The 14 Best Serial Killer Movies Of All Time
If a movie has one murder in it, it's a mystery. If it's got multiple murders, each from the same killer with the same modus operandi, then you've got a serial killer movie on your hands. Of course, if you're planning on binge-watching a bunch of serial killer movies, then you shouldn't choose just any film. Instead, you should really watch the best killers in cinema — except how do you separate the Jack the Rippers from the regular Joes?
That's where we can help. We've compiled the best serial killer movies of all time. Some of them are based on a true story, while others bring an iconic literary character to the big screen. Genre-wise, these movies run the gamut from police procedurals to straight-up horror. There's even a mockumentary and a musical (for folks whose taste in killers is a bit more theatrical). Whichever of these films you watch, these are cinematic bloodbaths you won't soon forget.
The Silence of the Lambs
In this 1991 classic, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a female FBI agent-in-training who struggles to be taken seriously by her male peers. When women start turning up dead, having been skinned and slaughtered by the killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), Starling must seek the help of incarcerated serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) — because it takes one to know one. Starling knows that if she moves quickly, she might be able to save a young woman's life.
Lecter may only grace our screens for about 16 minutes, but Hopkins makes every second count; he absolutely steals every single scene where he appears. It's no wonder Hopkins won an Oscar despite having less than 20 minutes of screentime. Strangely, Lecter is so charismatic that you can't help but find yourself almost rooting for him in the end.
"The Silence of the Lambs" changed the game, proving that a serial killer movie could still be successful without excessive gore or jump scares while opening the door for the modern true crime genre. It also set a groundbreaking precedent by reminding audiences that women could be more than just the victims in this genre – they could hold their own as the star and hero.
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
Director: Jonathan Demme
Year: 1991
Runtime: 1h 58m
Rating: R
Seven
Although director David Fincher had a rough directorial debut ("Alien 3" was a mess long before he came onto the project), his second film gave him a chance to show the world what he could do. Not only did "Seven" come to embody what a "David Fincher film" looked like, but it also proved to be an immense influence on the crime and horror genres.
The movie features an age-old odd-couple, with Brad Pitt as an impulsive rookie cop out to make his mark and Morgan Freeman as a veteran detective who's seen it all and just wants to retire. They are on the trail of a serial killer with a very precise agenda: he plans to take exactly seven victims — one for each of the seven deadly sins — and give them gruesome deaths to match their sins.
Fincher expertly builds a gritty, noirish world where it's always raining, and the sense of urban decay and despair is palpable. You may not get to see the killer until almost the end, but thanks to the movie's intense buildup, it is well worth the wait. The film's unforgettable ending shows that even if the killer gets caught, sometimes they can still win.
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey
Director: David Fincher
Year: 1995
Runtime: 2h 7m
Rating: R
Psycho
At first glance, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) appears to be the main character of "Psycho," but we all know that Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is the real star. After Marion attempts to steal $40,000, her flight takes her to the ominous Bates Motel. The movie's infamous plot twist has become such an iconic part of pop culture that we think it would hardly be a spoiler to say that Marion never checks out of her room. What follows is an unsettling horror movie in which her killer tries desperately to cover his tracks.
The titular psycho is brilliantly off-putting; Perkins portrays Bates as an earnest, soft-spoken young man with mommy issues who also just happens to be a serial killer. If Norman Bates is capable of murder, the film warns us, then perhaps anyone is. Viewers also won't soon forget the movie's suspenseful score or its still-shocking ending. The film's near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score proves that this Hitchcock classic still gives audiences the creeps more than 60 years later.
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1960
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rating: R
Longlegs
What happens if a serial killer is so good that he doesn't even need to be the one holding the weapon? In this unsettling horror movie directed by Oz Perkins, son of "Psycho" star Anthony Perkins, the killer known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) somehow makes his victims do the work for him. Each time he strikes, his victim murders their entire family before killing themselves. FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is charged with finding him, and her astute skills of perception may possibly border on the supernatural — as does, we ultimately discover, Longlegs' plan itself.
Most critics agree that "Longlegs" is a master class of mood, creating a sense of unease that you will feel in your bones. And while not all viewers liked Nicolas Cage's performance, the movie certainly showcases Cage at his most unhinged, and many insist he is the best part of the movie. "Longlegs" subtly subverts the conventions of the genre, while managing to shock even the most hardened horror aficionados.
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood
Director: Oz Perkins
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 41m
Rating: R
American Psycho
In "American Psycho," Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a charismatic yuppie who grows sick of his bland corporate life and decides to moonlight as a serial killer. And — scariest of all – he actually gets away with it, despite confessing to multiple murders.
