Serial Killers: 177

Desperation (2006) is an American made-for-TV horror film based on Stephen King’s 1996 novel of the same name. The teleplay was written by King himself. While driving through the Nevada desert, Peter and Mary Jackson, a young couple, are stopped by Collie Entragian, the local sheriff. Despite their innocence, they are accused of possessing marijuana and taken to a police station in the nearby mining town of Desperation. Upon their arrival at the station, they come across a disturbing sight: a little girl lying dead on the floor. In an act of violence, Entragian ...

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) serves as a prequel to the 2003 film and is the sixth installment in the franchise. Penned by Sheldon Turner from a story co-written with David J. Schow, the film was directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Set in 1939, it follows the story of a baby who is abandoned in a dumpster by his mother during childbirth at a Texas slaughterhouse. The child is later found and raised as Thomas by Luda Mae Hewitt, who discovers him on her property. Thirty years later, Thomas still works at the ...

The period thriller, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), follows the life of notorious murderer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Directed by Tom Tykwer and written in collaboration with Andrew Birkin and Bernd Eichinger, the film is based on Patrick Süskind’s novel of the same name. Grenouille’s story is told through flashbacks, beginning with his sentencing for his crimes. Abandoned at birth in a French fish market ...

Saw III (2006), a horror film by director Darren Lynn Bousman, features a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and a story written by Whannell and James Wan. In the movie, Detective Eric Matthews breaks his foot with a toilet lid to escape after being imprisoned in a bathroom. Six months later, Officer Rigg’s SWAT team discovers another Jigsaw game, where victim Troy had to rip chains from his body to escape a bomb. Upon closer inspection, it is revealed that Jigsaw broke his ...

The American drama show, Dexter (2006–2013), was broadcast on Showtime for seven years, starting in October 2006 and ending in September 2013. It takes place in Miami and follows the story of Dexter Morgan, a forensics expert with a focus on analyzing bloodstains for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department. However, he also leads a covert double life as a vigilante serial killer. His targets are those who have escaped justice due to corruption or loopholes in the legal system. The show received positive reviews throughout its entire run, with the first four seasons receiving universal acclaim. However, as the series progressed, reception declined significantly. It ...

House of Wax (2005), a slasher film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, follows the story of Carly Jones, her brother Nick, her boyfriend Wade Felton, and their friends as they camp in a wooded area on their way to a football game. A stranger in a pickup truck briefly interacts with them before leaving after Nick smashes one of his headlights. The next day, Wade discovers his car’s fan belt has been cut and Lester offers to take Carly and Wade to the nearby town of Ambrose while the others continue to the game. In Ambrose, a ghost town, the couple meets Bo Sinclair who offers to sell them a fan belt and give them a ...

Saw II (2005) is a horror movie helmed by director Darren Lynn Bousman and penned by Leigh Whannell and Bousman himself. After waking up in a room with a death mask locking his neck, police informant Michael is given instructions by Billy the Puppet on a nearby screen. Failing to retrieve the key from his eye in time, he meets his demise as the mask closes around his head. At the crime scene, Detective Kerry discovers a message for her ex-partner Detective Eric Matthews. The two team up with Officer Rigg and lead a SWAT ...

Saw (2004) is an American horror film directed by James Wan, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. Adam, a photographer, wakes up in a rundown bathtub with one of his ankles chained to a pipe. Nearby is oncologist Dr. Lawrence Gordon, and next to him lies the body of an apparent suicide victim with a revolver and a microcassette recorder. Each man discovers a tape in their pockets, and Adam grabs the recorder. His ...

Taking Lives (2004) is an American psychological thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso. In the early 1980s, teenagers Martin Asher and Matt Soulsby meet on a bus to Mont-Laurier, Quebec. The vehicle breaks down, so they obtain a car, which later gets a flat tire. As Matt fixes the tire, Martin notices their similar height and shoves him into the path of an oncoming truck, causing the death of both Matt and the driver. Martin then takes Matt’s guitar and clothes and continues on foot, imitating his singing voice. Twenty years pass and FBI profiler Illeana Scott is called in by Inspector Leclair to assist Montreal ...

In Saw 0.5 (2003), a disoriented young hospital worker named David finds himself being interrogated by a nameless, unsympathetic police officer. He appears disheveled, with blood smears on his shirt and face, as he recounts being knocked unconscious after finishing his shift at the hospital. When he came to, he was in a large room with a chair and a rusty metal device attached to his head. A television to his left played a video featuring a terrifying puppet that informed David that the device was a “reverse bear trap” with the only key located in the stomach of his deceased cellmate. After freeing himself from his ...

