The 12 Best Serial Killer Movies Ever Made, Ranked
Here are the 12 best serial killer movies we've ever seen, ranked in order from least to most great.
Mathew Bright's Freeway is as over the top as Henry is grounded: It's a reworking of Little Red Riding Hood with Kiefer Sutherland as Big Bad Wolf Bob Wolverton as Reese Witherspoon as our heroine, who in this case is an illiterate runaway named Vanessa.
In a clever, very '90s update of the fairy tale, no one believes Vanessa, even when she shoots Bob to end his reign of terror up and down California's freeways.
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It's a perfect movie for the era of trash TV and televised murder trials, as lines blurred between death and entertainment.
Based on an excellent graphic novel by Derf Backderf, who really did grow up with Jeffrey Dahmer, this utterly chilling, pitch-dark coming of age film by Mark Meyers is stomach-churning not because of anything exploitative — it is very restrained — but because it captures a moment in time when a horrendous serial killer could have been stopped, if only anyone could have anticipated the pain he would go on to cause.
The film draws a clear line between Dahmer's lack of empathy for both animals and fellow kids and his eventual murders, without being heavy-handed. (His impersonation of someone with a disability is an early sign of his casual, stupid cruelty.)
The entire cast is excellent — especially Ross Lynch as Dahmer and Alex Wolff as Derf — and it will make you think a lot about early warning signs.
Released a year before Freeway to far more acclaim, Seven is the quintessential serial-killer-as-mad-genius movie, and takes maybe a little too much delight in all the ways John Doe (Kevin Spacey) dispenses of his victims.
Like all great villains, he thinks he has a high-minded purpose — killing practitioners of the seven deadly sins — but it's hard to take the movie as anything but pulp.
Still, what well-made pulp. Credit goes to the undeniable craft of director David Fincher and excellent acting all around. Besides great turns by Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Spacey, it was Gwyneth Paltrow's breakout role.
Based on the graphic novel From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, the Hughes brothers' stellar adaptation offers what no one thought possible: a fresh take on Jack the Ripper.
Starring Johnny Depp as a Victorian-era crime solver and Heather Graham as a sex worker whose circle is targeted by Whitechapel's most infamous killer, From Hell will stop at nothing to draw your lurid fascination: There's even a cameo by the Elephant Man.
It also offers a guess at Jack's identity that is grimly believable and narratively satisfying.
Patty Jenkins' portrait of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos is daring and ambitious in a way few films are: It manages to make us understand and even sympathize with its female serial-killer subject before ultimately turning against her.
Charlize Theron underwent an astonishing transformation that won her the Best Actress Oscar, and her astonishing character arc takes time to show, in a way few serial killers movies do, that monsters aren't born, they're made.
By far the funniest serial killer movie ever made, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale in his star-making role), a yuppie who either kills people or vividly imagines killing them, depending on your read of the film.
Our read: He killed all those people. Which makes it even more deeply, darkly funny when everyone assumes he didn't, on account of his good hair, designer clothes, great physique, and adequate business card.
Perhaps funniest of all is the subversion of the hero-detective trope: Willem Dafoe's Donald Kimball is as much a clout-chasing, phony yuppie as Bateman. The script, by director Mary Harron and co-star Guinevere Turner, does a masterful job of mining many of the funniest parts of Bret Easton Ellis' brilliant novel while excising the parts that would make the film too extreme for most audiences.
If you're reading this you might also enjoy our Oral History of American Psycho. And we're very interested in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming adaptation of Ellis' novel, though we can't imagine anyone improving on Harron's version.
David Fincher's Zodiac, which we prefer to his Seven, is almost the opposite of a typical serial-killer story: The crimes are never solved. No one receives catharsis. The killer doesn't just destroy the lives of his direct victims.
The film captures Bay Area gloom and melancholy like no other, as a small band of men, desperate to find one of the most elusive killers of all, dedicate their lives to unpacking his crimes.
Interestingly, a podcast by the aforementioned Bret Easton Ellis offered some ideas about who the Zodiac might have been.
Spike Lee's movie about the Son of Sam murders is barely about the Son of Sam murders — though it does feature a truly great, horrifying moment in which real-life serial killer David Berkowitz gets some murderin' orders from a talking dog.
