The Best Films About Serial Killers

Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, Arthur Leigh Allen, or the Zodiac killer—they all inspired writers and filmmakers. This resulted in many films about serial killers who actually existed. Here is the list of the best movies about serial killers:

1. "The Track of the Killer" (2007)

IMDB Rating: 7.7

David Fincher's thriller about the Zodiac killer, who kept San Francisco in fear in the late 1960s, is based on Robert Graysmith's book. Robert Graysmith was the cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle who received a few letters from Zodiac. The killer sent handwritten letters with clues and details that only the recipients and police had known, as they were sent to few publishers. In the film, journalist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and young cartoonist Rober Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) are beginning to investigate the case, but the alleged perpetrator, Arthur Leigh Allen, died of a heart attack before he was charged and brought to justice.

2. "The Immune of London" (1988)

IMDb Rating: 7.7

Michael Caine received a Golden Globe for his role of Inspector Frederick Abberline in this film. Frederick, with his partner, Sargent George Godley (Lewis Collins), want to find and arrest the prostitute murderer in Whitechapel. The trail leads them to the personal physician of the Queen of England, Sir William Gull. Other roles include Armand Assante, Jane Seymour, Ray McAnally, and Susan George.

3. "The Deliberate Stranger" (1988)

IMDb rating: 7.5

Ted Bundy murdered at least 30 women in the 1970s (probably more) and confessed these murders shortly before his execution in 1989. The true story of the charismatic serial killer became the TV-movie starring Marvin J. Chomsky (Mark Harmon).

4. "Yorkshire Killer" (Parts 1, 2, & 3)

IMDb Rating for Part 1: 7.1

IMDb Rating for Part 2: 7.3

IMDb Rating for Part 3: 7.2

An exceptional British crime thriller about the years of the grueling hunt for the mysterious "Yorkshire Ripper" (Peter William Sutcliffe), based on the four novels of David Pearce (Red Riding Quartet) that were about the actual events in the 1970s. A trilogy that draws as much tension as its stories, these films were produced by three different directors. The cast is impressive to say the least: Sean Bean, Andrew Garfield, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey, Eddie Marsan, Jim Carter, and Rebecca Hall.

5. "Monster" (2003)

IMDb rating: 7.3

This film is based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute from Daytona Beach, Florida, who became a serial killer in the 1980s due to shortage and frustration. She confessed to the six murders in 1992 and was executed in Florida in 2002 by lethal injection. Charlize Theron received an Oscar (and a number of other prestigious awards) for the impressive performance in her lead role. Other noteworthy cast includes Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, and Pruitt Taylor Vince.

6. "The Women's Murder of Boston" (1968)

IMDb rating: 7.1

Set in Boston, this film is about a female murderer who died in the 1960s. The investigations led by John S. Bottomly (Henry Fonda) takes a turn when Albert Henry DeSalvo (Tony Curtis) was arrested while attempting to break into an apartment. In the course of the investigations of a psychiatric clinic, the evidence shows that he may be the murderer. DeSalvo later confessed to 13 murders, was sentenced to life imprisonment, and finally stabbed in 1973 by a fellow inmate. Tony Curtis was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1969 for his performance in the film.

7. "From Hell" (2001)

IMDb Rating: 6.8

The script of the thriller of Albert and Allen Hughes is based on the eponymous comic novel that emerged after the murders of Jack the Ripper. Here, Johnny Depp plays the opium-dependent police investigator Frederick Abberline who studied the murders of several prostitutes in the district of Whitechapel in Victorian London at the end of the 19th century.

8. "My Friend Dahmer" (2017)

IMDb rating: 6.3

Through the eyes of his friend Derf Backderf, this film shows the conspicuous abnormalities of the young Jeffrey Dahmer in school—who later grow up to be one of the cruelest serial killer in the US. He dissolved dead animals and their bones in acid as a hobby. All efforts of the parents or doctors to make him "normal" fail, and it inevitably leads to his first murder.

About Author:

My name is Thomas and I have worked in a term paper writing service for seven years as a PhD writer. My specializations are in psychology and the art. Writing is my passion and I enjoy writing useful and interesting stories. I first started to write when I was 16. Originally, they were poetry and stories for the soul, but now it's become my work and I can tell you that your workday can be perfect if you like what you do.