Real true crime movies
by burje | created - 06 Jul 2017 | updated - 30 Dec 2019 | PublicMovies based on true stories about serial killers
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1. The Hillside Strangler (2004)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Kenneth is obsessed with the police, he moves to LA with his cousin, Angelo convinces him to start a prostitution business. Frustrated decide on revenge, feeling a great pleasure with her death. The two cousins become addicted to death.
Director: Chuck Parello | Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Nicholas Turturro, Allison Lange, Marisol Padilla Sánchez
Votes: 1,982 | Gross: $0.00M
Based on the case of Kenneth Alessio Bianchi and Angelo Anthony Buono, Jr. aka The Hillsede Strangler
2. The Alphabet Killer (2008)
R | 98 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Based on the true story of the double initial killings in Rochester, NY.
Director: Rob Schmidt | Stars: Eliza Dushku, Cary Elwes, Timothy Hutton, Tom Malloy
Votes: 8,875 | Gross: $0.03M
Based on the unsolved murders of three girls in Rochester, New York in the early 70's.
3. 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: 598,269 | Gross: $33.08M
Based on the unsolved murders by a serial killer kalled Zodiak in northern California in the late 60s and early 70s.
4. 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: 40,434 | Gross: $0.61M
Based on the life of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.
5. The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer (1993)
99 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and ate many of them before he was caught in 1991.
Director: David R. Bowen | Stars: Carl Crew, Cassidy Phillips, Donna Stewart Bowen, Jeanne Bascom
Votes: 765
Based on the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
6. To Catch a Killer (1992)
Unrated | 89 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
"To Catch a Killer" tells the true gruesome story of John Wayne Gacy - a good friend and helpful neighbour, a great child entertainer, a respectful businessman, and a violent serial killer ... See full summary »
Stars: Brian Dennehy, Michael Riley, Margot Kidder, Meg Foster
Votes: 2,913
Based on the life of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
7. 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: 2,673
Based on the life of serial killer Ted Bundy.
8. The Hunt for the BTK Killer (2005 TV Movie)
R | 82 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
After 31 years at-large, detectives in Wichita, Kansas home in on the serial killer known as BTK.
Director: Stephen Kay | Stars: Robert Forster, Michael Michele, Maury Chaykin, Mimi Kuzyk
Votes: 1,575
Based on the life of serial killer Dennis Lynn Rader aka "BTK killer".
9. 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: 161,793 | Gross: $34.47M
Based on the life of serial killer Aileen Carol Wuornos.
10. The Riverman (2004 TV Movie)
R | 91 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A series of interviews are conducted with convicted serial killer Ted Bundy in hopes of gaining insight into the Green River Killer who is terrorizing Seattle.
Director: Bill Eagles | Stars: Bruce Greenwood, Sam Jaeger, Sarah Manninen, Kathleen Quinlan
Votes: 1,562
Based on the life of serial killer Ted Bundy.
11. Dear Mr. Gacy (2010)
R | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chronicle of the interaction between college student Jason Moss and the object of his obsession, serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Director: Svetozar Ristovski | Stars: William Forsythe, Jesse Moss, Emma Lahana, Cole Heppell
Votes: 3,808
Based on the life of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
12. 8213: Gacy House (2010 Video)
Not Rated | 86 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of investigators enter the former property of depraved serial killer John Wayne Gacy, hoping to find evidence of paranormal activity. Upon entering the place they set-up cameras ... See full summary »
Director: Anthony Fankhauser | Stars: Sally Elbert, Michael Gaglio, James Arthur Lewis, Brett Newton
Votes: 2,100
Based on the life of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
13. The Hillside Stranglers (2001 TV Movie)
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Track down the sadistic duo responsible for the rape, torture and murder of 10 women in the Hollywood Hills above LA. The case that drove homicide detective Bob Grogan to drink and divorce resulted in the longest trial in American history.
Director: Andrew Piddington | Stars: Dennis Garber, Jeff Marchelletta, Barry Sigismondi, Ron Gilbert
Votes: 41
Based on the case of Kenneth Alessio Bianchi and Angelo Anthony Buono, Jr. aka "The Hillsede Strangler".
