Top Serial Killer Books

Sep 04, 2012  Serial killers have fascinated and disgusted us for generations, their behavior an insane cesspit of deviant acts that we can t get enough of – whether.

Writing a list of top serial killer films is a rather massive undertaking. While this list is limited to 25, the amount of true serial killer films ranges well over 200. There is also alot of contradiction as to what really constitutes a serial killer film. For instance if a madman traps a bunch of kids on a house and kills them all, is he a serial killer or just a lousy host..

Now if you take a step back to a few years ago, there was a serial killer craze for awhile that featured each title by the name of the actual real serial killer. Though after about 3 of these, I quickly observed that most of them were very poor and in fact quite boring. So for the sake of this list, I m not including them for that fact alone. This list comprises a bit of fictional and non-fictional films that I found to be of recommended stature. A few franchises such as SAW, and Hannibal have been listed more as a collection, as to each from the series has much to offer. This is not a SAW list, but rather a recommendation of titles. I will say that I ve seen several of this mystery 200 list but there are a few that I haven t seen. So to avoid criticism, I ll just say their may be some older gems that got overlooked. The criteria here was a perspective of great films that reside in the serial killer genre.

Also for the record I m leaving out franchises like Halloween, Texas Chainsaw and Friday the 13th as they also have a bit of supernatural elements interwoven into them making them more of a different sort killer gets shot and rises from dead. Often mask driven or character driven films seem to instill a bit of can t die into their premise, for instance: Midnight Movie, Shocker, and Laid to Rest, or The Hills Run Red.

Vigilante justice films are also not included, as while they DO kill off a large number of bodies, the are positioned from a place of doing good for the community SAW films may sometimes fall into that gray area

Keep in mind to be deemed a serial killer, one has to participate in the murder of several.

I think the movie has to ooze that serial killer vibe, as well in its storyline

It should also star Morgan Freeman just kidding

Any ways, those who are new to these titles, enjoy.

Note: Not in ranking order

01- SAW Franchise series

Take your pick, any one of these 7 films are worthy of a quality viewing experience. By definition, or at least by Jigsaw s perspective he wasn t a serial killer. He in fact let his victims decide if they live or die. But let s cut the crap here. the man whether a genius engineer or psychotic pretty much set the stage for his captured victims to die a horrible death. Saw movies revolutionized the idea of crafty devices. Loved everyone one of these and look forward to seeing them all again.

02-  Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986

This here little gem is pretty much old school serial fare. It was one of those films that was banned before we grew up as a viewing audience. So when this arrived, it was pretty horrible stuff. Though lately, we find ourselves enjoying the crap out of nasty killings and paying good money for it. This was Michael Rooker in his earlier days, when everyone was afraid of him. I m not sure he ever wiped himself completely clean of his serial killer persona but he sure is a raw talent. You ll want to give this one a whirl as it s a cult film as much as a horror film. Most of all it s cold as ice.

03- The Cell 2000

What a movie. Though take away Jennifer Lopez and it still would be awesome. Tarsem Singh proved his visionary way of filmmaking with some pretty freaky stuff here. The movie is as beautiful as a nightmare and as haunting as a dream. Our eye candy is candy indeed, making the serial aspect bigger than life. You would think that Marilyn Manson might pop out any second in this almost music video feeling style of props and weirdness. Though I never grow old seeing the inside realities of a serial killer mind. Cell 2. sucked don t waste a breath on it.

04- Natural Born Killers 1994

This movie came out and people just didn t get it. Oliver Stone is one brilliant mind, who actually exceeded expectations with this release. Though the film doesn t feel like a film at times, which is the prod that stuck to viewers sides. My advice is, just experience this in all its sensationalism. The vibe of iconic circumstance is a cup over flowing in NBK. A brilliant take on life and the media. The media. Yep, with Mickey and Mallory on hand to oblige. The movie is more cult than it is horror but then again the horror is delivered in a sarcastic tone that drips in dark comedic filmmaking.

05- Rampage 1987

Hey world, what ever happened to this creepy serial killer explosion. If not mistaken, this movie is still left to aging VHS tapes that have seen too many hit play moments. Rampage is actually based on a true story but is taken farther and more bloodier. Directed by William Friedkin, Alex McArthur is a true terror i his role as Charlie Reece. There is this shot of Charlie blood soaked in front of a church altar that leaves a rather nasty impression. Still on my list to this day, though a DVD would be nice..

06- Hannibal – Silence of the Lambs – ManHunter – Red Dragon Hannibal Collective

 You want yourself a movie experience. Sit down with this set and watch front to back. We won t mention the additional film this franchise as it was these 4 that made the world fear Hannibal Lecter. Though when Anthony Hopkins entered the arena, we had the perfect model of a psychotic mind. Sure, one may favor the other but each offers a nice segment into the workings of a serial mind. Though when we get down to it, really Jodie foster was the high point in making Silence of the Lambs a serial killer front runner. We ll miss Anthony as Hannibal, maybe it s time for return.

