Serial Killing & the Cinema
As a huge lover of film, I've seen tons of serial killer movies from all over the world. Here I list some favorites and rarities, with some notes as a guide for myself and perhaps other film fans, but in no particular order. Yes, chaos, learn to embrace it to a degree or be ruined by it.
I don't claim to be an expert on the subject of serial killers, just a big fan of film in general. I grew up renting R rated films as a young child in the early 80's. 8 years old and no one seemed to care back then at the video stores, and Mom and Dad were too busy working or with the younger kids. This perhaps is the reason I have little preference in the type of film I'll watch at any time. Dark films, bright films, high budget, low budget, I love many of all sorts from all corners of the world. To me, music is undoubtedly the greatest of all human artforms, but a truly great film can be just as great as a brilliant piece of music I have come to find. Partly I think this is due to the fact that ever since sound was added to film, films also contain music, and some use it so much more effectively than others; Sometimes to the point of artistic bliss. When great art can capture that flow with the viewer, it is a special thing, and of course every viewer is quite unique. Some people, believe it or not, believe that they are not unique. Nonsense, you just aren't diving into things enough to notice. Great art is definitely subjective, and as they say, one person's garbage is another person's treasure. Rating films and even critiquing them is to me actually a very silly thing, and I hesitate to take it at all very seriously. Yet the art itself, at least the stuff that speaks to me is very serious to me; And it is likely for that reason that I decided to start rating films online and sharing my experiences and favorites with others. To pass on a great thing to another person in such a way is a privilege of the modern world; And sharing anything good with another has always been one of the glorious things in human life. I'll add more and more films to this list in time, and I've also added a few television productions worth noting. So here goes...
In the words of Jim Morrison, "Let's plan a murder or start a religion."
P.S. - Also of possible interest to those who have looked at this list. Here I have written some notes and such on a number of my favorite episodes, and some other interesting episodes of Forensic Files. One of the very best true investigative crime shows of all time.
That list is right here... http://www.imdb.com/list/ls520080699/
I don't claim to be an expert on the subject of serial killers, just a big fan of film in general. I grew up renting R rated films as a young child in the early 80's. 8 years old and no one seemed to care back then at the video stores, and Mom and Dad were too busy working or with the younger kids. This perhaps is the reason I have little preference in the type of film I'll watch at any time. Dark films, bright films, high budget, low budget, I love many of all sorts from all corners of the world. To me, music is undoubtedly the greatest of all human artforms, but a truly great film can be just as great as a brilliant piece of music I have come to find. Partly I think this is due to the fact that ever since sound was added to film, films also contain music, and some use it so much more effectively than others; Sometimes to the point of artistic bliss. When great art can capture that flow with the viewer, it is a special thing, and of course every viewer is quite unique. Some people, believe it or not, believe that they are not unique. Nonsense, you just aren't diving into things enough to notice. Great art is definitely subjective, and as they say, one person's garbage is another person's treasure. Rating films and even critiquing them is to me actually a very silly thing, and I hesitate to take it at all very seriously. Yet the art itself, at least the stuff that speaks to me is very serious to me; And it is likely for that reason that I decided to start rating films online and sharing my experiences and favorites with others. To pass on a great thing to another person in such a way is a privilege of the modern world; And sharing anything good with another has always been one of the glorious things in human life. I'll add more and more films to this list in time, and I've also added a few television productions worth noting. So here goes...
In the words of Jim Morrison, "Let's plan a murder or start a religion."
P.S. - Also of possible interest to those who have looked at this list. Here I have written some notes and such on a number of my favorite episodes, and some other interesting episodes of Forensic Files. One of the very best true investigative crime shows of all time.
