The Essentials: The 25 Best Movies About Serial Killers

“The Silence Of The Lambs” (1991)
Procedurals involving a serial killer traditionally keep the killer in the shadows, sporadically showing them until a full-on reveal in the third act. In Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs,” there’s two killers for the price of one. That procedural method applies to “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine), a murderer killing plus-size women to wear their skin. Not so much to Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), who appears throughout like a psychopathic Greek chorus, providing advice on the mind of a killer to FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to help capture Bill. Unlike Will Graham before her, Starling does not have the immediate empathy of a killer, so Lecter’s tests are not just for her to figure out how to capture Bill, but to confront her own mortality as well. That core struggle at the center of ‘Lambs’ separates it from a typical police procedural. It’s psychologically draining but also functions as a tick-of-the-clock thriller, as Demme effortlessly shifts gears from psychological mind-games to crime thriller, sometimes in the same scene. Despite the adoration of Michael Mann’s mood bath masculinity crisis in “Manhunter” and the admiration of Ridley Scott’s histrionic, go-for-broke high-camp in “Hannibal,” “The Silence of the Lambs” still remains the quintessential Thomas Harris adaptation, simply because every note is played in the right key, and no member of the band tries to outshine the other. – RO

“Manhunter” (1986)
Michael Mann’s third theatrical effort after cutting his teeth on television, 1986’s “Manhunter” is still one of the high marks of his celebrated career and a seminal entry in the serial killer genre. Best-known as the first screen adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novels — and since overshadowed in the popular consciousness by “Silence of the Lambs” and, arguably, the “Hannibal” television series — “Manhunter” wields a surprising amount of influence, at least if the similarly clinical “Mindhunter” is anything to go by. Unlike Brett Ratner’s middling 2002 adaptation of source novel “Red Dragon,” “Manhunter” keeps the main antagonist Francis Dollarhyde a.k.a. the Tooth Fairy firmly in center stage and wisely shifts Hannibal Lecter (or Lecktor, as he is named here) to the periphery. Brian Cox is solid as the iconic cannibal, but it is the towering Tom Noonan who delivers a career-defining performance as the Tooth Fairy, setting the standard for physical performances of serial killers on film. Dollarhyde is both sympathetic and monstrous, acting with uncommon sensitivity towards his blind co-worker (Joan Allen) and is equally as terrifying unhinged when he makes his ultimate transformation into his Red Dragon persona. William Petersen’s vulnerable Will Graham comes across as a far more familiar Mann-ian protagonist when he takes upon himself the mentality of a killer, only to ultimately secure his status as the idealized, morally upright hero. Even if it is inevitably a product of its era, the climactic shootout set to Iron Butterfly’s psychedelic epic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” remains one of the most memorable sequences in any Harris adaptation. – Bradley Warren

“M” (1931)
So unlike anything of its time and so deliberately shot, meticulously paced and devastatingly performed, Fritz Lang’s “M” is a masterpiece in almost every sense, quite literally playing on the senses of its viewers. Following the manhunt of a murderer who preys on children in Berlin, Lang’s classic works for a number of reasons, a major one being how decidedly ahead of its time it was, playing with themes and subjects much darker than what we typically expect when we dive into films of the 1930’s. Utilizing fresh, off-kilter and eccentric sound design to create an omnipresent ominous atmosphere, the film is also greatly advantaged by Peter Lorre’s performance as the killer. Using his domineering presence to effectively create a villain that is worthy of the manhunt that follows him, the film effectively creates a somber tone as even fellow criminals begin to track him down. It’s the perfect encapsulation of a human monster, of personified evil which unifies the police force, the families and the criminals, and yet the writing and Lorre’s performance are savvy enough to momentarily give him a chance to cry for sympathy. It’s equally clever to not allow that to work, as he is a presence born and shot from the shadows, the lurking and hulking image of monsters who prey on the innocent. Mixing elements of film noir and horror, it’s about as excellent a classic as you can find, and one that fans looking to dig their heels into the medium should seek out. – Ally Johnson

“Element Of Crime” (1984)
The best way to describe Lars von Trier’s debut film is Tarkovsky by way of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” The Element of Crime is a relentless, sepia-toned nightmare set in an alternate, dystopian Europe about a disgraced detective (Michael Elphick) who is attempting to catch a killer by the titular, controversial method that puts you inside the mind of the killer. While little-seen, von Trier’s debut has its fingerprints all over crime cinema. The “getting into the headspace of the killer” can be seen in Michael Mann’s “Manhunter” (as well as the “Hannibal” TV series), and the phenomenal, dizzying camerawork has influenced Gaspar Noe (as well as his consistent DP Benoit Debie) and Nicolas Winding Refn (ironic, given that he and von Trier apparently hate each other). The cinematography does work at both an advantage and disadvantage on the first viewing. It’s so fluid and grungy-gorgeous that it’s hard not to get sucked up into it, but the harsh film noir blacks amongst the constant movement make it hard to both see and understand what is happening at certain times. But, when a moviegoing experience is this immersive, it’s easy to let go of logic and the need to understand everything that is happening. – RO

“Cruising” (1980)
One of the more notorious films on release (there were protests from members of the New York gay scene during the film’s release, many of whom felt stereotyped and stigmatized by the film), “Cruising” is nonetheless a fine seventies thriller, starring a steely-eyed Al Pacino, harnessing the very best of his magnetic cool, searching for a killer who targets gay clubs. William Friedkin brings much of the enigmatic style he would perfect in “To Live And Die In L.A.,” a procedural tome of cool cuts and classy shots of the seventies leather scene. Pacino is in fine form, but Karen Allen is the film’s real stand-out, the eyes and ears of the audience, it is through Allen that many of the film’s more ambiguous questions are asked. A pre-“Goodfellas” Paul Sorvino makes his mark as Captain Edelson, a tough, no-nonsense cop, beaten by his own ignorance. While the lengthy shots of the seedy New York streets gives the film its tone, it is the confrontation between Pacino and Sorvino over the hostile treatment of gay men that gives the film its depth. While the film is dated (it is indicative of a pre-AIDS culture) and sensationalistic (you can understand why offense was caused by the rampant club scenes), “Cruising” still offers enough thrills and magnetic performances to merit inclusion on this list. – EL