The following article discusses details of real-life murder cases.
Movies have always reflected people’s morbid fascination with serial killers, with some movies focusing on real-life killers rather than fictional characters. Even some of the mosticonic fictional movie serial killershave taken inspiration from real murderers, like Norman Bates inPsychoand Hannibal Lector inThe Silence of the Lambs.There are relatively few on-screen killers who are directly drawn from real life, however.
Depicting real serial killers on film has always been controversial. Some feel as though portraying murderers in this way affords them a level of prestige which they don’t deserve, and they can often come across as sympathetic if a movie isn’t careful. In either case, this can come across as insensitive to the families of the victims, who are too often excluded from the narrative. Only the best serial killer movies can explore criminal psychology without crossing the line.
10 Underseen Serial Killer Movies You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Serial killers are one of the most prolific topics in movies, but many films centered around them haven’t gotten the popularity they deserve.
10No Man Of God (2021)
Based On Ted Bundy
Very few serial killers have captured the American public imagination like Ted Bundy. There have been dozens ofTed Bundy movies, TV shows and documentaries over the years. The most famous recent example isExtremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,which stars Zac Efron as Bundy. 2021’sNo Man of Godis arguably the best Bundy movie, however, with Luke Kirby in the lead role.
A lot of the dialogue inNo Man of Godis taken directly from the transcripts of Bundy’s interviews with FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier.
A lot of the dialogue inNo Man of Godis taken directly from the transcripts of Bundy’s interviews with FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier, who is played by Elijah Wood. With two brilliant central performances,No Man of Godoffers an unglamorous examination of Bundy.The serial killer has often been mythologized, butNo Man of Goduses his own words to expose how other fictional accounts have erased his victims from the story and exaggerated his charms massively.
9The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Based On The Texarkana Moonlight Murders
The Town That Dreaded Sundownis often credited as one of the first slasher movies, made a few years beforeHalloweenandFriday the 13th.While the latter two films have taken inspiration from real-life killers,The Town That Dreaded Sundownis the only one that is a direct retelling of a historical case. The Texarkana Moonlight Murders took place in a small Texan town in 1946, with five people being killed by an unknown perpetrator.
The Town That Dreaded Sundownestablished many of the reliable tropes of slasher movies.
The Town That Dreaded Sundownestablished many of the reliable tropes of slasher movies, and its framing of the masked killer is still effective. With an unknown identity and motive, the killer takes on a quasi-supernatural feel as he stalks the town.The Town That Dreaded Sundownends with the killer showing up at the premiere of the movie itself, underlining the fact that he was never apprehended, and he could be anywhere.
The Snowtown murders aren’t particularly famous outside of Australia, but they were huge national news in the 1990s. The murders were carried out by three young men and one accomplice who helped them dispose of the bodies by hiding them in barrels inside a bank vault. The trial caused a media frenzy, butThe Snowtown Murderslooks at the series of crimes before the men were caught.
The Snowtown Murders- also known simply asSnowtown- is concerned with the backgrounds of the killers.
The Snowtown Murders- also known simply asSnowtown- is concerned with the backgrounds of the killers. It poses the question of what could make four friends embark on such a gruesome enterprise together. There is so much of the movie’s runtime devoted to their upbringing and the shifting nature of their relationship that it almost comes as a shock when the first body turns up.
The Boston Strangler is an intriguing case, as it has been hotly debated for so long. In the years following Albert DeSalvo’s arrest and conviction, serious doubts were cast on the investigation, and many believed that DeSalvo was not the only person responsible for the deaths of the 13 women in Boston in the early 1960s. DNA evidence has since proven that DeSalvo was the culprit of the final murder at the very least.
The Boston Strangler is an intriguing case, as it has been hotly debated for so long.
Boston Strangleris a dramatic retelling of the investigation into the killings carried out by two reporters, despite pressure from the police and their own bosses to drop the story. Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole uncover the incompetence within the police force, and several details which suggest there may have been multiple killers.Boston Strangleris an effective crime drama, especially as the two women wade deeper into the investigation and find themselves face-to-face with their prime suspects.
Henry Lee Lucas confessed to over 600 murders when he was eventually caught, but investigators were quickly able to rule out this possibility. He was convicted of 11 murders, although it’s likely that there are a few more which he was responsible for. His false confessions made ascertaining the real number tricky, and since he died in prison in 2001 it’s unlikely that the extent of his crimes will ever be known for certain.
