To put it mildly, serial killer movies based on true stories on Netflix are fascinating. The idea that they have become so well-liked despite having virtually exclusively terrible principal characters makes them fascinating from a narrative perspective. My explanation for their appeal would be that they cover large, gloomy holes inside each of us. The enigma of serial killers has captivated people for centuries. Why would someone decide to murder the defenseless? That is what piques our interest.
The idea that a number of these events, no matter how heinous or morally repugnant, have occurred in real life is much more terrifying than what movies can portray. Even though it would be blissfully foolish to dismiss it all as fiction, the most horrifying movie characters ever to grace the silver screen are based on real-life individuals and occurrences.
In any case, Netflix has a mixed selection of both excellent and awful “serial killer flicks” if you’re looking for those good serial killer movies. The category never ceases to astound with its fascinating plots and eerily mysterious personalities, from unassuming, ordinary men to skilled manhunters. Here is a collection of a few of the best serial killer movies which are true-crime-based.
7 Best Netflix Serial Killers Movies Based on True Stories
7. My Friend Dahmer (2017)
- Director: Marc Meyers
- Writer: Marc Meyers, John Backderf
- Cast: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche
- IMDb Ratings: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
My Friend Dahmer could be the finest biography-based psychological horror film ever produced regarding Jeffrey Dahmer, the most infamous serial killer of all eras. It serves as a coming-of-age serial killer film, a daring and successful strategy. The 2017 American adaption, which is gripping from beginning to end and had been produced by Marc Lynch, is inspired by nobody other than the Milwaukee Cannibal himself, as implied in the name.
Dahmer is portrayed by Ross Lynch, whereas Alex Wolff, a former member of the Naked Brothers Band, plays John “Derf” Backderf. Backderf seems to be the cartoonist whose 2012 graphic novel with the same name inspired the film. But as the story makes clear, Backderf is much more than an accomplished artist and engaging narrator. He became Dahmer’s life, high school friend, until the murders started in 1978.
6. The Forest of Love (2019)
- Director: Sion Sono
- Writer: Sion Sono
- Cast: Kippei Shîna, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Kyoko Hinami
- IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Netflix offers the Japanese serial killer movie The Forest of Love. Sion Sono’s film “The Forest of Love” follows the tale of fraudster Joe Murata (Kippei Shiina), who later reveals himself as a notorious serial killer. He deceives and lies to them, then brutally murders some of them. The convicted serial killer Futoshi Matsunaga’s genuine story serves as the basis for the film.
An elderly gentleman deceives, seduces, and mistreats a small group of aspiring filmmakers and a timid young girl with conservative parents in this film. Even though he tells them to kill somebody, these females obey his commands.
This serial killer movie based on true stories on Netflix describes how, following the killing and extortion of innocent individuals in Kyushu, Japan, he rose to prominence between the mid-1990s and early 2000s to become one of the most famous serial killers. If this awful story intrigues you, you should see it since filmmaker Sono has portrayed it fascinatingly. It’s currently accessible on Netflix!
5. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
- Director: Joe Berlinger
- Writer: Elizabeth Kendall, Michael Werwie
- Cast: Lily Collins, Zac Efron, Angela Sarafyan
- IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Liz Kendall (Lily Collins), a single parent, is the main character of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. She thinks she has finally found the person of her dreams. He is accused of gruesome killings, and his trial continues her existence. In America’s debut nationally broadcast trial, Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) adamantly asserts his innocence. Liz fights to accept reality at the exact same period.
According to rumors, the intense, contentious Netflix project, which follows Ted Bundy’s atrocities from the viewpoint of Liz, his long-term girlfriend, who has for years denied accepting the reality concerning him, tested Zac Efron’s mental fitness.
This serial killer movie based on true stories on Netflix also features Haley Joel Osment, Lily Collins, Jim Parsons, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Terry Kinney, Dylan Baker, and Zac Efron. The “shockingly awful” subject material is inspired by Elizabeth Kendall’s novel The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. Despite criticism that the movie appears to glorify the real-life serial killer, Efron dominates the part.
