Best movies like Confessions of a Serial Killer
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
After being arrested, a Texas man begins confessing to the brutal murder of over 200 women. He recounts his random selection of victims and his traveling companions, his friend and friend's sister. But the police can't be sure whether to believe him or not until he locates a body and shows them some polaroids. Based on the true story of Henry Lee Lucas.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 779
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: slasher, controversial, psychological, detective, independent film, scary, rough, mind bending, bleak, serious
Best tv shows and movies like Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985):
Similar in 81%
The Centerfold Girls (1974)
Plot Summary:
Police try to halt a psychotic killer's (Andrew Prine) rampage against women who posed nude in men's magazines.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 905
Genere: Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: slasher, grindhouse, independent film, scary, tense, rough, mind bending, bleak, serious, realistic
Similar in 81%
The Ungodly (2007)
Plot Summary:
When struggling filmmaker inadvertently records a notorious serial killer in the middle of a murderous act, he decides to use the footage to blackmail the madman into being the subject of a disturbing new documentary.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: Spain, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic, psychological thriller, weird
Similar in 77%
Hitch Hike to Hell (1977)
Plot Summary:
Howard is mild-mannered and slightly simple-minded, with a habit of picking up teenage hitchhikers while driving his delivery routes. Sometimes the girls admit to being runaways, and if they claim to hate their mothers it drives Howard into a violent frenzy; his sister ran away from home years ago and was never heard from again, causing his desperate, addled mother to tighten her hold on him. Howard never remembers raping his victims or strangling them with wire coat hangers, though his boss does notice missed deliveries and late arrivals.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 477
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: slasher, detective, independent film
Similar in 89%
Out of the Dark (1988)
Plot Summary:
An employee at a telephone fantasy service helps hunt for the killer preying on her silken-voiced colleagues.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: slasher, psychological, realistic, suspenseful, rough, neo noir, erotic, independent film, scary, serious
Similar in 77%
The Cohasset Snuff Film (2012)
Plot Summary:
In 2009, the small town of Cohasset, Massachusetts was rocked with tragedy. A 17-year-old high school senior named Collin Mason murdered three classmates. All the murders were videotaped and uploaded to the Internet via bit torrent sites and for three days, the world viewed the murders of these three innocent teens. Through legal action, the parents of the victims were able to remove all footage from the Internet and the town tried to save face by pretending it never happened. Bootleg copies of this footage are still passed around and downloaded through illegal means. The impact of this video is still being felt in Cohasset today. The video has become infamous, and is now referred to as The Cohasset Snuff Film.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 692
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, suspenseful, mockumentary, tense, bloody, disturbing, controversial, scary, serious
Similar in 82%
Scar (2007)
Plot Summary:
Joan Burrows returns to her hometown for her niece's graduation, only to be confronted by the serial killer she thought she offed years ago -- after he kidnapped and tormented her and her best friend.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: slasher, rough, realistic, suspenseful, scary, serious, psychological, bloody, suspense, independent film
Similar in 90%
H6: Diary of a Serial Killer (2005)
Plot Summary:
H6 tells the story of Antonio Frau, a serial killer set free after serving 25 years in jail for the violent murder of his girlfriend. After inheriting and old motel from a relative he never knew, he sees this as a signal and takes to his holy task of relieving the grief of those who have lost the will to live. He takes his victims to room Number 6 in the motel where he 'purifies' them, while, at the same time, continues his everyday life next to his wife. A mistake leads to his arrest, and his plan to become rich and famous takes relevance.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, scary, rough, serious, realistic, suspense, disturbing, controversial, slasher
Similar in 84%
Jack the Ripper (1976)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer whose mother was a prostitute starts killing streetwalkers as a way of paying back his mother for her abuse.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Switzerland, West Germany, Spain
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: bleak, scary, rough, serious, suspenseful, slasher, psychotronic, retro, detective, period piece
Similar in 75%
The Great American Snuff Film (2004)
Plot Summary:
Two pretty young women are abducted to be the featured stars of a snuff film produced by a couple low-life goons. The ladies are bound, gagged, tortured, burned with cigarettes and forced to dig their own graves.
IMDB Rating: 3.1
IMDB Votes: 537
Genere: Crime, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: disturbing, bleak, slasher, rough, suspenseful, serious, suspense, controversial, independent film
Similar in 82%
San Franpsycho (2006)
Plot Summary:
Two detectives hunt a serial killer who is sending cryptic messages about his crimes to a local reporter.
IMDB Rating: 2.5
IMDB Votes: 719
Genere: Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, suspenseful, scary, serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 75%
Curse of the Zodiac (2007)
Plot Summary:
Genre guru Ulli Lommel (THE BOOGEYMAN, BTK KILLER) directs this horror film about the infamous Zodiac killer. Though decades have passed since the multiple murderer held the state of California hostage with fear, the mystery of his identity has never been solved.
IMDB Rating: 1.3
IMDB Votes: 931
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: scary, psychological, serious, suspenseful, mockbuster, psychological thriller
Similar in 85%
Green River Killer (2005)
Plot Summary:
Along twenty years, the deranged serial-killer Gary Ridgway has killed at least forty-eight prostitutes and dumped their bodies in Green River.
IMDB Rating: 1.9
IMDB Votes: 998
Genere: Crime, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: scary, rough, serious, slasher, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, detective, independent film
Similar in 84%
Nightstalker (2002)
Plot Summary:
A stylish horror film based on the life of Richard Ramirez, aka the Nightstalker, who terrorized people in Los Angeles during the 1980s.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: suspense, slasher, scary, rough, bleak, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, realistic, detective
Similar in 90%
Mummy Maniac (2007)
Plot Summary:
Based on true events, tells how a serial murderer, kidnaps and tortures then bandaging girls like mummies.
