The 50 Best Serial Killer Movies in Order.
by nesfilmreviews | created - 13 Apr 2013 | updated - 11 Jul 2019 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,547,498 | Gross: $130.74M
Multi-Oscar-winning classic, adapted from Thomas Harris's best seller. Anthony Hopkins redefines the conception of serial killers with his portrayal as Hannibal Lecter. One of the most taut, suspenseful, psychological thrillers ever produced.
2. M (1931)
Passed | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke
Votes: 168,384 | Gross: $0.03M
Supposedly based on the real-life case of serial killer Peter Kürten, the "Vampire of Düsseldorf", whose crimes took place in the 1920s.
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,504 | Gross: $30.86M
There's something unsettling about "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" that goes beyond the blood and gore.
4. Zodiac (2007)
R | 157 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Between 1968 and 1983, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards
Votes: 598,022 | Gross: $33.08M
"Zodiac" is like a deep, involving book -- a page-turner that you can't put down. The investigation and the film are both long, but a what mesmerizing journey. An all-star cast that delivers on all fronts across the board.
5. Manhunter (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Former FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
Votes: 80,890 | Gross: $8.62M
Michael Mann is in top form here helming this bone-chilling thriller based on the novel by Thomas Harris.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
R | 152 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A journalist is aided by a young female hacker in his search for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years.
Director: Niels Arden Oplev | Stars: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Ewa Fröling, Lena Endre
Votes: 223,307 | Gross: $10.10M
A mind-bending and mesmerizing thriller that takes its time unlocking one mystery only to uncover another, all to chilling and immensely satisfying effect.
7. Memories of Murder (2003)
Not Rated | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho
Votes: 216,152 | Gross: $0.01M
An exemplary job balancing a mystery with both humorous and dramatic elements. A skillfully mounted film based on a true story.
8. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,798,025 | Gross: $100.13M
An atmosphere of despair and morbidly energetic. A cast that speaks for itself.
9. Badlands (1973)
PG | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri
Votes: 78,347
10. The Chaser (2008)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Yeong-hie, Kim Yoo-jung
Votes: 72,735
"The Chaser" is an exceptional example of Korean cinema at it's finest. It boasts a plot that twists and turns, presenting the third act in the first act of the film, offering a truly unique and engaging thriller unlike any you've ever seen.
11. Citizen X (1995 TV Movie)
R | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
During the 1980s, Soviet authorities hunt for a serial killer who picks his victims in railway stations and commuter trains and lures them into the woods.
Director: Chris Gerolmo | Stars: Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Max von Sydow, Jeffrey DeMunn
Votes: 22,288
An HBO original film that was way ahead of its time. "Citizen X" can rightfully take its place along side the very best this genre has to offer.
12. The Vanishing (1988)
Not Rated | 107 min | Mystery, Thriller
Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.
Director: George Sluizer | Stars: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus
Votes: 44,131
The movie reveals the likely perpetrator almost immediately. It's almost scientific in approach and reserves its suspense, not for the who, but rather the what and why.
13. Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 (2009 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, History
The Home Office bring in senior Manchester detective Peter Hunter to conduct a secret review of the Ripper investigation to date.
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Warren Clarke, Paddy Considine, James Fox, David Calder
Votes: 9,569 | Gross: $0.15M
"The "Red Riding Trilogy" is gritty and brutal--an immersive viewing experience.
14. Frenzy (1972)
R | 116 min | Thriller
A serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Anna Massey
Votes: 49,387 | Gross: $12.60M
15. Man Bites Dog (1992)
NC-17 | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.
Directors: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde | Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert
Votes: 43,713 | Gross: $0.21M
"Man Bites Dog" is a worthy successor to "A Clockwork Orange" as this generation's most telling and unflinching look at our views on violence.
16. Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
Not Rated | 139 min | Crime, Drama
Chronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the run.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako, Mitsuko Baishô
Votes: 7,291
A blackly-humorous look at Japanese culture through the lens of a serial killer.
17. Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 (2009 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Crime, Drama, History
When another child goes missing, washed-up solicitor John Piggott unwittingly provides a catalyst for Detective Chief Superindent Maurice Jobson to start to right some wrongs.
Director: Anand Tucker | Stars: David Morrissey, Lisa Howard, Chris Walker, Shaun Dooley
Votes: 8,314
Only in the third and final chapter of the trilogy, "Red Riding: 1983"-- all the pieces of the dark puzzle finally find its place -- revealing the terrifying truth.
18. American Psycho (2000)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage
Votes: 714,814 | Gross: $15.07M
"American Psycho" finds its own blend of horror and humor, thanks in part to a fittingly creepy performance by Christian Bale.
19. The Snowtown Murders (2011)
Not Rated | 119 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris, Bob Adriaens
Votes: 20,606 | Gross: $0.01M
Distressing and highly disturbing--there are very difficult scenes to sit through. There is no way to understand John Bunting. He is quite simply evil.
20. Peeping Tom (1960)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A young man murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror.
Director: Michael Powell | Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer, Maxine Audley
Votes: 39,226 | Gross: $0.08M
A horror classic and sophisticated psychological journey. Far ahead of its time in its exploration of voyeurism.
21. Marshland (2014)
TV-MA | 105 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Two cops lost in the deep south of Spain. One serial killer to catch. A lot of secrets and lies to disclose.
Director: Alberto RodrÃguez | Stars: Javier Gutiérrez, Raúl Arévalo, MarÃa Varod, Perico Cervantes
Votes: 36,430
Well-crafted, efficient, detective thriller with a "True Detective" like atmosphere.
22. No Way to Treat a Lady (1968)
Not Rated | 108 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A crafty serial killer plays a game of cat-and-mouse with a harried police detective trying to track him down.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Rod Steiger, Lee Remick, George Segal, Eileen Heckart
Votes: 2,566
A quick, witty black comedy with a fantastic performance by Rod Steiger.
23. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Not Rated | 144 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Chun Ho-jin
Votes: 146,115 | Gross: $0.13M
"I Saw the Devil" is the one of the most artistically, yet gruesome South Korean vengeance flicks to date. It makes for grisly entertainment, and dedicated fans of South Korea's infamous revenge genre will be more than pleased. To anyone else who might be interested, come prepared to clean up the blood splatter.
24. The Boston Strangler (1968)
Approved | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A series of brutal murders in Boston sparks a seemingly endless and increasingly complex manhunt.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Mike Kellin
Votes: 10,814
Highly respectable and well done movie. However, it's not so much of a movie as it is a glorified reenactment of true events.
25. Natural Born Killers (1994)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Romance
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield
Votes: 251,676 | Gross: $50.28M
Visually and thematically, "Natural Born Killers" is one of the most audacious movies to come out of Hollywood.
26. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,188
A woman's revenge with one of the most graphic torture scenes ever filmed.
27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Unrated | 83 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
Director: John McNaughton | Stars: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas
Votes: 40,416 | Gross: $0.61M
The point McNaughton seems to make about his protagonist is that he's dead inside. In one scene he gazes into a mirror, and there's absolutely nothing in his eyes.
28. Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, History
Rookie journalist Eddie Dunford is determined to find the truth in an increasingly complex maze of lies and deceit surrounding the police investigation into a series of child abductions.
Director: Julian Jarrold | Stars: Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey, John Henshaw, Anthony Flanagan
Votes: 13,679
A bleak, violent world involving multi-layered police corruption and organized crime. "Red Riding: 1974" sets up a fantastic trilogy.
29. Monster (2003)
R | 109 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen
Votes: 161,731 | Gross: $34.47M
Charlize Theron. Period.
30. The Deliberate Stranger (1986)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The story of serial killer, Ted Bundy.
