Movies and television shows have, for years, told tales of serial killers or murderers in order to scare their audiences. But, from horror movies to crime shows, there's no denying that majority of serial killers seen on screen are male. Of course, just as male murderers can haunt nightmares, female murderers can be just as evil.
Some of these female serial killers and murderers are the worst of the worst, capable of giving audiences the creeps just as easily as men like Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates. While there are some novice killers like Love Quinn from You or even Mrs. Loomis from Scream 2 who are worthy of mention, but these ghoulish gals take the cake.
Updated on October 15th, 2021 by Tanner Fox: There are dozens upon dozens of movies and television series about serial killers both fictitious and otherwise, and, while the archetype of an unhinged male murderer often prevails, female killers can be just as menacing.
Unfortunately, far too many of them have gone unsung. From seminal slaughterers like Stephen King's Carrie White to more modern murderers like Rose Armitage in Jordan Peele's Get Out, there are plenty of female killers who are all-too-often overlooked.
Mary Ann Cotton (Dark Angel)
For fans of British shows, the two-part mini-series Dark Angel featured a real-life serial killer as its main character. The show is an adaptation of a book by David Wilson, and the book and show center on what might have been Britain's first serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton.
The show follows a similar story of a woman in the 1800s leaving a trail of death in the North East. Mary would marry men and poison them with arsenic for the insurance money. What's makes the character so chilling is her ability to keep up the ruse without raising suspicion. But, as her wealth increases, her secret might be revealed.
Michelle Baldwin (CSI: Miami)
Don't let the sweet and innocent-looking redhead that is Michelle Baldwin (Alicia Witt) fool you. Despite her and her husband being a murderous team, Michelle is the real mastermind. In the episode "Bloodlust" on CSI: Miami, the team finds a tortured female's body in a hurricane shelter. The killer passes as a survivor, but, in reality, she is the cause of it all.
Michelle would kidnap, torture, and murder young women who would flirt with her husband. She would strangle them with their own bra and take a fingernail as a trophy. She had a kill count of 10 victims, and, when apprehended, stated"what does it matter what their names are? They're dead. It's not about them, they're not even here."
Villanelle (Killing Eve)
A Romeo and Juliet tale turned completely on its head, Killing Eve tells the story of MI6 agent Eve Polastri who develops something of a fatal attraction to one of her subjects.
The subject in question is Villanelle, an international assassin working with an enigmatic group known as The Twelve. A cold and calculating killer, there are no murderous means to which she will not resort. From stabbing a man in the eye with a syringe to executing a hit in a crowded nightclub, her capacity to commit murder is beyond terrifying.
Tiffany (Bride Of Chucky)
Chucky met his match when it comes to a deranged and murderous partner. In Bride of Chucky, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) resurrects her serial killer lover, Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) back into his doll body. Every bit as notorious as her lover, Tiffany deserves some props.
To start, she bribes and then murders the police officer who helped her retrieve Chucky's doll parts. Chucky comes to life and smothers her goth lover while she watches in glee. Tiffany is just as much of a killer as Chucky as their trail of murder and madness continues throughout the series' many sequels.
Emma Spool (Psycho II)
Two decades after the events of the original Psycho movie, Psycho II sees a reformed Norman Bates return to his home free of the delusions which had previously plagued him. However, things take a turn as strange murders once again occur, with Norman the prime suspect in all of them.
However, it's eventually revealed that Emma Spool, a kindly old woman who helped Norman to find a job, was the killer. She was actually Norman's real mother all along, and Norma Bates was her sister. She committed a slew of murders in order to "protect" Norman, but she ultimately caused him to relapse back into the "mother" persona fans saw in the first film.
Magan Kane (Criminal Minds)
Magan Kane (Brianna Brown) appeared in the episode "Pleasure Is My Business" in season four of Criminal Minds. Kane was originally a sex worker, but, at some point in her career, she started committing murder. Her first and second kills were covered up by the victim's lawyers.
What made Kane a memorable killer that instilled fear was her ability to stay under the radar. In order to be discreet, she would often disguise herself and pass herself off as a businesswoman and manipulate her earnings by having her client's payments look like shoes, jewelry, or other expenses.
Carrie White (Carrie)
1976's Carrie was one of Stephen King's first novels to receive the silver screen treatment, and, though relatively tame compared to some of his later works, Carrie features an almost overwhelming body count—though few of the deaths are shown on-screen.
