Summary
Despite their deranged morality and insatiable need for murder, audiences can’t get enough of their favoritefictional serial killers. As a glimpse into a horrifying world where tormented souls continually gave into their darkest impulses, following the stories of deranged killers allowed viewers to experience these chilling, consistent murderers from the safe distance of a fictional narrative. While they have not been real criminals, the effective performances of these killers meant their names were forever entrenched in popular culture.
The success of thebest serial killer moviesand TV shows came down to the performances of deranged protagonists or antagonists as viewers tuned in to witness a world they will hopefully never encounter in reality. From the unstoppable pursuit of silent killers such as Michael Myers to the ethical code of Dexter Morgan, no two killers were alike, and this was part of what made them so fascinating to watch. While many of these movies and TV shows were not for the faint of heart,it’s hard to deny the power of these serial killer performances.
15Nick Cast As Michael Myers
Halloween (1978)
As a silent, unstoppable killing machine, Nick Cast’s portrayal of the babysitter killer Michael Myers inHalloweenhelped kickstart one of themost influential horror franchises ever. With brooding intensity,Cave was simply known as The Shape in John Carpenter’s originalHalloween,as his endless, wordless pursuit of Laurie Strode made him a truly menacing antagonist. While other fictional serial killers may have had more characterization, in terms of the pure, relentless hunting of his victims, Myer’s felt almost otherworldly in his sinister nature.
Halloween
Cast
Halloween is a horror film released in 1978 that centers on the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, as a masked serial killer terrorizes it. Over a decade after the brutal murder of Judith Myers by her brother, Michael, Michael escapes from the local Sanitarium to continue his silent killing spree- with teenage Laurie Strode being his new potential victim.
14Gunnar Hansen As Leatherface
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
AlthoughThe Texas Chain Saw Massacrehas been rebooted and reimagined countless times over the past four decades, it’s impossible to beat the original. Part of the terrifying appeal of this horror classic wasGunnar Hansen’s unnerving portrayal of Leatherface. As a deeply troubled serial killer who experienced a desperately traumatic upbringing, it’s hard to underestimate just how fear-inducing the concept of a killer wearing the skin of his victims as he pursued more kills with a chainsaw actually was when it was unleashed on unsuspecting viewers for the first time.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a horror film released in 1974, following five friends who encounter a deranged family in rural Texas. As they strive to survive, they face terrifying ordeals orchestrated by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface, a central figure in this chilling narrative.
13Betsy Palmer As Mrs. Voorhees
Friday the 13th (1980)
When viewers think of theFriday the 13thseries today, the first thing that will come to their mind is the machete-wielding masked foe Jason Voorhees, but this ignores the series' original antagonist, Mrs. Voorhees. This was Jason’s deranged mother, Pamela, who Betsy Palmer expertly portrayed in the first film. Here,Palmer gave an extraordinary performance as the serial killing mother who stalked and killed the attendees of Camp Crystal Lakeas an act of vengeance for her supposedly drowned son.
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is a horror-slasher film by director Sean S. Cunningham and follows a group of camp counselors who are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer known to be the site of a child’s drowning and a grisly double murder. The film began a decades-long franchise that would eventually lead to the creation of Jason Vorhees, one of the most popular horror icons of all time.
12Robert Englund As Freddy Krueger
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Horror legendRobert Englund has portrayed the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger across theA Nightmare on Elm Streetfranchiseand turned this disfigured child killer into a true pop culture icon. Viewers were first introduced to Freddy in the original 1984 Wes Craven movie as a deranged murderer infiltrating the dreams of children and murdering them with his bladed gloves. Englund truly brought to life the horror of this concept, as the children soon discovered if they died in their dreams, they died for real.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, explores the terror faced by a group of teenagers haunted in their dreams by Fred Krueger, a vengeful spirit. As they confront a series of mysterious deaths, Nancy Thompson uncovers the truth about Krueger’s dark past and seeks to stop him.
