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From eerie smiles to chilling dead eyes, these actors brought some of history’s most notorious killers to life in performances that are almost too convincing. Join us as we revisit terrifying turns from stars like Evan Peters, Charlize Theron, David Tennant, Cameron Britton, Zac Efron and more. Which portrayal gave you the creeps? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're looking at the 30 best and scariest performances of real serial killers.
00:18Number 30. Steve rails back as Charles Manson, Helter Skelter.
00:30Even though they may know all there is to know about the law, they don't understand the free love society
00:35or the generation gap, and they don't understand people that are trying to get out from underneath all of this.
00:41For many, Steve rails back as the quintessential Charles Manson, despite some strong competition.
00:46He perfectly captures the killer's manic energy and piercing wide-eyed stare with terrifying accuracy.
00:51His chaotic courtroom outbursts and manipulative magnetism set the gold standard for portraying the charismatic but deeply psychotic criminal on
00:57screen.
00:58Rails back reportedly spent hours studying Manson's actual interviews and mannerisms to perfect the chilling performance,
01:04and the result is a masterclass in psychological horror that left a lasting impression on true crime television.
01:09It helped pioneer the very genre we know and love today.
01:12If you don't stop, I'll have you removed. I've got a little system.
01:17Call the next witness.
01:18Do you think I'm kidding?
01:23Number 29. Eddie Redmayne as Charles Cullen, The Good Nurse.
01:26What we're concerned with are the dates you listed on your application. Do you remember what they were?
01:33Um, June 01 to August 03, maybe?
01:42Yes, that's what you wrote.
01:43Those dates are incorrect, Mr. Cullen.
01:46Oh.
01:46Eddie Redmayne is largely celebrated for his sympathetic and gentle performances,
01:50making his dark turn as the prolific killer Charles Cullen all the more shocking.
01:53Cullen was a nurse who likely murdered hundreds of vulnerable patients across various hospitals
01:58by secretly injecting their IV bags with lethal doses of medication.
02:02Redmayne plays Cullen not as a raving lunatic,
02:04but as a soft-spoken and seemingly compassionate colleague who blends into his environment.
02:08The true horror of his performance lies in this very quiet and chilling banality.
02:12He used his hushed vocal tone and a stiff, uncomfortable posture
02:15to convey a deeply disturbed mind, and one that was not easily identified.
02:19Why?
02:32They didn't stop me.
02:34Number 28.
02:35Stephen Merchant as Stephen Port.
02:36Four lives.
02:37Does the name Joe Dean mean anything to you, Stephen?
02:43Oh, sure.
02:47We've reason to believe it's a name that you used on a gay escort site.
02:52Is that the case?
02:57Yeah, possibly.
02:58Now I think about it.
02:59Known far and wide for his comedic brilliance,
03:01Stephen Merchant took a profoundly dark and rather unexpected turn
03:04to play the grinder killer Stephen Port.
03:06Port brutally murdered four young men in London between 2014 and 2015,
03:10and Merchant captures his predatory nature with a vacant lack of empathy.
03:13Stripped entirely of his usual bumbling charm,
03:16Merchant's portrayal is cold, calculated, and terrifyingly mundane.
03:20He even transforms his own physicality, adopting a rigid posture
03:23and a deadpan delivery that highlights how Port was able to fly under the radar
03:27of local law enforcement.
03:29It's a haunting and maybe even a career-defining performance
03:31that showcases Merchant's dramatic capabilities.
03:34Still mates, then?
03:37Haven't got many.
03:41They're all homophobes at work.
03:44I'd like to think that I'd be giving you away.
03:50Are you still good?
03:52Number 27.
03:53Samantha Morton as Myra Hindley.
03:54Longford.
03:55How's your spiritual life now?
03:59Well, I don't go to church anymore, if that's what you're asking.
04:04It all stopped when I started seeing Ian.
04:06Playing one half of the notorious Moores murderer,
04:08Samantha Morton delivers a detached performance in this acclaimed TV film.
04:12Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were responsible for the heinous murders
04:15of five children in the 1960s,
04:17crimes that greatly scarred the British public.
04:20Morton's portrayal focuses on Hindley's time in prison
04:22and her manipulative relationship with Lord Longford,
04:25a penal reformer who campaigned for her release.
04:27She brilliantly walks a razor-thin line throughout the film,
04:30constantly making the audience question her true motives.
04:33Morton leaves viewers agonizing over whether Hindley
04:35is a genuinely repentant woman seeking salvation
04:38or a highly calculating sociopath playing the ultimate long game.