This biting (and bloody) satire criticizes '80s culture and the self-absorbed mindset that came with it. "American Psycho" is loaded with delightfully surreal moments and some disturbing yet creative kills. (You have never seen anything quite like Patrick Bateman running around with a chainsaw wearing nothing but a pair of sneakers.)
Although it's hard to actually care about this grinning sociopath, Bale gives such a committed performance that it's impossible to tear your eyes away. This serial killer movie boosted the career of Christian Bale — even if he is still weirded out by how some fans react to his "American Psycho" character.
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas
Director: Mary Harron
Year: 2000
Runtime: 1h 44m
Rating: R
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Who says a serial killer movie can't also be a musical? Enter "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." In 19th-century London, a man named Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) emerges from prison and vows revenge on the odious Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) for killing his wife and trying to marry his daughter. Yet what starts out as a plan to bring his wife's murderer to justice soon grows into a killing spree. Partnering with a baker named Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), Todd devises a gruesome plan: he will lure clients into his barbershop, kill them with a shaving razor, and then send them down to Mrs. Lovett to be chopped up and served in her meat pies.
"Sweeney Todd" is a glorious Gothic nightmare, brought from the stage to the screen by director Tim Burton. As you would expect from a serial killer musical with such a grisly premise, "Sweeney Todd" delivers on its promise of buckets of blood, while also offering a grim lesson about the cost of revenge.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman
Director: Tim Burton
Year: 2007
Runtime: 1h 57m
Rating: R
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
It's rare to find a serial killer movie as blunt and brutal as "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer." For Henry (Michael Rooker), killing comes as easily as breathing. Meanwhile, his roommate Otis (Tom Towles) discovers he has a taste for blood that rivals even Henry's, so together the two go on a killing spree, with Otis' sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) soon getting dragged in as well.
"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is based very loosely on the life of real-life killer Henry Lee Lucas. Michael Rooker's performance here is uncannily good; it's not easy to create a character as casually soulless as Henry. The whole movie is so matter-of-fact in its portrayal of Henry and his grisly deeds that it burrows under your skin and stays there. Its unflinching realism may be too much for some viewers to stomach, but the movie achieves exactly what it sets out to do: give us a portrait of a serial killer.
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles
Director: John McNaughton
Year: 1986
Runtime: 1h 23m
Rating: Not Rated
Monster
"Monster" is based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, who earned the reputation of being America's first female serial killer. In this biopic, Wuornos (Charlize Theron) is a sex worker struggling to make ends meet when she falls in love with Selby (Christina Ricci), a girl who manipulates Wuornos even as she loves her in a way no one else has done before. Of course, this is a serial killer movie, so pretty soon bodies begin to pile up. Her first kill is purely self-defense, but it isn't long before she starts killing her other clients.
"Monster" is a different kind of serial killer movie. Contrary to what the film's title would suggest, the central character is hardly a monster, and the film challenges viewers to feel for Wuornos, exploring how her bleak circumstances may have pushed her over the edge. Director Patty Jenkins even exchanged letters with the real-life Wuornos while she was in prison. Thanks to some outstanding makeup work and an Oscar-winning performance from Charlize Theron, the actress is utterly unrecognizable – and incredibly compelling — in the role.
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern
Director: Patty Jenkins
Year: 2003
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rating: R
No Country for Old Men
In "No Country for Old Men," a disillusioned old sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to hunt down a suitcase full of stolen money — but a ruthless killer (Javier Bardem) is after the money as well. This neo-Western may not be the first film that comes to mind when you picture serial killer movies; officially speaking, Anton Chigurh is a hitman. But make no mistake, he's still a serial killer, seeing as he murders far more than just the people he's paid to kill and does so according to his own twisted moral code.
Chigurh kills his victims with everything from a shotgun to a pair of handcuffs, but his weapon of choice is a captive bolt stunner, a nightmarish device used to stun cattle before slaughtering them. Perhaps most chillingly, he plays a game with his victims, sometimes placing their fate in the hands of a single coin toss. "No Country for Old Men" stands out from most serial killer movies because it elevates Chigurh to mythic status. The film portrays him as something almost superhuman, as if he is chaos incarnate — which, in many ways, he is.
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
Director: The Coen Brothers
Year: 2007
Runtime: 2h 2m
Rating: R
Memories of Murder
Before Bong Joon-Ho directed "Parasite" and "Snowpiercer," he brought us a beautifully shot serial killer film called "Memories of Murder," which is considered one of Bong's best movies. In the South Korean town of Hwaseong, there is a killer who only strikes when a certain song is playing on the radio. The only people who can stop him are three men on Korea's woefully underprepared police force. As these men try to hunt down the killer, their incompetence is simultaneously hilarious and tragic.
