00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those mortal serial killers
00:08that haunted our dreams in horror movies. Beware, heavy spoilers lie ahead.
00:2110. Mark Lewis – Peeping Tom The disturbing modus operandi of Mark Lewis
00:40in Peeping Tom was seriously ahead of its time for 1960. Indeed, the film was released
00:45around the same time as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, yet this film from director Michael
00:49Powell received much more censorship and negative criticism. Lewis takes his voyeuristic
01:02tendencies beyond the pale in this film, murdering young women and filming the moments of their
01:08deaths. This killer's ultimate endgame is to construct the ultimate snuff film compilation,
01:13with the execution, pun intended, of Peeping Tom doing a scary good job of influencing
01:18the slasher movie genre.
01:259. Cristiano Berti – Peter Neill – Tenebrae The influence of Dario Argento upon Italy's
01:46cycle of stylish murder mysteries cannot be overstated. Argento's filmography also retains
01:52a number of memorable killers, from Martha Manganiello in Deep Red to Inspector Santini
01:57in Opera. Tenebrae from 1982 is even more bloodthirsty, while also containing double
02:02the killers. It's the stalking and slashing
02:15of Cristiano Berti that pushes crime author Peter Neill over the edge in the film, resulting
02:21in a frenzy of blood. Tenebrae is a ridiculously stylish film, yet the motivations of repressed
02:27memories turn Neill's murder spree in the second half into the realm of the psychosexual.
02:368. Pearl Douglas – X Franchise Horror cinema received a new icon when Mia
02:46Goth's Pearl Douglas hit the screen in 2022's X. That said, it was probably that film's
03:01narrative prequel Pearl that further fleshed out the obsessive motivations of this character.
03:06Life doesn't always turn out the way we think, or want, and it's this realization that ultimately
03:11pushes a young Pearl past the brink of madness. Fast forward to the events of X, and the character
03:23has become murderously resentful of the life she wasn't allowed. The arrival of an adult
03:27film crew to her house only serves to underline Douglas' bitterness towards the younger generation's
03:32sexual freedom, reawakening the now-old woman's murderous desires.
03:457. Billy Loomis and Stu Macker – Scream Fans of this neoclassic horror franchise
03:51likely have their own personal favorite villain who's worn the cowl of Ghostface. That said,
03:56there's just something special about the original serial killers from 1996's Scream.
04:01The reveal of both Billy Loomis and Stu Macker as the villains wasn't the first time a slasher
04:06movie had multiple killers, but it did do a great job at reinvigorating this trope.
04:15The metamovie commentary of Scream also wasn't a totally original idea,
04:19with films such as 1991's There's Nothing Out There predating Kevin Williamson's script.
04:26That said, Loomis and Macker's realistic motivations and amoral glee helped cement
04:39Ghostface as a slasher baddie for the ages. 6. Patrick Bateman – American Psycho
04:49Here's a question – does it matter that the ending of American Psycho heavily implies that
04:53the murders committed by Patrick Bateman are all imaginary? We don't think so, at least not when
05:10it comes to the final execution of director Mary Harron's film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis'
05:15American Psycho. The slaying set pieces of the film more than lend American Psycho its well-
05:20deserved reputation as a cult classic. Meanwhile, Bateman's profoundly troubled
05:33mind and disturbed psyche makes him an incredibly compelling antagonist. The character's final
05:38confused monologue, where Bateman admits that he wishes his pain to be inflicted upon others,
05:43is among 2000's horror's most iconic moments. 5. Henry and Otis – Henry, Portrait of a Serial
06:01Killer Some true crime adaptations have been
06:04accused of glamorizing their subjects to the point where these antagonists become too sympathetic.
06:09This is thankfully not the case with 1986's Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer.
06:24Director John McNaughton and co-screenwriter Richard Fire craft a narrative that remembers
06:29to frame its central characters of Henry and Otis in the worst possible light.
06:33Leads Michael Rooker and Tom Toles base their performances upon the real-life serial murderers
06:43Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole. As a result, Henry is grimy and unrepentantly realistic
06:49in its nihilism. The 16mm film stock retains a graininess that adds to the
07:03gruesome behavior at play, an air of discomfort that is omnipresent around the pair's crimes.
07:094. Leatherface – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise
07:13The legend of Leatherface may loom large over the world of horror, but let's not forget that
07:16this member of the Sawyer family isn't a supernatural entity. Nope, Leatherface is a
07:25man – and a horror icon – whose creation was inspired by the crimes of another real-life killer,
07:30Ed Gein. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has played around with Leatherface's origin
07:39stories over the years, sometimes portraying him in a more sympathetic light. This Sawyer
07:44sibling's mental disabilities often make it easy for the other family members to order him around,
07:49but make no mistake, Leatherface has committed more than his fair share of intentional killings.
08:003. John Kramer aka Jigsaw – Saw Franchise
08:17Just as the Scream franchise debuted a new horror icon, Ghostface, for the 90s,
08:22so too did Saw introduce John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, to fans in the early millennium.
08:28Tobin Bell brings with him a cunning malevolence as he portrays a serial
08:32killer with a penchant for elaborate traps. Jigsaw seeks to exploit the personal flaws
08:48and foibles of his victims, although his traps are not impossible to escape.
08:52That said, the endgame of Jigsaw's riddles is almost always at the expense of his victims,
08:57via their mutilation or demise. This killer seeks to uncover, in his words,
09:02the survival instinct that Jigsaw feels is missing, an appreciation for life at the doorstep
09:08of death. 2. Norman Bates – Psycho Franchise
09:21It speaks volumes to the likability of Anthony Perkins that his character of Norman Bates is
09:26seen, by some at least, in a sympathetic light. The mental anguish and torment that drives Bates
09:40to murder is actually better fleshed out in the excellent and underrated Psycho sequels,
09:45where Perkins' inner conflict is truly allowed to shine. Psycho 2 and 3 showcase a Bates who
09:51vacillates between attempting to live a normal life, yet is always driven back to murder by
09:56the voice of Mother in his head. Furthermore, many of the murders in Psycho 2 aren't even
10:08committed by Bates, although the franchise always comes back around in displaying Perkins'
10:12unhinged attachment from reality. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few
10:26honourable mentions. 1. John Ryder – The Hitcher
10:29Rutger Hauer brings complete menace. 2. Mick Taylor – Wolf Creek
10:45Stalk and slash in the outback. 3. Jack – The House That Jack Built
10:54A 12-year trip into hell. 4. Billy – Black Christmas
11:07Unseen, unknown, and still out there.
11:251. Hannibal Lecter – Hannibal Lecter Franchise
11:37It doesn't really matter which excellent portrayal of Hannibal Lecter fans choose,
11:41they'll all provide an excellent look into a psychotic mind. This disgraced psychiatrist
11:46was first portrayed by Brian Cox in 1986's Manhunter, while Mads Mikkelsen popularized
11:52Lecter on the small screen with Hannibal. For many, however, it's Sir Anthony Hopkins
12:07that provided horror fans with their definitive Hannibal, a sharply intelligent serial killer
12:12with a taste for human flesh. Hopkins plays Lecter as bloodthirsty, but
12:22restrained, able to premeditate his crimes until the moment is right. This allows Hannibal Lecter
12:27to always retain an ace up his sleeve when it comes to escaping the law at every turn.
12:44Do you prefer mortal horror villains over supernatural enemies? Let us know in the
12:48comments. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
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