04:41Come on, you've seen the papers.
04:44A politician's going to grant me parole now.
04:47Well, perhaps that's where I come in.
04:52What can you do?
04:53Number 26.
04:54Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy, The Deliberate Stranger.
04:56Excuse me.
04:57I'm sorry to bother you.
05:00You're not.
05:01Great.
05:03Because if you've got a few minutes,
05:04I've got a sailboat over in Issaquah,
05:07and I can't load it myself.
05:08At the time of this movie's release,
05:10Mark Harmon was one of television's
05:11most prominent leading heartthrobs,
05:13which made his casting as famous charmer Ted Bundy
05:15a stroke of genius.
05:16He utilized his natural good looks,
05:18blinding smile, and innate charisma
05:19to mirror Bundy's real-life deceptive charm.
05:21But it's the icy, dead-eyed stares
05:23and subtle shifts in vocal tone
05:25when the mask finally slips where Harmon truly shines.
05:28His performance is a fantastic showcase
05:30in how Bundy did what he did,
05:31using trust, friendliness, and handsome approachability
05:33as a lure before dropping the act
05:35and unleashing the monster within.
05:37This whole thing is blown away out of proportion.
05:41Bloody press is making me into some kind of mass murder.
05:45You're innocent until proven guilty, right?
05:47Number 25.
05:48Lou Diamond Phillips as Richard Ramirez,
05:50The Night Stalker
05:51I like your legs.
05:58Maybe lift your skirt up so I can get a better look.
06:01Lou Diamond Phillips delivers a remarkably grounded take
06:04on the infamous Night Stalker.
06:05Rather than focusing solely on the murders,
06:07Phillips portrays an older and imprisoned version
06:09of Richard Ramirez,
06:10who is engaging in a claustrophobic
06:12cat-and-mouse dialogue with a lawyer.
06:14Phillips sheds his usual heroic
06:16and friendly screen demeanor,
06:17opting instead for a slimy
06:18and arrogant interpretation of the killer.
06:20He perfectly encapsulates Ramirez's lack of remorse,
06:23not to mention his disturbing idolization of pure evil.
06:26By relying on subtle facial tics
06:27and a menacing, whispered delivery,
06:29Phillips creates an atmosphere of dread
06:31without ever needing to rely on excessive violence.
06:34Killing was like nothing else.
06:41Its intensity can't be described with words.
06:46To have that power over life.
06:48Number 24.
06:49Jeffrey DeMunn as Andre Chikatilo, Citizen X
06:52Please stand, citizen.
06:55Chikatilo.
06:57May I have your back?
06:58Jeffrey DeMunn takes on the unsettling role
07:00of Andre Chikatilo,
07:02the infamous butcher of Rostov,
07:03who murdered over 50 women and children
07:05in the Soviet Union.
07:06And he brings a terrifying banality to the character.
07:08Instead of playing Chikatilo
07:10as a theatrical villain as some might,
07:12DeMunn shows him as an unremarkable,
07:14even pathetic factory worker,
07:16who blends into the rigid bureaucracy of Soviet life.
07:18Yet he still conveys the quiet, simmering rage
07:21and twisted psychological compulsion
07:22hiding just behind the facade.
07:24When his monstrous nature is finally laid bare
07:26in the interrogation room,
07:28DeMunn's emotional breakdown
07:29is both repulsive and mesmerizing,
07:31anchoring the film with a masterclass
07:32in some dude horror.
07:34Natasha Dunyankova.
07:39After killing her,
07:42I still had some difficulty.
07:47Number 23.
07:48David Dasmalchian as Albert DeSalvo,
07:50Boston Strangler.
07:51Albert Henry DeSalvo.
07:55Mr. DeSalvo,
07:57we are here today because you intend to confess
08:00to all 13 Boston Strangler murders.
08:02Is that correct?
08:04Yes.
08:04David Dasmalchian is a versatile character actor
08:07and in this historical crime thriller,
08:09he brings his talents to the role of Albert DeSalvo,
08:11the man who confessed to being
08:12the notorious Boston Strangler.
08:14Dasmalchian captures the intense paranoia
08:16and the wildly erratic behavior of the killer,
08:19leaving the audience constantly on edge
08:20whenever he enters the frame.
08:21He gives a remarkably subtle performance,
08:24utilizing things like shifty eye movements
08:25and a nervous, unpredictable energy
08:27to keep viewers guessing about his true involvement.
08:29It is an understated turn
08:31that perfectly complements the film's dark
08:33and investigative atmosphere.