What Summer of Sam is really about is how fear turns neighbors, friends and lovers against each other.
It's a deeply New York story no one could tell better than Spike Lee. It feels like both a more fiery, passionate, East Coast version of the chilly Zodiac, and like an Americanized version of a German classic that's coming up after the next serial killer movie on our list.
The first movie to feature Dr. Hannibal Lecter — masterfully played by a pre-Succession Brian Cox, above — Manhunter has a simple and brilliant setup: FBI profiler Will Graham can only solve murders by making himself think like the killer.
That may sound old-hat today, but that's only because so many films and TV shows have ripped off Manhunter and the Thomas Harris novel upon which it is based, Red Dragon.
Directed by Michael Mann had the peak of his Miami Vice fame, Manhunter is a magnificent movie in that it is both a very '80s time capsule and ageless. It perfectly captures a moment in time, but that time has aged impressively: The film combines grit and '80s slickness in a way that feels knowing and irresistible.
Speaking of aging well: Fritz Lang's German mystery thriller gets many points for basically inventing the serial killer movie. But almost 100 years after its release, it is also utterly, chillingly terrifying in a way most serial killer movies just aren't.
The black and white atmospheric and the time it takes to show us the killer's routine — including whistling "In the Hall of the Mountain King" — give M a sense of verisimilitude that few films match.
And Lang's innovative tracking shots have informed almost as many films as the script he wrote with wife Thea von Harbou. What the film does most impressivlely isn't even tell a serial killer story: It also delves into how suspicion and fear around the killings plunge a community into scapegoating and dehumanization, two things that would soon became a tragic, horrific part of Germany's history.
Alfred Hitchcock's serial killer movie is filled with twists, starting with the shower death of its ostensibly lead (Janet Leigh) and culiminating in the shocking reveal of the killer. It's an almost perfect movie, with just one flaw: an annoying bit of exposition at the end explaining the basis of Norman Bates' depravity, and what a "psycho" is.
Maybe audiences in 1960 didn't know, but audiences after sure did, thanks to Psycho.
Psycho also contains at least one — and perhaps two — of the greatest movie plot twists ever.
Are we really putting Silence of the Lambs above Psycho? Yes. Its your humble correspondent's favorite movie of all time, in large part because it isn't just a serial killer movie: It's about empathy, and the catastrophic consequences of its absence.
Based on Thomas Harris' follow-up novel to Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs has almost the opposite approach to crime-solving, though it takes some time and reflection to see it. While Will Graham solves saves people by seeing the world through the eyes of the killer, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) saves them by looking through the eyes of the victim.
After sharp, captivating talks with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) about the motivations of Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), Clarice finally saves Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith) by visiting the home of one of Bill's earlier victims — and finds a clue countless male investigators have missed.
Lecter has endless knowledge but little empathy, while Clarice has endless empathy but — at first — little knowledge. She gains knowledge fast, but empathy wins the day.
You may also like this list of Silence of the Lambs Details Most People Missed.
Main image: Main image: Reese Witherspoon in Freeway, Republic Pictures; Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, Orion; Heather Graham in From Hell, 20th Century Fox.
