Prepare yourself for an ice-cold journey through the most remote places of the human mind. Here is a hand-picked set of films that is all about serial killers, about psychological thrillers and mysteries, deep and dark as hell. From iconic classics to hidden gems, each film offers a breed of suspense that is sure to have moviegoers at the edges of their seats.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): Teens looking for a good time get put through the harrowing nightmare of a cannibalistic family and their terrifying chainsaw. (Brutal horror iconography defines this genre entry.)
Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016): A chilling biopic on India’s notorious serial killer, Raman Raghav Pi, peeks into the twisted psychology behind his gruesome murders. (Vivid and unsettling, this film is not for the squeamish.)
HIT: The 2nd Case (2022): A cop with a shadowy past stalks a serial killer on the loose, targeting couples, as part of his inner demons threaten to engulf him. (Highly engrossing action melded with psychological intrigue in this Telugu film.)
The Guest (2014): A friendly soldier ingratiates himself with a grieving family, ostensibly out of goodwill, but his sinister motives and murky past unleash a wave of chaos and violence. (This unpredictable thriller keeps you guessing until the shocking finale, when the true reason for this soldier’s checkered past finally comes to light.)
Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart (2014) : shows how a man wants to take revenge against a serial killer who murdered his wife as obsession propels him toward a descent that leads to madness. (A hauntingly atmospheric and morally ambiguous film about grief and vengeance.)
The Stoneman Murders (2009): Based on a real-time series of murders on pavement dwellers in Kolkata, India, this crime thriller highlights police corruption in a slew where hundreds of innocents were killed, only to be murdered by the serial killer. (A gripping portrait of a city under siege and the pursuit of justice.)
Marshland (2014): Two Spanish police detective partners saturate the lonely marshes in search of a missing child, dredging up terrible secrets and confronting ghosts from their own troubled pasts. (a slow-burning detective-whodunit with spooky ambiance and impossible-to-erase cast choices)
Secret Window (2004): A reclusive man, struggling with writer’s block, suddenly finds himself accused of plagiarism and murder by a mysterious stranger. (This Hitchcockian thriller takes a twisty turn into psychological mind games.)
Cure (1997): A detective is trying to track down a series of specially bizarre murders whereby the victims have been infected with a weird disease, causing them to become obsessed with killing. In doing so, he gets into a chilling labyrinth of paranoia and conspiracy. (A Japanese suspense-psychological-horror masterpiece.)
Snowtown (2011): An Australian film based on real events in which a serial killer and a naïve teenager collide, causing the worst to arise within. (This is one of the most unsettling and haunting depictions of human evil.)
This journey into the darkest corners of the human mind is unsettling and leaves you questioning the very nature of good and evil. With bone-chilling brushes against the infamous killers and unravelling twisted psyches, these films peer into the abyss, reminding us that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are not found in the shadows but within ourselves.
Credits : Movie list provided by Movies with Milan ( @MilanBarsopia) from X formerly Twitter
