The Best Fictional Mass Murderers in Movies

Way back in 2008 we did an article on the 13 Most Memorable movie psychopaths.   This is something a little bit different.  While there are a couple of guys that overlap I wanted to focus on mass murderers.   For no real reason at all other than just narrowing it down a little bit.

There’s a difference between a psycho and a guy who kills tons of people.   Also, I didn’t include horror movie characters.  I wanted this list to be as “real” as possible.

Anyway, enjoy it 

John Doe – Se7en

Perhaps one of the most patient and “calm” of all the killers on this list, John Doe is cunning and extremely calculating.   In fact, he’s a killer that never even really needed to be caught.  He wanted to.  To know that he was willing to die just to prove a point makes his character all the more freakish and scary.

Mickey Knox – Natural Born Killers

Mickey is the most “fun” on this list.   He’s like the good guy serial killer.   And it’s funny how the movie portrays him in that Bonnie and Clyde way.   Realistically he’s a sick bastard but you almost don’t feel that way watching the film.

Hannibal Lecter – Silence of the Lambs

I mean what can you say about Hannibal?  He’s my number one.

Alex – Clockwork Orange

Sometimes he goes by the last name DeLarge and sometimes Burgess.  Most of us just remember him as Alex.   Alex is an example of someone who is just downright evil.   His thoughts revolve around nothing but violence and tyranny.  And yet of all the mass murderers in movies, Alex is somehow likable.  I really think it’s because his character is basically humorous when you get down to it.

Patrick Bateman – American Psycho

Clearly Bateman goes down as one of the best if not the best mass murderers in movie history.   Parading around in the 80s as a successful Wall Street banker, instead of thirsting for money, what Bateman really wants is to destroy human life.  He’s just sick of it all and takes it out on anyone in his path.   “I have to return some video tapes.”

Jigsaw – Saw

I think once I got to Saw III I kind of had enough of the franchise.  However, I’ll never forget how novel and awesome the idea was in the first movie.   The patience of this guy to sit in that room the entire time and then the music at the end?  Awesome.   There’s a disturbing morality to this guy which makes him all the more eerie.  Despite his insanity, there’s still logic in his killing ways.

Buffalo Bill – Silence of the Lambs

You gotta hand it to Silence of the Lambs for having not one, but two awesome psychopaths.  Bill is in another league of wackiness.  From the hiding his penis in the mirror, to the nails, to his obsession with bugs, and to his enjoying making dummies out of human skin, he’s got it all.  I’ve never been more creeped out than by that dance scene where he’s naked covering his junk.

Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Notice I didn’t add any of the horror movie guys.  Leatherface is about as close as one would come to that genre.  However, he seems more “real” than the others. Perhaps it’s because of how independent and documentary the movie looked.  Also, one could imagine some sick bastard trolling around in a leather face carrying a chainsaw, can’t they?

Stuntman Mike – Death Proof

On the surface, he seems like a normal guy, (aside from a large visible scar down the left side of his face) but it turns out that he is in reality a twisted socio-psychopath that enjoys stalking and raping/killing women by way of vehicular homicide.  Seems like he should be on this list to me.

*I thought about putting Mike Meyers, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kreuger in here but I wanted this list to consist of people that seem “real.”  Some honorable mentions are the killer from The Cell and that creepy guy from Gone Baby Gone.  Also Max Cady from Cape Fear but I wouldn’t call him a Mass Murderer.  He’s more of a rapist.  Also a shout out to Cyrus in Con Air.