The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies

The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies of All Time

As a society we are fascinated with serial killers and murder; how their minds tick, what sets them off, and why they do what they do. It’s somewhat intriguing and gets our attention. They are everything a horror fan craves in a movie.

Here’s our rundown of the most original, complex, memorable and downright terrifying serial killer movies of all time.

(See also Top 15 Serial Killer Artists)
(See also Top 35 Fictional Serial Killers)
(See also Top 35 Books About Serial Killers)
(See also The 25 Best Songs About Serial Killers)
(See also Top 8 Famous Serial Killers And Their Music Choices)


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Se7en (1995)
1. Se7en (1995)

Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. (127 mins.)

IMDb: 8.7/10
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. (118 mins.)

IMDb: 8.6/10
Director: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney, Kasi Lemmons



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Taxi Driver (1976)
3. Taxi Driver (1976)

A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge for violent action, attempting to save a preadolescent prostitute in the process. (113 mins.)

IMDb: 8.4/10
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Psycho (1960)
4. Psycho (1960)

A Phoenix secretary steals $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. (109 mins.)

IMDb: 8.6/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: American Psycho (2000)
5. American Psycho (2000)

A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies. (102 mins.)

IMDb: 7.6/10
Director: Mary Harron
Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Hannibal (2001)
6. Hannibal (2001)

Living in exile, Hannibal Lecter tries to reconnect with now disgraced FBI agent Clarice Starling and finds himself a target for revenge from a powerful victim. (131 mins.)

IMDb: 6.7/10
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Ray Liotta


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Saw (2004-2010)
7. Saw (2004-2010)

Two men awaken in the secure lair of a killer who forces them to play a deadly game that will determine life or death. (103 mins.) (Film-2004)

IMDb: 7.7/10
Director: James Wan
Stars: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, AKA Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical. (116 mins.)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Zodiac (2007)
9. Zodiac (2007)

A San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer. (157 mins.)

IMDb: 7.7/10
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Halloween (1978-2009)
10. Halloween (1978-2009)

On Halloween night of 1963, 6-year old Michael Myers stabbed his sister to death. After sitting in a mental hospital for 15 years, Myers escapes and returns to Haddonfield to kill. (91 mins.) (Film-1978)

IMDb: 7.9/10
Director: John Carpenter
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Red Dragon (2002)
11. Red Dragon (2002)

A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. (124 mins.)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Brett Ratner
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Natural Born Killers (1994)
12. Natural Born Killers (1994)

Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media. (118 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Oliver Stone
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Mr. Brooks (2007)
13. Mr. Brooks (2007)

A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego. (120 mins.)

IMDb: 7.4/10
Director: Bruce A. Evans
Stars: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, William Hurt, Dane Cook



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Monster (2003)
14. Monster (2003)

Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer. (109 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Patty Jenkins
Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: No Country for Old Men (2007)
15. No Country for Old Men (2007)

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande. (122 mins.)

IMDb: 8.1/10
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Death Proof (2007)
16. Death Proof (2007)

Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans. (113 mins.)

IMDb: 7.1/10
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
17. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world's finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent. (147 mins.)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Tom Tykwer
Stars: Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Francesc Albiol


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Scream (1996-2011)
18. Scream (1996-2011)

A group of teens are pitted against a masked murderer that tests their knowledge of horror movies. (111 mins.) (Film-1996)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Wes Craven
Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Sleepy Hollow (1999)
19. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of 3 people with the culprit being the legendary apparition, the Headless Horseman. (105 mins.)

IMDb: 7.4/10
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Hitcher (1986)
20. The Hitcher (1986)

A young man who escaped the clutches of a murderous hitch-hiker is subsequently stalked, framed for the hitcher's crimes, and has his life made into hell by the same man he escaped. (97 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Robert Harmon
Stars: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: From Hell (2001)
21. From Hell (2001)

In Victorian Era London, a troubled clairvoyant police detective investigates the murders by Jack The Ripper. (122 mins.)

IMDb: 6.8/10
Director: The Hughes Brothers, The Hughes Brothers
Stars: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Misery (1990)
22. Misery (1990)

Paul Sheldon, a successful novelist, is rescued after a snow storm by his "Number One Fan" and must rewrite his latest novel to her liking in order to stay alive. (107 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: Rob Reiner
Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Cape Fear (1991)
23. Cape Fear (1991)

A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him. (128 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Identity (2003)
24. Identity (2003)

Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain-storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one. (90 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: James Mangold
Stars: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Blue Velvet (1986)
25. Blue Velvet (1986)

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child. (120 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: David Lynch
Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
26. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later. (129 mins.)

