With The Killer Inside Me opening this weekend, we look at five psycho killers we’d like to meet
Michael Winterbottom brings the classic pulp thriller The Killer Inside Me to the big screen this weekend with Casey Affleck in co. Affleck stars as Lou Ford, a smalltown deputy sheriff in 1950s Texas, who’s involved with local rich girl Amy Stanton (Kate Hudson). When Lou is asked to evict beautiful prostitute Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) as a favour to town boss Chester Conway (Ned Beatty), a spot of mutual roughhousing soon turns into a full-blown affair. However, despite his feelings for Joyce, Lou brutally beats her to death as part of an elaborate revenge plan against the Conways, who he believes are responsible for the death of his foster brother. As the web tightens around him, Lou keeps his cool, despite the increasing suspicions of both Amy and District Attorney Howard Hendricks (Simon Baker)…
To celebrate the release, we looks at five of its favourite psycho killers!
American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman
Yuppie serial killer living a double life may have been too much for the general public in 2000 but Christian Bale is hysterical in his running commentary during some of his rampages, including a diatribe on Huey Lewis and the News. If you haven’t see that scene and you grew up in the 1980s, it’s a must see. While the ending may leave you dazed and confused, it leaves all wanting more!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface
Loosely based on real life killer Ed Gein, Leatherface is severely mentally retarded and disturbed, often using a chainsaw and sledgehammer to slaughter his victims. His family of fellow cannibals abuse him and tell him what to do. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out in 1974, the first in line of more slasher flicks to come…
Se7en’s John Doe.
After killing five people who are, in fact, sinners, John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, delivers a this-all-makes-sense monologue to Brad Pitt, justifying the murders and making the Seven audience nod along in agreement. But then he turns out to be a sinner himself, “envy,” to be exact, and completes his masterpiece with his own death by the hand of “wrath.” You can’t argue with his logic!
Psycho
Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho, most notably the shower scene, set the tone for just about every serial killer made after that. The cross-dressing, momma-loving motel peeper was based on real life killer Ed Gein (Gein was only convicted of killing two, but his grave robbery and hobby of making trophies out of bones and skin made him arguably the top killer that influenced other very famous fictional serial killers.) Five movies have been released in this series, including an unnecessary remake of the original in 1998.
Silence of the Lambs:Hannibal Lector
Lector, played by Anthony Hopkins in three films (Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon), was voted by The American Film Institute as the most memorable villain in film history. Why? Because the audience rooted for him, unlike his former patient, transvestite wanna-be woman killer Jame Gumb (also inspired by Gein). Lector was popular even before his tragic backstory was told in 2007’s Hannibal Rising.