"Memories of Murder" is different from most serial killer movies in that it never reveals who the killer is. Sure, the heroes may have their hunches, but they can never know for sure. Of course, this choice makes sense, seeing as the movie is based on a real-life murder case that was unsolved at the time of the film's release. (The real-life killer finally confessed to the crimes more than a decade after the movie.) Fittingly, "Memories of Murder" ends with a haunting reminder that the killer is still out there.
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha
Director: Bong Joon-Ho
Year: 2003
Runtime: 2h 12m
Rating: Not Rated
The Night of the Hunter
This forgotten horror gem from the 1950s has the killer hidden in plain view, and the movie is all the more terrifying for it. In "The Night of the Hunter," a stranger comes into town, posing as a preacher. Most folks in this small community think Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is an upstanding gentleman. Only John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) can see him for what he truly is, and of course nobody will listen to them because they're kids. When John and Pearl refuse to tell Powell where their father hid some money, Powell sends their mother Willa (Shelley Winters) to the bottom of the lake and then starts going after the children.
"The Night of the Hunter" was way ahead of its time, thanks to its religious themes and its expert cinematography. From the glimpse of Willa at the bottom of the lake to the shot of Powell's eerie silhouette approaching on horseback, this horror film is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Director Charles Laughton's movie has influenced countless others that followed, including "Do The Right Thing" and "Hereditary."
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
Director: Charles Laughton
Year: 1955
Runtime: 1h 32m
Rating: Not Rated
Man Bites Dog
"Man Bites Dog" is probably the closest you will get to watching a reality TV show about a serial killer. This black-and-white mockumentary follows a film crew as they document the life of a murderer named Ben (Benoît Poelvoorde). Ben is happy to share everything about his exploits, from the secret of how to properly dispose of the bodies to his fondness for slaughtering mailmen. Before long, the film crew is not only observing these senseless murders but also participating in them.
This pitch-black satire is not an easy watch, but it compensates for that with its sheer audacity. The star of this film is a killer, yet he is also friendly, sophisticated, and likes to wax philosophical. It forces viewers to question their notion of what a serial killer looks like — not to mention come to grips with their own compliance in this violence. "Man Bites Dog" dares to ask: is watching a killer (and rooting for them) really much different than pulling the trigger yourself?
Starring: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert
Director: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde
Year: 1992
Runtime: 1h 36m
Rating: NC-17
Manhunter
Before the movie "The Silence of the Lambs" introduced the most iconic incarnation of Hannibal Lecter, one film featured a different version of Lecter that deserves your attention. Michael Mann's "Manhunter" is adapted from "Red Dragon," a book by Thomas Harris, the same author who wrote "The Silence of the Lambs." "Manhunter" is a prequel of sorts, featuring an FBI agent who teams up with Lecter before Clarice Starling. Here, Brian Cox portrays the famous killer (whose name is spelled "Lecktor" in the film). Cox may not be nearly as magnetic as Anthony Hopkins, but he's pretty damn close, and quite unsettling in his own casual way.
In this film, retired FBI agent Will Graham (William Peterson) agrees to come back into the field to catch an elusive serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy (Ted Noonan). Graham is the only man for the job, because he has the ability to think like a killer after tracking down Lecter. Unfortunately, this ability takes a dangerous toll on Graham's mind. The highlights of this film include its eerie synth soundtrack and an unforgettable scene where the Tooth Fairy encourages a blind woman (Joan Allen) to stroke a live tiger.
Starring: William Peterson, Brian Cox, Tom Noonan
Director: Michael Mann
Year: 1986
Runtime: 1h 59m
Rating: R
Zodiac
More than a decade after directing "Seven," David Fincher returned to the subject of serial killers, this time with a movie based on one of the most notorious unsolved cases in the U.S. In "Zodiac," he traces the investigation of the Zodiac Killer, an elusive criminal who leaves codes and clues for the police yet still evades capture. The film is considered one of David Fincher's best movies.
"Zodiac" is a compelling ensemble piece starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. The characters spend almost a decade trying to catch the culprit, yet they never succeed (though they come maddeningly close). The movie reminds viewers how easy it is to let an unsolved murder case consume all aspects of your life. Gyllenhaal's character is almost certain he knows who did it, but he can't prove it, and there's still that lingering doubt that maybe he could be wrong. In this respect, "Zodiac" is one of the most realistic serial killer movies ever, because real-life crimes are rarely tied up in a neat little bow.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr.
Director: David Fincher
Year: 2007
Runtime: 2h 40m
Rating: R