11Penn Badgley As Joe Goldberg
You (2018 - Present)
Some of the most sinister serial killers were the ones who at first appeared to be normal, functioning members of society. This was certainly the case for Joe Goldberg from NetflixYou, a seemingly mild-mannered bookstore employee who became infatuated with one of his customers and soon delved into extreme obsession, stalking, and, of course, murder.The success ofYouwas primarily due to the performance of Penn Badgley, who imbued Joe with a likability that meant viewers followed along with his deranged thought process well past the point of rationality.
You
You is a psychological thriller that follows a dangerously charming and intensely obsessive young man who manipulates his way into the lives of those he fixates upon, using extreme measures to pursue his unsettling aims.
10Jamie Dornan As Peter Paul Spector
The Fall (2013 - 2016)
The Fallwas a crime series set in Northern Ireland that featured one of the all-time great serial killer performances from Jamie Dornan as Peter Paul Spector. As a seemingly loving husband and father, the power of Dornan’s performance was the manipulation and sadistic sexuality hiding just beneath the surface. With a career-best performance from Dornan,The Fallwas a thrilling series that featured an intense game of cat-and-mouse between Spector and Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, who was also powerfully portrayed by Gillian Anderson.
9Nicolas Cage as Longlegs/Dale Kobble
Longlegs (2024)
In a career full of truly intense and manic movie performances,Nicolas Cage reached new heights of panic and anxiety with his serial killing role inLonglegs. With a story about an FBI agent hunting down an occultist killer,Longlegshas been calledthe perfectSilence of the Lambsreplacement, and this was in large part due to the Cage’s nightmarish performance as the elusive Longlegs. With elements of crime procedural, mystery, and the supernatural, Cage brought his A-game toLonglegsand delivered a new cinematic killer for the ages.
Longlegs
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
8Tobin Bell As Jigsaw
Saw (2004)
As the primary antagonist of theSawfranchise, Jigsaw was powerfully portrayed by Tobin Bell, who imbued the character with real depth throughout the long-running series. AlthoughJigsaw has often been seen in the form of Billy the Puppet, a terrifying toy who explained the games and traps that victims must survive, behind this facade was the troubled killer John Kramer. Bell gave a fantastic performance as John’s motivations were revealed toward the end of the first movie, and viewers learned his inoperable tumor meant he forced others to reckon with the fickle nature of life and death.
Saw
The Saw film franchise is an anthology of horror films centered around the Jigsaw Killer, a mastermind who crafts elaborate traps to test his victims' will to live. Victims, often morally flawed, are forced into gruesome games where they must inflict severe pain on themselves or others to survive.
7John Lithgow As The Trinity Killer
Dexter (2006 - 2013)
Many compelling serial killers appeared throughout the Showtime seriesDexter, as the title character only murdered those he deemed deserved to die. However, it was in Season 4 that it appeared Dexter Morgan had finally met his match when he encountered the elusive Trinity Killer, who became the most memorable antagonist on the show due to John Lithgow’s astounding performance. AlthoughLithgow was known as a talented comedian, he showcased his skill for pure brutality as The Trinity Killer buried children, murdered women in bathtubs, and bludgeoned fathers in a systemic kill cycle rivaled only by Dexter himself.
Dexter
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
6Michael C. Hall As Dexter Morgan
As the Miami Metro blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan,Michael C. Hall delivered one of television’s greatest serial killer performances. As a killer with a code who consistently tried to suppress his ‘Dark Passenger,’ part of the appeal of Hall’s performance was how much Dexter struggled to put some good in the world while also feeding his insatiable need to kill. Interest inDexterhas not waned in the decade since the show went off the air, with Hall reprising his role inDexter: New Bloodand a prequel series calledDexter: Original Sinin the works.
Dexter: New Blood
Set a decade after his disappearance, Dexter: New Blood follows Dexter Morgan living under a new identity in Iron Lake, New York. Despite his attempts to embrace a peaceful life, unforeseen events in the tight-knit community reignite his Dark Passenger, challenging his efforts to leave his past behind.