No matter how much of the movie is true, it’s still a chilling depiction of evil, with a career-defining performance from Michael Rooker.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killeris a biopic about Lucas' life and his relationship with Ottis Toole, who became his accomplice.There are parts of the story which are entirely fabricated, either because the truth is so hard to find or simply becauseHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killerattempts to look inside the mind of Lucas. No matter how much of the movie is true, it’s still a chilling depiction of evil, with a career-defining performance from Michael Rooker.
Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, butMy Friend Dahmershows a relatively unknown side to him.Based on the graphic novel and memoir by John Backderf,My Friend Dahmerlooks back at Backderf’s friendship with Dahmer during his teen years. Dahmer would begin his killing spree shortly after leaving high school and cutting contact with his friends.
My Friend Dahmerprovides some fascinating insight into what makes a serial killer.
My Friend Dahmerprovides some fascinating insight into what makes a serial killer. It contributes to the age-old question of nature vs. nurture without ever conclusively coming down on one side or another. Although Dahmer is presented as a troubled adolescent with plenty of problems at home,Ross Lynch’s performancealso shows flashes of some evil within him that can’t be attributed to his home life.
The Honeymoon Killerswas a shockingly violent movie for the era, with gruesome depictions of murder that stood out from most other movies. The movie is inspired by Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, a couple known as the “Lonely Hearts Killers” who met their victims through personal ads. They may have committed up to 20 murders all across the United States, but they were only ever conclusively linked to three.
The Honeymoon Killersis filmed in black-and-white, and there are some sections made to look like a documentary.
Martin Scorsese was originally attached to directThe Honeymoon Killers,but he was fired midway through filming for working too slowly. His version might have turned out very differently to the finished product.The Honeymoon Killersis filmed in black-and-white, and there are some sections made to look like a documentary. This gives the movie a naturalistic feeling which makes the killings even more horrific.
3Monster (2003)
Based On Aileen Wuornos
The overwhelming majority of serial killers are men, which is part of what makes the case of Aileen Wuornos so fascinating.Monsterportrays her as a traumatized sex worker who murders her clients as an act of retribution and revenge. This has stoked controversy over the years, with some claiming that it’s overly sympathetic to a woman who killed seven men in increasingly violent ways.
Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance is key, as she completely disappears into the role of Wuornos.
Despite the controversies,Monsteris a captivating exploration of the mind of a serial killer. Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance is key, as she completely disappears into the role of Wuornos. Each of her movements are carefully observed to portray Wuornos' volatile mix of fragility and rage.Some elements ofMonsterare fictionalized, like the name and role of Wuornos' partner, but it’s mostly faithful to the real-life case.
Memories of Murderwas one of Bong Joon-ho’s earliest hits, years beforeSnowpiercerandParasiteraised his profile on an international stage. The film focuses on the investigation into the Hwaesong serial murders, which took place in South Korea between 1986 and 1994. At the timeMemories of Murderwas made, the killer remained unknown, but he has since been identified.
At the timeMemories of Murderwas made, the killer remained unknown, but he has since been identified.
Memories of Murderis a taut thriller with plenty of intrigue.The details of the murder are made all the more disturbing by the real-life context that the killer evaded capture for so long. Bong uses this knowledge to his advantage, creating an unsettling mystery in which the detectives and the public often go through periods of simply waiting for the next body to be discovered.Memories of Murderis one of the bestmovies about unsolved crimes.
David Fincher has made several outstanding movies about criminal pathology, includingSe7en, The Girl With the Dragon TattooandGone Girl.WithZodiac, he takes on one of America’s most notorious unsolved mysteries. In keeping with the real-life case, Fincher never reveals the identity of the killer. There are a few suspects, but each one has just as much evidence to discount them.
Zodiacis an interesting meditation on the very nature of people’s obsession with true crime.
Zodiacis one ofDavid Fincher’s best movies. The performances are all top-notch, and Fincher’s recreation of San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s is remarkably convincing. Above all,Zodiacis an interesting meditation on the very nature of people’s obsession with true crime.It’s a serial killer story told from the perspective of an uninvolved civilian, as he falls down the rabbit hole of a puzzle with no answer.
