best films about serial killers

[Jeremy Blackman]

I guess serial killer movies can be defined kind of like Potter Stewart's defintion of pornography, " You know it when you see it. "

Then how does one identify serial killer pornography?

[Reel]

I can't say, that would just put an awful image in mine and everyone's heads this afternoon. Speaking of which, the book I'm reading 'People Who Eat Darkness"                          Spoiler                                                

involves just that, so it's a little too close for comfort for me to joke about right now..

[Reel]

I forgot to say that 'May' is also one of my favorite Serial Killer movies. That'll take Taxi Driver's spot, not no. 1, though.

Two recommendations from this thread I recently came across:

Felicia's Journey

blew me away.

"The Minus Man", kiddos.  "The Minus Man".

not so much. You're really good at getting me to watch shitty movies. And no, I'm not saying that  G.P.S will be shitty.

[polkablues]

Granted, I haven't seen it in a decade, but what didn't you like about it? I remember it being very good and very nuanced.

[Pubrick]

You're really good at getting me to watch shitty movies.

haha he's the new samsong (RIP).

[Reel]

Granted, I haven't seen it in a decade, but what didn't you like about it? I remember it being very good and very nuanced.

I'd have to watch it again to give my concise opinion ( see, he's good isn't he? ) All I can offer up right now is: slow and tedious as hell. I had no interest whatsoever in Wilson's character. Serial killers are despicable, don't get me wrong, but if I'm going to be following them around for an hour and a half I want to at least feel involved with their lives, no matter how dark or wierd they may get. This was a really milquetoast movie and I think the main problem with it was that the Director, Hampton Fancher ( who wrote Blade Runner ) was 60 years old and a first timer when he made it.

[RegularKarate]

Minus Man was a decent movie, but it had a great trailer:

May sucked.

[Sleepless]

I'm not suggesting this has any place on any kind of "best" films list, but Kalifornia is definitely a fun film about serial killers.

[Reel]

Hey, did you guys ever hear about this? I found out about it in a serial killer documentary last night

Wikipedia entry on The Hillside Stranglers

The Hillside Strangler is the media epithet for two men, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who were convicted of kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing 10 girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old during a four-month period from late 1977 to early 1978. They committed their crimes in the hills above Los Angeles, California.


anyways, the Hillside Stranglers were these two guys who would drive around L.A. picking up transient women, flashing badges to lure them in and wearing cop uniforms as a disguise. I heard on this documentary that one of their potential victims was Catherine Lorre. In 1977 they saw her hitchhiking and gave her a ride. When she showed them her I.D. though, inside of her wallet was this picture of her and her father Peter Lorre, who played a serial killing pedophile in Fritz Lang's 'M'. They decided she was too high profile of a victim and let her go.