Strange Darling is a crime and horror thriller about the violent chase between a man (Kyle Gallner) and a woman (Willa Fitzgerald) after spending the night together. Presented with stylized 35mm cinematography and a nonlinear plot, the narrative starts in the middle, making us sympathize with the woman being pursued. However, jumping backward and forward in time, the film gradually reveals that the truth is not as simple as it first seems. We can’t say more without ruining the surprise, but it is an entertaining and stylish film with clear "Tarantinian" aspirations. However, the presentation of events can be a bit problematic and outdated, so we recommend keeping this in mind while watching.
Perhaps no film is more pivotal in serial killer cinema than Psycho, the 1960 classic directed by Alfred Hitchcock. From its plot twists to subtle clues, culminating in the revelation of the killer and his disturbed psyche, Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins set the standard for this type of character on screen.
Serial killer movies can be somewhat "conventional" entertainment when they are fictional stories, but they take a sinister turn when based on real events. In reality, few murderers are as infamous as Ted Bundy. In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Zac Efron delivers a sincere and chilling performance where the roles are reversed: we know what's happening, and we watch Bundy's facade slowly crumble.
A must-see classic among serial killer movies is The Silence of the Lambs, as unsettling for its subject matter as for its direction and, above all, for its disturbing performances – particularly that of Anthony Hopkins. Not only that, but this Jonathan Demme film remains, to this day, the only horror film to win an Oscar for Best Picture, helping legitimize productions that tackle these dark themes.