14. My Friend Dahmer (2017)
R | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Horror
A young Jeffrey Dahmer struggles to belong in high school.
Director: Marc Meyers | Stars: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser
Votes: 23,634 | Gross: $1.36M
Based on the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
15. 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: 9,778
Based on the life of serial killer John Reginald Halliday Christie.
16. The Capture of the Green River Killer (2008)
Not Rated | 89 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A pair of girls seeking adventure beyond their western Washington trailer park encounter the area's most ruthless serial killer. The series is based on Sheriff David Reichert's book, "... See full summary »
Stars: Tom Cavanagh, Currie Graham, Amy Davidson, Ingrid Rogers
Votes: 1,371
Based on the life of serial killer Gary Leon Ridgway.
17. The Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
245 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The city of Atlanta, Georgia, is terrorized by a rash of child murders occurring in its black community. When a black photographer is arrested for the crimes, controversy erupts over ... See full summary »
Stars: Jason Robards, James Earl Jones, Rip Torn, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 486
Based on the life of serial killer Wayne Bertram Williams.
18. 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: 22,296
Based on the life of serial killer Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo.
19. 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: 10,821
Based on the case of several women in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 60s.
20. Appropriate Adult (2011)
67 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dramatisation of the case of serial killers Fred and Rose West, focusing on the way in which they were brought to justice.
Stars: Emily Watson, Dominic West, Robert Glenister, Sylvestra Le Touzel
Votes: 4,355
Based on the life of serial killer Frederick Walter Stephen West.
21. 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: 78,378
Based on the life of spree killer Charles Raymond Starkweather.
22. In Cold Blood (1967)
R | 134 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart
Votes: 29,142
Based on the life of serial killers Richard "Dick" Eugene Hickock & Perry Smith.
23. Helter Skelter (1976)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The investigation and trial of the horrific Tate-LaBianca mass murders orchestrated by the psychotic pseudo-hippie cult leader, Charles Manson.
Stars: George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, Nancy Wolfe, Marilyn Burns
Votes: 3,852
Based on the life of Charles Milles Manson.
24. 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: 20,613 | Gross: $0.01M
Based on the life of serial killer John Justin Bunting.
25. Polytechnique (2009)
Not Rated | 77 min | Crime, Drama, History
A dramatization of the 1989 Montréal Massacre, during which several female engineering students were murdered by an unstable misogynist.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Maxim Gaudette, Sébastien Huberdeau, Karine Vanasse, Martin Watier
Votes: 19,014
Based on the Montreal Massacre of 1989.
26. Jack the Ripper (1988)
TV-PG | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Scotland Yard police inspector, battling the booze, investigates the Jack the Ripper murders and discovers a conspiracy that leads all the way up to the Queen.
Stars: Michael Caine, Armand Assante, Ray McAnally, Lewis Collins
Votes: 5,675
Based on the story of Jack the Ripper.
27. Five Daughters (2010)
60 min | Crime, Drama
Based on the personal testimonies of many of those most closely involved, "Five Daughters" recounts the final weeks in the lives of the five young women murdered in Ipswich in 2006.
Stars: Adam Kotz, Juliet Aubrey, Natalie Press, Ian Hart
Votes: 618
Based on the story of The Ipswich serial murders and Steven Gerald James Wright.
28. Zero Day (2002)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama
Two troubled adolescents chronicle the events that ultimately lead up to a terrifying assault on their school.
Director: Ben Coccio | Stars: Cal Robertson, Andre Keuck, Serataren Adragna, Melissa Banks
Votes: 4,784 | Gross: $0.01M
Based on The Columbine High School massacre.
29. This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (2000)
Crime, Drama
This is a dramatisation of the real-life investigation into the notorious Yorkshire Ripper murders of the late 1970s, showing the effect that it had on the health and career of Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield who led the enquiry
Stars: Alun Armstrong, Richard Ridings, James Laurenson, John Duttine
Votes: 430
Based on the life of serial killer Peter William Sutcliffe aka "The Yorkshire Ripper".
