The Top 10 Best Movie Serial Killers
5. Jang Kyung-Chul- I Saw the Devil
One of my favorite movies of 2010 is I Saw the Devil. It’s basically what would happen if Korean Jason Bourne went after a serial killer. This is far from a one-sided fist fight though because the killer, Jang Kyung-Chul (Oldboy’s Min-sik Choi) manages to turn the tables on the hero of this story. His raw brutality rivals the extensive training of the secret agent hounding him, and he proves to have enough brains to make sure things won’t be too easy for his hunter. Despite being more than a little outmatched in the end, that doesn’t stop Jang Kyung-Chul from making things pretty difficult for this lethal Government Operative. Even after getting a few beat downs, his mind goes straight to murder, and he’s right back in the game again. Moreover, when he finally figures out who his pursuer is, his mind goes straight to revenge. Now that’s showing dedication to one’s craft.
4. Patrick Bateman- American Psycho
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is easily the best looking of all the movie serial killers on this list, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t any less dangerous. On the outside, he seems like the definition of 80s success, which means he makes way more than he should, is a total sadist, and has a healthy addition to cocaine. The thing is, he’s probably the closest to a textbook psychopath of all the entries on this list with his lack of empathy, narcissism, and anger issues. Initially, he “just” brutalizes prostitutes until his grasp on reality starts to wane, and he starts going after anyone who slights him in the most insignificant ways (say, daring to have a better-looking business card). While he might not have the highest kill count, Patrick Bateman is everything we need to fear from rich and powerful man-children. While everything in American Psycho might have been a fantasy, what is going to happen to Patrick when the fantasies are no longer enough?
3. John Doe- Se7en
The poster for Se7en doesn’t even mention the actor who plays John Doe in the film, so I’m not going to either. If you haven’t seen Se7en, it’s a horror-thriller from David Fincher (the man who brought us Fight Club) in which a mysterious serial killer takes a few notes from the 7 Deadly Sins (lust, envy, greed, wrath, gluttony, sloth, and pride). He dishes out a sick version of old testament justice by punishing those he finds guilty of each sin in some pretty brutal ways. His only weakness is that not even he can escape his own judgemental eye. Of course, that doesn’t make it any better for the rest of his victims, but you have to take tiny victories where you can get them when it comes to movie serial killers. John Doe is so scary because he’s exactly that, a John Doe. He’s the guy who flips out and does something crazy, and everyone talks about what a quiet guy he was and how he never gave anyone any trouble.
2. Norman Bates- Psycho
We’ve got another old school entry on this list of movie serial killers! Alfred Hitchcock gave us one of the first truly great big-screen killers in Norman Bates, a man who was a true mama’s boy. Fans might also have caught a young Norman on the small screen with the series Bates Motel on A&E. For our purposes, I’ll stick with the version made famous by Anthony Perkins (definitely not the Vince Vaughn one), which featured him as a motel owner who had a nasty habit of killing young women who checked in. Of course, the original was by far the best (the sequels just kept getting worse and worse), and to this day, Psycho is probably Hitchcock’s most well-known film. That said, girls should remember Norman whenever they see “My mom is my best friend” on any guy’s Tinder profile. Then again, I doubt many “mama’s boys” are quite as… intense as Norman.
1. Hannibal Lecter- Silence of the Lambs Trilogy
When it comes to movie serial killers, Papa Lector has been the king ever since he made his big-screen debut. As big of a fan as I might be of Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as the sophisticated cannibal, Hopkins really made one hell of an impression when he first appeared in Silence of the Lambs. Since then, he’s proven to be a killer of culture who uses his intelligence and skills as a surgeon to snatch the life out of anyone he deems to be uncouth. Hannibal is a killer with a code, and the ones he goes after are those who were rude in one way or another. I hate to say this, but with all the garbage going on in Washington right now, maybe he’s the hero we need? Either way, he’s the big dog when it comes to serial killers… Or at least the ones who don’t have supernatural powers…
Honorable Mention: Mickey and Mallory Knox- Natural Born Killers
It’s always important for couples to find an activity that they can enjoy together. It just so happens that Mickey and Mallory Knox (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) enjoy a nice evening of dinner and a murder. These two are more like spree killers than serial since they don’t really have discerning tastes when it comes to their victims. The crime spree they embarked on in a tribute to their love is one of the most notorious in movie history and Natural Born Killers remains a cult classic because of it. I decided to give these two an honorable mention since they’re a rare breed when it comes to movie serial killers, the killer couple. Despite their despicable acts, you have to admit that Mickey and Mallory certainly know how to keep the passion in their relationship.
Shout-Out: Jerry Hickfang- The Voices
I’ve got an unabashed bias when it comes to Ryan Reynolds and will include him in any top 10 list I can, so long as I can justify it. While Jerry definitely doesn’t deserve a spot among the movie serial killers above, I had to give him a shout-out because: 1) he’s played by Ryan Reynolds and 2) his two trusted advisors in the film happen to be his snarky cat and oafish dog. Lots of serial killers suffer from delusions, but Jerry is on a whole other level. His perception of reality is so skewed that it’s almost sad, especially because he really is such a nice guy. Then again, isn’t that what they always say about serial killers.
Movie serial killers are a dime a dozen, but I tried to narrow it down to the most interesting and most deadly among them. However, if I missed a really great one, let me know in the comments below. As always, I’ll be updating this list and new movie serial killers make their cinematic debuts. So, be sure to check back from time to time in order to see how the rankings might change.