Murderous monsters: Top five most terrifying serial killers

The article might contain graphic depictions. Readers' discretion is required.

The terror and fascination surrounding serial killers have been a pervasive theme in popular culture for a long time. These individuals typically have a specific motive or method and commit multiple murders over a period of time, leaving a lasting impact on society. While such cases are fortunately rare, the stories of the scariest serial killers have haunted people for decades.

According to a report by the FBI, there were 89 known active serial killers in the United States in 2019, and the number of victims reached a record high in 2018 of 6,251. The term "serial killer" was first coined in the 1970s, and since then, many high-profile cases have captured the public's attention. Male serial killers are typically motivated by sex, while female serial killers are motivated by money.

Coltan Scrivner, a research scientist at Recreational Fear Lab, believes that people are inherently fascinated by true crime content for almost primal reasons. This morbid curiosity about dangerous individuals likely dates back 300,000 years to when humans began using language and proactive aggression, leading to the genre of murder mystery and true crime drawing significant attention.

If you are among those morbidly curious about serial killers, StudyFinds has compiled a list of the scariest serial killers of all time by visiting 10 expert websites.

5. Ed Gein

HowStuff Works describes Ed Gein, an American murderer and body snatcher, as a sick individual with a fascination for human remains. He confessed to killing two women and was suspected of several other murders in Wisconsin during the 1950s.

According to Collider, the crime scenes of Ed Gein were disturbingly graphic. The article depicts the shock that Plainfield Police experienced upon entering his home, where they discovered a woman's decapitated body hanging from her ankles and furniture items such as chairs and lampshades made from human skin.

4. Andrei Chikatilo

Andrei Chikatilo, a Ukrainian Soviet serial killer, earned the moniker "Butcher of Rostov" after being found guilty of killing a minimum of 52 women and children from 1978 to 1990. 

His killings were characterized by extreme savagery and mutilation. The LA Times once referred to him as "the most terrible serial killer Russia - possibly the world - has ever seen," despite his unassuming appearance as a former schoolteacher.

3. Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy, a notorious American serial killer and rapist, terrorized the nation in the 1970s by confessing to at least 30 murders of young women across seven states. His appearance as a clean-cut law student with no criminal record made it hard for authorities to believe he was capable of such heinous crimes. 

Despite not fitting the typical profile of a killer, he managed to manipulate everyone around him, including prison guards and even his own wife. All That's Interesting notes that Bundy was "the very definition of heartless evil." His facade and ability to deceive those around him are some of the reasons he remains one of history's most infamous serial killers.

2. John Wayne Gacy

The "Killer Clown" was an American serial killer and rapist who was found guilty of murdering and sexually assaulting 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. He gained his nickname for his habit of dressing up as a clown for children's events. 

The Daily Mail describes his atrocities, stating that he would lure young men to his home, where he would subject them to rape, torture, and strangulation. The remains of 29 victims were discovered in a crawl space beneath his property, while four others were dumped into a nearby river. Gacy's heinous crimes shocked the nation, and he was executed in 1994 at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois after spending over a decade on death row.

1. Jeffery Dahmer

Dahmer is an American sex offender and serial killer who brutally murdered and dismembered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991. According to the Economic Times, while some attempted to portray him as a shy boy next door, others believed he was the devil incarnate. 

However, as Roger "Verbal" Kint stated in the movie "The Usual Suspects," "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist." Despite his seemingly sympathetic demeanour, this killer was in fact a cunning, heartless predator who saw his victims as nothing more than prey and lacked even a trace of empathy.