That list is right here... http://www.imdb.com/list/ls520080699/
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- DirectorRobert WieneStarsWerner KraussConrad VeidtFriedrich FeherHypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Some claim this is among the first horror masterpieces of the cinema. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but it is a pretty great story no doubt. In it's time, I'm sure it was far more effective than it is today. It holds up reasonably well, but certainly not entirely in my view. If you do enjoy silent film, this is definitely a must see. 7.5/10
- DirectorFritz LangStarsPeter LorreEllen WidmannInge LandgutWhen the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.Lang's film is certainly interesting, and well ahead of its time. It's likely the first great film on this type of subject. 8.5/10
- StarsMark HarmonFrederic ForrestGeorge GrizzardThe story of serial killer, Ted Bundy.If you want to see the most detailed film on Bundy, especially as an adult during his crime spree, then this just over 3 hour, two part TV movie is still without a doubt the best bet. It doesn't detail or show much of his crimes, the scene usually cuts just before the crime, but that's how 80's TV movies usually dealt with the extreme. The film though does show many of Bundy's personal relationships and real nuances more than any other recreation I've seen. Harmon's Golden Globe nominated performance is perhaps the closest anyone has ever come to matching the real Bundy personaS, as multiple as they were. The film details quite well the cunning subtle manipulative aspects of Ted. Bringing girls he had safe relationships with to parties with connected community people, making a friendly, smiley appearance and then quickly taking off. Like a politician, just gradually working everybody little by little, until hopefully one day he could use them for his gain. He was a Psych major, a Law student and a person who had considered getting into politics. Bundy is the type of serial killer that interests me because he was smart. Most serial killers in history, the ones that have been caught at least, were not very intelligent people. There are of course quite a few exceptions, but it is true that predominantly most come from abusive backgrounds, with little money, and have less than average intelligence. It's just a fact. Bundy as well as most of the more interesting serial killers in history, definitely defy those often common factors, especially when it comes to intelligence. This film is pretty standard in it's delivery, but quite detailed and well acted, so very worth the watch. This account was actually praised for how close to fact it was when it came out. The amount of things they have right is pretty impressive, especially when you consider that when this film came out, Bundy still had not even confessed to even one of the murders on record. However the evidence was staggering. As it is well said in this film, the guy could in his mind rationalize anything. The only big knock I have against the film really is the terrible 80's musical score. Thankfully they didn't flood the film with too, too much of it. Just enough to make you very sure you hate it. 7.5/10
- DirectorMatthew BrightStarsMichael Reilly BurkeBoti BlissJulianna McCarthyThe story of serial killer Ted Bundy.If you are really into serial killers, I strongly recommend this. In some ways it's quite unique, and the lead performance is very menacing. The film almost seems like a farce at times, but in a way that perhaps captures the surreal aspect of serial killing in a way rarely, if ever caught well on camera before(American Psycho touches this area as well.). It's far from a perfect film, but it is a worthy watch for many fans of the subject. While the tone of the film may offend some deeply, for others who can stomach the crudeness, they actually may find this film to be very funny at times. I know I did. Now don't get me wrong, the things Ted Bundy did are obviously not funny at all. Nonetheless this film takes a bit of a different look at things from the perspective of Bundy, and at times it can be quite entertaining here. In this way it ends up being a strange but somewhat thought provoking film. As I said, if you are interested in the genre, I strongly recommend taking a look at this film. It's not the best Bundy film, but it is well worth a watch for many. Some of the funniest moments in the film have to do more with Bundy's apparent kleptomaniac tendencies. Some could say that this film is fairly disrespectful to his victims and overall is in bad taste. I can understand this definitely. Though I felt the film sort of evens itself out in the end by showing what a coward Bundy really was. Nor did I feel that the film glorified Bundy in any way. What you see is a monster of a man for sure, which is what he was. A monster when in control, but more like a crybaby when he wasn't. As with all serial killer films, watch at your own risk. 7/10
- DirectorMichael FeiferStarsCorin NemecKane HodderJen NikolaisenBased on the true story of one of history's most demented serial killers.This is about as bad a Bundy film as you could possibly imagine, with the now one exception of the 2021 Boogeyman Bundy film. It almost seems like this should've gotten some type of award for how unbelievably boring it is. It's not easy to make a film quite this terrible or uninteresting, especially with such a subject. Somehow, these idiots pulled it off.
