A selection of famous serial killers in cinema and in reality (13 photos)

Serial killers and maniacs, despite their dark biography and terrible atrocities, very often become heroes of films. Not themselves, of course, but the actors who face the extremely difficult task of playing a bloodthirsty psychopath. Stories about such criminals often impress with their dramatic details, which resonate in the hearts of screenwriters, directors and viewers. And such biographical thrillers often try to answer the question: “Why did they become like this?” But, as a rule, the answer cannot be found. By the way, the actors are experiencing terrible stress, since according to Stanislavsky’s system they must immerse themselves as deeply as possible in the image of a maniac and believably convey his terrible essence. And just makeup won’t be enough here. Let's look at the most famous serial killers and the actors who played them.

Andrey Chikatilo





Dmitry Nagiyev as Andrei Chikatilo in the TV series “Chikatilo” (2020).

Charles Manson



The role of Manson is played by actor Jeremy Davis in the film Helter Skelter (2004).

Albert Fish





Patrick Bauchau plays the role of Albert Fish in the film The Man in Gray (2007).

Jack the Ripper



Ivor Novello plays Jack the Ripper in The Lodger (1927).

Richard Chase, aka the "Vampire of Sacramento"



Alex MacArthur plays Charles Rees, based on Richard Chase, in Fury (1987).

Fritz Haarmann, nicknamed "The Hanoverian Werewolf"



Götz George as Fritz Haarmann in The Killer (1995).

Jeffrey Dahmer



Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022).

John Wayne Gacy



The role of John Gacy is played by William Forsythe in the film Dear Mr. Gacy (2010).

David Berkowitz



Robert Trebor plays David Berkowitz in Out of the Dark (1985).

Karl Panzram



James Woods plays Carl Panzram in Hitman: A Murder Diary (1995).

Edward Gein



Steve Railsbay as Edward Gein in the film Ed Gein. Monster from Wisconsin" (2000).

Richard Ramirez



Zach Villa as Richard Ramirez in American Horror Story (2019).

Theodore Bundy



Zac Efron as Theodore Bundy in The Beautiful, the Bad and the Ugly (2019).