The Top 13 Serial Killer Films Ranked

      Here are the 13 greatest serial killer films we've observed, ranked from least to most impressive.

      Ranging from dark comedies to profound examinations of empathy veiled in narratives about serial killers, each offers commentary on crime and society at large.

      Here are the finest serial killer movies ever made.

      13 – Freeway (1996)

      Republic Pictures

      Mathew Bright’s Freeway is as exaggerated as Henry is realistic: It's a reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, featuring Kiefer Sutherland as the sinister Bob Wolverton and Reese Witherspoon as Vanessa, an illiterate runaway playing the heroine.

      In this clever and very ’90s twist on the fairy tale, no one believes Vanessa even when she ends Bob’s terror by shooting him while he wreaks havoc on California's highways.

      It perfectly reflects the era of sensationalized television and televised murder trials, where the lines between tragedy and entertainment blurred.

      12 – My Friend Dahmer (2017)

      FilmRise – Credit: C/O

      Adapted from an outstanding graphic novel by Derf Backderf, who actually knew Jeffrey Dahmer growing up, this deeply unsettling, dark coming-of-age film by Mark Meyers is distressing not due to exploitative content—it's remarkably subdued—but because it captures a pivotal moment when a horrific serial killer could have been intercepted, had anyone seen the warning signs.

      The film clearly links Dahmer's lack of empathy toward animals and peers to his later murders without being overly preachy (his mimicry of a person with a disability is an early indication of his casual cruelty).

      The entire cast shines—especially Ross Lynch as Dahmer and Alex Wolff as Derf—and it encourages contemplation on the early indicators of malevolence.

      11 – Seven (1995)

      New Line Cinema – Credit: C/O

      Released a year before Freeway to much greater acclaim, Seven epitomizes the serial killer as a mad genius and perhaps revels too much in the various ways John Doe (Kevin Spacey) dispatches his victims.

      Like all memorable villains, he believes he has a noble cause—punishing sinners of the seven deadly sins—but it's difficult to view the film as anything other than sensationalized storytelling.

      Nonetheless, it's well-crafted sensationalism. Kudos to the undeniable skill of director David Fincher and the stellar performances throughout. In addition to noted performances by Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Spacey, it also marked Gwyneth Paltrow’s rise to fame.

      10 – Zodiac Killer Project (2025)

      Music Box Films

      Charlie Shackleton’s avant-garde documentary does not uncover the notorious Zodiac Killer's identity. However, it dismantles the elements of the true crime genre, featuring what Shackleton refers to as "evocative B-roll"—generic visuals of crime scene tape, a lone footprint, vacant parking lots, and foreboding buildings that provoke fear but convey little actual information.

      Shackleton produced the film after his effort to create a documentary about the Zodiac Killer's identity fell through. Thus, we missed out on yet another inconclusive whodunit documentary but gained one of the most fascinating explorations of the filmmaking process.

      Here’s Charlie Shackleton explaining his approach.

      9 – From Hell (2001)

      20th Century Fox – Credit: C/O

      Based on the graphic novel From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, the Hughes brothers' excellent adaptation presents a fresh perspective on Jack the Ripper.

      Featuring Johnny Depp as a Victorian detective and Heather Graham as a sex worker ensnared by Whitechapel's most notorious murderer, From Hell spares no effort to capture your macabre interest: there's even an appearance by the Elephant Man.

      The film also puts forth a theory about Jack’s identity that is both grimly plausible and satisfying narratively.

      8 – Monster (2003)

      Newmarket Films – Credit: C/O

      Patty Jenkins’ portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos is bold and ambitious in a manner few films achieve: it allows us to comprehend and even empathize with its female serial killer before ultimately turning against her.

      Charlize Theron underwent a remarkable transformation that earned her the Best Actress Oscar, and her character's development reveals, in a manner few other serial killer films do, that monsters aren't born; they are made.

      7 – American Psycho (2000)

      Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Lionsgate

      Arguably the most humorous serial killer film ever produced, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale in a breakout performance), a yuppie who either murders people or imagines doing so, depending on one's interpretation of the film.

      Our interpretation: He indeed murdered all those individuals. This makes it even more darkly, comically absurd when everyone assumes he is innocent because of his stylish look, designer attire, fit physique, and acceptable business card.

      Perhaps the greatest irony is the subversion of the heroic detective trope: Willem Dafoe’s Donald Kimball is just as