There is in my view only one single interesting aspect to this entire film and that is that it tries to explore Bundy's family life more than any other film I've seen on him. And in doing this, the film tries to find his early motivations for becoming the monster that he later became. This in reality is one of the things that does seem to be the least understood aspect of Ted. We know his true father was either his Grandfather, or someone who he had never known at all. There are many contradictory stories about Ted growing up, from himself, and from former schoolmates. It is fair to say that Ted's early life is still very much a mystery in many ways. But we do know that his family life was definitely far from traditional or what one would call stable. Nonetheless, this film doesn't show much that is worth anyone's interest, and much of it is based on stories and presumptions only.
This is easily among the worst films I've ever seen. 2/10 - DirectorJoe BerlingerStarsLily CollinsZac EfronAngela SarafyanA chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy from the perspective of Liz, his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.I wrote this review which I'll just copy and paste a few months back...
Throw Out Your Preconceived Notions
It seems there's a real mixed bag of responses to this film, and many of them not so good. However I thought the film was actually pretty interesting. If you go into it expecting a tense or gruesome thriller based on the well known killer, it's no wonder you may end the film being disappointed. It really isn't that type of film. It's more of an exploratory film that attempts to look into the mind of Ted, and his fiancé once the law closes in on him. In this respect, I found this project to actually be a fairly unique and worthy quest.
Say what you will, but to me this was an interesting view on the true crime events of Bundy. Here in this portrayal, and you do also see it in real Bundy interview footage as well, it seems that Ted entirely disassociates himself from the crimes in his mind, and from the person who did the crimes. As if he has a totally 'Other' side within himself. Obviously a serial killer must compartmentalize themselves to a certain degree, especially if they are to continue carrying on relationships in society that hide their darker side. For Ted this was certainly part of his aim. Many believe that Ted maintained his innocence for so long mainly because it gave him some form of control, which was in a way his obsession. The film focuses on this manipulative aspect, and in my view, quite successfully. I think his day to day manipulative behaviour was overall captured and written much better for the TV film, The Deliberate Stranger. Nonetheless this film is still quite interesting in it's own right.
To be honest, I never totally believed that his long time girlfriend with the daughter, had such a hard time believing it was him that did the murders. It's hard to believe that anyone would do the things Ted did, sure, in that way I understand her disbelief. However in reality, contrary to this film, she actually reported Ted to the police three different times. So to me, that says her suspicions were pretty firm. Truthfully, this film ignores a lot of facts, but to me it's still worth a watch or two.
I've never been much of an Efron guy from what I've seen in the past. Though I must admit, here he does a very good job. Strong performance, pretty strong film. Lily Collins however is pretty much always a pleasure to watch. Her performance here was nothing short of excellent. I believe I also noticed that "I see dead people" kid in the film. Don't let any of this push or pull you. If you're interested in it, watch it, but I recommend going into this film, and in fact all films without any expectations. As the Buddha is often credited with saying, "Think less, observe more.". 7/10 - DirectorDaniel FarrandsStarsChad Michael MurrayHolland RodenJake HaysThe intrepid FBI agents Kathleen McChesney and Robert Ressler, organize one of the largest manhunt in history to apprehend America's most infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy.This is one of the few times I would consider a film to actually be offensive. Most of the film is just a fictionalized retelling of the Bundy story. All of it is done so unauthentically, nothing here feels even remotely real. It just feels like a bad sick film without any purpose at all but to make money off of the Bundy name. That is offensive in my view. It's so terrible, right from the start. Skip this one for sure, no matter your taste. The film is so dull, nonsensical and there's nothing new or interesting here for anyone. The film is very tasteless at times, but not even in such a way that gore fanatics or very sadistic people would like it. No, just in a very unintelligent sort of way, mostly through brutally bad dialogue. Some of the worst dialogue I've ever heard in a film resides in this one. The few people who actually wrote good reviews for this probably worked on the film. I rarely ever give out 10's or 1's on this site, but this is one of those very rare times. It's that damn bad! 1/10