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Buzz Feed
19 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Adults Share Heartwarming Stories About Grandparents
As a certified Grandma's Gal, I always love hearing stories about other people's grandparents — especially older folks. There's something so nostalgic and comforting about them that feels like getting a big warm hug. Recently, older people on Reddit shared some of their fondest memories with their grandparents, and it made me grin from ear to ear. Here are some of the top comments: "Me and my sister would go to my grandparents' house almost every weekend. I had an Italian grandma. She showed me what love is. We would watch Lawrence Welk, and I'd dance in the crochet slippers she made me. My grandpa would tell us stories about Little Red Riding Hood, and in her basket were Liverwurst sandwiches. I lost my teddy while sleeping, and my grandma got into bed and snuggled me. So much comfort. So much love." —Present-Two-98 "I had only a grandmother who lived an hour away. Every year, I spent a week at her house. When I was about 10, she taught me how to play canasta, and we played a lot over the years. A couple of years later, while I was at her house, it was her turn to host the ladies' canasta party. All the ladies were in a tizzy because at the last minute, one player called to say she couldn't make it. Finally, Grandma proposed that I play as the 8th player. I could tell none of the ladies liked that idea until Grandma said I would be her partner. With relief, they all agreed." "Panama City, Florida, summers between about 1968 and 1977. Sitting on the front porch with my grandmother, shelling butterbeans or breaking snap beans in half. I hated the tedium of it at the time, but looking back on it, I'd love to be able to do that with her again. Being set up for bed, on summer nights, with my sister, on their screen porch, with blankets and a box fan. On some nights, they'd turn off the TV and just listen to the radio. Every now and then, my grandfather would pull my grandmother up from her chair and have a quick dance." "My grandmother teaching me how to shoot pool with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. She was born in the 1800s. Gramps was killed in a liquor deal gone bad. She was a 'woman of the streets,' so to speak. She was deemed not fit to raise my dad, so he left to go live with her sister, his aunt, who had seven other boys; he was the youngest. He ended up enlisting at 15, served in three wars, and became an officer. He always sent her money and letters, which she kept. The money she spent. I was her fave." —TinCupJeepGuy "My mema would always say 'Give me some sugar' and kiss me and give me the most awesome hugs when we would go visit." "My grandma took me to the movies to see The Beatles' Hard Day's Night when it first came out. She was in her 60s and looked like the typical grandma. She was carded to get in. My grandma built Mardi-Gras floats in Mobile. She did the work by herself, and was in her 50s when she started that work. She built frames, did papier mache, applied gold leaf by hand, etc. All her grandkids loved hanging out in the warehouses she worked out of. We would get any candy leftover after Mardi-Gras. I could go on. She was the most amazing woman. She had nine kids and 59 grandchildren. I'm honored to have had her in my life." "Our Opa would stand in front of the curtained pantry, reach up and grab a candy bar from the top shelf (that us littles couldn't see) and tell us the cloud man came to visit." —KWAYkai "Once I was really sick in the winter, but it was sort of a nice day, so my grandma let me sit in her car with her in the sun while she taught me how to play Gin Rummy." "My maternal grandpa played the fiddle, and my siblings and I danced." "My paternal grandfather was my favorite grand. I'd sit on his knee and we'd talk and talk. He called me by the Scottish version of my name and never teased me about my red hair. I fell asleep many times while resting my head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. He died when I was 8. I'm an old lady now, but I still miss him." —PeaceOut70 "My grandpa taking me fishing at dawn. Paddling ever so quietly away in the canoe while everyone was still sleeping on their houseboat. Him telling scary bedtime stories as I nestled in my sleeping bag outside under the bright, shiny stars up on top of said houseboat." "Standing in my grandpa's kitchen with him as he opened a popcorn maker. Kernels were still popping and going all over the kitchen. Their little Pomeranians were dashing around, eating popcorn off the floor. With every pop my grandpa was exclaiming 'dammit! dammit' while I just laughed. Standing in the same grandpa's kitchen 20-something years later, as he taught me to make salsa." "In 1st grade Sunday school, I was approached to play Joseph in the Christmas Pageant. I didn't want to do it…no how, no way. My grandmother made a special trip to come see me with her proposal. She would buy me a special toy right there and then if I agreed to be in the pageant. I loved all things space and astronaut-related. I shot for the moon — Major Matt Mason Space Station. We made the rounds of the stores in North Jersey and finally found one." "When it came time for the pageant, I hammed it up perfectly. I made like I was searching high and low for an empty inn, mimed an argument with the 'No Vacancy' innkeepers, and doted over my Wife Of The Night. People ate it up! My grandmother had tears in her eyes, she was so happy. It would be the biggest toy I ever received, and I played the hell out of it!"