Serial killers in films: A bloody slash at entertainment

WBeing morally ambiguous Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer the story Which brings back the question of our fascination with serial killers. Jack the Ripper, the killer responsible for a series of gruesome murders in London’s East End in 1888, hit the nail on the head with his apocryphal quote “giving birth to the 20th century” (other than the unfortunate ones he ripped apart) in his ‘From Hell’ letter.

The mass production of newspapers led to the murders and there is a theory that a journalist created a letter signed “Jack the Ripper” to increase circulation – some things never change. And thus was born the tradition of a catchy name for a serial killer. The fact that the murders went unsolved kept the myth alive, spawning an entire industry of books, television shows, movies, and walking tours.

Beginning of fog

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s first films, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) based on the 1913 novel by Mary Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, inspired by Jack the Ripper. A critical and commercial success, The Lodger set the template for the future works of the master of suspense.

Hitchcock returns to serial killer cinema with Celebrate Psycho (1960) and his last film, Under-Regarded frenzy (1972) Psycho It is based on Robert Bloch’s eponymous 1959 novel, inspired by the heinous crimes of serial killer Ed Gein, the ‘Plainfield Ghoul’.

Inspired casting

In the novel, Hitchcock indulged in inspired counter-casting by casting Anthony Perkins as Bates, even though Norman Bates, the murderous owner of the Bates Motel, is not very attractive. The audience sympathizes with the young man, who is crushed by the horrified mother. And that makes the final Fruit Cellar revelation all the more shocking, with star Janet Leigh dying early in the film in the famous shower scene.

Bernard Herrmann’s soundtrack of string instruments (aptly titled ‘Murder’), close-ups and extreme close-ups, razor sharp cuts and a final drain-to-eye meltdown, make this scene one of the most famous of the three. Minutes in the movie.

Scream queen

Psycho Also considered the template for all slasher films to follow. Coincidentally Lee’s daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, made her debut in John Carpenters fighting another legendary serial killer, Michael Myers. Halloween (1978) Curtis plays babysitter Larry Strode, whose expressionless guise is targeted by Myers. Curtis is still playing Strode in the franchise’s 13th installment, Halloween endsIt will be released soon.

While slasher films are mainly about sex, sadism and brutality, there are also puzzle-type films where law enforcement officers must unravel extensive clues by the killer to save the last victim. It’s a variation on the Final Girl theme, where the good, well-behaved girl screams and is saved, while all the naughty girls are sliced ​​and diced in a variety of interesting ways.

A puzzle-style serial killer film offers double the thrill as the hunter is also the hunted.

The famous five

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) changed things up once again for a slasher film. By winning all five major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Talley), the film added an honorable mention. The hunt for serial killers.

An adaptation of the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs, features not one, but two serial killers. Buffalo Bill (catchy name alert), who skins his female victims to transform himself into a new skin, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), a psychiatrist and incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer.

Hannibal the Cannibal helps rookie Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) track down Buffalo Bill, who has kidnapped a senator’s daughter (the final girl). coincidentally, The Silence of the Lambs Released on February 14, 1991, Valentine’s Day — it should have been a fun date movie.

Plenty of withdrawal

Also as The Silence of the Lambs has unleashed a flood of intense serial killer movies, featuring a constantly tortured, traumatized and driven detective and increasingly complex clues, Wes Craven’s scream (1996), featuring killers who subvert the rules of the genre. There is I know what you did last summer (1997) Teenagers are killed by another masked serial killer.

The scream The franchise is going strong with a fifth installment out earlier this year and a sixth installment in the works. I know what you did last summer Converted to non-involved streaming series.

Hindi cinema has had its share of serial killers since Vidhu Vinod Chopra Khamosh (1985) A killer on the loose on a movie set and Anurag Kashyap disturbingly Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) To R. Balki’s obscure taste Chup: Revenge of the Artist About a serial killer who targets movie critics running into a theater near you.

There are serial killer movies, the good, the bad, and the ugly (all grisly violent films fall into this category), and now streaming shows are also projecting the serial killer genre. As they present a dangerous cocktail and a path forged by rebels and outsiders, they offer a metaphorical walk on the wild side before quickly returning to the quiet comforts of home.