IMDb: 8.3/10
Director: Juan José Campanella
Stars: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Carla Quevedo


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Bone Collector (1999)
27. The Bone Collector (1999)

A quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his female partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City. (118 mins.)

IMDb: 6.6/10
Director: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: M (1931)
28. M (1931)

When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt. (117 mins.)

IMDb: 8.4/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Stars: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974-2013)
29. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974-2013)

Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. (83 mins.) (Film-1974)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Tobe Hooper
Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Cell (2000)
30. The Cell (2000)

An FBI agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim. (107 mins.)

IMDb: 6.3/10
Director: Tarsem Singh
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Colton James


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: I Saw the Devil (2010)
31. I Saw the Devil (2010)

A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases. (141 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi, In-seo Kim, Ho-jin Chun



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Name of the Rose (1986)
32. The Name of the Rose (1986)

An intellectually nonconformist monk investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey. (130 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Stars: Sean Connery, Christian Slater, Helmut Qualtinger, Elya Baskin



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Night of the Hunter (1955)
33. The Night of the Hunter (1955)

A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery. (92 mins.)

IMDb: 8.1/10
Director: Charles Laughton
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Trick 'r Treat (2007)
34. Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. (82 mins.)

IMDb: 6.8/10
Director: Michael Dougherty
Stars: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Memories of Murder (2003)
35. Memories of Murder (2003)

In 1986, in the province of Gyunggi, in South Korea, a second young and beautiful woman is found dead... (130 mins.)

IMDb: 8.1/10
Director: Joon-ho Bong
Stars: Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim, Jae-ho Song



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Audition (1999)
36. Audition (1999)

A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all. (115 mins.)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Iceman (2012)
37. The Iceman (2012)

The true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man. When finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor daughters have any clue about his real profession. (106 mins.)

IMDb: 6.9/10
Director: Ariel Vromen
Stars: Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, James Franco, Winona Ryder


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Candyman (1992)
38. Candyman (1992)

The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth. (99 mins.)

IMDb: 6.6/10
Director: Bernard Rose
Stars: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Kasi Lemmons


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Manhunter (1986)
39. Manhunter (1986)

Former FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial murderer named "the Tooth Fairy" by the media. (119 mins.)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Michael Mann
Stars: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Dirty Harry (1971)
40. Dirty Harry (1971)

When a mad man calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath. (102 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: Don Siegel
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: God Bless America (2011)
41. God Bless America (2011)

On a mission to rid society of its most repellent citizens, terminally ill Frank makes an unlikely accomplice in 16-year-old Roxy. (105 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Stars: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr, Mackenzie Brooke Smith, Melinda Page Hamilton


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Frailty (2001)
42. Frailty (2001)

A man confesses to an FBI agent his family's story of how his religious fanatic father's visions lead to a series of murders to destroy supposed "demons." (100 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Bill Paxton
Stars: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Basic Instinct (1992)
43. Basic Instinct (1992)

A police detective is in charge of the investigation of a brutal murder, in which a beautiful and seductive woman could be involved. (127 mins.)

IMDb: 6.9/10
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984-2010)
44. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984-2010)

Several people are hunted by a cruel serial killer who kills his victims in their dreams. When the survivors are trying to find the reason for being chosen, the murderer won't lose any chance to kill them as soon as they fall asleep. (91 mins.) (Film-1984)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Wes Craven
Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, John Saxon


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
45. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family. (118 mins.)

IMDb: 8.1/10
Director: Frank Capra
Stars: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Brave One (2007)
46. The Brave One (2007)

A woman struggles to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission for revenge. (122 mins.)

IMDb: 6.8/10
Director: Neil Jordan
Stars: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Kiss the Girls (1997)
47. Kiss the Girls (1997)

Police hunting for a serial killer are helped when a victim manages to escape for the first time. (115 mins.)

IMDb: 6.5/10
Director: Gary Fleder
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Alex McArthur



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Collector (2009)
48. The Collector (2009)

Desperate to repay his debt to his ex-wife, an ex-con plots a heist at his new employer's country home, unaware that a second criminal has also targeted the property, and rigged it with a series of deadly traps. (90 mins.)