4. To Catch a Killer (1992)
- Director: Eric Till
- Writer: Jud Kinberg
- Cast: Brian Dennehy, Michael Riley, Margot Kidder
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: NA
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
During his tenure as the terrifying “Killer Clown,” John Wayne Gacy may have been the sole cause of coulrophobia (phobia of clowns), and To Catch a Killer gives a clear explanation of why. The 1992 two-parted television story, produced by Eric Till, recounts the horrible and gory history of a sadistic serial killer who sexually molested and mercilessly slaughtered over 30 underage boys. It is truly disturbing to anybody and also fascinating for horror-film fans.
The most terrible aspect to ponder, whether based on dramatized or actual events, is the outfit he wore when he committed his atrocities, notwithstanding their horrific nature. And he employed other props besides just a red, noisy nose. To conceal his torturous, homicidal visage, Gacy also put on a completely other, ostensibly nice, and neighborly personality.
3. Scream (1996)
- Director: Wes Craven
- Writer: Kevin Williamson
- Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
When viewers witnessed in terror as Hollywood It-star Drew Barrymore was mercilessly slaughtered by the horrifying Ghostface inside the opening sequence of the cult movie, Wes Craven’s legendary ’90s slasher film Scream utterly caught the globe by storm. Teen Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her high school classmates are harassed by a crazy, disguised killer inside the immensely famous movie’s fictional hamlet of Woodsboro, California.
Danny Rolling, also known as the Gainesville Ripper, an infamous Florida serial murderer who killed 5 students in 1990, served as the basis for the plot of the film Scream, which was written and directed by Kevin Williamson. Targeting small, white brunettes featuring brown eyes, Rolling often mutilates his prey’ bodies and then places them into provocative poses.
Ghostface frequently calls and teases his targets inside this Wes Craven classic before murdering them, concentrating primarily on young females who seem alone and helpless (just like Rolling did). Scream is recognized for reviving the horror/slasher category and helping to establish a successful and long-lasting movie franchise.
2. Psycho (1960)
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Writer: Joseph Stefano, Robert Bloch
- Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Coming to Psycho, Norman Bates is arguably the most accurate adaptation on this list, in addition to being one of the finest fictional characters based on a real-life murderer. In this movie, Bates is characterized as having significant mommy issues, which Ed Gein possesses. Regarding influencing famous movie killers, it appears that Gein might have been the most significant.
Bates first appears as a somewhat weird and frightened character. This personality, nevertheless, appears to change at any moment because he also harbors his mother’s demeaning personality. As this serial killer movie based on true stories on Netflix progresses, viewers can observe slight shifts in Bates’ mood and speculate about which part of the persona is in charge at any time.
Without Ed Gein, Psycho might not have become a horror genre classic. It was recognized that the murderer had a peculiar connection to his mother, who emotionally tormented him and his siblings and banned them from having contact with women. The gorgeous Marion Crane was probably perceived by Bates’ mother, whose persona inside Norman, as a danger to her power because this interaction helped shape her character.
1. Se7en (1995)
- Director: David Fincher
- Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker
- Cast: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Se7en brings our collection of Netflix serial killer thrillers to a close. 2 detectives look into the killings committed by a serial killer who was motivated by the seven deadly sins throughout this serial killer movie based on true stories on Netflix.
Without a shadow of hesitation, the most dismal serial killer film ever to appear on television is “Se7en.” David Fincher’s psychological thriller tells the story of a cunning killer who commits each of the seven deadly sins for each murder.
The two primary protagonists of this spine-tingling “whodunit,” both officers with a big age gap, make it compelling. It delves deeply into the mental makeup of a serial murderer. It also demonstrates the impact an investigation like this may have on a detective’s private life, profession, and mental health.
Because of what time on this earth has to provide, the first character, played by Morgan Freeman, is a secretive man who has taken to be somewhat reclusive. The other individual (Brad Pitt) is a curious young fellow interested in all that life has to provide. Their compatibility, as well as their different perspectives on the same casing, make for an engaging watch!
Se7en is the only movie you need to see if you’re looking for one that is intriguing and has a talented cast. The killings in this film are all depicted in somewhat graphic ways. In addition, the film’s conclusion is heartbreaking. In conclusion, Se7en is a masterwork that every viewer of films about serial killers should see.
Conclusion
In the final result, how serial killer movies frequently humanize the serial killer becomes one of the fascinating parts of these films. The spectator frequently catches a sense further and further into the killer’s past and intentions.
This can sometimes make the murderer appear sympathetic by assisting them in clarifying why they act the way they do.
We sincerely hope you enjoyed our compilation of the best 7 serial killer films on Netflix.