- DirectorBill EaglesStarsBruce GreenwoodSam JaegerSarah ManninenA series of interviews are conducted with convicted serial killer Ted Bundy in hopes of gaining insight into the Green River Killer who is terrorizing Seattle.This film is based upon the 1989 non-fiction book The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer by Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes. Many have claimed this book actually inspired the Harris novel The Silence of the Lambs. However this is not true. This book was actually released after Harris's Silence novel. So unless Harris had a time machine, yeah, no. Harris may have indeed been influenced by this real life story from seeing or hearing about it in the press or elsewhere, or perhaps from reading about the FBI who did very similar interviews in the 1970's and 80's as is shown in the TV series Mindhunter. Nonetheless, contrary to popular rumor, SilenceOTL is not based on the book that this is based on. This film is actually pretty good if you're interested in Bundy or The Green River Killer. The film essentially becomes more about Bundy than the GRK, but nonetheless we do learn a good bit about both. This film, like The Deliberate Stranger has a good bit of very real Bundy-esque truths within it. To some degree, we definitely are able to get inside his head if we dare, and into Ridgeway's to some degree as well. Keppel after all was a Homicide Detective who worked both cases, and he became known as quite an skilled profiler in understanding serial killers. Much of this is shown here. Overall the film is quite grim and fairly brutal, especially for a TV movie. It's more psychologically grim and brutal than visually, though it has some grim visuals as well. If you're interested and you can stomach this kind of fare, it's well worth a look. 7/10
- StarsTom CavanaghCurrie GrahamAmy DavidsonA pair of girls seeking adventure beyond their western Washington trailer park encounter the area's most ruthless serial killer. The series is based on Sheriff David Reichert's book, "Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer".Somehow this has a 7 rating on here so far. Laughable! 3.5/10
- DirectorVictoria DuleyStarsNaomi AsherChopper BernetDawn BishopTap into the mind of the 'Green River Killer' as his son looks back on his relationship with his father, who killed at least 50 women while masquerading as a normal suburban dad.5.5/10
- DirectorFrancis GirodStarsMichel PiccoliRomy SchneiderMascha GonskaA cunning French legal adviser teams up with an unemployed German girl and her sister to commit murders in Marseille.This is another film based upon a true story of a serial killing trio that actually may make you laugh at times. It's even listed here as a horror comedy. I assure you however, it will also sicken you unless you yourself are a sociopath. A black comedy it is. In 1974 when this film was released in France, people were up in arms about it. Many have dismissed this film as having very unrealistic one dimensional characters, and this is mostly true, but I think there is a bigger point to this film overall. It's real subject matter under the surface is the selfishness of society under the rule of money. It seems most have missed the point here. In my view this is an artistic piece with something to say. It is actually thought provoking in fact if you just watch it for what it is. The lengths some people will go to, to get what they want can be drastic, and this film drives home that nail. Overall, I think this film is underrated generally. It's a fairly daring piece for it's time and it has a worthy thought provoking story interestingly delivered. Far from a masterpiece, sure, but I feel if you enjoy good serial killer films, you can't miss this one. It ends with a fictional marrige is hell sort of joke. If you want to know the real fate of the trio, I'll tell you. The two Sisters were sentenced to 10 years each, as it was one of them that ended up confessing when caught during another scam, and effectively ended Serrat's whole money making murder scheme. Serrat himself was eventually guillotined for the crimes. 7/10
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsZoë LundBogeyAlbert SinkysA timid and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York City after dark and randomly shoots men with a .45 caliber pistol.Perhaps the hottest serial killer in film history in this one.
