Top Ten Fictional Serial Killers
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character in a series of suspense novels by Thomas Harris. Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. He became more widely known after Anthony Hopkins' iconic portrayal in the 1991 film The Silence... read more Intelligent, he can read you like a book before you have finished your sentence. He can get into your head quickly. He truly is one of the most entertaining fictional serial killers ever.
He's sadistic and blood-thirsty as well as incredibly intelligent. He is also extremely good at getting into your head. He totally deserves number 1!
Hannibal the Cannibal... Surely deserved this spot.
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character who serves as the antihero in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. The series begins with Darkly Dreaming Dexter and continues with titles such as Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter in the Dark, Dexter by Design, Dexter Is Delicious, Double Dexter, and Dexter's Final... read more This guy is a true serial killer. No doubt Hannibal Lecter is a better killer, but he is not much of a serial killer.
Daniel Robitaille, colloquially known as Candyman, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Candyman film series. The character originated in Clive Barker's 1985 short story The Forbidden... read more He wasn't always this way. This is what he became after he was brutally murdered and had his hand sawn off. Some people have no humanity.
The Joker is a fictional supervillain created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, who first appeared in Batman #1, released on April 25, 1940, by DC Comics. Credit for the Joker's creation remains disputed. Both Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for his visual design, while Finger is... read more
Carnage (Cletus Kasady) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #361 in April 1992. Carnage is the offspring of the Venom symbiote and is infamous for his violent, homicidal... read more
This character was actually inspired by six real life serial killers: Jerry Brudos, Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, Gary M. Heidnik, Edmund Kemper, and Gary Ridgway.
Michael Myers is a character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then returns fifteen years later to kill again. In October 2018, a direct sequel to the original film was released, ignoring previous... read more He actually has more victories than any other killer on this list. He kills because he feels like he needs to, not because it's fun or he thinks it's justified. He even gets away with it.
Tall, strongly built, mysterious, quiet, and dangerous.
He has the face of an angel and the mind of a demon.
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th horror film series. He first appeared in the original 1980 movie as the young son of the killer, Mrs. Voorhees. Over the course of the series, Jason became the central antagonist, known for wearing a hockey mask. He became a killer because his mother was decapitated by one of the counselors in the first movie. Now he wants revenge on anyone who returns to the camp. He's not totally evil. He just loves his mother.
Fred "Freddy" Krueger is the primary antagonist in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in the original film directed by Wes Craven in 1984. Freddy is known for his burned face, red-and-green striped sweater, and his glove with razor-sharp blades. Freddie Krueger is THE BEST! The burnt face just gives me the creeps. Scary face, nasty words, the dream killer's got it all! He deserves number 1!
The Newcomers
Jigsaw is a character from the Saw film series. He first appears in Saw as John Kramer, a man diagnosed with terminal cancer after the loss of his unborn child. Following this, he designs elaborate traps to test his victims' will to live, believing he is helping them find a greater appreciation for... read more "Let's play a game." What more do I really need to say?
Charles Lee Ray is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Child's Play horror film series. He becomes the murderous doll known as Chucky after using a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into the toy. The franchise began in 1988 and has since expanded into multiple sequels and a television... read more The coolest thing about this killer is that he transported his soul into the body of a doll so that he could stay alive.
Norman Bates is a character created by writer Robert Bloch as the main character in his novel Psycho. He was portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the primary antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and in its sequels. Bates is known for his disturbing psychological complexity,... read more It's not his fault... His mother made him do it.
Patrick Bateman is an American yuppie and serial killer who first appeared in The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. He is best known as the main character in American Psycho, also by Ellis, which was later adapted into a popular film... read more
Notebook of death. Shall I say more?
"I'm saving a special mark for you, Batman."
Ghostface is a fictional identity used by multiple characters in the Scream film franchise. As of 2025, eleven different individuals have assumed the role across the movies, with each one donning the signature mask and black robe to carry out a series of murders. The character first appeared in the... read moreHe's played by Lord Voldemort himself.
Johan Liebert is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Monster, created by Naoki Urasawa. He is the twin brother of Nina Fortner, formerly known as Anna Liebert, and serves as the story's main antagonist. Johan is highly intelligent and manipulative, using his charm to control and influence... read moreOh, come on, Hannibal is just a man who has been identified before and caught. Red John is superhuman. He makes no mistakes. He is a true supervillain with psychic powers and criminal genius.
He's awesome. He has supernatural powers. He knew about the names on Jane's suspect list three months before Jane even did, and Jane is the one who made it!
He was the child murderer in the German movie M. He was so elusive that the law couldn't track him. He had to be caught by the criminal underground.
Yoshikage Kira is the main antagonist of the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, which was created by Hirohiko Araki. He is a serial killer with a Stand ability known as Killer Queen, which allows him to turn anything he touches into a bomb. Kira is known for his obsession with living... read more