The definition of a serial killer by homicide detectives is typically three bodies all killed in the same fashion. Therefore, I think those on this list fit the bill a little too well.
I’ll start off by saying these are the human serial killers. Inhuman ones will be listed in another post later on. As a matter of fact, please suggest who you’d like to see on the inhuman list and I’ll be happy to oblige.
10. Jack the Ripper – Time After Time
I chose David Warner’s Ripper because I have a soft spot for Malcolm McDowell movies and Warner creeps me out. All malnourished and what-not. Plus, Time After Time has a little bonus originality added to it. Herbet Wells (yes, H.G. Wells–played by McDowell) is forced to track down his friend (Warner) after his time machine is stolen.
Once Wells finds out that his good friend is Jack the Ripper, he follows him into the year 1979. Subsequently he meets Amy (played by Mary Steenburgen), but that’s for another story. With buckets of blood and severed body parts, Jack the Ripper left his mark on more than one era.
9. Mickey and Mallory Knox – Natural Born Killers
Peyote trips, gore, snake bites, and Australian Robert Downey Jr. made Natural Born Killers an awesome movie. But these two runaway serial killers made the list because of their tweaked back story. Poor Juliette Lewis was stuck with Rodney Dangerfield as a slobby and abusive stain of a father.
But then she meets Woody Harrelson. And together, they kill Dear Old Dad and then decide to run away together. And murder people. Yep. Murder and rape follow them wherever they go. And there’s even a delightful little prison break at the end.
8. George Harvey – The Lovely Bones
There’s not much worse than a grown man with a desire to rape and murder children (see: John Wayne Gacy). The Lovely Bones was actually a novel before it was a film. I have to say the film did a brilliant job of showing the grief of a family after a death.
And the fact that the girl’s body is never recovered gives the viewers a sense of anxiety. But, the final scene did do her justice. George Harvey makes the list at number eight because of his sick obsession.
7. Ghostface – Scream
We’ve all seen at least one of the Scream movies. Who else jumped up and down when Drew Barrymore was gutted? Nobody? Was that just me? Oh well.
Anyway, I don’t have to tell you that Scream is about a masked murderer hunting teenagers. And it’s usually centered around poor Neve Campbell. Ghostface makes the list because the killer changes each film. And copycats are always creepy.
6. Henry – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Okay, so this one was based on a real live serial killer, but I had to add it because…Michael Rooker is creepy no matter what movie he’s in. Just look at him.
Look.
He just adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the whole movie. And I can’t think of anyone better to calmly hold a severed head than this guy.
5. Buffalo Bill – The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs was also based on a novel except the movie was actually better in many ways. Buffalo Bill is based on a hodgepodge of real serial killers.
A man who believes he was born as the wrong gender, Buffalo Bill hunts down women who are a size 14, starves them and then skins them to make a woman suit. Yeah, that’s not crazy at all. And it’s that kind of normality that give Buffalo Bill the number five spot on this list.
4. Patrick Bateman – American Psycho
Christian Bale you say? Yes, please. Christian Bale as a psycho serial killer? Show me where to sign (I have no idea what I mean by that)! American Psycho is one of those films I can watch a million times.
I never tire of seeing Jared Leto get axed or the prostitute hesitate before taking Bale’s dirty dirty money. She already knew she was going to take it. She knew. Anyway, what the film does brilliantly is keep the viewer on their toes. Is it all in his head? Did he actually murder people? We may never know… Thus marks the end of my sarcasm.
3. Hannibal Lecter – The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Manhunter, etc.
Dr. Lecter makes the list at number three because he’s so damn calm and collected about his kills. That, and he’s so incredibly intelligent it’s hard to keep up.
It’s almost like his psychosis is…logically a part of him. Which is scary in itself. And the fact that he enjoys feeding his victims to other people when they’re none the wiser is just…just…inhuman.
2. Norman Bates – Psycho
Norman Bates just had to be on here. Psycho is a classic that will never get old. And I’m talking about Anthony Perkins not Vince Vaughn. Something about that guy’s dead stare and monotone voice. He’s an android. I know it.
Anyway, Norman Bates makes the list because Psycho is some good old fashioned crazy at its best. I mean, who makes mom into a puppet after she dies? Who?
1. John Doe – Se7en
Kevin Spacey! Kevin Spacey is always insane. Not always creepy, but always insane. Whether he’s an alien from another planet or your horny middle-aged neighbor, there’s always a touch of psychotic in those eyes. And John Doe proves that.
He’s out to tell the world that the seven deadly sins should be taken seriously, and kills one person per sin. But in the end, he’s the last victim (kinda). And he’s the last to die.
Did I miss a serial killer you’d like to see on a list? What inhuman serial killers would you like to see me talk about? I’ll even give you a shout-out on the next post!
Amy Surprenant 