—stilloldbull2 "My Grandpa was missing three fingers from his left hand from a saw accident. He could still play the piano just as amazingly as before the accident." "Speaking Sicilian with my Nonno (grandfather). During my most awkward years (12-13), he was my best friend. Playing cards, sneaking into his room after the house was quiet, drinking Brown Derby beer (from the closet), and smoking Lark cigarettes." "Mine mostly passed when I was quite young or before I was born. I was always kind of jealous of kids who had good relationships with their grandparents. My one surviving grandmother was strange. I remember she had a cat journal where she documented her cat Totsy's daily activities, like almost a fanfiction. Totsy also lived for like 20 years. She didn't write anything about my mom in them, just cat." —NeiClaw "Some of my best memories were with my grandma. When I was younger, we'd bake pies and she'd take me to the mall for lunch and shopping. In her later years, the roles were reversed. She was one of the most genuine, positive, and beloved people I've ever known. She lived to be 100. I'll miss her dearly until the day I see her again." "My grandparents were the most wonderful people. I think my best memory of them, together, was at a wedding when I was 8. My grandmother was dancing the tarantella scarf dance, and my grandfather was laughing and clapping along. They were so happy. With my grandfather, my favorite memory was around the same time; my grandfather was a train engineer, and he would take me to work and let me 'drive the train.' He died when I was 10, but I lived with my grandmother until I joined the Army at 18. Probably my favorite memory of my grandmother was when I was I high school. I was in a band, and we would practice at her house. One day, the neighbors complained that they couldn't hear their TV, and my grandmother told them they should turn it up. I always felt supported by my grandmother, no matter what I did." "The smells at their house: the cypress trees that framed the front door, the clay of the garden in the back, the yeast rolls my grandmother made every day, and the clove gum my grandfather chewed. Just one of those smells takes me back, even 60 years later." —Baebarri "We went to my grandparents' house every Saturday when I was growing up. Everything just tasted better when my Gramma made it. We had egg salad, tuna fish, or cold cut sandwiches for lunch (cookies for dessert). 'Supper' (as they called it) was either London Broil or Chicken Parm (with one of my Gram's exquisite homemade pies for dessert). My Gramma played with me and my sister while Knight Rider was on TV (she would say, 'That Michael Knight is such a nice boy!'). Haha. My dad and grandfather watched sports in the other room. They're all gone now except for me and my sister. I still remember every inch of it." "The fish fries my grandparents would throw on Fridays or Saturdays. My grandpa was an avid sports fisherman and would always throw down fried bass with hushpuppies, cole slaw, and roasted parsley potatoes. We'd all stay outside in their rural, pastoral backyard catching fireflies until it got too dark, and then we'd all come inside and listen to someone bust out some amazing music. Then someone would say, 'Let's hit the highway, y'all.' This time has come and gone. It is a sweet memory. I am grateful for it." "My Grandma had an electric dryer that, when done, played the tune 'How Dry I Am.' She got me up very early one morning and insisted I sing for the milkman. I got a glass bottle of chocolate milk." —Sknowles12 "My paternal grandparents lived 8 hours away. We had a reel-to-reel with speakers and a microphone. We would record messages to them, mail them, and they would send one back. My favorite was my grandfather whistling for the dog, and he barked at the player." "I remember my grandma making delicious Dutch Olliebollen every Saturday morning and going for walks with her through Hoboken, New Jersey, where she would point out the houses and apartment buildings where people she knew died from the Spanish Flu. Then we'd stop at a pier and watch the tugboats push ocean liners into their berths." "My grandmother flew to see us, early in the mid-50s, 1955 or 1956. She smuggled a little kitten in her purse. She had the purse under the seat, and the kitten got out and wandered the plane. The flight attendant (stewardess, then) brought the kitten to my grandmother and said, 'I think you lost this.' Without a blink, she said, 'Thank you so much. It is a gift for my grandson.' We called the kitten Smudge because of the irregular dark mark on the forehead of the white kitten." —Off2xtremes "My grandparents were from rural Alabama. In 1978, we dug their last outhouse. We got them running water to the house four years later, but the memory of taking leave from the Army that summer and digging that hole while my grandma made us sweet tea was such a yin/yang moment. She made another ten years but at least had her own 'shitshed,' her words, not mine." And finally, "My grandfather had a tin with boiled sweets, but he was famous for not sharing. Us grandkids would never be allowed to have any... until he left the room. Then my grandma would call us in and have us quickly grab two each, 'One for the mouth, one for the hand.'" What's a special memory you have with your grandparents that shows how much times have changed? Share it with us in the comments or via the anonymous form below:
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Al Pacino Horror Movie ‘The Ritual' Splattered With 6% Critics Score
Al Pacino at the 96th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, ... More California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images) Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino is getting no love from Rotten Tomatoes critics for his new horror movie The Ritual. Pacino, of course, is the legendary star of such films as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Trilogy, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface and Heat. Recently, Pacino — who has been nominated for nine Oscars and won for Best Actor for the 1992 drama Scent of a Woman — has recently starred in such acclaimed films as Martin Scorese's The Irishman and Ridley Scott's House of Gucci. Pacino's The Ritual — which opened in theaters on Friday — has critics not raving, but ripping the celebrated actor's exorcism film. The official summary for the film reads, 'The Ritual is based on the true story of Emma Schmidt's 1928 exorcism — one of the most terrifying in U.S. history. 'After years of disturbing behavior, she underwent a week-long ordeal in an Iowa convent led by Father Theophilus Riesinger (Pacino). Witnesses reported levitation, unearthly voices, and supernatural strength. Sanctioned by the Church, her case inspired decades of horror — and now, The Ritual brings the original story to life.' The Ritual also stars Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Patrick Fabian and Patricia Heaton. As of Saturday morning, Rotten Tomatoes critics have collectively given The Ritual a lowly 6% 'rotten' score based on 48 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus for The Ritual reads, 'The Ritual purportedly presents a real occult occurrence, but the most blasphemous thing about it may be wasting Al Pacino's talents on a clichéd story with uninspired execution.' Dennis Harvey of Variety is among the top critics on RT who gives The Ritual a 'Rotten' review, writing, 'It just isn't much fun, even as it lacks the gravitas needed to make a more deeply unsetting impression, as William Friedkin famously managed with The Exorcist 52 years ago,' while Glenn Kenney of the New York Times simply notes, 'Just watch The Exorcist again.' In addition, the Guardian's Leslie Felperin's 'rotten' RT summary reads, '[Al] Pacino doesn't seem to be taking any of it seriously as he phones in an uncharacteristically low-volume performance.' Meagan Navarro of the horror film site Bloody Disgusting also fails to find any thrills and chills in her RT summary, writing, 'The 'based on a true story' horror movie fails to evoke any emotion as it sleepwalks through a tired recreation of an exorcism movie's third act, committing the ultimate cardinal sin in cinema: it's boring.' The only 'fresh' review from RT's top critics comes from Thelma Adams of AARP Movies for Grown-Ups, who writes, 'There is much faith testing and holy water slinging, but not a single jump scare. Still, [Al] Pacino is oddly compelling to watch.' The Ritual, starring Al Pacino, is now playing in in theaters.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'Ballerina' Turns Heads With First Rotten Tomatoes Score
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina debuts in select theaters on June 5 with its country-wide release on June 6. The film is headlined by lead actress Ana de Armas, who plays the role of Eve Macarro, a ballerina who begins to train in the traditions of the Ruska Roma. It takes place following the events of John Wick 3: Parabellum. Ahead of the films's release, de Armas praised Keanu Reeves, who will make an appearance as John Wick in the new spin-off. 'His creativity and input during the rehearsal is always so inspiring, he knows these films better than anyone and I loved having him by my side. When I saw him walking on set dressed as John, it was pretty surreal," de Armas explained. "I'll never forget that day. Keanu has always been a huge influence on me, since the day we met. I never imagined I was going to work with him again; and here we are, living a really cool full circle moment.' With the film slated for release, Rotten Tomatoes revealed the first reviews for the John Wick spin-off - and fans are in for a treat. Traditionally Rotten Tomatoes withholding the scores until the day of release is a bad sign for the film, but not in this case as Ballerina debuted with a very respectable 79-percent after 47 reviews. After adding another 42 reviews since Rotten Tomatoes fired off that tweet, the score for Ballerina sits at 78-percent, which bodes well for its theatrical release. Fans took to social media to share their reactions for the score. "Expected it to be higher but this is cool too 🙌," one person said. "I just left the cinema, what a surreal film, incredible action scenes and Ana de Armas was born for the role ❤️," offered another. "Should be 85%+. The action and stunts were high octane. Ana kicks butt!" added a third. Ballerina releases country-wide on June 6.'Ballerina' Turns Heads With First Rotten Tomatoes Score first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2025
