Serial Killers: 177

The drama series Intruders (2014), based on Michael Marshall Smith’s 2007 novel of the same name, premiered on BBC America in August 2014. It was a joint production between BBC America and BBC Two. Former LAPD detective Jack Whelan is tasked with investigating strange occurrences connected to a series of attempted suicides. Despite his efforts, he hits a dead end. His focus narrows in on Qui Reverti, a secretive society whose members aim for immortality by taking over other bodies after death. The society’s agents, known as ‘Shepherds’, locate the hosts for the returning souls and use ...

John Wick (2014), an American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, tells the story of a grieving man in New York City. After the death of his wife Helen, John receives a beagle puppy from her to help him cope. However, a group of Russian gangsters led by Iosef Tarasov approach John at a gas station, attempting to intimidate him into selling them his prized 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. When their efforts fail, they break into John’s home, attacking him and ultimately killing the puppy while stealing the car. In an attempt to remove ...

Tusk (2014) is a darkly comical thriller directed and penned by Kevin Smith, inspired by an episode from his SModcast podcast. Buddies Wallace Bryton and Teddy Craft co-host The Not-See Party, a show where they chat with eccentric individuals. While Wallace travels to Canada to meet the famous Kill Bill Kid, known for accidentally chopping off his own leg on camera, his girlfriend Ally remains at home. Unfortunately, upon arrival, Wallace discovers that the young internet star has taken his own life. Refusing to let the opportunity pass him by, Wallace sets out to find another intriguing interview subject. He stumbles ...

The popular American anthology crime drama television series True Detective (2014–2024) was created by Nic Pizzolatto and first aired on HBO in 2014. Each season features a new narrative, cast, and setting. The initial season was met with critical acclaim and impressive ratings for HBO, winning numerous awards for its exceptional acting, cinematography, writing, and direction. While the second season received mixed reviews, it still maintained high viewership. The third season was positively reviewed but experienced a decrease in viewership. Now in its fourth season, titled True Detective: Night Country and set ...

Fargo (2014–2024) is an award-winning American black comedy crime drama TV show, created and primarily written by Noah Hawley. Inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, which was written and directed by the Coen brothers, it also takes place within the same fictional universe. The Coens were impressed with Hawley’s script and served as executive producers for the series. It first aired on FX on April 15, 2014, and follows an anthology format. Each season is set in a ...

Texas Chainsaw (2013), an American slasher film directed by John Luessenhop with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan, and Kirsten Elms, serves as a direct sequel to the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In 1973, the people of Newt, Texas led by Burt Hartman take matters into their own hands and set fire to the infamous Sawyer clan farm in an act of vigilante justice. The community hails the group as heroes and wipes out the entire Sawyer family. ...

The American thriller film, The Frozen Ground (2013), marks Scott Walker’s directorial debut. In a 1983 Anchorage motel room, Cindy Paulson, a 17-year-old prostitute, is found handcuffed and screaming for help. She is saved by an Anchorage Police Department patrol officer who takes her to the hospital and collects her clothes for a rape kit. However, Paulson’s credibility is questioned due to her profession and false age. As a result, the detectives dismiss her claims against Robert Hansen, the man she identified as her abductor. Despite evidence supporting Hansen’s innocence, the APD patrol officer is ...

Hannibal (2013–2015), a psychological horror-thriller series developed by Bryan Fuller for NBC, is based on characters from Thomas Harris’ novels Red Dragon (1981), Hannibal (1999), and Hannibal Rising (2006). The show centers on the dynamic between FBI special investigator Will Graham and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who becomes Graham’s greatest adversary yet also the only person who truly understands him. It premiered on NBC on April 4, 2013, with a 13-episode first season ordered. The pilot episode was directed by ...

Bates Motel (2013–2017), an American psychological horror drama, premiered on March 18, 2013 and concluded on April 24, 2017. The show was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano and is a production of Universal Television and American Genre for the cable network A&E. Serving as a contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film Psycho (based on Robert Bloch’s novel of the ...

The Raven (2012), a American crime thriller film directed by James McTeigue and written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare, is based on the final days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life. The poet and author finds himself aiding the police in their pursuit of a serial killer whose crimes are inspired by his stories. Though the plot is fictional, it draws from real-life events surrounding Poe’s mysterious death. Set in 19th-century Baltimore, Maryland, police uncover a ...