07- Se7en 1995

This film really doesn t need a commentary. As I believe it exists somewhere on every collectors shelf. The movie was groundbreaking for serial killer films. In fact a few on this list were directly inspired by the impact it had on the movie industry as a whole. Kevin Spacey. could there be a better choice. Nope. The horrifics were unsettling enough to leave a mark whether seen of implied. That iconic intro, that Morgan Freeman knack for detective work.. Se7en has never been topped as a front runner. A true classic that made David Finchera top name Director.

08- The Vanishing 1993

A perfect example of what can happen to those gone missing. The Vanishing was actually a remake of a foreign film, though at the time. .this was what westerners had to watch. There is a few moments so cold and realistic that it might give you a reason to dread humanity. The Vanishing was one of those films that took along time to make it to DVD, though a careful viewing session stills deems effective to fragile minds. I think the moment of realization in The Vanishing is the hardest to take. We feel for the characters and the victims. A good solid thriller that for some reason was not always favored by the critics.

09- Untraceable 2008

Sort of a hybrid film, this movie succeeds in some nasty torture serial moments. It also give viewers a reason to fear creepy on liners who live for ratings and hit counts. Time based kills, nasty devices. it s a tribute to SAW without being SAW. Diane Lane succeeds as a worthy protagonist and empowered female to root for. Maybe it s not perfect, but I still think its quality cinema. This movie also tends to want to make a statement about cyber culture and too much media at our disposal. Perhaps a future Untraceable copy cat serial killer is still around the corner

10- Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon 2006

Really an oddity, that while comedic thru the first and 2nd acts actually manages to become that which it makes fun of. The director went for a different approach that I think threw folks for a loop. Though in it s scream-like self sarcasm, this ends up being a really good serial killer flick. It certainly is not in the vein of Se7en or others on this list, but it is a nice change of pace that gives us what we are used to seeing with a twist. Still underrated, this film is a true future classic.

11- The Bone Collector 1999

One of the few serial killer films that stars Angelina Jolie. This movie was one of the highlight follow up films coming off the Se7en era. The inventiveness in left to die serial murders made this a strong contender for this wave of movies. It may have not made as much as an impact, though Denzel Washington is hard to beat.

Denzel Washington plays a quadriplegic homicide detective. He and his female partner track down a serial killer

12- Zodiac 2007

The title of Zodiac has been re-done so many times, it was becoming hard to differentiate the good ones from poor. Director: David Fincher got behind this one and added a stellar cast. By these 2 factors it probably could stand on its own as an entry, though the film also ends up being a really great look at the famed zodiac murders if not best.

A San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer

See – Top 25 Best Serial Killer Movies of All Time – Part 2

Top 25 Best Serial Killer Movies of All Time.

Crime

Serial killers have fascinated and disgusted us for generations, their behavior an insane cesspit of deviant acts that we can t get enough of – whether it be films like Silence of the Lambs or in the news as they dominate the headlines, making us double-check our windows and doors. Here lies a compilation of the most bizarre statements to have passed through the lips of these monstrous beings.

10

Aileen Wuornos

Quote – May your wife and children get raped, right in the ass. To the jurors who convicted her.

Aileen Wuornos entered the world on February 29th 1956 only to be forced into the most turbulent childhood, being forced into acts of incest from an early age. Barely leaving infancy she could be found trading sexual favors for cigarettes and when she was 14 faced the horrendous predicament of being pregnant – with the potential fathers being her brother and her grandfather. Shunned by her family she left home to reside in the nearby woods. She later went on to hitchhike across America working as a prostitute. She was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing seven men. She claimed self defense, stating these men had raped her.

9

Albert Fish

Quote – I like children they are tasty.

Born May 19th 1870 Albert fish was a cannibal and child rapist who boasted to have consumed children in every state. He was also known as The Brooklyn Vampire, the Werewolf of Wysteria and the Moon Maniac. His family had an intense history of mental illness and religious mania and Fish was no exception to the family tradition. From an early age, his pastimes included the consumption of urine and feces, frequenting public baths to watch young boys undress, and writing obscene letters to women he found in the classified ads. While in prison he enjoyed forcing needles into his groin and urinary tract. He was sentenced to death for the kidnap and murder of Grace Budd, deeming the electric chair the greatest sexual thrill imaginable. During his execution the electric chair short circuited due the amount of needles in his body.

8

Arthur Shawcross

Quote – She was giving me oral sex, and she got carried away. . . So I choked her.

Born June 6th 1945 Arthur Shawcross was imprisoned for the manslaughter of two children only to kill eleven more times after his release. Recorded as having an extremely low IQ, somewhere around 86 and 92, he served in the war in Vietnam where he witnessed various atrocities. He was also known as the Genesee Killer where he murdered eleven prostitutes, although the number could be significantly higher. He died at the age of 63 in 2008. There is a youtube clip on Shawcross you can watch here.