30. Harold Shipman: Doctor Death (2002 TV Movie)
98 min | Drama
A dramatisation of the true story of Doctor Harold Shipman, a general practitioner from Hyde, Manchester, who was convicted in 2000 of murdering fifteen of his elderly patients and is ... See full summary »
Director: Roger Bamford | Stars: Michael Stainton, Olive Pendleton, Veda Warwick, Tony Melody
Votes: 211
Based on the life of serial killer Harold Fredrick Shipman.
31. The Deadly Tower (1975 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
The infamous story of Charles Whitman, "America's favourite sniper" (in Stephen King's words), is told here once again.
Director: Jerry Jameson | Stars: Kurt Russell, Richard Yniguez, Ned Beatty, Pernell Roberts
Votes: 1,170
Based on the life of Charles Joseph Whitman.
32. See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006)
180 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A vivid drama which documents the notorious Moors murderers; Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.
Stars: Joanne Froggatt, Maxine Peake, Sean Harris, Matthew McNulty
Votes: 1,576
Based on the life of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.
33. 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: 216,292 | Gross: $0.01M
Based on the story of The Hwaseong serial murders, a series of unsolved serial murders that occurred in the South Korean city of Hwaseong between 1986 and 1991.
34. 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: 13,460
Based on the life of serial killer Werner Kniesek.
35. Summer of Sam (1999)
R | 142 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito
Votes: 41,301 | Gross: $19.28M
Based on the life of serial killer David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco), aka "Son of Sam" and "the .44 Caliber Killer".
36. The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
An obese, embittered nurse doesn't mind if her toupee-wearing boyfriend romances and fleeces other women, as long as he takes her along on his con jobs.
Directors: Leonard Kastle, Donald Volkman | Stars: Shirley Stoler, Tony Lo Bianco, Mary Jane Higby, Doris Roberts
Votes: 5,829 | Gross: $0.46M
Based on the lief of serial killers Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck aka "The Lonely Hearts Killers".
37. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Approved | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The story of a hooded, berserk killer who terrorized the border town of Texarkana, Arkansas in 1946--leaving no fewer than five murder victims in his wake. He was never caught. Based on one of America's most baffling murder cases.
Director: Charles B. Pierce | Stars: Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells, Jimmy Clem
Votes: 9,784
Based on the unsolved case of serial killer known as "The Phantom Killer" and "The Texarkana Moonlight Murders" between February 22 and May 3, 1946 in and around the city of Texarkana, which sits astride the border between Texas and Arkansas.
38. 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: 168,440 | Gross: $0.03M
Based on the life of German serial killer Peter Kürten aka "The Vampire of Düsseldorf".
39. Rampage (1987)
R | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
Alex is an outwardly normal man who goes on killing and mutilating sprees. When he is finally captured and brought to trial, the district attorney is torn between his own liberal ideals on guilt and the crimes the accused is being tried.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur, Nicholas Campbell, Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Votes: 2,575 | Gross: $0.80M
Based on the life of American schizophrenic serial killer and mass murderer Richard Trenton Chase aka "The Vampire of Sacramento".
40. Deranged (1974)
R | 84 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A deranged rural farmer becomes a grave robber and murderer after the death of his possessive mother, whose corpse he keeps, among others, as his companion in a decaying farmhouse.
Directors: Jeff Gillen, Alan Ormsby | Stars: Roberts Blossom, Cosette Lee, Leslie Carlson, Robert Warner
Votes: 5,761 | Gross: $0.05M
Based on the life of American murderer and body snatcher Edward Theodore "Ed" Gein.
41. Roberto Succo (2001)
124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
'Kurt' claims to be a sales rep. He also claims to be English in spite of his heavy Italian accent. Kurt is an habitual liar and a dangerous driver, at the very least. In the south of ... See full summary »
Director: Cédric Kahn | Stars: Stefano Cassetti, Isild Le Besco, Patrick Dell'Isola, Viviana Aliberti
Votes: 1,258
Based on the life of Italian serial killer Roberto Succo.
42. D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear (2003 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 85 min | Drama, History, Thriller
John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo went on a serial killing spree in October 2002 in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
Director: Tom McLoughlin | Stars: Charles S. Dutton, Jay O. Sanders, Bobby Hosea, Trent Cameron
Votes: 1,526
Based on the life of John Allen Muhammad, Lee Boyd Malvo and "The Beltway sniper attacks".