbringing.

13 The Snowtown Murders

The movie is based on the famous Australian massacres that happened between 1992 and 1999. Three men carried out murders in this period and also engaged in cannibalism while torturing their victims. This trial was not only one of the most heinous cases that South Australian courts had ever seen, but it also drew greater attention from around the world and lasted longer. Kurzel beautifully illustrates the devastating effect these three individuals had on Australian history in this whimsical and utterly engaging work.

14 To Catch a Killer

The movie is based on a true event where the Killer Clown terrorised people and singlehandedly instilled in people the fear of clowns. The gruesome film gives the audience a glimpse into the crimes that the sadistic killer committed. The clown killer raped and murdered more than 30 boys. While committing the crimes, the killer wore a clown costume which made it more disturbing.

15 Helter Skelter

Released in 1976, the movie is based on the crimes that were committed by the Manson family. The Manson family killings are among the most difficult topics to go into, and this film more than holds its own.

The Tate-La Bianca killings in 1969, which Manson was later found to have planned, are what first brought him to the attention of the public. Seven people died as a result of his ability to persuade his supporters to carry out the killings on his behalf, even if he did not himself carry them out.

16 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The movie was released in 1974 and advertised as a true story which is true as it is based on the crimes committed by serial Killer Ed Gein. Even though the plot is a bit exaggerated, the film gives us a glimpse into how Gein operated and the crimes he committed. Gein was known for kidnapping his victims and skinning them to make a costume using their skin.

17 Watcher

https://youtu.be/5HDkw100sXQ

The movie was released in 2022. After moving to Romania for her husband’s new job, Julia played by Maika Monroe feels uneasy about one of her new neighbours and worries that he might be involved in a string of brutal killings in the area.

18 Postcard Killings

When his daughter is brutally killed, New York investigator Jacob Kanon sets out to find the perpetrator who is a sociopath who uses his dead victims to replicate well-known pieces of art by travelling across Europe. Kanon must first figure out the meaning of the killer’s mysterious postcard hints before he can stop him from committing his next crime.

19 Disturbia

Kale Brecht, a troubled youngster on house arrest who thinks his neighbour may be responsible for a string of terrible murders. Kale uses binoculars to observe his neighbours but is unable to take any action on his suspicions. He asks his buddies for assistance instead to uncover the mystery.

20 Friday the 13^th

The film was released in 1980 and it features a group of counsellors who went camping at Camp Crystal. However, their camping trip does not go as planned as they start getting killed one by one. The person killing them is not known and they suspect that it may be the ghost of a boy known as Jason who drowned in the lake.

21 Red Dragon

The film “Red Dragon,” which is based on the same book as “Manhunter,” offers a different perspective on the same plot. Anthony Hopkins returns as Silence of the Lamb Hannibal Lecter, while Edward Norton plays retired FBI agent Will Graham who is sent to track down the murderer known as the Tooth Fairy.

22 Mr Brooks

Earl Brooks has all the resources one could desire power, wealth, and everything else and yet he is unable to resist the urge to murder people for pleasure. The fact that he is not the only one with an addiction is more unexpected. In “Mr Brooks,” William Hurt portrays Earl’s violent side in a Jekyll and Hyde-inspired story.

23 Freaky

The film which was released in 2020 focuses on Millie Kessler a seventeen-year-old high school senior that is the target of the town’s infamous serial killer known as the Butcher. The butcher uses a magical dagger which results in him changing bodies with Millie. She must find a way to switch back within 24 hours before she is trapped in the body of a serial killer forever.

24 Little Things

Dubbed one of the best serial killer movies, Little things was released in 2021. The movie tells the story of Joe Deacon who is a sheriff and his partner Sergeant Jim Baxter as they try to catch a serial killer that has been terrorising the Los Angeles area. While doing their investigations, Jim discovers chilling ties in the sheriff’s past that may threaten both the case and his life

25 The Nightmare on Elm Street

In the film A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger, a deformed killer, preys on teenagers in their nightmares before killing them in real life. To find out how Freddy continues getting away with murder, Nancy and her boyfriend must move fast before it is too late

26 The Hitcher

Released in 1986, the movie is centred on Jim Halsey who is transporting a car from Chicago to Illinois when he picks up a hitchhiker on the way. Unbeknownst to him the person he just helped is a serial killer with a string of grisly murders. Jim s framed for the killers’ crimes by the police and he only gets help from a waitress at a truck stop.

27 Blue Caprice

The 2002 “Beltway” shooting rampage that took place in and around Washington, D.C., served as the inspiration for the film “Blue Caprice.” The account details the snipers and the circumstances leading up to the attacks as they travel around in their blue Chevy Caprice.

28 Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock together with Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh on the set of Psycho by Paramount Productions-Wikimedia

This film by Alfred Hitchcock received a lot of praise with people saying that it was a masterpiece. The film set precedence on how serial killer movies should look like. The film tells the story of Marion Crane who stole $40,000 from her boss. She then runs away from her house in Phoenix and ends up in a motel that is run by a mother-fixated Norman Bates. Marion is killed in the motel while having a shower and then Norman cleans up the scene. The local authorities then go on a journey to discover who killed Marion after her sister reported he missing. The movie is full of tension and even sixty years after its release date, it will still have the audience on the edge of their seats.

29 Scream

In the first film of the venerable Scream series, a masked killer begins stalking the citizens of a sleepy California town. Nearly a year after her mother was murdered, Sidney Prescott, a teenager, becomes the killer’s newest victim. Her father and Billy Loomis, her lover, are the main suspects. The film’s character in Scream is based on Danny Rolling, who over four days in August 1990 murdered five students in Gainsville, Florida.

30 Ma

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Octavia Spencer plays the character of Sue Ann who is a middle-aged woman in Ma. The psychological thriller shows how appearance is just a layer of a person and that there are other layers hidden. Sue Ann lures teenagers into her house with the promise of alcohol but they soon discover that she is not a good person when she goes on a killing rampage and makes the teenagers lives a nightmare. Octavia’s performance makes the movie incredible as she clearly displays the plot of the movie.

31 Natural Born Killers

The movie, which stars Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, is about two young, gorgeous serial killers who become popular TV figures. It plays with the idea of sensationalism in the media while covering horrible crimes. Every member of the cast is flawless. Robert Downey Jr. offers commentary as the journalist who is obsessed with gore and tragedies, while Harrelson and Lewis make their sadistic lovelorn pair adequately appealing given their roles as media darlings. Because of the two killers’ enthusiastic execution of their crimes and appeals to the audience.

32 Silence of the Lambs

The silence of the Lambs by Mavelus-Wikimedia

Released in 1991, Clarice Starling, an inexperienced F.B.I. trainee, is tasked by Special Agent Jack Crawford with helping in the manhunt after becoming perplexed by a spate of gory killings skillfully carried out by the elusive mass murderer known as “Buffalo Bill.” The young investigator unwillingly seeks the assistance of another ugly monster: the brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic mass murderer, Dr Hannibal Lecter, to gain a greater understanding of the psychopathic serial killer’s primary strategy. Clarice now digs ever so slightly deeper into the evil mind of a homicidal maniac with each trip to the cunning doctor’s heavily fortified prison cell.

33 Memories of Murder

A young, attractive woman is discovered dead in the South Korean province of Gyunggi in 1986, having been raped, bound, and gagged with her underpants. Two inept local investigators, Detective Park Doo-Man and Detective Cho Yong-Koo use force and torture to interrogate the suspects while investigating the murder without producing any useful information. To assist with the investigations, Seoul detective Seo Tae-Yoon travels to the area. He is certain that a serial murderer is murdering the ladies. When a third woman is discovered killed using the same “modus-operandi,” the investigators track down the killer.

34 My Friend Dahmer

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The film is based on a true story where Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men in the Midwest region of the United States. This happened between 1978 and 1991 before he was captured and sentenced. He is among one of America’s most infamous serial killers. The character of Jeff Dahmer played by Disney Channel’s Ross Lynch is an awkward youngster trying to get through high school with family life in disarray. He deals with his unstable mother, played by Anne Heche, and his well-meaning father, played by Vincent Kartheiser, while also collecting roadkill and becoming fixated on a neighbourhood jogger.

 When he starts acting out at school, a bunch of music nerds are won over by his silly antics, and they start The Dahmer Fan Club, led by Derf Backderf. This friendship, however, cannot hide his increasing depravity. Jeff continues to spin out of control as graduation draws near, getting ever closer to going crazy.

35 Black Widow (1987)

Directed by Bob Rafelson, the film captures how women conceit to extreme levels. A lovely woman seems to have made it her life’s mission to wed wealthy men and inherit their wealth after they pass away. Nothing very novel there, except the fact that she uses a poison that leaves no aftereffects to quickly dispose of each of her husbands. A determined female federal detective who is hot on her trail is unable to persuade anyone of the killings or the fact that the same woman continues inheriting the money.

36 Zodiac

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Based on a true story, Zodiac gives a glimpse into how the serial killer terrorised the people of the San Francisco Bay Area. Using cryptic letters and communications, a serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts investigators. In this loosely dramatized portrayal of a genuine murder case from the 1970s, we follow the detectives and reporters as they become fixated on the case and pursue the culprit. The focus of the film, which is based on Robert Graysmith’s book, is on the lives and careers of investigators and newspaper employees.

37 Maniac

Joe Spinell portrays Frank Zito, a guy who is haunted by the memory of his mother torturing and sexually abusing him. She plays a key role in his scarred, troubled mind as he chases and kills women all around New York City.

38 Cruising

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The prospect of a quick promotion pushes inexperienced patrolman Steve Burns deep into the shadowy world of an unsaid subculture against the backdrop of a never-ending succession of gruesome murders in and around Manhattan’s West Village S&M leather shops. Burns will soon find himself embroiled in a foreign and equally perilous underworld, where ill-advised one-night relationships can only result in death. Burns was chosen because he shared the same physical characteristics as the cruel serial killer’s ever-growing victims.

39 Hannibal

After evading capture, Dr Hannibal Lecter now resides in Italy as an art historian. When he is uncovered, trouble hits once more, killing a few deserving people in the process. He goes back to America to reconnect with now-exonerated Agent Clarice Starling, who is under attack by a resentful F.B.I. official and rival as well as the media.

In the meantime, Dr Hannibal Lecter must fend off advances from scarred and resentful victim Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), who he originally interacted with as a patient years ago. He discovers that the American authorities and Agent Starling are also looking for him in addition to his affluent victim and his thugs.

40 Halloween

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In 1963, 6-year-old Michael Myers savagely murdered his elder sister. Sam Loomis, a psychiatrist, looked after the quiet boy when he was detained at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. Until Loomis came back fifteen years later to warn of Myers’ escape from Smith’s Grove, the people of Haddonfield had gradually started to forget the horrific incident. Loomis enlists the reluctant town sheriff’s assistance to stop Michael before it’s too late since he is determined to kill a group of high school pupils.

41 X

Adult film actors and a tiny team go up to an elderly couple’s farmhouse in the remote Texas countryside in 1979 to shoot an adult film there. The guests gradually realise that they are not safe as the day goes to night and that they are being pursued by a close opponent who turns out to be the owner of the cabin they have rented to film the movie.

42 Badlands

A trailer of Badlands in Youtube

Holly, a teenager, resides in a tiny Midwestern town with her father, a sign painter. She starts spending time with Kit, a considerably older man who resembles James Dean and works at several jobs but never seems to be able to settle down. It should come as no surprise that her father is against them dating, and during a confrontation Kit kills him. The two set off on a rough road trip in search of some happiness. Even though bounty hunters are driven to them because of their crimes, they continue their murderous rampage.

43 American Psycho

As he indulges in his violent, hedonistic fantasies, Patrick Bateman, a well-to-do New York City investment banking executive, keeps his other psychopathic persona hidden from his friends and coworkers. Patrick has a set morning routine to keep up his gorgeous and fit appearance. He, like many in his network, is conceited, and competitive, always trying to outdo everyone else in one’s presentation of oneself. However, he recognises, unlike the others, that all of these traits are masks for what is really behind them.

44 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 

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After spending several years in exile for a crime he didn’t commit, Benjamin Barker now known as Sweeney Todd returns to London to discover his wife has been murdered and his daughter is in the custody of the perverse Judge Turpin. Sweeney goes on a violent spree across the entirety of London out of rage. He creates a barbershop with Mrs Lovett’s assistance, where he draws his victims in with a lovely smile before slicing lightly across their necks to end their lives. Sweeney’s need for vengeance against those who have tormented him for years cannot be sated by the death of one man or even 10,000 men.

45 Arsenic and Old Lace

Mortimer Brewster, recently wed, travels to Brooklyn to see his two aunts. Although to everyone they appear to be kind, giving, and caring old ladies, Mortimer soon learns that they are actually serial killers. And to make matters worse, their most recent victim’s body is in plain sight in their living room, stashed inside a chest. When Johnny, Mortimer’s psychotic brother who is also a serial killer and his plastic surgeon Dr Einstein come to visit, their attempts to destroy the evidence are thwarted.