You could fairly say that the first 4 feature films of Abel Ferrara, including the TV movie The Gladiator are all in their own ways, serial killer films. Driller Killer was his 1st feature that wasn't rated XXX, this was his 2nd film, Fear City listed here on my list beside this film was Abel's 3rd feature. Ferrara has garnered a lot of love from hardcore artistic film lovers because he often pushes the envelope with his films in many ways, including in the storytelling itself. Personally, he is one of the directors who I am currently working through their entire filmographies. I don't have many Ferrara films left to get to now, and I can say that if you're into serious films, he certainly is a director to checkout. Anyway, this truly is one of Abel's most successful and loved films. Though, like all Ferrara films, they are not exactly for everybody. When you watch a film from this director, know that your comfort zone will likely be challenged at least to some degree. As far as rape/revenge films go, this is easily among the most artistic and best ever made. 7.5/10 - DirectorAbel FerraraStarsTom BerengerBilly Dee WilliamsJack ScaliaStrippers in Manhattan are being stalked and maimed by a psycho-killer. A conflicted ex-boxer-turned-talent-manager and his business partner and friend, who represent some of the girls, set out to find him before he strikes again.This Abel Ferrara has some weaker aspects to it, however it also boasts some pretty impressive things within it. Honestly as far as these type of 1980's films go, this one is far superior in many ways to the average. The IMDb rating here on this film is crazy really. It does have some problems this film, for sure. As said however, when compared to the average police crime thriller of the time, this one really does have many great things going for it. Overall, it is a pretty good film, and well worth a watch for many. 7/10
- DirectorJohn MurlowskiStarsScott Anthony LeetCole WilliamsDusty SorgThe true story of William Bonin a California serial killer.Contrary to a few of the reviews on this site, this film is actually perhaps the most factual serial killer film ever produced. There are a few reviews here that claim otherwise because of a few aspects, but they're simply wrong, and did not pay enough attention to the film in my view is their main problem. It is true that the film does not show any rape or much torture, which this killer was absolutely known for. However this is actually talked about in the film. By the time the film was done, it was clear to me that one of the main motivations of this killer was sexual. It was clear without the film overly exploiting this aspect. These aspects of the killer are delivered more through dialogue than through showing these aspects outright, which in my view is actually entirely the right approach here. It's also a fact that this killer while he was known to be gay in certain circles, outwardly he actually hid his homosexuality for the most part. Only certain people even knew. So really, I feel the way the film shows these aspects is actually done extremely well. I know I really don't need to see the guy rape and torture people to make it a better film. In fact, I'm certain I'd vastly prefer the film the way it is. The truth is, if you really watch this film, we do really get an unbelievably deep look into this killers head. Personally, I wouldn't want to go any deeper. I in fact say bravo to the writer/director here for giving us such an amazingly personal view of this killer, without overdoing it. The restraint here is nothing short of excellent in my estimation.
Even parts of the dialogue in this film are actual quotes of certain individuals portrayed. Nearly everything in this film is 100% true. Not only does this make the film a more compelling serial killer tale than most, but the execution of the scenes here is also great. The acting is strong, the writing is ultra fitting, and there are some very unique things about this film that are done so effectively. For me to see people giving this film any less than a 7 out of 10 is actually quite crazy I feel. It's too good, and too unique for what it is. It's a low budget film, but really the only thing that overly shows this off is the time period. No, this doesn't look like the late 1970's or early 80's really, as we see all sorts of newer models of cars, etc. Nonetheless, in my view this really doesn't take much away from the overall product here. I don't go into low budget films expecting perfection in these fairly unimportant kinds of details anyhow. I'm not really sure who would bother to care so much, in this case especially. The film is very convincing in the character interactions, as this really is for the most part a character driven serial killer tale. To me, it's this aspect that is the real magic of this film. The killer and his interactions with others just flows in this film with such a real life vibe to it, thanks mostly to a high quality script and some truly great acting by the lead.
It's a horrific film in a sense, but at the same time I feel it is a very worthy, compelling and very well executed low budget marvel. Definitely not to be missed by anyone who is interested in serial killer films.
8/10 - DirectorJohn SwabStarsOlivia LuccardiSam QuartinEden BrolinA seemingly naive and devout young woman navigates her way into the underground world of truck stop sex workers a.k.a. "lot lizards."Most cult film fans will be glad they caught this one. I won't even say anything here, it's best to go into this film knowing as little as possible about it. While this is certainly not for everyone, the right audience will greatly appreciate this fairly recent film.
