These actors nailed it...and terrified us in the process. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best and scariest portrayals of historical serial killers.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00How'd it happen?
00:04I stabbed her.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best and scariest portrayals
00:09of historical serial killers.
00:11We'll be including both film and TV for this list.
00:13And I knew I was going to kill her, you know.
00:18I was honest with myself for the first time.
00:22Number 20.
00:23John Cusack as Robert Hanson, The Frozen Ground
00:26You can't believe it's going to be a problem, right?
00:28It's going to be a problem.
00:29It's going to be a problem, and you're going to die.
00:32Robert Hanson fancied himself a hunter of humans, often releasing his victims into the
00:36Alaskan wilderness and stalking them with a rifle.
00:39He murdered at least 17 women before he was apprehended in 1983.
00:43Hanson's bizarre and terrifying stories recounted in The Frozen Ground, with a chilling John
00:48Cusack donning his signature glasses.
00:50Cusack embodies an everyday man with a horrifying secret life, with his understated performance
00:55capturing Hanson's dual nature, part meek suburbanite, part brutal hunter of women.
00:59It's a great break from his typical roles, and it shows a darker side of the otherwise
01:03lovable actor.
01:04I did not shoot anybody, and I would not hurt anybody.
01:08And that's the truth.
01:09Number 19.
01:10Dominic West as Fred West, Appropriate Adult
01:13I don't know how long, but it was quick, you know, it was real quick, because it's surprising
01:17how long you can hold someone.
01:18Receiving eight BAFTA nominations, Appropriate Adult is an acclaimed TV film about the brutal
01:23rampage of Fred and Rose West.
01:25In a span of 20 years, the Wests killed at least 12 people, although the true body count
01:29could be much higher.
01:30In Appropriate Adult, he's portrayed by Dominic West, who's best known for playing a cop on
01:34the wire.
01:35Well, here he's on the opposite end of the moral spectrum, drawing viewers into the macabre
01:39world of Fred West.
01:41He seamlessly switches between affable and monstrous, which is a disturbing reflection
01:45of how killers like West can hide in plain sight and evade suspicion.
01:49West's performance was universally acclaimed, and he walked away with the BAFTA for Best
01:53Leading Actor.
01:54And I cut her legs off, and that was unbearable.
02:00Number 18.
02:01Tony Curtis as Albert DeSalvo, The Boston Strangler
02:03Mr. Oskerson wants to see me.
02:05He told me I don't have to talk to you if I don't want to.
02:08He's right, you don't.
02:11You don't have to talk to me, and if you do talk, nothing you say can be used outside
02:15this room.
02:16Numerous movies have been made about The Boston Strangler, including one in 2023 starring
02:20an excellent David Dastmalchian as Albert DeSalvo.
02:24But the definitive portrayal of The Boston Strangler has to be Tony Curtis's, who played
02:27the killer in a popular and groundbreaking film from 1968.
02:31While the movie was criticized for its many inaccuracies, it was also praised as a piece
02:35of filmmaking, and that extends to the performance of Curtis.
02:38He gives us glimpses into DeSalvo's fragmented psyche through powerful monologues and eerie
02:43silences, and his intense commitment to the role adds layers to what could have been a
02:47one-dimensional character.
02:48He was ultimately nominated for a Golden Globe for his efforts.
02:51I don't belong here.
02:55I guess everybody says that, don't they?
02:58Number 17.
02:59Sonny Valicenti as Dennis Rader, Mindhunter
03:01Oh, I didn't realize you were still in the house.
03:06I'm sorry to startle you.
03:07While short-lived, this Netflix drama gave us many exceptional portrayals of serial killers,
03:12and believe us, we'll get to them.
03:14First off is Sonny Valicenti as Dennis Rader, better known as BTK.
03:17Unlike the other killers in the show, BTK wasn't given an interview sequence that allowed
03:21the actor to chew the scenery with mesmerizing dialogue.
03:24But Valicenti's understated performance is no less impressive.
03:27With his eerie, silence-often-speaking volumes, he depicts the prototypical creep with startling
03:32precision.