08:34It makes you think about what goes
08:36into this kind of selection.
08:38Like, why is this girl home
08:40and that one's not?
08:42What is it?
08:44Is it fate?
08:45Number 22.
08:46Sean Harris as Ian Brady.
08:47See no evil, the Moors murders.
08:57Sean Harris is another wonderful character actor
09:00often known for playing villainous characters
09:02with a sinister whisper.
09:03This ITV show looks at the horrific Moors murders
09:06through the eyes of Myra Hindley's sister,
09:08offering a domestic perspective
09:09on Brady's extreme sadism.
09:10Harris' naturally gaunt appearance
09:12is a perfect match for Brady
09:13and he dominates his scenes
09:15with a controlling authority
09:16that suffocates those around him.
09:17He brings terrifying authenticity to the role,
09:20embodying the inherent cruelty of a killer
09:22who relished both the act of murder itself
09:24and the psychological dominance
09:25he exerted over those around him.
09:27It is a performance that lingers in your mind
09:29long after the credits roll.
09:32Now, do you believe me?
09:37Yeah.
09:38Number 21.
09:39Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer.
09:40My friend Dahmer.
09:41Your house is pretty dark.
09:45Yeah, I've got it all to myself.
09:49My dad's living with his girlfriend.
09:51Are you bleeding?
09:53No.
09:54That's just, um...
10:01Um...
10:01Paint.
10:02Taking a different approach
10:03to the true crime genre,
10:04My Friend Dahmer is all about the warning signs.
10:06It's based on a graphic novel
10:08written by John Bachter,
10:09who actually went to school
10:10with the real Dahmer
10:11and witnessed his budding psychopathy firsthand.
10:13Ross Lynch plays the young Dahmer,
10:15trading his sunny Disney disposition
10:17for a slouching and thoroughly detached persona.
10:19Lynch masters the plodding walk,
10:21the vacant stares,
10:22the general sense of a kid
10:23being just a little off.
10:24Critics praised the performance
10:26as did Bachter himself,
10:27who had trouble being around Lynch on set
10:29and called him hauntingly like Jeff.
10:31Where are you headed?
10:32I made it this far.
10:33I'm headed back to Akron.
10:37You want to party some more?
10:42Sure.
10:43All right, good.
10:45My name's Jeffrey.
10:46Number 20.
10:47John Cusack as Robert Hansen,
10:49The Frozen Ground.
10:50You think there's gonna be a problem, right?
10:52There's gonna be a problem.
10:55And you're gonna die.
10:56Robert Hansen fancied himself
10:58a hunter of humans,
10:59often releasing his victims
11:00into the Alaskan wilderness
11:01and stalking them with a rifle.
11:03He murdered at least 17 women
11:05before he was apprehended in 1983.
11:07Hansen's bizarre and terrifying stories
11:09recounted in The Frozen Ground,
11:11with a chilling John Cusack
11:12donning his signature glasses.
11:14Cusack embodies an everyday man
11:15with a horrifying secret life,
11:17with his understated performance
11:19capturing Hansen's dual nature,
11:21part meek suburbanite,
11:22part brutal hunter of women.
11:23It's a great break from his typical roles,
11:25and it shows a darker side
11:26of the otherwise lovable actor.
11:28I did not shoot anybody,
11:30and I would not hurt anybody,
11:32and that's the truth.
11:34Number 19.
11:34Dominic West as Fred West,
11:36Appropriate Adult.
11:37I don't know how long,
11:38but it was quick, you know,
11:39it was real quick,
11:39because it's surprising
11:41how long you can hold someone by this.
11:42Receiving eight BAFTA nominations,
11:44Appropriate Adult is an acclaimed TV film
11:46about the brutal rampage
11:47of Fred and Rose West.
11:49In a span of 20 years,
11:50the Wests killed at least 12 people,
11:52although the true body count
11:53could be much higher.
11:54In Appropriate Adult,
11:55he's portrayed by Dominic West,
11:57who's best known for playing a cop on The Wire.
11:59Well, here he's on the opposite end
12:01of the moral spectrum,
12:02drawing viewers into the macabre world
12:04of Fred West.
12:05He seamlessly switches
12:06between affable and monstrous,
12:08which is a disturbing reflection
12:09of how killers like West
12:10can hide in plain sight
12:11and evade suspicion.
12:13West's performance
12:13was universally acclaimed,
12:15and he walked away
12:16with the BAFTA
12:17for Best Leading Actor.
12:18And I cut her legs off,
12:19and I mean, that was unbearable.
12:24Number 18.