IMDB Rating: 1.3
IMDB Votes: 317
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: scary, psychological, rough, slasher, psychotronic, suspenseful, exciting, tense, funny, suspense
Similar in 83%
Starkweather (2004)
Plot Summary:
In 1958 Nebraska 19 year old garbageman Charles Starkweather goes on a murder spree with his 14 year old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate killing 11 people in three months, introducing America to spree killing.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 861
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, detective, road movie
Similar in 85%
Freeway Killer (2010)
Plot Summary:
For years he terrorized California motorists as he rode the endless highways searching for his next victim. The discarded bodies turned up beaten, sexually assaulted and horribly mutilated. Deceptively charming and intelligent, the scheming murderer easily avoided police at first. But as police closed in and the killer’s pattern grew more erratic, the only question was how many more will die?.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, scary, mind bending, realistic
Similar in 79%
Zodiac Killer (2005)
Plot Summary:
A young man who works at a nursing home uses the legendary Zodiac killer's M.O. to kill people who neglect their elderly relatives.
IMDB Rating: 2.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: slasher, rough, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, suspense, scary, bleak
Similar in 83%
Kemper (2008)
Plot Summary:
A film based on the true story of Ed Kemper, a serial killer who murdered ten in Santa Cruz, CA during the late sixties and early seventies.
IMDB Rating: 3.0
IMDB Votes: 599
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, slasher, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, scary
Similar in 83%
Bundy: An American Icon (2009)
Plot Summary:
Bundy, starring Corin Nemec in the title role and co-starring Kane Hodder, details the dark psyche and previously unexplored motivations of the man who became known as one of the most notorious serial killers to leave behind a legacy of evil.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 922
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, slasher, suspenseful, disturbing, scary, realistic
Similar in 78%
Cyrus (2010)
Plot Summary:
A small independent news crew investigates a series of unexplained disappearances in a small Midwestern county. They find themselves interviewing a man who possesses an all too intimate knowledge of the details of "The County Line Cannibal" - Cyrus. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, bleak, serious, slasher, grindhouse, psychological horror, mockumentary, scary, tense
Similar in 80%
Son of Sam (2008)
Plot Summary:
This chilling tale recounts the late 70's in New York City, when a serial killer on the loose dubbed "Son of Sam" creates havoc. When arrested, "Son of Sam" tells police he was influenced by a satanic cult. New York would never be the same.
IMDB Rating: 1.8
IMDB Votes: 469
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychological thriller, slasher
Similar in 83%
Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007)
Plot Summary:
Inspired by the true story of one of the most gruesome killers in American history. Now, years after inspiring "Psycho's" Norman Bates, "The Silence Of The Lambs'" Buffalo Bill and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's" Leatherface, the story of real life serial killer Ed Gein is told once again. Nicknamed "The Butcher Of Plainfield," Gein was responsible for a rash of gory murders that sent shock waves through his rural Wisconsin town, and across America, in the late 1950's. Prepare to enter the evil mind and twisted world of "The Butcher Of Plainfield.".
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, scary, rough, serious, slasher, suspenseful, suspense, realistic
Similar in 87%
B.T.K. Killer (2005)
Plot Summary:
Veteran Boogey Man and Zodiac Killer director Ulli Lommel continues his long tradition of delivering tense thrills with this relentless look at the life of the elusive, Kansas-based serial killer known to authorities only as "B.T.K." before his arrest.
IMDB Rating: 1.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, scary, bleak, realistic, slasher
Similar in 75%
Dahmer (2002)
Plot Summary:
On February 15, 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, one of the world's most infamous serial killers, was convicted of 15 counts of murder and sentenced to 937 years in federal prison. This movie is based on events from his life. Certain characters and events are fictional.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, scary, slasher, stylized, rough, suspense, suspenseful, dark, controversial
Similar in 88%
Henry II: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1996)
Plot Summary:
Henry has wandered into a small town looking for work and a place to stay. He gets a job delivering and cleaning porto-potties and moves in with a co-worker until he gets his feet off of the ground. Henry and his new friend soon start to kill.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: slasher, disturbing, scary, psychological, terrifying, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Nightstalker (2009)
Plot Summary:
Richard Ramirez, dubbed "The Night Stalker" by the media, a serial killer who killed somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 souls during his reign of terror in Los Angeles back in the Eighties.
IMDB Rating: 1.9
IMDB Votes: 319
Genere: Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: scary, rough, serious, realistic, suspense, slasher
Similar in 75%
Chained (2012)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer kidnaps a young boy after murdering his mother, then raises him to be his accomplice. After years in captivity, the boy must choose between escaping or following in his captor's bloody footprints.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, scary, suspenseful, rough, serious, twisted, dread, erotic, psychological thriller
Similar in 83%
Chicago Massacre: Richard Speck (2007)
Plot Summary:
A horror film based on a real-life mass murder that took place in 1966. Richard Franklin Speck was a mass murderer who systematically tortured, raped and murdered eight student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital in 1966.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 926
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, slasher, disturbing, bloody, suspense, scary, bleak, serious, realistic
Similar in 88%
The Zodiac (2005)
Plot Summary:
An elusive serial killer known as the Zodiac terrorizes the San Francisco Bay in the late 1960s, while detectives aim to stop him before he claims more victims. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: rough, psychological, bleak, scary, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, detective, independent film, realistic
Similar in 88%
Ted Bundy (2002)
Plot Summary:
Docu-drama based on the life of Ted Bundy, a serial killer who killed at least 19 young women during the 1970's (though some sources say as many as 30 to 35 were murdered). Set from his college student years, to his first victims, his capture, escape from prison (twice), his final killing spree to his trial, conviction and execution.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: scary, disturbing, rough, suspenseful, suspense, slasher, controversial, cult classic, frightening, twisted