After high school bullies drop a bucket of pig's blood on her head at the prom, Carrie unleashes her psychic abilities on the onlookers, causing an electrical fire that supposedly killed everyone in attendance save for Sue, one of Carrie's only allies. It's an uncomfortable tale with no real heroes—just a lot of death.
The Gravedigger (Bones)
Heather Taffet (Deirdre Lovejoy), also known as The Gravedigger, gets points for her manipulation of the murder investigation and overall cold demeanor. The show Bones had many known criminals and killers, but Taffet was one that's often remembered. Not only was she a serial killer and kidnapper, but a state attorney.
While Taffet focused more on the kidnapping order to be paid a ransom, she would also run over any witnesses. She would bury them alive with enough oxygen for 24 hours, and, if they didn't pay, she would let them die. Taffet even abducted Brennan and Hodgins.
Pamela Voorhees (Friday The 13th)
Before her son Jason became one of horror movies' most well-known murderers and the star of the Friday the 13th series, he first got it from his serial killer mother. Pamela (Betsy Palmer) was blinded by a mother's love for her son, and, after the incident at camp, she vowed to seek revenge.
She returned to the camp where Jason died years later and killed two counselors as revenge for those who were negligent in her son's death. Over the years, she went on killing more camp counselors, and her acts only fueled her son's need to kill.
Delphine LaLaurie (American Horror Story: Coven)
What's scarier than a television character based on a real-life serial killer? Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) was a wealthy socialite who lived in luxury and loved hosting fancy get-togethers, but behind the glamour was an evil and murderous woman. Driven by rage and jealousy, she would murder her slaves, especially the ones who were in bed with her husband.
To make matters even more creepy, she would make a beauty balm from her slaves' pancreases. She even tortured and dressed up one of her slaves as her favorite mythological Greek creature, the minotaur. She choked the baby of a slave fathered by her husband and used its blood for makeup—and American Horror Story has plenty of killers just as twisted as Delphine.
Samara Morgan (The Ring)
The Ring is a 2002 western adaptation of a 1998 Japanese film of the same name, and it tells the tale of a girl born with psychic powers who drowns after spending seven days trapped in a well. Leaving behind a cursed videotape, she's able to come back and kill anyone who watches it after a period of seven days.
Though she's a fairly legendary figure in the realm of horror cinema, few of Samara's kills actually take place on-screen, and her haunting "seven days" refrain is arguably scarier than any of her actual murders. Be that as it may, she's still completely terrifying.
Annie Wilkes (Misery)
The 1990 movie Misery is one of the most talked-about horror movie adaptations of any of Stephen King's books. The prominent antagonist, Annie (Kathy Bates), kidnaps her favorite author after he's rendered unconscious when his car goes off the road in a blizzard.
When uncovering that the author plans to kill off her favorite characters, she can't let him leave. She threatens him to write a new manuscript, and there's a scene where Annie breaks his ankles as punishment for leaving the room. It's also uncovered that Annie is tied to a number of infant deaths.
Asami (Audition)
Audition is a Japanese horror thriller that will scare the wits out of anyone. The 1999 film was based on a novel and involved a young female killer. A middle-aged widower is urged to do a mock casting for his new wife. He soon meets Asami (Eihi Shiina), but something is off about the young woman. After falling for her, he looks into her references.
Following some odd murder cases reveals Asami as the killer. She breaks and drugs the widower and tortures him with needles. She even cuts off his foot with a wire saw. The seemingly innocent and reserved young woman is anything but, and the film is often said to be a riveting and eery horror movie worth a watch.
Amanda Young (Saw)
The pig mask-wearing assailant known for doing Jigsaw's bidding, Amanda Young is one of the most complicated villains in the Saw films. Originally a junky who is "rehabilitated" by one of Jigsaw's games, Amanda goes on to help orchestrate the events of Saw II and III, doing immeasurable amounts of harm in the process.
An integral part of the first three films, Amanda's haunting pig mask visage and gruesome rigged games make her arguably more despicable than John Kramer. Violent and tormented, she's easily one of cinema's most legendary female murderers.
Beverly Sutphin (Serial Mom)
A mother would do anything for her child—even kill. That's the storyline and purpose behind Serial Mom's main character. Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner) is a not-so-ordinary housewife with a perfect family and life, but this baking and cooking housewife is actually a serial killer.
Beverly starts killing over trivial things, beginning with her son's teacher who berates her parenting and her son's mental health. She even murders her daughter's date for not showing up. She goes on to kill a number of people until she's caught by police. Surprisingly enough, she manages to get away scot-free and later kills a juror for wearing white after Labor Day. It's better to not get on this mother's bad side.