12:24Tony Curtis as Albert DeSalvo,
12:26The Boston Strangler.
12:27Mr. Oscarson was to see me.
12:29He told me I don't have to talk to you
12:31if I don't want to.
12:32He's right, you don't.
12:34You don't have to talk to me.
12:36And if you do talk,
12:37nothing you say
12:38can be used outside this room.
12:40David Dasmalchian was excellent
12:41as Albert DeSalvo,
12:42but the definitive portrayal
12:43of The Boston Strangler
12:44has to be Tony Curtis's,
12:46who played the killer
12:47in a popular and groundbreaking film
12:48from 1968.
12:49While the movie was criticized
12:51for its many inaccuracies,
12:52it was also praised
12:53as a piece of filmmaking,
12:54and that extends
12:55to the performance of Curtis.
12:57He gives us glimpses
12:58into DeSalvo's fragmented psyche
13:00through powerful monologues
13:01and eerie silences,
13:02and his intense commitment
13:03to the role
13:04adds layers
13:04to what could have been
13:05a one-dimensional character.
13:07He was ultimately nominated
13:08for a Golden Globe
13:09for his efforts.
13:10I don't belong here.
13:14I guess everybody says that,
13:16don't they?
13:16Number 17.
13:17Sonny Valicenti
13:18as Dennis Rader,
13:20Mindhunter.
13:22Oh, I didn't realize
13:23you were still in the house.
13:24I'm sorry to start with you.
13:26While short-lived,
13:27this Netflix drama
13:27gave us many exceptional portrayals
13:29of serial killers,
13:30and believe us,
13:31we'll get to them.
13:32First off of Sonny Valicenti
13:33as Dennis Rader,
13:35better known as BTK.
13:36Unlike the other killers
13:37in the show,
13:37BTK wasn't given
13:38an interview sequence
13:39that allowed the actor
13:40to chew the scenery
13:41with mesmerizing dialogue.
13:43But Valicenti's
13:44understated performance
13:45is no less impressive.
13:46With his eerie silence
13:47often speaking volumes,
13:48he depicts the prototypical creep
13:50with startling precision.
13:51His silence
13:52and awkward mannerisms
13:53cluing us into the fact
13:54that something is rotten
13:55in the state of Kansas.
13:59Can't ball with anything.
14:03Negative.
14:04Number 16.
14:05Martin Sheena's Kit,
14:06Badlands.
14:07Suppose I shot you.
14:09How did we?
14:11Huh?
14:12While the character of Kit
14:13is fictional,
14:14he's based on a man
14:14named Charles Starkweather,
14:16who killed 11 people
14:17in just under two months.
14:18For most of these murders,
14:19he was accompanied
14:20by his young girlfriend,
14:21Carol Ann Fugate,
14:22and the two became
14:23national villains.
14:24Their brutal story
14:25is loosely recounted
14:26in Badlands,
14:27which is notable
14:27for being Terrence Malick's
14:29directorial debut.
14:30Kit is played
14:31by a young Martin Sheen
14:32who captures the character's
14:33cold-bloodedness,
14:34along with the dark charm
14:35that allowed him
14:36to manipulate his girlfriend.
14:37The casual way
14:38he commits murders
14:39adds an eerie normalcy
14:41to their twisted romance,
14:42and Sheen is wonderful
14:43in gradually revealing
14:44Kit's inner psychopathy.
14:46Of course,
14:46Holly and I have had fun,
14:47even if it has been rushed.
14:50And, uh,
14:52so far,
14:53we're doing fine.
14:54Hadn't got caught.
14:55Number 15.
14:56Zach Villa
14:56Villa as Richard Ramirez,
14:58American Horror Story 1984.
15:00Is that it?
15:01All of it?
15:02Swear on Satan!
15:03The ninth season
15:04of American Horror Story
15:05was heavily influenced
15:06by the classic slasher films
15:07of the 70s and 80s,
15:08featuring, what else,
15:09a summer camp
15:10and some vicious killers.
15:11These characters are fictional,
15:12but nestled within them
15:13is the real Night Stalker,
15:15a.k.a. Richard Ramirez.
15:16The season nicely weaves
15:18fictional drama with history,
15:19and Villa brings
15:20the right amount of intensity
15:21and swagger
15:22befitting Ramirez's
15:23public persona.
15:24He also delivers
15:25terrifying moments
15:26showing just how unhinged
15:27the Night Stalker
15:28was believed to be,
15:29offering little in the way
15:30of basic compassion
15:31or human decency.