The film Monster (2003), written and directed by Patty Jenkins in her debut as a feature director, follows the story of Aileen Wuornos, a street prostitute who moves from Michigan to Florida in 1989. On the brink of ending her own life, Aileen meets Selby Wall in a gay bar. Despite Aileen’s initial hostility and declaration that she is not gay, the two women strike up a conversation over beers. Selby quickly takes a liking to Aileen, admiring her protective nature. She invites Aileen to spend the night with her at the house where she is staying temporarily (having been kicked out by her parents after being accused ...

Directed by Dario Argento, The Card Player (2003) is a giallo film featuring Stefania Rocca and Liam Cunningham. It is Argento’s second giallo movie of the decade. The plot revolves around a serial killer called ‘The Card Player’, who has been abducting young women in Rome. To taunt the authorities, the killer challenges them to a game of online poker through a webcam. If they lose, the victim is brutally killed on camera. When one of the murder victims ...

The American slasher film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), was directed by Marcus Nispel and written by Scott Kosar. On August 18, 1973, five young adults – Erin, her boyfriend Kemper, and friends Morgan, Andy, and Pepper – were traveling to a concert after purchasing marijuana in Mexico. While driving through Texas, they picked up a distressed hitchhiker who spoke incoherently about ‘a bad man’ before tragically taking her own life. In need of assistance, the group stopped at a nearby gas station where Luda Mae instructed them to meet Sheriff ...

The American supernatural slasher film, Freddy vs. Jason (2003), was directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. This crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises serves as the eighth installment in the former and eleventh in the latter. After his previous defeat, Freddy Krueger has been trapped in Hell, unable to enter the dreams of children in Springwood. Desperate to regain his power, he manipulates Jason Voorhees to do his bidding by appearing as ...

The American mystery thriller, Blood Work (2002), was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, who also starred in the film. While investigating a local homicide, FBI Special Agent Terry McCaleb is outside addressing the media when he spots the alleged ‘code murderer’ in the crowd. In pursuit of the man, McCaleb wounds him but suffers a heart attack and ends the chase. Following his retirement, McCaleb resides on a houseboat in Long Beach and receives a life-saving heart transplant after two years. Soon after, he is approached by Graciella Rivers, whose sister Gloria was killed in a robbery. She asks for his ...

Jim Gillespie directed D-Tox (2002), a thriller featuring Sylvester Stallone as FBI agent Jake Malloy. While chasing down a serial killer who targets police officers, Malloy’s former partner becomes a victim. The killer then contacts Malloy from his own home and reveals that he was seeking revenge for being pursued by Malloy in the past for a string of prostitute murders. Tragically, the killer also takes the life of Mary, Malloy’s girlfriend. Despite his efforts to apprehend the killer, it appears that he has taken his own life. Three months later, Malloy ...

In the biographical crime thriller film Ted Bundy (2002), written and directed by Matthew Bright with co-writer Stephen Johnston, a law student in Seattle named Ted seems like a friendly guy next door. However, beneath this facade lies a monster. After spying on women from his windows, Ted finds the courage to commit his first murder. He continues his gruesome spree by tricking young women into his car with fake injuries or impersonating a police officer. He then knocks them out, binds them, and takes them to a predetermined location where he rapes and kills them. Using ...

The psychological thriller, Red Dragon (2002), is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel. Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally, the story follows FBI agent Will Graham in 1980 as he seeks assistance from forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter in a case. After working together on a psychological profile of a killer, Graham becomes convinced that the murderer is also a cannibal. However, when Lecter realizes Graham is getting close to discovering his true identity, he stabs him. Despite this attack, ...

Insomnia (2002), a psychological thriller directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Hillary Seitz, stands out in Nolan’s filmography as the only project he did not also write. It is a remake of the similarly titled 1997 Norwegian film. Set in the small fishing village of Nightmute, Alaska, the story begins with the murder of 17-year-old Kay Connell. Detectives Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart from the LAPD are called in by their old friend and chief of police, Nyback, to assist with the investigation. Meanwhile, Dormer ...

15 Minutes (2001) is an American crime film directed and written by John Herzfeld. Two former inmates, Emil Slovak and Oleg Razgul, come to the United States to claim their share of a bank robbery in Europe. While at their partner’s shabby apartment, they are denied their portion of the loot. In response, Emil fatally stabs both his partner and his wife, as Oleg captures it on video with a stolen camera. Daphne Handlova, a Czech immigrant who witnessed the murders, narrowly escapes before being caught by the killers. To conceal the evidence, Emil sets fire to the apartment. Jordy Warsaw, an arson investigator in ...