Serial Killer Movies: 10 Must See Films!

I am a sucker for serial killer movies and over the years we have experience some true gems. This Top 10 horror movies list is my tribute to the ten best serial killers put to film. Obviously tastes will vary but that is what makes things interesting! I can say with confidence that even if you do not agree with my list entirely you will definitely agree with a few of them none the less.

So in no particular order here is my list of the 10 best serial killer movies.

Seven

Directed by the incredibly talented David Fincher this 1995 serial thriller starred Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman.  This movie really hit home because I nearly lost an appendage while watching the film with my girlfriend. She was so terrified during one particular scene she went from holding my thumb to tearing it off!

Seven is the story of two detectives, a rookie and a veteran who hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. With one of the most shocking twist ending Seven is clearly one of the 10 best serial killer movies of all time.

Silence of the Lambs

1991’s Silence of the Lambs tells the story of a young FBI cadet played by Jodie Foster who must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer played by Anthony Hopkins to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Not only is this film a gem among genre fans but for ones the Academy even recognized a film we all love.

Silence of the Lambs won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay. What’s more it is also the first horror movie to ever win an Oscar. It was also the second horror movie to ever get an oscar nod with The Exorcist being the first in 1973

Frailty:

The directorial début of Bill Paxton he also starred alongside Matthew McConaughey. Paxton plays a religious man who believes that demons surround him and sets out to murder them and becomes a serial killer in the process.

A truly under rated and fantastic tale of murder and mayhem and considering it is Bill Paxton’s first shot as a director demonstrates his immense talent behind and in front of the camera.

Zodiac

The Zodiac Killer is one of the most disturbing moments in history mainly because to this day the killer has never been caught. Their have been many speculations about who the killer was but they are continually debunked time and time again.

The film by David Fincher is the story of a cartoonist who becomes obsessed with capturing the Zodiac Killer and unmasking him. I normally am not for special editions or DVD extras but you need to watch the extras on this DVD because it is literally hours of interviews with people involved in the case including the first officer at the scene of the first murder and the man who many believe is the Zodiac.

Mr Brooks

Mr Brooks stars Kevin Costner, William Hurt and Demi Moore and is the story of a loving father and husband who is wealthy and respected in his community. He also however harbors a dark secret of murder and mayhem.

Kevin Costner is truly outstanding as the villain and delivers in my view one of his best performances with a truly complex character.

I Saw The Devil.

I Saw The Devil has made a ton of our top lists and it should come as no surprise this is one of the best films I have ever seen. I Saw The Devil is one of the Top 10 Best Foreign Horror films of all time and is also one of the 10 Best Horror Films of 2010 but on top of that it is one of the best serial killer films of all time.

I Saw The Devil follows the story of a special agent who when his pregnant fiancée becomes the latest victim of a serial killer blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge. The easy break down on this film is think TAKEN with way more brutality.

Behind The Mask

I love independent horror and Behind The Mask is a truly unique experience. In Behind The Mask the next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them.

What makes this film great is its unique story, the way it was shot and its truly unique perspective.

American Psycho

Before Christian Bale was Batman he was doing great films like American Psycho which is a classic example of the monster that lives next door. Christian Bale plays a wall street man who hides a dark secret… he’s a perverted and murderous maniac.

Surveillance

If you are ever in doubt about how great female horror directors are Jennifer Lynch demonstrates her greatness with Surveillance. Frankly I am not sure how many of you have seen Surveillance since it has gotten very little fanfare but let me just say wow. Released in 2008 it stars Bill Pullman and Julia Ormand as two FBI agents sent to investigate some heinous murders in a small town.

What seems like a cut and dry formula movie of FBI agents versus the killer is anything but. Similar to SEVEN which kicked this list off it is a well written spell binding film with a twist that will blow you away

SAW

I seriously doubt that anyone needs explanation on this one. SAW which was released in 2004 and made for pennies is one of the few good low budget thrillers to come out in the last decade.

James Wan and Leigh Whannell not only proved that they could make a great film on a shoe string budget the launched an iconic killer named Jigsaw!