15:32He was a true monster,
15:33and Villa portrayed
15:34his monster tendencies perfectly.
15:36That's the deal.
15:38If you break that deal,
15:39if you bail,
15:41there will be hell to pay.
15:45Literally.
15:46Number 14.
15:47Daniel Henschel
15:47as John Bunting,
15:48Snowtown.
15:49Will anyone miss him?
15:54I don't know.
15:55The Snowtown murders
15:56is one of the most notorious crimes
15:57in Australian history,
15:58with dead bodies
15:59being found inside barrels
16:01in an abandoned Snowtown bank vault.
16:03Twelve people died
16:04between 1992 and 1999,
16:06and the crimes
16:07were eventually linked
16:07to a small gang of perpetrators
16:09led by John Bunting.
16:10In this little film from 2011,
16:12Bunting is portrayed
16:13by a pitch-perfect
16:14Daniel Henschel,
16:15who walked away
16:16with the very first
16:17ACTA Award for Best Actor.
16:18The movie does not make
16:20for light viewing,
16:21with Henschel proving
16:21utterly psychotic
16:22and manipulative
16:23as the ringleader
16:24of the murderous gang.
16:25The movie gives us
16:26great insights
16:27into his warped psyche,
16:28and Henschel is more than
16:29up to the task
16:30of delivering his
16:31various complexities
16:32and motivations.
16:33You don't need a warrior, huh?
16:39Then nobody might.
16:40Number 13.
16:41Richard Attenborough
16:42as John Christie,
16:4310 Rillington Place.
16:45It's the moral question
16:46that concerns me.
16:47I wouldn't tell a soul,
16:48Mr. Christie, honestly.
16:49It's the taking of life,
16:52no matter how rudimentary.
16:54John Christie is an infamous
16:55name in British history,
16:56having killed eight people
16:57inside his Notting Hill flat
16:59and storing their corpses
17:00in various locations
17:01around the house.
17:01The address was
17:0210 Rillington Place,
17:03which is also the name
17:04of the 1971 film
17:05Dramatizing His Crimes.
17:07Christie is portrayed
17:08by the legendary
17:09Richard Attenborough,
17:10who plays Christie
17:11with a disturbingly
17:11calm demeanor.
17:13Attenborough's mystery
17:13lies in his subtle expressions
17:15and quiet delivery.
17:16He doesn't need to resort
17:17to over-the-top villainy
17:18to evoke unease.
17:19Sometimes all you need
17:20is a creepy look
17:21or a subtly menacing
17:22line delivery.
17:23And Attenborough provides
17:24in full imbuing the movie
17:25with an unbearable
17:26sense of dread.
17:27I'm sorry, Jim.
17:30These things happen, though.
17:32Number 12,
17:32Oliver Cooper
17:33as David Berkowitz,
17:34Mindhunter.
17:35I'm not some
17:36crazed sex killer.
17:38I needed a name
17:39that explained
17:39who I really was,
17:41that I was being controlled
17:42by a 3,000-year-old demon.
17:44While he only appeared
17:45in one episode,
17:46Oliver Cooper
17:47left behind
17:47one heck of an impression
17:49playing the son of Sam.
17:50Real name David Berkowitz,
17:51he terrified New York City
17:52throughout the mid-70s,
17:54killing six
17:55and wounding many more
17:56with his .44 Bulldog revolver.
17:57He was eventually
17:58caught and sent to prison,
17:59which is where the FBI agents,
18:00Holden and Bill,
18:02find him in season two.
18:03Cooper's magnificent
18:04as the killer,
18:05capturing Berkowitz's
18:06eerie mannerisms
18:07and unsettling confidence.
18:08He's also great
18:09at displaying
18:09the killer's
18:10manipulative attitude,
18:11eventually admitting
18:12that he made up
18:13the story of hearing a demon.
18:14He just wanted to kill people.
18:15And Cooper cuts to the hidden depths
18:17of Berkowitz's terrifying psychology.
18:20Sometimes I rolled around
18:21in the dirt
18:21where they died
18:22just to feel it.
18:24Number 11,
18:24David Tennant
18:25as Dennis Nilsson,
18:26Des.
18:27We'd like to talk to you
18:27about your drains.
18:29That's why the police
18:30are interested in drains.
18:33Let's talk about that
18:34upstairs, shall we?
18:35Many people know
18:36David Tennant
18:36as the friendly
18:37and affable Tenth Doctor,
18:38but this role
18:39couldn't be any further
18:40from friendly and affable.
18:41Tennant plays Dennis Nilsson,
18:43a Scottish serial killer
18:44who murdered at least 12 people
18:45between 1978 and 1983.