7.5/10 - DirectorJoel BenderStarsLaura PreponMisha CollinsPatrick BauchauBased on real events, Paul Bernardo and his wife, Karla Homolka, kidnap, sexually abuse, and murder three young girls.This was a very controversial film upon its release, especially in Canada where the crimes took place. I would agree to some extent that it is an exploitation film of true events, and in that sense it's easy to say that it's in poor taste. Nonetheless I thought the execution of most of the scenes was quite good, and the film overall was definitely somewhat interesting.
The biggest criticism I have for the film is the portrayal of Karla Homolka herself. Here she is painted mostly as a victim, which for many of those who paid attention to this real life case just doesn't seem to ring true at all. Nor does it to many of the law professionals and authorities that dealt with her, or evaluated her. In fact Homolka is said to be far above average intelligence(In fact about genius level.) and seems to have played a much bigger role in the initiation of the crimes than the film portrays. In fact everyone who ever saw the actual videotaped sessions of the torture and killings to my knowledge have all said that Karla was in no way, in a total of 6 tapes nothing but a very willing accomplice, and perhaps even the mastermind behind the crimes. Many people in Canada who followed the story closely believe she was let off far too easy by the Justice System for her part in these real crimes. The truth is however, the authorities had absolutely nothing on Paul being a killer other than the testimony of Karla herself. There was zero physical evidence at all in his trial, as there simply was none found. In order to get a conviction, authorities basically hid as much as they could from Paul's jury and the public, and went ahead to at least try to nail one of them for the 3 murders. Whatever the reality may be, if it sounds interesting to you as a film, it's likely worth a look. Though the film does not give you many, if any of the details about after the crimes, as I have done here. Anyway, this film itself is quite well done in terms of scene execution, however the truth for the most part is not here, and untruths definitely are. Nonetheless, it may be worth a watch for some. 7/10 - StarsJohn RosenJennifer BlackScott BurnsideGlamorous couple Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka fall in love and marry, but they become the most notorious killers in Canadian history after murdering three schoolgirls.This genuinely perhaps is the most disturbing true crime story that there is out there in terms of modern crime history. The main reason for that is, Karla is the only person that is well known to be without much doubt at all, a very real and sadistic serial killer, yet she is living free out in today's society. In this sense, there isn't a crazier true crime story around. Watch this documentary mini-series to see exactly why that actually is a very, very scary thing. Not only is Karla at this point of her documented life, a well known manipulator, rapist, sadist, but she's also a genius, or very near genius intelligence levels. So much so that she was basically able to trap justice authorities into giving her a total of only 12 years for truly horrendous crimes. Though she was also somewhat fortunate that some events just seemed to playout in her favor, especially a lawyer involved in Paul's trial that willingly hid evidence from everyone for a long period of time. This window of opportunity gave Karla an upperhand, which she used to great extent against both Paul and the authorities. If you want to watch something on the real story, this 4 part mini-series documentary is so far the best option I've seen. It's quite good, and since it came out in 2021, of course it's also very up to date at the time of my writing this. May/2023. More than anything though, this series really does give you an amazing window into this case and into the depravity of both Paul and Karla. Here, we really do get to know Karla quite well, who is without doubt one of the very scariest creatures freely walking the earth today, if not the single scariest of all. 7.5/10
- 2019–7.8 (18)TV EpisodeStarsPaul BernardoFinley FrechetteKarla HomolkaPaul Bernardo and Karla Homolka: It was one of North America's most haunting and horrific crime sprees. From 1987 to 1992, there were a series of rapes, abductions, and murders of young women just north of the U.S. - Canadian border. Authorities from Ontario and FBI profile detectives from the United States joined forces to try and capture the monster responsible, but for more than 5 years they came up empty. Then, cops caught a break, a tip that led them to an unlikely suspect. A blond, blue-eyed accountant who lived with his beautiful wife in a quaint pink house in the suburbs. They were sure they had their man, but the saga was far from over. Disturbing videotapes were discovered, and the public learned the sordid details of the crimes - and who else was involved. It sent shock waves throughout the country... and the world.Or you can watch the slightly more overdramatic 2 part, 2 hour version of their story in the Very Scary People series. I think you basically get all the same info in this 2 hour, 2 part series as in the Mini Series above, though I consider the one above to be overall a good bit better, and certainly you'll get a few more details. 6.5/10