IMDb: 6.4/10
Director: Marcus Dunstan
Stars: Josh Stewart, Andrea Roth, Juan Fernández


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: A Perfect Getaway (2009)
49. A Perfect Getaway (2009)

Two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands. (98 mins.)

IMDb: 6.5/10
Director: David Twohy
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Clue (1985)
50. Clue (1985)

Six guests are invited to a strange house and must cooperate with the staff to solve a murder mystery. (94 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Stars: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Wolf Creek (2005)
51. Wolf Creek (2005)

Stranded backpackers in remote Australia fall prey to a murderous bushman who offers to fix their car, then takes them captive. (99 mins.)

IMDb: 6.3/10
Director: Greg Mclean
Stars: Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, John Jarratt



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: High Tension (2003)
52. High Tension (2003)

Two college friends, Marie and Alexa, encounter loads of trouble (and blood) while on vacation at Alexa's parents' country home when a mysterious killer invades their quiet getaway. (91 mins.)

IMDb: 6.8/10
Director: Alexandre Aja
Stars: Cécile De France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)
53. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)

After a 13-year imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a 6 year old boy, beautiful Lee Guem-ja starts... (112 mins.)

IMDb: 7.7/10
Director: Chan-wook Park
Stars: Yeong-ae Lee, Min-sik Choi, Shi-hoo Kim, Yea-young Kwon



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Crimson Rivers (2000)
54. The Crimson Rivers (2000)

Parisian murder detective commissioner Pierre Niemans is called to Gueron, a self-sufficient, prestigious university in a mountain valley... (106 mins.)

IMDb: 6.9/10
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Stars: Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Hannibal Rising (2007)
55. Hannibal Rising (2007)

After the death of his parents during World War II, young Hannibal Lecter moves in with his beautiful aunt and begins plotting revenge on the barbarians responsible for his sister's death. (121 mins.)

IMDb: 6.2/10
Director: Peter Webber
Stars: Gaspard Ulliel, Rhys Ifans, Li Gong


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Badlands (1973)
56. Badlands (1973)

An impressionable teen girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend go on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands. (94 mins.)

IMDb: 7.9/10
Director: Terrence Malick
Stars: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Copycat (1995)
57. Copycat (1995)

An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past. (123 mins.)

IMDb: 6.6/10
Director: Jon Amiel
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Pledge (2001)
58. The Pledge (2001)

A retiring police chief pledges to catch the killer of a young child. (124 mins.)

IMDb: 6.9/10
Director: Sean Penn
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Beau Daniels




The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Kalifornia (1993)
59. Kalifornia (1993)

A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself. (117 mins.)

IMDb: 6.7/10
Director: Dominic Sena
Stars: Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, Kathy Larson, David Milford



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Chaser (2008)
60. The Chaser (2008)

A cash-strapped pimp and former police detective draws upon the skills of his old job to track down his missing stable of prostitutes. (125 mins.)

IMDb: 7.9/10
Director: Hong-jin Na
Stars: Yun-seok Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo, Yoo-Jeong Kim



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Summer of Sam (1999)
61. Summer of Sam (1999)

Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American South Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another. (142 mins.)

IMDb: 6.6/10
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Ted Bundy (2002)
62. Ted Bundy (2002)

The story of serial killer Ted Bundy. (99 mins.)

IMDb: 5.9/10
Director: Matthew Bright
Stars: Michael Reilly Burke, Boti Bliss, Julianna McCarthy




The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Frenzy (1972)
63. Frenzy (1972)

A serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man. (116 mins.)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Alec McCowen, Billie Whitelaw



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Killer Inside Me (2010)
64. The Killer Inside Me (2010)

A West Texas deputy sheriff is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer. (109 mins.)

IMDb: 6.2/10
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Stars: Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty




The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Funny Games (1997)
65. Funny Games (1997)

Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement. (108 mins.)

IMDb: 7.6/10
Director: Michael Haneke
Stars: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Timecrimes (2007)
66. Timecrimes (2007)

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences. (92 mins.)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Stars: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga, Nacho Vigalondo


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Man Bites Dog (1992)
67. Man Bites Dog (1992)

A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand. (95 mins.)

IMDb: 7.6/10
Director: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel
Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: 10 Rillington Place (1971)
68. 10 Rillington Place (1971)

Based on the real-life case of the British serial killer John Christie, and what happened to his neighbours Tim and Beryl Evans. (111 mins.)