18:48Tennant transforms
18:49into Nilsson
18:50with an unsettling ease,
18:51delivering a nuanced performance
18:53that captures both
18:54the banality
18:54and malevolence
18:55of the infamous murderer.
18:56His ability to switch
18:57from mundane to menacing
18:59proves his remarkable
19:00versatility as an actor,
19:01and his startling performance
19:02earns him the
19:03International Emmy Award
19:04for Best Actor.
19:05I don't like me about.
19:08Where's the rest of the body?
19:12In the cupboard.
19:13Number 10.
19:13Zac Efron as Ted Bundy
19:14Extremely wicked,
19:16shockingly evil,
19:17and vile.
19:17You know, police,
19:18they just want to solve crimes,
19:19and sometimes they don't
19:20think things all the way through.
19:22They are willing to take
19:23the convenient alternative.
19:24Talk about breaking typecasting.
19:26How about that Zac Efron
19:27as Ted Bundy?
19:28The man with the boyish good looks
19:29found immense popularity
19:30with the high school musical movies,
19:32but here he sheds
19:33that youthful charm
19:34and steps into the mind
19:35and body of a notorious
19:36serial killer.
19:37Efron captures Bundy's
19:39manipulative allure
19:40and superficial charm
19:41with incredible precision,
19:42but he's also capable
19:43of revealing the underlying
19:44malevolence that makes Bundy
19:46one of the most infamous killers
19:47in American history.
19:48He was always a very tough man
19:50to read,
19:50and Efron capably portrays
19:52his complexities
19:52by allowing us to see
19:54both the attractive man
19:55and the monster
19:56hiding underneath.
19:57Come on, you know
19:58that I'm not capable
19:59of these crimes.
20:00I would never hurt a woman.
20:02Have I ever laid a hand on you?
20:04Have I ever raised my voice?
20:06Number 9.
20:07Kathy Bates' Delphine Lalaurie
20:09American Horror Story Coven
20:10You can't control me, mother.
20:12The hell I can't!
20:13The hell I can't!
20:15We return to that wonderful
20:16mix of drama and history
20:18that makes American Horror Story
20:19so endlessly compelling.
20:20The third season
20:21takes place in New Orleans
20:22and stars Kathy Bates
20:23as Delphine Lalaurie,
20:25a local socialite
20:26who's believed to have abused
20:27and killed the people
20:28in her employ.
20:28Bates proved with misery
20:30that she could play
20:30the unhinged psychopath
20:31and she returns to that mold
20:33by portraying
20:34the historic serial killer.
20:35Her mastery over
20:36conflicting personalities
20:37is commendable,
20:38often masking Lalaurie's
20:40sadistic nature
20:40with that ever-charming
20:41southern hospitality.
20:43Whether she's delivering
20:44wickedly sharp dialogue
20:45or grappling with
20:46the character's
20:47historical atrocities,
20:48Bates ensures that
20:49every moment
20:49crackles with intensity.
20:51Bastian, you want to rut
20:54like a beast?
20:56Then we're gonna
20:57treat you like one.
20:58Number 8.
20:59Damon Harriman
21:00as Charles Manson,
21:01Mindhunter.
21:01You don't see it,
21:02but the only truth is now.
21:05Now is the only thing
21:06that's real.
21:07There are pitch-perfect
21:08casting choices,
21:09and then there are
21:09casting choices that seem
21:11like benediction
21:11from the TV gods.
21:13Damon Harriman
21:14as Charles Manson
21:14is one of them.
21:15Watching Harriman work
21:16is indistinct
21:17from watching
21:17the real Charles Manson,
21:18and if you put the two
21:19side-by-side,
21:20you'd be hard-pressed
21:21to figure out
21:22which one is which.
21:23Of course,
21:23the hair and makeup department
21:24deserves a ton of credit,
21:25but Harriman's performance
21:26is simply out of this world,
21:28capturing the infamous killer's
21:30every little nuance
21:31and vocal mannerism.
21:32Watch him in Mindhunter,
21:33and then watch him
21:34as the bumbling
21:34Dewey Crow in Justified
21:36and see just
21:36what an extraordinary
21:38actor he is.
21:39We know that no one
21:40in the family acted
21:41without your approval, Charlie.
21:42Well, if you know,
21:43you know.
21:43You don't need to talk to me.
21:45Number 7.
21:46Brian Dennehy
21:46as John Wayne Gacy
21:47to Catch a Killer.