03:33His silence and awkward mannerisms clue us into the fact that something is rotten in
03:37the state of Kansas.
03:38Number 16.
03:39Martin Sheena's Kit, Badlands
03:40Who's a sheriff to you?
03:41How did we?
03:42Huh?
03:43While the character of Kit is fictional, he's based on a man named Charles Starkweather,
03:44who killed 11 people in just under two months.
03:45For most of these murders, he was accompanied by his young girlfriend, Carol Ann Fugate,
03:46and the two became national villains.
03:47Their brutal story is loosely recounted in many ways.
03:48For one thing, it's easy to forget that Kit is a serial killer.
03:49He's a serial killer, but he's also a serial killer.
03:50He's a serial killer, but he's also a serial killer.
03:51He's a serial killer, but he's also a serial killer.
03:52He's a serial killer, but he's also a serial killer.
03:53He's a serial killer, but he's also a serial killer.
03:54The character of Kit is fictional, he's based on a man named Charles Starkweather, who killed
03:5711 people in just under two months.
03:59For most of these murders, he was accompanied by his young girlfriend, Carol Ann Fugate,
04:04and the two became national villains.
04:06Their brutal story is loosely recounted in Badlands, which is notable for being Terrence
04:10Malick's directorial debut.
04:12Kit is played by a young Martin Sheen who captures the character's cold-bloodedness,
04:16along with the dark charm that allowed him to manipulate his girlfriend.
04:19The casual way he commits murders adds an eerie normalcy to their twisted romance,
04:23and Sheen is wonderful in gradually revealing Kit's inner psychopathy.
04:27Of course, Holly and I have had fun, even if it has been rushed.
04:31And uh, so far we're doing fine, hadn't got caught.
04:36Number 15.
04:37Zach Vea as Richard Ramirez, American Horror Story 1984
04:41Is that it?
04:42All of it?
04:43Swear on Satan!
04:44The ninth season of American Horror Story was heavily influenced by the classic slasher
04:48films of the 70s and 80s, featuring, what else, a summer camp and some vicious killers.
04:53These characters are fictional, but nestled within them is the real Night Stalker, a.k.a.
04:57Richard Ramirez.
04:58The season nicely weaves fictional drama with history, and Vea brings the right amount of
05:02intensity and swagger befitting Ramirez's public persona.
05:05He also delivers terrifying moments showing just how unhinged the Night Stalker was believed
05:10to be, offering little in the way of basic compassion or human decency.
05:13He was a true monster, and Vea portrayed his monster tendencies perfectly.
05:17That's the deal.
05:19If you break that deal, if you bail, there will be hell to pay.
05:26Literally.
05:27Number 14.
05:28Daniel Henschel as John Bunting, Snowtown
05:30Anyone missing?
05:35What do you know?
05:36The Snowtown Murders is one of the most notorious crimes in Australian history, with dead bodies
05:41being found inside barrels in an abandoned Snowtown bank vault.
05:44Twelve people died between 1992 and 1999, and the crimes were eventually linked to a
05:49small gang of perpetrators led by John Bunting.
05:52In this little film from 2011, Bunting is portrayed by a pitch-perfect Daniel Henschel,
05:56who walked away with the very first ACTA Award for Best Actor.
06:00The movie does not make for light viewing, with Henschel proving utterly psychotic and
06:04manipulative as the ringleader of the murderous gang.
06:07The movie gives us great insights into his warped psyche, and Henschel is more than up
06:11to the task of delivering his various complexities and motivations.
06:14You don't need a warrior, huh?
06:21Then nobody might.
06:22Number 13.
06:23Richard Attenborough as John Christie, 10 Rillington Place
06:26It's the moral question that concerns me.
06:28I wouldn't tell a soul, Mr. Christie.
06:30Honestly.
06:31The taking of life, no matter how rudimentary.
06:35John Christie is an infamous name in British history.
06:38Having killed eight people inside his Notting Hill flat and storing their corpses in various
06:41locations around the house, the address was 10 Rillington Place, which is also the name
06:45of the 1971 film dramatizing his crimes.
