1. Hannibal Lecter – Manhunter/The Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal/Red Dragon/Hannibal Rising
When people talk about serial killers in movies, Hannibal Lecter is bound to be one of the first mentioned. Almost 25 years since his first appearance in Manhunter (yes it really has been that long), Lecter still sends shivers down the spines of even the toughest of movie goers.
Although Lecter was first seen in Manhunter (portrayed by Brian Cox), most people associate the character with The Silence of the Lambs (a film which houses a certain other entrant on this list). Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his unforgettable portrayal of a former psychiatrist and psychopathic cannibal, who taunts Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling from behind bars.
What makes Lecter so effective as a character is just how calm and calculating he is. He’s undoubtedly out of his mind, but not in an outward or obvious way as some other serial killers mentioned here (Leatherface, etc). He speaks in a soft (albeit creepy) tone of voice and rarely overreacts to the situation at hand. His delivery of advice to Clarice on how to catch a serial killer on the loose is as fascinatingly ironic as it is spine-tingling.
However, despite spending a lot of his time in a cage during The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter shows that he’s as capable physically as he is at psychologically manipulating people. For instance, he disguises himself as an injured police officer by cutting off and wearing the officer’s face in order to escape captivity. A sick yet determined man, indeed.
As was revealed in the origin story Hannibal Rising, Lecter was traumatized as a child when he witnessed the murder and consumption of his younger sister. However, that still doesn’t explain the extreme lengths of Lecter’s insanity – something is clearly inherently wrong with him on a base level.
Lecter remains one of the greatest fictional characters of the last few decades and is the epitome of the psychopathic serial killer.
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So that’s it for our list of the 10 most chilling movie serial killers. Now it’s time for you, our loyal Screen Rant readers, to give YOUR thoughts and opinions: Agree with our list? Any glaring omissions or killers on there that shouldn’t be? Sound off in the comments below.
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I think that we forgot out some major characters dudes- those sick creepy Mayan murderers from Apocalypto. Now those guys are devious!
Chris J you reminded me of the BBC Drama, “Jekyll”
Doesn’t get past SR immigration policy but still prtty disturbing performance by that guy,,? Forgot his name. Lol
James Nesbitt. Cracking show that was, shame the BBC cancelled plans for a second season.
God that was great! For a British Lit final I had to pick something we’d read and interpret it using whatever medium I wanted. I chose “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and interpreted it using film. More specifically “The Nutty Professor” (with Jerry Lewis), “Mary Reilly” (with Julia Roberts and John Malkovich), and “Jekyll” which I had run across at my local library. I took each film and compared it to the original literary work and then to each other in how they interpreted the story.
The second I saw that “Jekyll” was written by Steven Moffat I knew it was going to be so much better than I thought it was. Nesbitt was genuinely creepy and as I was making notes to compile later for my paper I was writing what I thought would happen. I had a great time reading them back.
“Jekyll” was also the element that pulled most from the Stevenson’s original work. If you read the short story and then watch “Jekyll” it’s amazing how many little details Moffat managed to incorporate. God I love this!
I loved the character of Mick Taylor played by John Jarratt in Wolf Creek, a pretty sick and twisted individual.
On a rather humorous note, remember the two old ladies in Arsenic and Old Lace, Cary Grant’s character, Mortimer Brewster, discovers his two favourite auntie’s take in borders, generally drifters and homeless people, then poison them.
Then there is a wonderful performance by Jeff Bridge’s in Jagged Edge.
I am sorry but this is so horribly written.
The psychological terms are vastly incorrect. And the assumptions made are just that – assumptions, and very bad ones that show a very limited understanding of psychopathology in humans. For instance it has been well-established that trauma is a crucial part of one’s evolution to serial killer, “However, that still doesn’t explain the extreme lengths of Lecter’s insanity – something is clearly inherently wrong with him on a base level.” Weakly founded assumption.
These are fictional characters and this list is just for fun. Lighten up.
Ed Gein influenced Leatherface. Not so fictional…
Yes, thanks for coming to a site about movies looking for deep expertise in psychology.
Vic
The article is quite poorly written, and its not a deep expertise in psychology to recognize the degree to which childhood trauma can have an effect on the development of a serial killer–this is borderline common knowledge.
If you want deep analytical insight into the phychology of serial killers you are on the wrong website. This site is for entertainment purposes. As in these are FICTIONAL characters being debated here. On a website set up for FUN. As Jerry said “lighten up”.
Harriet:
You are totally missing the point here. The assumptions as you call them are opinions on movie characters and their motives. This is not viewed from your perspective of what is medically accurate, and the precise definitions of psychopath or sociopath are not important. What is important is the emotional impact that these characters produce in each one of us.
Not sure if it counts but I like Milo Ventimiglia’s Dr. Ted Grey in Pathology… and how come Michael Myres isn’t on the list?
Please read the article at the beginning for the requirements to be included on the list. Michael Myres does not meet the requirements.
How is Myers’ insanity derived from supernatural sources? He’s simply an insane murderer. He is not immortal or demonic. He’s a very sick man who probably should be on this list.
Just a couple points to consider about the Patrick Bateman and Francis Dolarhyde discussions. I have read both American Psycho and Red Dragon – two of the best novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading in fact. (I do realize this piece is about the film characters though.)
In the novel American Psycho, the ambiguity regarding whether or not Bateman really killed people does not exist. He has killed all these people. The ending of the novel is fantastic.
I enjoyed both Manhunter and Red Dragon, the films. But, the films come nowhere close to doing Francis Dolarhyde’s character the justice that he deserves based on the literary killer. If the films were able to give us the rich, psychotic character that the novel provides, no one would question or doubt the need to include him very high on this list.
Jeff Bridges as Barney in ‘The Vanishing’ was also pretty good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeOVJFeP3MQ
Although an interesting post in the reference of serial killers.
what about the killer from copycat….that guy copied all of the biggest serial killings in history and did them perfectly. talk about a twisted s.o.b
Loved that movie! Harry Connick, Jr. was creepy and great as the psychopath!
I forgot the guy’s name, but the movie Dr. Giggles. I’m not sure of anyone else, but a dentist is one of the last people I want to go crazy
I think you forgot John Ryder from “The Hitcher”. Rutger Hauer is absolutely one of the scariest serial killers ever
john ryder is a scary dude lol. dr giggles isnt a dentist i dont think. theres another movie that is called the dentist with corbin bernsen
in copycat i was talkin bout the other guy that was copycating other serial murders but harry connick jr was good in that movie too
I would add the “joker” from the movie The Dark Knight he is crazy as a bed bug and He meets all the above requirements of a serial killer He doesn’t kill for money, He has killed multiple times, His memory is unreliable and a lot is wrong with him… if that doesn’t make him a psychopath I don’t know what does…..
where is michael myers??????????????:o
Hi All! I’m looking for the name of a film where a serial killer kept his female victims in some kind of boat house and then would tie them underwater fully clothed after he had killed them. Any ideas???
OMG I was looking for the same movie!! I remember watching it on TV and forgot the title of it!!ToT
Cabin By The Lake with Judd Nelson @ Tormented and Jenny
cabin by the lake