Movie Killers

Movie killers have long been popular with filmgoers due to their ability to bypass the usual laws of society and shed blood at will. Since movies are all about fantasy fulfillment, watching killers at work can often provide a cathartic release for pent-up anxiety and anger. And sometimes it’s just fun to watch someone go berserk with something sharp.

In the list below, I’ve included famous movies killers, movie serial killers, and even a few of the good guys. The only real requirement was that they be good at taking lives in large quantities or with a particular flair.

So sit back, pop open a refreshing beverage, and prepare to be taken to a place populated by masked psychos, badass cops, bloodthirsty samurai, and death from beyond the stars. Welcome to the wonderful world of the best movie killers.

  1. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs, etc.) - Psychiatrist by day and deranged cannibal by night, Hannibal Lecter approaches his mayhem with a style and wit seldom shown by others in his field. He’s probably the only movie killer on the list who might take you to the opera before skinning you alive. Voted by the American Film Institute as the best movie villain of all time.
  2. Mickey & Mallory Knox (Natural Born Killers) - A deranged pair of lovers cutting a bloody swath down Route 666, Mickey and Mallory always leave one person alive to tell the tale. Portrayed by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, they’d be downright charming if they weren’t so psychotic.
  3. Connor MacLeod (Highlander series) - I know he’s a good guy, but I still felt obliged to put this Scotsman on my list of movie killers. Part of a group of immortals competing for the mysterious prize, MacLeod and his buddies spend centuries running around the globe and chopping each other’s heads off. In the disappointing Highlander: Endgame, it’s revealed that MacLeod has taken 262 heads during his immortal life. I’d say that qualifies him for a list of movie killers.
  4. The Beast (Kung Fu Hustle) - Also known as the King of Killers, The Beast is a bald-headed old coot who really doesn’t look like much. But wait until you see him catch bullets, leap around using the Toad Technique, and withstand the devastating Lion’s Roar. Another kooky character from the mind of genius filmmaker Stephen Chow.
  5. The Predator (Predator series) - Part of an alien race that loves to hunt dangerous prey, this particular Predator comes all the way to Earth to collect a few trophies. Unfortunately, he runs into Arnold Schwarzenegger, so some intergalactic hunting lodge out there probably has a membership spot open.
  6. John Ryder (The Hitcher) - If you ever needed a reason not to pick up hitchhikers, watch Rutger Hauer go kill-crazy in this 1986 horror classic. Whether he’s butchering a whole family with a knife or pulling a girl in half using two big rigs, John Ryder possesses a dangerous charm that keeps us from looking away. Still, you’ll find yourself cheering when Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) finally gets him alone on that deserted stretch of highway.
  7. Ogami Itto (Lone Wolf and Cub series) - A dishonored samurai forced to wander the land as an assassin, Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) takes his young son everywhere with him in a wooden baby cart. The hero of the story, Itto set the record for the most kills by a character (150) in a single movie in Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell, the sixth and final film of the series.
  8. William Munny (Unforgiven) - The only movie killer on the list from the Old West, much dialogue is dedicated to talking about William Munny’s (Clint Eastwood) troubled past and former violent nature. When a brutal lawman (Gene Hackman) forces his hand, Munny shows that he’s still got the skills, gunning down a group of armed men in only a few seconds. You wouldn’t screw with Chuck Norris, so why would you mess with Clint Eastwood?
  9. Blade (Blade series) - If you’re a vampire, you’d better keep one eye on the lookout for this grim killer of the undead. Half-vampire himself, Blade (Wesley Snipes) travels the world dispatching bloodsuckers with a collection of guns, swords and technological devices. He’s also got a severely grizzled Kris Kristofferson, which may be his greatest weapon of all. Just watch the first 10 minutes of Blade, and you’ll see how bad this daywalker really is.
  10. Michael Myers (Halloween series) - John Carpenter created this silent epitome of walking evil, and then Rob Zombie came along and completely screwed it up. Possessed with an unquenchable hatred for everyone around him, Myers just keeps coming and coming. But what else would you expect from the bogeyman?
  11. James Bond (James Bond series) - With over 20 films under his rather expensive and stylish belt, James Bond has killed more people than smallpox. A globe-trotting agent for Britain’s MI6, each film features Bond matching wits and firepower with sinister madmen bent on controlling the world. He also gets laid more than pre-death Wilt Chamberlain, so at least there’s something to look forward to after a long day of mass murder.
  12. Godzilla (anything where Tokyo gets flattened) - Standing between 164 and 328 feet tall (depending on the film), Godzilla has become as synonymous with Japan as John Wayne is with America. With his distinctive roar and fiery breath, he’s a massive green engine of destruction. And if you’ve never heard the song “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult, do yourself a favor and get it immediately (even though it could use a little more cowbell).
  13. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street series) - With a charred face, brown fedora and silly sweater, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) is one of the more famous movie killers in American cinema. Oh, and don’t forget about that glove sporting four razor-sharp blades. And to make matters worse, he’s the most talkative of all the movie serial killers, so you’re guaranteed to get an earful while something horrible is happening to your body.
  14. John Doe (Se7en) - The king of modern movie serial killers, John Doe (Kevin Spacey) has a theme and he’s sticking to it. Each of the Seven Deadly Sins is punished in a gruesome fashion, and even the police (and their pretty wives) aren’t immune to his twisted machinations.
  15. Inspector Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry and four sequels) - If Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) ever met any of the killers on this list, he’d blow them away with his .44 Magnum, “the most powerful handgun in the world.” It’s not the most powerful any longer, but it’s still more than sufficient to help this ruthless-yet-charming cop clean the streets of human garbage.
  16. Count Dracula (too many to mention) - Whether he’s being played by Gary Oldman, Christopher Lee, or Frank Langella, you can always depend on Dracula to be (1) good with the ladies, (2) well-dressed, and (3) constantly craving blood. If you add up all the various Dracula movies over the years, I shudder to think of how many people have been bumped off by this thirsty Transylvanian.
  17. The Terminator (The Terminator) - If you’re looking for an unstoppable movie killer, then you’ve come to the right place. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a walking pile of metal that can shrug off bullets, explosions, and industrial presses like they’re nothing more than an annoyance. And the Terminators introduced in later films are even more deadly. How John Connor keeps surviving is beyond me.
  18. Kazuo Kiriyama (Battle Royale) - If you put a bunch of teens on an island and initiate a tournament of death, someone has to come out with the biggest body count. In this controversial Japanese film, that honor would go to the wild-eyed and wild-haired Kazuo Koriyama (Masanobu Ando). And unlike the other poor kids being forced to compete, Kazuo actually volunteered.
  19. The Thing (John Carpenter’s The Thing) - The most alien of everyone on this list of killers, human beings tend to snap when confronted with the many terrifying forms of The Thing. Just watch Wilfred Brimley go apeshit after calculating the likely outcome of the creature reaching a major population center. Thank God we’ve got Kurt Russell to protect us.
  20. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th series) - The best-known of the masked movie maniacs, Jason lumbers around in his hockey mask with an unstoppable will to commit bloodshed. Driven by the beheading of his beloved mother, he’s got a particular axe to grind with horny teens. Kill-kill-kill-kill.

And that concludes our look at some of the best movie killers. The next time you’re craving a picture with a respectable body count, you can be confident that the above death dealers, movie murderers and film psychos will more than exceed your expectations.