06:49Christie is portrayed by the legendary Richard Attenborough, who plays Christie with a disturbingly
06:53calm demeanor.
06:54Attenborough's mystery lies in his subtle expressions and quiet delivery.
06:57He doesn't need to resort to over-the-top villainy to evoke unease.
07:01Sometimes all you need is a creepy look or a subtly menacing line delivery, and Attenborough
07:05provides in full, imbuing the movie with an unbearable sense of dread.
07:09I'm sorry, Jim.
07:11These things happen, though.
07:13Number 12.
07:14Oliver Cooper as David Berkowitz, Mindhunter
07:16I'm not some crazed sex killer.
07:19I needed a name that explained who I really was, that I was being controlled by a 3,000-year-old demon.
07:26While he only appeared in one episode, Oliver Cooper left behind one heck of an impression
07:30playing the son of Sam.
07:31Real name David Berkowitz, he terrified New York City throughout the mid-'70s, killing
07:35six and wounding many more with his .44 Bulldog revolver.
07:38He was eventually caught and sent to prison, which is where the FBI agents, Holden and
07:42Bill, find him in season two.
07:44Cooper's magnificent as the killer, capturing Berkowitz's eerie mannerisms and unsettling
07:48confidence.
07:49He's also great at displaying the killer's manipulative attitude, eventually admitting
07:53that he made up the story of hearing a demon.
07:55He just wanted to kill people, and Cooper cuts to the hidden depths of Berkowitz's terrifying
07:59psychology.
08:01Sometimes I rolled around in the dirt where they died, just to feel it.
08:05Number 11.
08:06David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen, Dez
08:08We'd like to talk to you about your drains.
08:10That's why the police are interested in drains.
08:13Let's talk about that upstairs, shall we?
08:16Many people know David Tennant as the friendly and affable Tenth Doctor, but this role couldn't
08:20be any further from friendly and affable.
08:22Tennant plays Dennis Nilsen, a Scottish serial killer who murdered at least 12 people between
08:271978 and 1983.
08:29Tennant transforms into Nilsen with an unsettling ease, delivering a nuanced performance that
08:34captures both the banality and malevolence of the infamous murderer.
08:38His ability to switch from mundane to menacing proves his remarkable versatility as an actor,
08:43and his startling performance earns him the International Emmy Award for Best Actor.
08:47Don't mug me about.
08:49Where's the rest of the body?
08:53In the cupboard.
08:54Number 10.
08:55Zac Efron as Ted Bundy
08:56Extremely wicked, shockingly evil, and vile.
08:58You know, police, they just want to solve crimes, and sometimes they don't think things
09:02all the way through.
09:03They are willing to take the convenient alternative.
09:05Talk about breaking typecasting.
09:07How about that Zac Efron as Ted Bundy?
09:09The man with the boyish good looks found immense popularity with the high school musical movies,
09:13but here he sheds that youthful charm and steps into the mind and body of a notorious
09:17serial killer.
09:18Efron captures Bundy's manipulative allure and superficial charm with incredible precision,
09:23but he's also capable of revealing the underlying malevolence that makes Bundy one of the most
09:27infamous killers in American history.
09:29He was always a very tough man to read, and Efron capably portrays his complexities by
09:34allowing us to see both the attractive man and the monster hiding underneath.
09:38Come on, you know that I'm not capable of these crimes.
09:41I would never hurt a woman.
09:43Have I ever laid a hand on you?
09:45Have I ever raised my voice?
09:47Number 9.
09:48Kathy Bates as Delphine LaLaurie
09:50American horror story coven.
09:51You can't control me, mother.
09:53Hell I can't!
09:54Hell I can't!
09:56We return to that wonderful mix of drama and history that makes American horror stories
10:00so endlessly compelling.
10:02The third season takes place in New Orleans and stars Kathy Bates as Delphine LaLaurie,
10:06a local socialite who's believed to have abused and killed the people in her employ.
10:10Bates proved with misery that she could play the unhinged psychopath, and she returns to
10:14that mold by portraying the historic serial killer.
