7 historically accurate movies about serial killers

"Zodiac"

• 2007
• USA
• Crime, detective, thriller
• Director: David Fincher
• Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chloë Sevigny
• IMDb Rating: 7.7

In California in the late 1960s, a serial killer calling himself the Zodiac appears. He sends encrypted letters to newspapers and plays cat and mouse with the police. Reporter Paul Avery and cartoonist Robert Graysmith of The San Francisco Chronicle join the investigation, obsessed with bringing the criminal to light. The years pass, the cases multiply, and the mysteries in the letters become more and more dangerous to those trying to solve them.

"It's like Fincher already knew he was going to make Mindhunter", — Meowser

"Great movie, I didn't want to leave for a second", — Vento888

"I rewatch it periodically, and not just because of Downey Jr. and Gyllenhaal🤭, the movie itself is good too", — PinochetM

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"My Friend Dahmer"

• 2017
• USA
• Historical, drama, crime
• Director: Marc Meyers
• Starring: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Dallas Roberts
• IMDb Rating: 6.2

High school senior Jeffrey Dahmer lives amidst family disintegration and loneliness. His strange fascination with dead animals and his attempts to gain the attention of his classmates gradually become increasingly disturbing. An introduction to new company gives the illusion of acceptance, but inner impulses push him to the brink. The story covers the school years of the future criminal and how he takes his first dangerous steps.

The movie is based on a graphic novel by John Backderf, who was a close friend of Dahmer's as a teenager. Filming took place in their hometown of Akron, Ohio, and even took place in Dahmer's old home.

"Ross Lynch (as Dahmer) stepped into the role perfectly! The movie is for those interested in Jeffrey's becoming a maniac. But liked the TV series with Evan Peters many times better", — 00rainbow00

"I certainly understand that the movie had the goal of showing the story of Jeffrey's becoming a maniac. But, to me, it came out a little boring and dragged out. But, I must say, Ross looks quite harmonious in this role", — RapunzelR

"Ross was great, the gait looked a little cartoonish at some points, but still. It was very strange to watch Dahmer's "pranks" as they didn't look funny at all, although maybe it was funny for school kids at the time. Other than that, it was quite interesting to watch the gradual exasperation, the attempts to abandon the "weird hobbies". How the family had a big impact on him. You even feel sorry for him in a way, even though you realize that there is a darkness swirling inside this man", — MellifaroMango

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"Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile"

• 2019
• USA
• Drama, crime
• Director: Joe Berlinger
• Starring: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, John Malkovich
• IMDb Rating: 6.7

Student Liz meets the charming Ted Bundy and begins a long relationship, which is ruined by the sudden arrest of her lover. As the investigation unfolds, monstrous charges are brought against Bundy, and society is divided between doubt, a desire to exonerate the charismatic young man, and horror. Trials, Bundy's escapades, and public scrutiny make Liz's life a challenge.

The story of one of the most notorious serial killers is shown through the lens of loved ones who struggle to reconcile the image of their loved one with the facts of real-life sadistic murder investigations.

"Bundy’s appeal was key to the psychological power he had over others", — Berlinger says of the charismatic killer.

Netflix used a memoir by Elizabeth Kloepfer , Bundy's ex-girlfriend, titled "The Phantom Prince: My Life With Ted Bundy" as a source for the movie. Bundy's seemingly unrealistic escape from custody, his incredibly popular trial, his marriage proposal to a groupie in court and his innate, logic-defying charm were all realistic.

"For me, it's just one of my all-time favorite movies. Kind of scary and tragic at moments. Very beautiful cast", — DashaShpits

"This is the kind of movie that romanticizes criminals.
I've heard of Ted Bundy, a brutal rapist and murderer, and in the movie even at the end it seems like an innocent man was executed.
Sentenced to death because of a teeth print and that's it? I think there was more evidence there because otherwise, just like one of the jurors said - he looks and acts like a perfectly normal person!
Yes, he manipulated the bride into waiting and believing, but that's still not an indicator of maniacal behavior/involvement in murder. All in all, mixed feelings
Was expecting little to no different from the movie", — kittycat1194

"Zac Efron opened up a new side to me in this movie", — lana0892

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"Snowtown"

• 2011
• Australia
• Crime, drama
• Director: Justin Kurzel
• Starring: Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris, Bob Adriaens
• IMDb Rating: 6.6

Teenage Jamie meets his mother's new companion, the charismatic John Bunting. Gradually, Jamie finds himself drawn into the cycle of violence and crime occurring in their neighborhood. The story is based on real events of the Snowtown murders, also known as the bodies in barrels murders. The plot follows how the influence of the adult environment shapes a young boy's destructive decisions.

Information for the script was taken from transcripts, books on the subject, and interviews conducted by the filmmakers:

"We made sure and were very adamant that we weren’t going to fictionalize any of the actual events and the victims and the murders. We needed to have an integrity that felt very true and honest", — said director Justin Kurzel.

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"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer"

• 1986
• USA
• Crime, horror, thriller, drama
• Director: John McNaughton
• Starring: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold, Mary Demas
• IMDb Rating: 7.0

Lonely Henry roams the United States and commits murders with no apparent motivation. He draws former cellmate Otis into the bloody horror, changing his idea of normalcy. The appearance of Otis' sister Becky complicates the relationships in this grim company. The movie follows their daily lives and episodes of violence, revealing the ordinariness of horror.

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"The Frozen Ground"

• 2013
• Germany, UK, USA
• Thriller, crime
• Director: Scott Walker
• Starring: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens, Dean Norris
• IMDb Rating: 6.4

Anchorage, Alaska. Police are investigating the disappearances of young women who may have been victimized by serial killer Robert Hansen. A detective, enlisting the help of survivor Cindy Paulson, tries to gather evidence against the respected citizen. The confrontation between the investigator and the suspect is set against a backdrop of distrust of others and a lack of direct evidence.

"Great movie, keeps you in suspense", — AliceClaire

"Cusack certainly has a super type for such roles! :) very memorable from 'The Newspaper Man'", — mcavoymrgrt

"Awesome movie, the movie is based on real events and it's just horrible what happened to those girls. How lucky is this surviving girl.
By the end he did have his tongue loose and you could see in the interrogation that he was nervous and panicking a lot", — lolipop_ik

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"Monster"

• 2003
• USA, Germany
• Crime, drama
• Director: Patty Jenkins
• Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen
• IMDb Rating: 7.3

Florida, late 1980s. Vagrant Aileen Wuornos meets Selby and tries to earn money through prostitution to feed their union. After a series of encounters with abusive clients, Aileen commits murder and sets off a chain of crimes. The story follows the heroines' relationship and the police investigation leading to Wuornos' arrest.

Although some moments of the 2003 crime drama are fictionalized, the overall plot of the movie is accurate. "Monster" was even filmed in the actual bar where Aileen Wuornos had her last glass of beer. Director Patty Jenkins got some of the information for the script from emails with Wuornos herself while she was on death row.

"How similar they made up Charlize Theron! And how skillfully they transformed her from a gorgeous beauty to a drug-addicted prostitute! Bravo!
To be honest, the movie itself is average, but Charlize deservedly won an Oscar for it. Great acting!" — an_khv

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