46 Honeymoon Killers

Based on the true story of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, who connected through a lonely hearts mailing club. Martha is big, compulsive, and dependent, whereas Ray is wild, weedy, and unreliable. Together, they carry out an evil plot in which he seduces lonely women on dates and then proposes marriage to them while she poses as his sister. Following the cold-blooded murder of the women, they steal their savings.

47 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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Disgraced Millennium magazine journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who is based in Stockholm and was found guilty of 16 counts of aggravated libel, decides to resign. Ruined Mikael unwillingly accepts to work for rich entrepreneur Henrik Vanger, who has been looking for answers regarding his niece Harriet’s strange disappearance for the past 40 years.

Mikael discovers emotionally distant Lisbeth Salander, the very same computer hacker who intruded into his personal life on behalf of Henrik, as he delves into the murky background of the dysfunctional Vangers while pretending to be writing a biography. The unlikely crew must now work together to uncover the truth amid a backdrop of mysterious disappearances, startling family secrets, and a string of revolting first-degree murders.

48 Saw

Adam Stanheight, a freelance photographer, and Dr Lawrence Gordon wake up in a run-down washroom with no memory of how they got there. After listening to the tapes they find in their pockets, the two guys quickly understand they have been caught up in the notorious Jigsaw Killer’s “game.” The men must flee before the time limit runs out or they will suffer fatal repercussions. Although escape initially seems difficult, Adam and Lawrence quickly realise they could have a chance.

49 Creep 2

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When Sara a video artist working on lonely men and intimacy comes across an advert of a man claiming that he is a serial killer, she decides to go and meet him in the forest. The advert interests her and therefore she sets out looking for content for her next project. The artist drives out into a forest in a secluded house where he is greeted by the man who posted the advert. The art intrigues her and she agrees to spend the day but after she agrees she realizes that she has made a grave mistake.

50 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

The film is loosely based on the true story of Henry Lee Lucas who was an American serial killer who killed his mother in 1960 and two other people in 1983. The movie shows how after arriving in Chicago the lead character Henry moves in with an ex-con associate. Henry likes to kill people and thus starts to teach his roommate different ways to kill. The two go on a killing spree showing no compassion for the victims. The movie is filled will tension that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

51 Jennifer’s Body

Needy Lesnicki, a reserved and nerdy bookworm is best friends with Jennifer Check who is a cheerleader. The duo attends a rock band at a bar when Jennifer is kidnapped by the band after overhearing that she was a virgin. When she appears, she is covered in blood and acting weird. Over the next few days, several male classmates are discovered dead. Needy discovers that Jennifer is the one murdering the male students and she has to stop her before she gets to her boyfriend Chip.

52 Monster

A dark story based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, one of America’s first female serial killers. Wuornos grew up in Michigan, where he had a difficult and cruel childhood marred by abuse and drug use. She became a prostitute at the age of thirteen, the same year she became pregnant. She eventually relocated to Florida and began working as a highway prostitute, catering to the desires of semi-truck drivers. The plot revolves around Wuornos’s lesbian relationship with a woman named Selby, which lasted nine months between 1989 and 1990. At the same time, she began murdering her clients in order to make money without using sex. After she is arrested, she tries to argue that it was self-defence but she is convicted.

53The Killer Inside Me

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The film is set in a small Texas town. The story starts when the son of a wealthy businessman Chester Conway is found together with that of a prostitute. The prostitute’s body is badly beaten. When the investigation starts, suspicion falls on the deputy sheriff known as Lou Ford who was considered a strong pillar of society. The deputy sheriff is to be a conceited and sadistic sociopath.

54 Death Proof

Mike McKay who is a Hollywood stuntman escaped charges in Austin, Texas after fourteen months. Mike goes to Lebanon, Tennessee with his sights set on three young women Kim, Zoe and Abernathy. The misogynistic man decided to play a game of cat and mouse with the women but the women refuse to go down without a fight and decide to pay back the attack.

55 The Cell

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When a psychopathic serial killer is finally apprehended by the FBI agents when he is with his last victim. The killer used to abduct women and hid and tortured them until they eventually drowned. After being captured, Catharine Deane, a psychotherapist explores a treatment that allows her mind to enter the minds of her patients. To obtain the knowledge, she needs, Catherine Deane must work against the clock to delve into the murderer’s deranged mind, but Stargher’s disturbed personality presents hazards that might easily overwhelm her.