10:16Her mastery over conflicting personalities is commendable, often masking LaLaurie's sadistic
10:21nature with that ever-charming Southern hospitality.
10:24Whether she's delivering wickedly sharp dialogue or grappling with the character's
10:28historical atrocities, Bates ensures that every moment crackles with intensity.
10:32Bastien, you want to rut like a beast?
10:37Then we're going to treat you like one.
10:40Number 8.
10:41Damon Herriman as Charles Manson
10:42Mindhunter
10:43You don't see it, but the only truth is now.
10:46Now is the only thing that's real.
10:48There are pitch-perfect casting choices, and then there are casting choices that seem like
10:52benediction from the TV gods.
10:54Damon Herriman as Charles Manson is one of them.
10:56Watching Herriman work is indistinct from watching the real Charles Manson, and if you
11:00put the two side-by-side, you'd be hard-pressed to figure out which one is which.
11:04Of course, the hair and makeup department deserves a ton of credit, but Herriman's performance
11:07is simply out of this world, capturing the infamous killer's every little nuance and
11:12vocal mannerism.
11:13Watch him in Mindhunter, and then watch him as the bumbling Dewey Crow in Justified and
11:17see just what an extraordinary actor he is.
11:20We know that no one in the family acted without your approval, John.
11:23Well, if you know you know, you don't need to talk to me.
11:26Number 7.
11:27Brian Dennehy as John Wayne Gacy to catch a killer
11:30I know where we can find some real handcuffs, boys and girls.
11:34Right here.
11:35I'll be right there.
11:36Not too many people have heard of this little TV movie, but they should watch it if for
11:39no other reason than seeing Brian Dennehy at work.
11:42He plays John Wayne Gacy, one of America's most notorious serial killers and a man responsible
11:46for at least 33 deaths.
11:48Gacy is famous not because he took so many lives, but because he hid in plain sight,
11:52acting as a productive member of society and even cozying up to the First Lady of the United
11:56States.
11:57Dennehy richly captures all the nuances of Gacy, both his charming good-guy veneer and
12:01that signature malevolence hiding just underneath the surface.
12:04It's no surprise that he received an Emmy nomination for his performance.
12:07It's brilliant.
12:08There may be other charges, Mr. Gacy.
12:11Like what?
12:12Well, it depends on what the lieutenant finds in your house.
12:15Oh, he's in my house?
12:18Number 6.
12:19Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, American Crime Story
12:24Guess who I met?
12:26Andrew!
12:27Guess!
12:28You have to guess!
12:32Gianni Versace?
12:33Darren Criss had a monumental task in front of him by playing the elusive Andrew Cunanan.
12:37It was so difficult because no one really knew the real Cunanan.
12:40He was a master manipulator, the type of person who reads someone and gives them what they
12:44want to see instead of what he truly was.
12:46And to this day, no one knows why he killed Gianni Versace.
12:49Despite all these glaring questions, Criss was up to the task, expertly embodying Cunanan's
12:53many different masks and personas.
12:55Watching Criss bounce from one mode to the next is utterly spellbinding, and it's no
12:59surprise that he walked away with the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.
13:12Number 5.
13:13Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall, Blackbird
13:16In my dreams, I...
13:20In my dreams, I, like, kill women.
13:24Nothing much is certain about Larry Hall, a suspected serial killer and Civil War aficionado
13:29who traveled all across the country for reenactments.
13:31While Hall recanted all of his confessions, investigators believe that he murdered up
13:35to 50 women, which would make him one of the most prolific killers in American history.
13:39In Apple TV's Blackbird, Hall is portrayed by an outstanding Paul Walter Hauser, who
13:44dons stringy hair, a whispery voice, and a magnificent set of mutton chops.
13:48Hauser's both literally and figuratively unrecognizable, embodying Larry Hall in all of his maliciousness
13:53and cloudy ambiguity.
13:55Hauser would eventually win the Emmy for Supporting Actor, beating out the likes of Richard Jenkins,
13:59Ray Liotta, and Jesse Plemons.
14:09Number 4.
14:10Michael Rooker as Henry, Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer
14:14What?
14:16Did you really kill your mama?