The Collection (2012), an American horror film directed by Marcus Dunstan and co-written with Patrick Melton, follows the story of teenager Elena Peters and her friends, Missy and Josh, as they attend a party. After witnessing her boyfriend Brian with another woman, Elena retreats to an isolated room where she discovers Arkin trapped in a box. Carefully opening the latches, she frees him just as a series of traps are activated at the party, resulting in the deaths of many attendees. Amidst the chaos, Brian attempts to flee but is ultimately killed while Elena looks on in ...

Alex Cross (2012), the American action thriller directed by Rob Cohen, stars Tyler Perry as the lead and Matthew Fox as his antagonist, Picasso. The screenplay was written by Marc Moss and Kerry Williamson, and it is based on James Patterson’s 2006 novel Cross. Serving as the third installment in the Alex Cross film series, this movie was seen as a reboot ...

The film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) is based on the novel by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. Directed by David Fincher and written by Steven Zaillian, it follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist in Stockholm as he deals with the consequences of a libel suit against businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström. To resolve this issue, wealthy Henrik Vanger offers Blomkvist a unique task: investigating the 40-year-old disappearance of his grandniece Harriet, who is believed to have been murdered. Each year on his birthday, Vanger ...

Scream 4 (2011) is an American slasher film helmed by director Wes Craven and penned by Kevin Williamson. The movie, which serves as a follow-up to 2000’s Scream 3, is produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films. During the week of the original Woodsboro murders’ 15th anniversary, high school students Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper fall victim to Ghostface’s killing spree. In the midst of these events, Sidney Prescott returns to Woodsboro with her publicist Rebecca Walters to promote her self-help book. However, when ...

The American action thriller film, The American (2010), directed by Anton Corbijn, follows the story of Jack and his lover, Ingrid, as they spend some time in Sweden. While taking a walk in the wilderness near their cabin, Jack notices a trail of footprints in the snow and quickly pulls Ingrid towards shelter. Gunshots from a sniper are heard in the distance. Ready to protect them both, Jack draws his own gun and takes down the sniper before turning his attention to another armed man. After his swift actions, Jack flees to Rome where he contacts a man named Pavel for help. However, Pavel insists that it is not safe for ...

The Silence (2010) is a German thriller film directed by Baran bo Odar, adapted from the novel of the same name by Jan Costin Wagner. In summer 1986, Pia, an 11-year-old schoolgirl, was killed in a wheat field near a small provincial German town. One man carried out the murder while another watched silently from his passenger seat. The victim’s body was then placed in the trunk of a red car while her bicycle was left behind. Fast forward to 2009, when 13-year-old Sinikka Weghamm disappears from the local fair and her bicycle is found in the same location as ...

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010), a black comedy horror film directed and co-written by Eli Craig, follows a group of college kids who encounter two hillbillies – Tucker and Dale – while camping in West Virginia. The film takes us back in time to the events leading up to a horrific encounter between the two groups. As they make their way to a rundown lakefront cabin that Tucker recently purchased, the friends are stopped by Sheriff Gurr, who warns them about the hazards of the area. Meanwhile, Tucker and Dale are excited about their new vacation home but have no idea what’s about to unfold when they ...

In his feature directorial debut, Samuel Bayer helmed the American supernatural slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). Written by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer, it serves as a remake of the 1984 film of the same name by Wes Craven. While at the Springwood Diner, Dean Russell falls asleep and is attacked by a grotesque figure dressed in seared clothing and sporting a bladed gardener’s glove on his right hand. The dream ends with Dean’s death. At his funeral, Kris discovers an old photograph of ...

In the American horror film Saw 3D (2010), directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, Dr. Lawrence Gordon has already survived his test. Five years later, a new game takes place in a public square where two men, Brad and Ryan, are bound to opposite sides of a worktable with buzzsaws while their shared lover Dina is suspended above a third saw. The men have sixty seconds to save Dina by pushing the saws into each other. However, they soon realize that Dina had manipulated them into ...

Polytechnique (2009), a Canadian drama film directed and written by Denis Villeneuve and Jacques Davidts, follows the actions of a troubled young man. Armed with a rifle, he leaves a message for his mother before heading to Polytechnique Montreal – an engineering school – and interrupting a class. With his weapon in hand, he orders the men to leave while commanding the women to stay. When they hesitate, he fires into the ceiling to prove the gravity of his intent. He then proceeds to express disdain towards feminists, despite some of the women denying any ...