- 2019–7.6 (17)TV EpisodeStarsPaul BernardoFinley FrechetteKarla HomolkaPaul Bernardo and Karla Homolka: It was one of North America's most haunting and horrific crime sprees. From 1987 to 1992, there were a series of rapes, abductions, and murders of young women just north of the U.S. - Canadian border. Authorities from Ontario and FBI profile detectives from the United States joined forces to try and capture the monster responsible, but for more than 5 years they came up empty. Then, cops caught a break, a tip that led them to an unlikely suspect. A blond, blue-eyed accountant who lived with his beautiful wife in a quaint pink house in the suburbs. They were sure they had their man, but the saga was far from over. Disturbing videotapes were discovered, and the public learned the sordid details of the crimes - and who else was involved. It sent shock waves throughout the country... and the world.6.5/10
- StarsDonnie WahlbergCasey JordanMary Ellen O'TooleRevisiting the twisted lives of some of the most frightening, diabolical characters in recent history. The stories trace the heinous, criminal acts of these elusive miscreants and the eventual road to justice.Far from great, but these shows do show enough information on these crimes to make them well worth watching if you have interest. 6.5/10
- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsCharlize TheronChristina RicciBruce DernBased on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.I actually wasn't as big on this film as many others were. While the performances by both Theron and Ricci were great, the script itself was a little weak in my view. The talk around the film when it came out was often more interesting than the actual film was. Patty Jenkins in my view is definitely an overrated director. Nonetheless, worth a watch if you're into the subject matter. 6.5/10
- DirectorJohn PeyserStarsJaime Lyn BauerAldo RayDennis OlivieriA depraved religious fanatic sets out to punish all the "immoral" women who have posed for the center-fold of a men's magazine.This is basically an early slasher film. As far as low budget horror films of the time go, this really isn't bad. It's a sleazy drive-in style horror thriller. Basically all the male characters are perverted jerks and all the women are somewhat loose. If you're into these kinds of low budget exploitation films, this one's worth a look. 6.5/10
- DirectorMichael MannStarsWilliam PetersenKim GreistJoan AllenFormer FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.Based upon the book Red Dragon, this was the first film based upon the Hanibal Lecter novels by Thomas Harris. Here an FBI profiler searches for the Tooth Fairy. This is a good film, and does have some very similar scenes to the well loved Silence of the Lambs. Both the 2002 remake Red Dragon, and this earlier version are worth checking out if you're interested enough. The film is well acted and it was written for the screen and directed by Michael Mann, of Heat (1995) and Last of the Mohicans fame. This is in my view, overall easily the 2nd best film based on Dr. Lecter. 7.5/10
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.Without doubt the most well known and respected of all the modern serial killer films, and with good reason. While most point to the acting of both Hopkins and Foster as the main strength, the script is also very well written for the screen, and the entire atmosphere, well chosen music, and suspenseful pacing provided by director Jonathan Demme is nothing short of fantastic. To me it is really Demme's work here that separates this film from the pack. Anyway you slice it, you must see this monster if you're interested in serial killer films. I saw it in the theatre during it's original run, as many did. In fact at the time, Silence set an all time box office record for an R rated film. 8.5/10
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsAnthony HopkinsJulianne MooreGary OldmanLiving in exile, Dr. Hannibal Lecter tries to reconnect with now disgraced F.B.I. Agent Clarice Starling, and finds himself a target for revenge from a powerful victim.While this Silence of the Lambs sequel is fairly good, it really doesn't touch the original. 7/10