Stars: Mark Harmon, Frederic Forrest, George Grizzard, Ben Masters
Votes: 2,672
Mark Harmon makes the most of his opportunity here, making the most of his good-guy image by turning it inward and creating a deeply unsettling portrait.
31. Angst (I) (1983)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A troubled man gets released from prison and starts taking out his sadistic fantasies on an unsuspecting family living in a secluded house.
Director: Gerald Kargl | Stars: Erwin Leder, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Silvia Ryder, Karin Springer
Votes: 13,449
A slow-burn, genuinely disturbing examination of the psyche of a serial killer.
32. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
R | 116 min | Drama, Horror, Musical
The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Votes: 386,829 | Gross: $52.90M
"Sweeney Todd" may just be that rare musical with broad appeal to audiences who might normally say they don't care for the genre.
33. Antibodies (2005)
Not Rated | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Wanted for a long time, serial killer Gabriel Engel gets arrested in a spectacular police raid. Small town cop Michael Martens travels to the big city to interrogate him and finds out more than he is looking for.
Director: Christian Alvart | Stars: Norman Reedus, Christian von Aster, André Hennicke, Waltraud Witte
Votes: 9,035
"Antibodies" tips it hand far too early and closes with an inexplicable third act, but succeeds in creating an unsettling atmosphere with a palpable sense of terror throughout. Slick and sadistic, this German serial killer thriller delivers some chills respectively.
34. Candyman (1992)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Kasi Lemmons
Votes: 100,114 | Gross: $25.79M
A surprisingly efficient horror film that is eerie as well as bloody, investing in an atmospheric score combined with an intriguing mystery involving urban legends.
35. The Element of Crime (1984)
Not Rated | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Me Me Lai, Jerold Wells
Votes: 11,281
36. The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Unrated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home.
Director: Duncan Skiles | Stars: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Samantha Mathis, Madisen Beaty
Votes: 33,957 | Gross: $0.01M
"The Clovehitch Killer" slowly peels away the facade of the all-American family living inside the Bible Belt.
37. Frailty (2001)
R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mysterious man arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood: how his religious fanatic father received visions telling him to destroy people who were in fact "demons."
Director: Bill Paxton | Stars: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary
Votes: 91,309 | Gross: $13.10M
A decent psychological thriller with an above-average cast. Bill Paxton's directorial debut.
38. 10 Rillington Place (1971)
GP | 111 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
What happened to the women at 10 Rillington Place? The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt, Pat Heywood
Votes: 9,774
Factual but not particularly moving or emotionally engaging.
39. Blue Caprice (2013)
R | 93 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An abandoned boy is lured to America and drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure. Inspired by the real-life events that led to the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks.
Director: Alexandre Moors | Stars: Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond, Tim Blake Nelson, Joey Lauren Adams
Votes: 6,048 | Gross: $0.09M
Ominous and tense throughout, "Blue Caprice" is a slow burn that builds to an unsettling boil, leaving you with a known outcome that's hard to digest.
40. The Iceman (2012)
R | 106 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man. When he was finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor his daughters had any clue about his real profession.
Director: Ariel Vromen | Stars: Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, James Franco, Winona Ryder
Votes: 79,368 | Gross: $1.94M
While it deserved stronger direction and a better script, Michael Shannon's riveting performance in the title role is more than enough to make "The Iceman" recommended viewing.
41. Red Dragon (2002)
R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel
Votes: 290,791 | Gross: $93.15M
Thomas Harris' first novel has already been filmed as "Manhunter" directed by Michael Mann. A prequel to "Silence" that promises to explore the origin of evil but never does. Nothing more than a revved-up market driven rehash.
42. Saw (2004)
R | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Two strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung
Votes: 466,497 | Gross: $56.00M
43. Copycat (1995)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.
Director: Jon Amiel | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara
Votes: 65,860 | Gross: $32.05M
44. Tony (I) (2009)
Unrated | 76 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller