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Table of Content
"What goes through a murderer's mind?" Audiences have been captivated by this unsettling question for decades.
In order to make you uncomfortable long after the screen goes black, serial killer movies use psychology, quiet, and real-life horror in addition to jump scares and fast-paced action.
These films examine obsession, manipulation, and the fine line between good and evil, from the eerie investigation of Zodiac to the unnerving realism of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
Serial killer movies, whether they are based on real-life incidents or are influenced by actual offenders, make us face difficult realities about human nature, which is precisely what makes them so compelling.
1. Zodiac
IMDb Rating: 7.7 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
A serial killer movies in the San Francisco Bay Area uses cryptic texts and letters to mock the police. In this lightly fictionalised depiction of a real-life case from the 1970s, we follow the reporters and investigators as they become fixated on finding the culprit.
The lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper staff are the main subject of the film, which is based on Robert Graysmith's book.The film "Zodiac" opens on the suspenseful night of July 4, 1969, when Mike Mageau (played by Lee Norris) and Darlene Ferrin (played by Ciara Hughes) are the targets of the infamous Zodiac killer's second brutal attack in a remote lovers' lane in Vallejo, California. Mageau fortunately survives, while Ferrin tragically passes away from her wounds.
2. Badlands
IMDb Rating: 7.7 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
In the South Dakota Badlands, an impressionable adolescent girl from a desolate town and her older greaser boyfriend go on a murderous rampage. The late 1950s are the time. Kit, a young man in his mid-twenties, has a James Dean swagger and a restless, unfocused demeanour that he has heard described numerous times.
Because she is the main memory of her father's wife, who passed away from pneumonia when Holly was a youngster, fifteen-year-old Holly has a rather chilly relationship with her father, a sign painter. The serial killer movies, which stars Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, centres on 15-year-old Holly Sargis (Spacek), who goes on a murderous rampage with her companion. Ramon Bieri and Warren Oates are also featured in the movie. Even yet, the narrative is made up.
3. 10 Rillington Place
IMDb Rating: 7.5 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
In 1944,The serial killer movies, John Christie killed a friend after enticing her to his flat at 10 Rillington Place in West London by promising to use a "special mixture" to cure her bronchitis.
It is implied that he sexually abuses her corpse after using town gas to render her unconscious and strangling her with a rope. After burying her in the building's common garden, he unintentionally finds Ruth Fuerst, one of his previous victims, while excavating the grave. The film describes the horrific events at 10 Rillington Place, where British serial killer John Christie killed several people inside his terraced home while police investigations resulted in neighbour Timothy Evans' erroneous arrest, conviction, and execution, revealing a grave injustice.
4. The Deliberate Stranger
IMDb Rating: 7.3 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
The tale of Ted Bundy, a serial killer movies. This movie portrays the life of serial killer Theodore Robert Bundy and is based on a true story. After killing a number of young women, he moves from Seattle to Utah in 1974 to study law, where more ladies vanish.
To effectively handle this case, several police departments must collaborate. Not soon enough, but soon. When Bundy is tried in the media, many people both sympathise with him and despise him because of his good-boy demeanour. In 1980, Seattle Times reporter Richard W. Larsen wrote a book titled The Deliberate Stranger on American serial killer Ted Bundy. A television miniseries of the same name was inspired by the book.
Also Read: Best Survival Movies That Test Human Strength and Hope
5. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
IMDb Rating: 7.0 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
Henry is a very unstable vagabond who kills men, women, and even children at random while wandering about America. After relocating to Chicago, he briefly stops at a diner before turning violent, killing numerous ladies at a liquor store and elderly shopkeepers.
John McNaughton is the director and co-writer of the 1986 American independent psychological horror film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer movies, which tells the story of a serial killer who appears to be operating without consequence. Tracy Arnold plays Otis's sister Becky, Tom Towles plays Otis, Henry's prison companion, and Michael Rooker makes his cinematic debut as the itinerant killer Henry.
6. From Hell
IMDb Rating: 6.7 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
Annie Crook, a modest shopgirl from the grim alleys of London's East End, and Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence—often known as Prince Eddy—become involved in a forbidden romance.
Serial killer movies Annie is unaware that Prince Eddy is paying her a visit while using a false identity, and their covert relationship results in the birth of a kid. Sadly, Queen Victoria notices their romance and gives the order to separate Prince Albert Victor from Annie. discover that it was a Freemason inside job to conceal a royal love child, all the while Johnny Depp is attempting to master an English accent that sounds like he's gargling gravel.
7. Dear Mr. Gacy
IMDb Rating: 6.4 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
Jason Moss, a criminology student, chooses to write to John Wayne Gacy as part of his college thesis in an attempt to win his trust by pretending to be a weak admirer.
Moss presents himself as a disturbed, sexually confused adolescent in a well-written letter to the imprisoned murderer. Instead of focussing on sensationalism, the serial killer movies goal is to delve into Gacy's mind in the hopes of finding new content for an exceptional term paper.An account of college student Jason Moss's interactions with serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the subject of his fixation.
Jason Moss, a serial killer and overachieving college student, chooses to write his criminology class term project on John Wayne Gacy, who is on death row and will be put to death in six months.
8. Karla
IMDb Rating: 5.4 /10
Where to watch: Netflix / DisneyPlus
Karla Homolka had a crucial appointment with psychologist Dr. Arnold on May 11, 2000, at Canada's Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon. Determining Karla's eligibility for parole is the aim.
When Dr. Arnold displays a picture album of Karla and her husband in happier moments, the atmosphere of the room changes. However, Karla becomes aloof and reluctant as the topic shifts to her sister, Tammy Homolka, indicating how much the past affects her. Three young girls are abducted, sexually assaulted, and killed by Paul Bernardo and his wife, Karla Homolka, based on actual events. Manette Rosen and Michael D. Sellers co-wrote the 2006 American psychological thriller Karla and serial killer movies, which was written and directed by Joel Bender.
Dark, intense, and deeply unsettling, serial killer movies offer more than fear—they provide a haunting look into crime, psychology, and reality. If you’re drawn to true-crime stories that linger in your mind, this list is worth exploring.
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