21:48I know where we can find
21:50some real handcuffs,
21:51boys and girls.
21:52Wait right here.
21:53I'll be right there.
21:55Not too many people
21:55have heard of this
21:56little TV movie,
21:57but they should watch it
21:58if for no other reason
21:59than seeing Brian Dennehy
22:00at work.
22:01He plays John Wayne Gacy,
22:02one of America's
22:03most notorious serial killers
22:04and a man responsible
22:05for at least 33 deaths.
22:07Gacy is famous
22:08not because he took
22:08so many lives,
22:09but because he hid
22:10in plain sight,
22:11acting as a productive
22:12member of society
22:12and even cozying up
22:13to the First Lady
22:14of the United States.
22:15Dennehy richly captures
22:16all the nuances of Gacy,
22:18both his charming
22:19good guy veneer
22:19and that signature
22:20malevolence hiding
22:21just underneath the surface.
22:23It's no surprise
22:23that he received
22:24an Emmy nomination
22:25for his performance.
22:26It's brilliant.
22:27There may be other charges,
22:28Mr. Casey.
22:29Like what?
22:31Well, it depends on
22:32what the lieutenant
22:32finds in your house.
22:34Oh, he's in my house.
22:36Oh, wow.
22:37Number 6.
22:38Darren Criss
22:39as Andrew Cunanan,
22:39The Assassination
22:40of Gianni Versace,
22:42American Crime Story.
22:43Guess who I met?
22:45Andrew!
22:46Guess.
22:46You have to guess.
22:47Oh, no, no, no.
22:51Johnny Versace?
22:52Darren Criss
22:52had a monumental task
22:53in front of him
22:54by playing
22:54the elusive
22:55Andrew Cunanan.
22:56It was so difficult
22:57because no one
22:57really knew
22:58the real Cunanan.
22:59He was a master manipulator,
23:00the type of person
23:01who reads someone
23:02and gives them
23:02what they want to see
23:03instead of what he truly was.
23:04And to this day,
23:05no one knows
23:06why he killed
23:06Gianni Versace.
23:07Despite all these
23:08glaring questions,
23:09Criss was up to the task,
23:10expertly embodying
23:11Cunanan's many
23:12different masks
23:13and personas.
23:14Watching Criss bounce
23:15from one mode
23:15to the next
23:16is utterly spellbinding,
23:17and it's no surprise
23:18that he walked away
23:19with the Emmy
23:19for Outstanding Lead Actor
23:20in a Limited Series.
23:30Number 5.
23:32Paul Walter Hauser
23:33as Larry Hall,
23:33Blackbird.
23:34In my dreams,
23:36I...
23:36in my dreams,
23:39I, like,
23:41kill women.
23:42Nothing much
23:43is certain about
23:43Larry Hall,
23:44a suspected serial killer
23:46and Civil War aficionado
23:47who traveled
23:48all across the country
23:49for reenactments.
23:50While Hall recanted
23:51all of his confessions,
23:52investigators believe
23:53that he murdered
23:53up to 50 women,
23:54which would make him
23:55one of the most prolific
23:56killers in American history.
23:58In Apple TV's Blackbird,
24:00Hall is portrayed
24:00by an outstanding
24:01Paul Walter Hauser,
24:02who dons stringy hair,
24:04a whispery voice,
24:05and a magnificent
24:05set of mutton chops.
24:06Hauser's both literally
24:07and figuratively
24:08unrecognizable,
24:10embodying Larry Hall
24:11in all of his maliciousness
24:12and cloudy ambiguity.
24:13Hauser would eventually
24:14win the Emmy
24:15for Supporting Actor,
24:16beating out the likes
24:17of Richard Jenkins,
24:18Ray Liotta,
24:18and Jesse Plemons.
24:20She was riding her bike
24:21and I drove up
24:23and I stopped
24:23to talk to her.
24:25She was so very nice.
24:27Number 4.
24:28Michael Rooker
24:28as Henry,
24:29Henry Portrait
24:30of a serial killer.
24:31Did you really
24:31kill your mama?
24:33What?
24:35Did you really
24:36kill your mama?
24:38I guess I did.
24:40Michael Rooker
24:40has enjoyed a long
24:41and storied career,
24:42now known for
24:43The Walking Dead
24:44and the Guardians
24:44of the Galaxy films.
24:45But long before
24:46either of them,
24:47he was donning
24:48a white tank top
24:48as serial killer Henry.
24:49He's loosely based
24:50on Henry Lee Lucas,
24:51a man who confessed
24:52to hundreds of murders,
24:54but who likely
24:54committed just three.
