'Psycho,' 'The Good Nurse': Best Hollywood movies on serial killers
Hollywood filmmakers have long been fascinated and intrigued by serial killers. Their chilling profiles have taken center stage in several films that delve into the darkest corners of the human psyche. From true-crime stories based on real-life murderers to fictional stories inspired by their gruesome murders, these Hollywood movies with a myriad of narratives both terrify and intrigue audiences.
'The Good Nurse' (2022)
The 2022 biographical crime thriller film The Good Nurse is based on the true story of Charlie Cullen, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Starring Eddie Redmayne as Cullen and Jessica Chastain as his coworker, the movie unravels the terrifying world of a nurse who took countless lives in hospital settings throughout his 16-year career.
'Zodiac' (2007)
Based on the real-life unsolved case of the Zodiac Killer in San Francisco during the late 1960s and early 1970s, David Fincher's 2007 neo-noir mystery thriller film Zodiac stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. The suspenseful crime drama film follows a group of journalists and investigators as they become obsessed with solving the cryptic and brutal murders.
'Se7en' (1995)
The 1995 crime thriller film Se7en is yet another masterpiece from Fincher's filmography. It stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as detectives—a rookie and a veteran—on the trail of a sadistic serial killer whose motives for gruesome murders are the seven deadly sins in Christianity. From the biblically-inspired murderer to the city it is based in, everything is anonymous in this film.
'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)
An adaptation of Thomas Harris's 1988 namesake novel, Jonathan Demme's popular psychological horror thriller film The Silence of the Lambs remains a benchmark in the genre. Starring Jodie Foster as FBI trainee Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as the brilliant yet manipulative and monstrous cannibal killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the film revolves around their unsettling alliance to catch another serial killer.
'Psycho' (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's iconic psychological thriller film Psycho is a timeless Hollywood classic. It revolves around Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, who runs away with her employer's client's money and checks into a distant isolated motel managed by the mysterious Norman Bates, portrayed by Anthony Perkins. The film's shocking twist and Bates's chilling persona have become legendary in cinematic history.
