We can’t help but be fascinated by stories of grisly murders, the regular old Joe who happens to be living a double life, or the detectives racing to stop a killer. Maybe it’s the simply unnerving idea that evil walks among us, and this is the closest we’re willing to come to danger without being a target in real life. We could also just be fascinated with what humans are capable of. Whatever the reason for our love of the genre, it’s clear we love it based on the sheer number of films out there. There’s no shortage of picks, but these are our top choices for the best serial killer movies of all time.
What are the best serial killer movies of all time?
Before we get into this, let’s distinguish serial killer movies from slasher flicks, Hitchcockian thrillers, or movies featuring characters who get pushed a little too far. For this list, a serial killer movie requires a murderer with a methodical, extremely compulsive intent to kill. These killers are smart enough to evade capture and often take a disturbing amount of satisfaction in the ongoing game of cat-and-mouse.
There are plenty of great entries in this subgenre; these are just our top picks. Honorable mentions include David Fincher’s Zodiac, based on the true-crime killer, and the more recent Watcher, which follows a woman convinced that the neighbor across the street is a serial killer who has begun watching her through his window.
Se7en (1995)
Maybe the best serial-killer movie ever made, Se7en is a David Fincher classic and the reason we can’t help but yell “What’s in the box?!” whenever a wrapped package appears in our lives.
Jokes aside, the film follows a pair of detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) hunting a serial killer whose murders are meticulously designed as punishment for the seven deadly sins. The film also features a deeply unsettling Kevin Spacey as the killer. Drenched in grimy ’90s noir, Se7en firmly put Fincher on the map as one of the great crime filmmakers. (We’re still waiting for Mindhunter to come back — rumors abound.)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Another defining film from the golden age of ’90s thrillers, The Silence of the Lambs stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, one of the FBI’s brightest trainees at the Academy in Quantico. Behavioral Science chief Jack Crawford recruits her to interview imprisoned serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins in what may be his most iconic role, one that won him his first Oscar). The hope is that Lecter’s insight, drawn from his keen intellect and personal experience, might help agents track down Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who kidnaps women and removes their skin.
There’s so much good that can be said about this movie, which was directed by Jonathan Demme with a script by Ted Tally from Thomas Harris’ novel. If you haven’t watched it yet, make it a priority. The trilogy with Anthony Hopkins is all good; the sequel, Hannibal (2001), is a bit of a letdown, though the prequel, Red Dragon (2002), is solid. The fourth film, Hannibal Rising, is unfortunately abysmal.
Manhunter (1986)
Before The Silence of the Lambs made Hannibal Lecter a household name, Michael Mann’s Manhunter laid the groundwork. Also pulling from Thomas Harris’s novel Red Dragon, the film follows FBI profiler Will Graham (William L. Petersen) as he’s pulled out of retirement and sent back into the field to hunt a serial killer known as “The Tooth Fairy,” named for the bite marks he leaves on his victims. The crimes are brutal and disturbingly intimate, with more than enough creepiness baked into their ritualistic nature.
Graham enlists the help of another deranged mind: cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox). This is where we really get a sense of Mann’s signature style—cool neon lighting, themes of duality, meticulous compositions, and a masterclass in building dread on screen. Though the film fared poorly at the box office upon release, it’s since earned its reputation as a classic.
Memories of Murder (2003)
Though Parasite put Bong Joon-ho on the map in Western media, he’s long been making films well worth watching. This one plays out similarly in style and pacing to Fincher’s Zodiac, though Memories of Murder came out four years earlier. As a point of comparison for whether this film might be up your alley, the premise is also somewhat similar.
Based on South Korea’s first documented serial murder case, the film focuses more on the hunt for the killer than the killer himself. In rural South Korea in 1986, two detectives are assigned to investigate a double murder. As the case expands and more bodies appear, they slowly begin to realize they’re dealing with a serial killer. While the film starts darkly funny and procedural, the tension curdles into something far more disturbing — Korean thrillers tend to take us places American movies may not always go. Often overlooked in favor of other serial killer movies, Memories of Murder still deserves a spot near the top of any must-watch list.
If you’re looking for another South Korean serial killer movie, though, much more vigilante cop vs. killer, I Saw the Devil might be worth a watch. Expect a lot more violence with this one, though.
Cure (1997)
Written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Cure follows Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) as he investigates a string of grisly murders that share unusual similarities. All are committed under bizarre circumstances and without any apparent motive. The perpetrators confess to their crimes, yet none can remember committing them or explain why they did. As the clues dry up and the investigation drags on, Takabe grows increasingly frustrated—until he and his partner, forensic psychologist Shin Sakuma (Tsuyoshi Ujiki), discover one common thread linking the suspects together.
Cure is another serial killer movie that serves as a masterclass in dread and style. The film was directly inspired by the tone and brilliance of Fincher’s Se7en, as Kurosawa wanted it to feel like an American detective movie, while also doing something different with the central protagonist. Often, protagonists in this genre can feel flat and unchanging. If that was his objective, Kurosawa absolutely nailed it.
How we picked the best serial killer movies of all time
Though there are plenty of great serial killer movies out there, we narrowed our choices down to the ones that left the most significant mark on cinema history. A few were left off the list due to their proximity to other films already mentioned — a big reason Zodiac earned an honorable mention instead of an official entry. We wanted to diversify our list a bit.
Cruising, Man Bites Dog, and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer are also strong runners-up. Terrence Malick’s Badlands is an excellent film in its own right; though it doesn’t necessarily jump out as a serial-killer movie, it should be required viewing for any movie lover. Though we intentionally left out Hitchcock, Psycho had a major impact on the genre and is also required viewing.