24:55This highly controversial film
24:57is based more
24:57on the legend of Lucas
24:58rather than the man himself,
25:00with Michael Rooker
25:01portraying one of the
25:01most vicious
25:02and merciless psychopaths
25:03in cinematic history.
25:04The movie has long
25:05garnered controversy
25:06for its extreme violence
25:07and gritty realism,
25:09with Rooker's horrifying
25:10performance being
25:10far too realistic
25:11for comfort.
25:12I'd like to kill somebody.
25:14Say that again.
25:17I'd like to kill somebody.
25:19Must mean you go
25:20for a ride on this.
25:21Number 3.
25:22Charlize Theron
25:22as Eileen Wuornos,
25:24Monster.
25:24I'm not a bad person.
25:26I'm a real,
25:27good person,
25:29right?
25:29One of the most
25:29eye-popping transformations
25:31in movie history
25:32comes via Charlize Theron
25:33playing Eileen Wuornos.
25:34Theron is literally
25:36unrecognizable in the role,
25:37using a new accent,
25:38wearing fake teeth,
25:39shaving her eyebrows,
25:40and gaining 30 pounds.
25:41That all results
25:42in a startling
25:43and convincing transformation
25:44which sees Theron
25:45not just portraying,
25:46but becoming
25:47the mentally ill serial killer.
25:48While the movie
25:49attracted some controversy
25:50for its sympathetic
25:51depiction of Wuornos,
25:52Theron's performance
25:53was universally lauded
25:54and she won virtually
25:55every major award
25:56in the industry,
25:57including the Oscar.
25:58In fact,
25:58Roger Ebert
25:59calls it one of the
26:00greatest performances
26:01in the history
26:01of the cinema
26:02and that man knew his stuff.
26:04We can be as different
26:05as we want to be,
26:05but you can't kill people.
26:07Cesar!
26:07Number 2.
26:08Cameron Britton
26:09as Edmund Kemper,
26:10Mindhunter.
26:11That's when I started
26:12burying the heads
26:12in the backyard.
26:14Sure.
26:14Right underneath
26:15mom's bedroom window,
26:17their faces looking
26:17right up at her window
26:18while she was at home.
26:20Of all the exceptional
26:21actors to star in Mindhunter,
26:22Cameron Britton
26:23was the breakout star,
26:24playing the gigantic
26:25and utterly deranged
26:26Edmund Kemper.
26:27This is one of the
26:28scariest serial killers
26:29America has ever seen.
26:31An imposing man
26:32standing 6 foot 9 inches
26:33and killer of 10 people
26:35including his paternal
26:36grandparents and mother.
26:37Britton certainly
26:38has the body for the role,
26:39but he's also
26:39a tremendous actor,
26:40expertly towing the line
26:41between polite indifference
26:43and complete madness.
26:44When he speaks,
26:45we listen with rapt attention
26:47and when he threatens
26:47an FBI agent,
26:48we hold our breath
26:49knowing full well
26:50the extent of his
26:51depraved capabilities.
26:52I could kill you now
26:53pretty easily.
26:56Do some interesting things
26:57before anyone showed up.
27:01Then you'd be with me
27:02in spirit.
27:04Number 1.
27:04Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer.
27:06Dahmer.
27:07Monster.
27:07The Jeffrey Dahmer story.
27:09I just bought you
27:09Boone's Farm
27:12and I'm gonna give you money.
27:17And all I wanna do is
27:18take some pictures.
27:19The name Jeffrey Dahmer
27:20is synonymous with evil
27:22and many people
27:22have played him
27:23throughout the years
27:23including the
27:24aforementioned Ross Lynch.
27:25But that movie tells
27:26of the killer's teenage years.
27:28If we want the
27:28quintessential Dahmer experience,
27:30we have to turn to
27:31this popular Netflix drama
27:32and the acclaimed
27:33performance of Evan Peters.
27:35Having won the Golden Globe
27:36for his portrayal of Dahmer,
27:37Peters nails all of
27:38his awkward mannerisms
27:39and his quiet,
27:40reserved demeanor.
27:41When it comes time
27:42for the violence,
27:42Peter doesn't hold back,
27:44depicting a man unhinged
27:45and desperate for blood.
27:46The rapid swings
27:47and mood are tremendous
27:48and Peters is deftly capable
27:50of portraying all sides
27:51of the infamous killer.
27:52I told you not to go in there!
27:54That is my route!
27:56That is my stuff!
27:57What did you think
27:58of these performances?
27:59Let us know
27:59in the comments below.