14:20I guess I did.
14:21Michael Rooker has enjoyed a long and storied career, now known for The Walking Dead and
14:25the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
14:27But long before either of them, he was donning a white tank top as serial killer Henry.
14:31He's loosely based on Henry Lee Lucas, a man who confessed to hundreds of murders, but
14:35who likely committed just three.
14:37This highly controversial film is based more on the legend of Lucas rather than the man
14:41himself, with Michael Rooker portraying one of the most vicious and merciless psychopaths
14:45in cinematic history.
14:46The movie has long garnered controversy for its extreme violence and gritty realism, with
14:50Rooker's horrifying performance being far too realistic for comfort.
14:54I'd like to kill somebody.
14:56Say that again.
14:58I'd like to kill somebody.
15:01That's mean you go for a ride, Otis.
15:03Number 3.
15:04Charlize Theron as Eileen Wuornos, Monster
15:06I'm not a bad person, I'm a real good person.
15:10What?
15:11One of the most eye-popping transformations in movie history comes via Charlize Theron
15:15playing Eileen Wuornos.
15:16Theron is literally unrecognizable in the role, using a new accent, wearing fake teeth,
15:21shaving her eyebrows, and gaining 30 pounds.
15:23That all results in a startling and convincing transformation, which sees Theron not just
15:27portraying, but becoming the mentally ill serial killer.
15:30While the movie attracted some controversy for its sympathetic depiction of Wuornos,
15:34Theron's performance was universally lauded, and she won virtually every major award in
15:38the industry, including the Oscar.
15:39In fact, Roger Ebert called it one of the greatest performances in the history of the
15:43cinema, and that man knew his stuff.
15:45We can be as different as we want to be, but you can't kill people.
15:49Number 2.
15:50Cameron Britton as Edmund Kemper, Mindhunter
15:52That's when I started burying the heads in the backyard.
15:55Sure.
15:56Right underneath Mom's bedroom window, their faces looking right up at her window while
16:00she was at home.
16:01Of all the exceptional actors to star in Mindhunter, Cameron Britton was the breakout star, playing
16:05the gigantic and utterly deranged Edmund Kemper.
16:08This is one of the scariest serial killers America has ever seen, an imposing man standing
16:13six foot nine inches and killer of ten people, including his paternal grandparents and mother.
16:18Britton certainly has the body for the role, but he's also a tremendous actor, expertly
16:22towing the line between polite indifference and complete madness.
16:25When he speaks, we listen with rapt attention, and when he threatens an FBI agent, we hold
16:30our breath, knowing full well the extent of his depraved capabilities.
16:34I could kill you now pretty easily.
16:37Do some interesting things.
16:39Before anyone showed up, then you'd be with me in spirit.
16:45Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
16:49about our latest videos.
16:51You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
16:55If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
17:01Number 1.
17:02Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer
17:03Dahmer.
17:04Monster.
17:05The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
17:06I just bought you Boone's Farm, and I'm gonna give you money, and all I wanna do is take
17:16some pictures.
17:17The name Jeffrey Dahmer is synonymous with evil, and many people have played him throughout
17:20the years, including a marvelous star turn from Ross Lynch in My Friend Dahmer.
17:24But that movie tells of the killer's teenage years.
17:26If we want the quintessential Dahmer experience, we have to turn to this popular Netflix drama
17:31and the acclaimed performance of Evan Peters.
17:33Having won the Golden Globe for his portrayal of Dahmer, Peters nails all of his awkward
17:37mannerisms and his quiet, reserved demeanor.
17:39When it comes time for the violence, Peter doesn't hold back, depicting a man unhinged
17:43and desperate for blood.
17:45The rapid swings in mood are tremendous, and Peters is deftly capable of portraying all
17:49sides of the infamous killer.
17:51I told you not to go in there!
17:53That is my room!
17:54That is my stuff!
17:56Can you think of any other great serial killer portrayals?
17:58Let us know in the comments below.
18:00The only way I could have those girls was to kill them, and it worked.
18:04Did you enjoy this video?
18:06Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
18:10to be notified about our latest videos.