IMDb: 7.6/10
Director: Richard Fleischer
Stars: Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Thesis (1996)
69. Thesis (1996)

While doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty... (125 mins.)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Stars: Ana Torrent, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega, Xabier Elorriaga


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Maniac (2012)
70. Maniac (2012)

As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop's deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface. (89 mins.)

IMDb: 6.1/10
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Stars: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, America Olivo, Megan Duffy



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
71. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

A distant poor relative of the Duke of D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession. (106 mins.)

IMDb: 8.2/10
Director: Robert Hamer
Stars: Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Valerie Hobson


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Vanishing (1988)
72. The Vanishing (1988)

Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor. (107 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: George Sluizer
Stars: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
73. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

Based on the true life serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas. (83 mins.)

IMDb: 7.1/10
Director: John McNaughton
Stars: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: To Catch a Killer (1992)
74. To Catch a Killer (1992)

"To Catch a Killer" tells the true gruesome story of John Wayne Gacy - a good friend and helpful neighbour, a great child entertainer, a respectful businessman, and a violent serial killer... (182 mins.)

IMDb: 7.5/10
Director: Eric Till
Stars: Brian Dennehy, Michael Riley, Margot Kidder


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Snowtown Murders (2011)
75. The Snowtown Murders (2011)

Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder. (119 mins.)

IMDb: 6.6/10
Director: Justin Kurzel
Stars: Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris, Bob Adriaens


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Peeping Tom (1960)
76. Peeping Tom (1960)

A young man murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror. (101 mins.)

IMDb: 7.8/10
Director: Michael Powell
Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer, Maxine Audley



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Texas Killing Fields (2011)
77. Texas Killing Fields (2011)

In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective teams up with a cop from New York City to investigate a series of unsolved murders. (105 mins.)

IMDb: 5.7/10
Director: Ami Canaan Mann
Stars: Sam Worthington, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Cruising (1980)
78. Cruising (1980)

A police detective goes undercover in the underground S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men. (102 mins.)

IMDb: 6.3/10
Director: William Friedkin
Stars: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009 TV Movie)
79. Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009 TV Movie)

A rookie Yorkshire journalist sets out to solve the case of a child murderer. (102 mins.)

IMDb: 7.1/10
Director: Julian Jarrold
Stars: Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey, John Henshaw, Anthony Flanagan


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Black Christmas (1974)
80. Black Christmas (1974)

A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break. (98 mins.)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Bob Clark
Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Kontroll (2003)
81. Kontroll (2003)

A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow inspectors on his team, all without exception likeable characters, a rival ticket inspection team, and racing along the tracks... And a tale about love. (105 mins.)

IMDb: 7.7/10
Director: Nimród Antal
Stars: Sándor Csányi, Eszter Balla, Zoltán Mucsi, Csaba Pindroch


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: In Cold Blood (1967)
82. In Cold Blood (1967)

After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity. (134 mins.)

IMDb: 8.0/10
Director: Richard Brooks
Stars: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Nightwatch (1994)
83. Nightwatch (1994)

In order to finance his law studies, Martin starts as a night watchman in a mortuary. When the victims... (107 mins.)

IMDb: 7.4/10
Director: Ole Bornedal
Stars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sofie Gråbøl, Kim Bodnia, Lotte Andersen



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Citizen X (1995 TV Movie)
84. Citizen X (1995 TV Movie)

Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed over 50 victims, mostly under the age of 17... (105 mins.)

IMDb: 7.7/10
Director: Chris Gerolmo
Stars: Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Max von Sydow, Jeffrey DeMunn



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Element of Crime (1984)
85. The Element of Crime (1984)

A cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor. (104 mins.)

IMDb: 6.9/10
Director: Lars Von Trier
Stars: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Me Me Lai, Jerold Wells



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Antibodies (2005)
86. Antibodies (2005)

Long wanted serial killer Gabriel Engel gets arrested in a spectacular police strike. Small town cop... (127 mins.)

IMDb: 7.1/10
Director: Christian Alvart
Stars: Norman Reedus, Christian von Aster, André Hennicke, Waltraud Witte



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Boston Strangler (1968)
87. The Boston Strangler (1968)

A series of brutal murders in Boston sparks a seemingly endless and increasingly complex manhunt. (116 mins.)

