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Maniacs and serial killers, as a rule, are people with a specifically disturbed psyche, but it is not so easy to catch them. They, thanks to their intelligence, lead even the most “hardened” detectives by the nose. Often, such films are based on real events and this fact makes them even more interesting. We have tried to select the top ten of them, based on ratings, opinions of film critics and audience reviews.
10 Faces in the crowd | 2011
The quiet, measured life of a young teacher, Anna Marchent, suddenly turns into a terrible obsession. Before her eyes, a young girl is murdered. In order not to become another victim of a maniac, Anna tries to flee. The killer is rapidly chasing her and the girl has only one way out – to jump off the bridge. When she falls, she hits her head hard on the metal railing. The bum saves her. The victim is waiting for the interrogation of the investigator. She must talk about the appearance of a maniac, who turned out to be a serial killer, nicknamed “Cry Baby Jack”. But it turns out that after hitting her head, Anna lost the ability to distinguish people’s faces and she does not recognize anyone. Doctors make a rare, terrible diagnosis – prosopagnosia. The teacher’s life turns into a real nightmare, because the maniac is already watching her to deal with.
9. Jack the Ripper | 1988
In London, an unknown criminal brutally cracks down on local prostitutes. Inspector Frederick Abberline takes over the investigation of the case. But a skilled maniac is in no hurry to fall into the hands of justice, and commits one murder after another. The psychopath turns out to be surprisingly smart and the inspector will have to rack his brains. An actor, surgeon and grandson of Queen Victoria fall under Frederick’s suspicion.
8. Saw: Survival Game | 2004
In a creepy basement room are two chained men kidnapped by a psychopath. They will have to participate in a terrible game if they want to survive and return home to their families. The conditions are dictated to them by an outside voice, heard in the basement. The bloodthirsty psycho orders the “participants” to kill their neighbor. Before proceeding with the execution, you will have to saw off your leg in order to get to the victim. For 103 minutes (the duration of the film), the author of this picture invites the audience to tickle their nerves and get a dose of adrenaline.
7. Monster | 2003
Eileen Wuornos grew up in a dysfunctional family. She sells her body for money to somehow survive. At one of the moments of crisis, when Eileen is about to commit suicide, she meets a young, pretty lesbian Selby in a bar. They begin to communicate daily, and suddenly Wuornos falls in love with a girl. Selby runs away from home to live with Eileen. She continues to earn money in the usual way. One evening, a man picks her up on the track. He takes the prostitute to the forest and begins to mock her. In a brutal fight with a client, she cracks down on him and leaves in his car, taking all the money. The accidental murder marked the beginning of a series of crimes that Eileen Warnes committed over a long period. Selby finds out about her partner’s crimes and asks her to come to her senses. But it’s already difficult for that one to stop and it continues to ruin the lives of victims who have turned up.
6. Zodiac | 2007
For twenty-five years, the psychopath went unpunished and committed more crimes. The police dealt with an unusual maniac, thirsting for fame and universal “recognition”. He communicated with law enforcement through reporters and letters, ironically reproaching them for their inaction. The psychopath managed to keep the whole of San Francisco in fear, and the police looked for new ways to calculate the murderer.
5. Vice | 2001
After the death of his wife, the widowed father of two sons goes insane. He tells the children that angels appear to him and are ordered to kill people who are actually demons. One of the boys, named Eden, believes his father and vows to help him complete the “mission”. As an adult, Eden begins to commit murders, fulfilling the will of his father. His brother, Fenton, tries to dissuade him, but he is not going to stop.
4. American Psycho | year 2000
A successful vice president of one of the companies, Patrick Bateman, begins to get bored and is looking for new sensations. His new peculiar hobby is killing people. During the day, Patrick is an ordinary well-mannered citizen, and under the cover of night becomes a brutal killer.
3. Who are you, Mr. Brooks | 2007
Brooks is a successful businessman and exemplary family man. The wife does not suspect that her “ideal” husband is a cruel maniac and murderer. He tries to overcome the perverted passion in himself, but he can’t stop. When committing another murder, Brooks falls into the field of view of the photographer, who turns out to be mentally ill. He begins to blackmail the criminal and requires his presence during the commission of another murder. The character has no choice but to follow the lead of a madman.
2. Silence of the Lambs | 1991
A series of brutal murders is being committed in America. Calculate their “author” to be an FBI officer – Clarice Starling. To get on the trail of a maniac and understand his psychology, the girl decides to seek help from an imprisoned serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. In return for the service, he demands from Clarice that she share with him the details of her personal life. For a good cause, she agrees to a deal with a sophisticated psycho.
1. Hannibal | year 2001
This film is a sequel to The Silence of the Lambs. A decade later, Hannibal Lecter invites Clarice Starling to renew their relationship. A psychopath who has been released continues to look for new victims. Clarice manages to get on the trail of Hannibal, but she still does not suspect what horror it will result in for her.