“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” has shot a new fervor of want for serial killer stories through many.
The latest entry in the Netflix anthology series stands apart from others because the subject matter inspired a number of classic horror movies. But there are plenty of top-tier serial killer flicks if you’re craving more in the genre once your Ed Gein binge is complete. Some of them are based on a true story — some of them are even inspired by Gein himself, while some are entirely fictional.
From “Se7en” to “Memories of Murder,” these are the seven serial killer movies you should watch after finishing “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.”
The Silence of the Lambs
Ed Gein served as the primary inspiration for Buffalo Bill in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Buffalo Bill is as close to a one-to-one comp that you could get without just making the character the real person. From the skin lamps to the flesh suits, Gein’s inspiration is all over the film, which helped ignite new interest in the real killer.
The film’s real stars, though, are Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster as they play their own mental cat and mouse game while hunting Buffalo Bill. If the last episode of “Monster” – with Ed working with the police – was your favorite, then this film will scratch that itch tenfold.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” director Tobe Hooper was directly inspired by Ed Gein and his crimes. With a villain called Leatherface, some of that inspiration is pretty obvious. Gein made skin suits and masks from the bodies he exhumed from graveyards and Leatherface also wears the skin of his victims as masks.
The film is brutal even for the time and does not hold the audience’s hand in the slightest. Go for this one if you want to feel hunted and haunted.
Zodiac
“Zodiac” captures the mundanity of hunting for killers in a way that never gets old. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith while he tries to crack the cases and codes of the Zodiac Killer. It is one of director David Fincher’s very best films, though it often gets overshadowed by his other work. The film somehow manages to offer satisfying answers for a case that had very little at the time.
And when it comes to films about serial killers, casting the suspected killer is as important as the lead and John Carroll Lynch steals just about every scene he is in as Arthur Leigh Allen.
Se7en
Another David Fincher entry on the list, and you knew what it would be. “Se7en” is a gut-roiling hunt for a killer who is using the Seven Deadly Sins as a killing motif. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star on the hunt for John Doe and take us through a film that keeps you guessing at each turn of the propulsive plot – right up until that shocking and iconic “what’s in the box?!” scene.
Memories of Murder
If you’re tired of seeing one film after another of American serial killers, then queue up Bong Joon-Ho’s “Memories of Murder.” The film chronicles two detectives – one from the city, the other from the country – whose work styles clash as they hunt for South Korea’s first serial killer. Like many of Joon-Ho’s films, there is an underlying black comedy to all the drama, which is a nice change of pace for many of these picks.
Monster
There is a near-zero chance that this “Monster” topic doesn’t become the focus of one of the Netflix series’ future entries. Charlize Theron famously transformed into the almost unrecognizable Aileen Wuornos. The actress fell so deeply into the role that Roger Ebert famously did not even know it was her. If you want something that hews as close as possible to the series, with a focus much more on the topic itself, then this harrowing flick will be the pick for you.
Saw Franchise
If you’re just some freak who enjoyed the darkest and dirtiest things that Ed Gein pulled off while he was slowly curating his house of horrors, then maybe just lean in to the “Saw” Franchise. It’s all about the kills, both creative and otherwise. And often it’s people trapped in locations that give distinctly house-of-horrors energy. Turn off your brain and enjoy hopping into Jigsaw’s brain.