7

BTK – Dennis Rader

Quote – I actually think I may be possessed with demons, I was dropped on my head as a kid.

Born March 9th 1945 Dennis Lynn Rader killed 10 people is Sedgwick County between 1974 and 1991. The initials BTK became his moniker as he declared in various letters to the local newspapers that they stood for Bind, Torture, Kill. After serving in the Air Force, Rader became a dogcatcher and supervisor for the Compliance Department. He remained at large for so long as his MO differed from victim to victim preventing any links or patterns. He was eventually caught after a familial link was established between semen found at one of the crime scenes and a tissue sample taken from his daughter.

6

Carl Panzram

Quote – I sat down to think things over a bit. While I was sitting there, a little kid about eleven or twelve years-old came bumming around. He was looking for something. He found it too. I took him out to a gravel pit about one quarter miles away. I left him there, but first committed sodomy on him and then killed him. His brains were coming out of his ears when I left him, and he will never be any deader.

Born June 28th 1891 Panzram was a convicted serial killer, arsonist, thief, burglar and rapist. Panzram confessed to his best friend and prison guard Henry Lesser to 22 murders and of sodomizing over 1000 young males. Of Prussian heritage, young Panzram was raised on a farm in Minnesota then was incarcerated several times for petty crimes. His killing spree began in 1920 when he started to lure young sailors from bars to rape and shoot them.

5

David Berkowitz

Quote – The demons wanted my penis.

Also known as the Son of Sam and the. 44 Killer, Berkowitz terrorized New York in the summer of 1976 by shooting 8 people, claiming he was ordered to kill by a demon that possessed his neighbor s dog. He later went on to claim he only took part in two of the shootings as the others took place at the hands of various members of a Satanic cult he belonged to. However, no other people were convicted of these crimes.

4

Edmund Kemper

Quote – Even when she was dead, she was still bitching at me. I couldn t get her to shut up.

Also known as the Co-Ed Killer, Kemper weighing in at 300 lbs and standing 6 ft 9 inches tall, was a convicted serial killer and necrophiliac. His career in killing started at 15 when he killed his grandparents. He was institutionalized in a psychiatric Hospital where he displayed severe sociopathic tendencies. Upon his release he killed and dismembered six female hitchhikers then his mother and her friend before turning himself in two days later.

3

The Zodiac Killer

Quote – If the blue meanies are going to get me they d better get off their asses and do something.

The Zodiac Killer operated in California during the late- 60s and 70s, shooting young couples, the Zodiac Killer became one of the most renowned serial killers of all time due to his taunting, encrypted letters to the press and the fact that he has never been caught. He has been confirmed with seven shootings and five deaths although he boasts 37 killings in his letters. The killer was named the Zodiac by the press as his letters were signed with the hunting symbol of the crosshairs. Numerous attempts by police and amateur investigators have taken place to discover the identity of the killer but the case has remained open since 1969.

2

Ted Bundy

Quote – Sometimes I feel like a vampire.

Serial killer, rapist, kidnapper and necrophiliac, Theodore Robert Bundy confessed to 30 homicides across seven states during the early- 70s. Due to his handsome looks and charismatic behavior, the clinical psychopath found it easy to lure young women to his car. He often would have a fake plaster cast around his arm and would ask for the assistance of a young girl in helping him carry something to his car. Once there he would trap them inside his VW Beetle which he s modified by taking out the inside handles rendering the girls escape futile. Blondie singer Debbie Harry had a fortunate escape from the killer unlike many of his victims who all resembled his former girlfriend, attractive, petite with mid-length brown hair in a center parting.

1

John Wayne Gacy

Quote – The only thing they can get me for is running a funeral parlor without a license.

Executed in 1994, Gacy was convicted of 33 murders and sentenced to death for 12. Gacy lured teenage boys to his home before brutally murdering and raping them. He buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his basement, another three he disposed of in a nearby river and the rest were buried in various parts of his property. Also known as the Killer Clown, the name came about because of his charitable fund-raising events where he performed as Pogo the Clown.

What s the only thing more terrifying than a serial killer. How about a serial killer that s still on the loose. Unfortunately, not every crazed murderer out there is.

Best list of the Top 100 serial killers of all time. Our famous serial killers list includes photos of female serial killers.

Top 25 Best 25 Serial Killer Movies of All Time - A Horror List of recommended serial killer horror films by HorrorNews.net.

Top 13 Greatest Serial Killer Movies - Horror Movie Film Lists - HorrorNews.net.

If you had to pick a city to bestow the title Serial Killer capital of America onto, you d probably nominate Detroit, or maybe Miami. Well, Cleveland, Ohio has.