IMDb: 7.1/10
Director: Richard Fleischer
Stars: Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Mike Kellin



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Vengeance is Mine (1979)
88. Vengeance is Mine (1979)

Chronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the lam. (140 mins.)

IMDb: 7.9/10
Director: Shôhei Imamura
Stars: Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako, Mitsuko Baishô




The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Silence (2010)
89. The Silence (2010)

13-year-old Sinikka vanishes on a hot summer night. Her bicycle is found in the exact place where a girl was killed 23 years ago. The dramatic present forces those involved in the original case to face their past. (118 mins.)

IMDb: 6.9/10
Director: Baran bo Odar
Stars: Ulrich Thomsen, Claudia Michelsen, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Katrin Saß


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Tony (2009)
90. Tony (2009)

A thriller centered on a serial killer in a rundown London suburb. (76 mins.)

IMDb: 6.2/10
Director: Gerard Johnson
Stars: Peter Ferdinando, Frank Boyce, Lorenzo Camporese, Cyrus Desir




The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Deep Crimson (1996)
91. Deep Crimson (1996)

The life of a man who preys on unsuspecting women for a living is changed when he finds an accomplice in the woman who loves and controls him. (110 mins.)

IMDb: 7.3/10
Director: Arturo Ripstein
Stars: Regina Orozco, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Sherlyn, Giovanni Florido



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Jennifer 8 (1992)
92. Jennifer 8 (1992)

A big-city cop from L.A. moves to a small-town police force and immediately finds himself investigating a murder. Using theories rejected by his colleagues, the cop, John Berlin, meets a young blind woman named Helena, who he is attracted to. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and only John knows it. (124 mins.)

IMDb: 6.2/10
Director: Bruce Robinson
Stars: Andy Garcia, Uma Thurman, Lance Henriksen


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: La madre muerta (1993)
93. La madre muerta (1993)

Ismael Lopez (Elejaldo), a petty criminal, shoots and kills a painting restorer during a bungled burglary... (105 mins.)

IMDb: 7.2/10
Director: Juanma Bajo Ulloa
Stars: Karra Elejalde, Ana Álvarez, Lio, Silvia Marsó



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Resurrection (1999)
94. Resurrection (1999)

Chicago homicide detectives John Prudhome and Andrew "Andy" Hollingsworth are assigned to investigate a gruesome murder, and both become entangled in the plot of a serial killer whose goal is to recreate the body of Christ. (108 mins.)

IMDb: 6.1/10
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Stars: Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser, Robert Joy


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Dressed to Kill (1980)
95. Dressed to Kill (1980)

A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder. (105 mins.)

IMDb: 7.1/10
Director: Brian De Palma
Stars: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Along Came A Spider (2001)
96. Along Came A Spider (2001)

A congressman's daughter under Secret Service protection is kidnapped from a private school by an insider who calls Det. Alex Cross, sucking him into the case even though he's recovering from the loss of his partner. (104 mins.)

IMDb: 6.3/10
Director: Lee Tamahori
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Michael Wincott, Monica Potter


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Karla (2006)
97. Karla (2006)

Based on real events, Paul Bernardo and his wife, Karla Homolka, kidnap, sexually abuse, and murder three young girls. (99 mins.)

IMDb: 5.5/10
Director: Joel Bender
Stars: Laura Prepon, Misha Collins, Patrick Bauchau



The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Dahmer (2002)
98. Dahmer (2002)

A man turns his darkest fantasies into a horrifying reality. (101 mins.)

IMDb: 5.6/10
Director: David Jacobson
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Bruce Davison, Artel Great




The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: Starkweather (2004)
99. Starkweather (2004)

In 1958 Nebraska 19 year old garbageman Charles Starkweather goes on a murder spree with his 14 year old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate killing 11 people in three months, introducing America to spree killing. (92 mins.)

IMDb: 4.9/10
Director: Byron Werner
Stars: Brent Taylor, Shannon Lucio, Jerry Kroll


The 100 Best Serial Killer Movies: The Other Side of Madness (1971)
100. The Other Side of Madness (1971)

A mixture of documentary footage and re-enactment scenes, some filmed on the action locations, of the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders committed by the gang known as the Manson Family. (83 mins.)

IMDb: 4.7/10
Director: Frank Howard
Stars: Brian Klinknett, Erica Bigelow, Paula Shannon

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