Horror not only means ghosts and demons though, there are also horror movies that are gory and grotesque due to the horrible nature of serial killers. Serial killers have always been around in society. Some even date back to the 15th century such as wealthy man Gille de Rais, who was a French baron and soldier who was later executed for Satanism and the abduction/ murder of children. Jack the Ripper, is considered one of the most famous serial killers, killing around London during 1888. People were drawn to him because of his style of murdering, the letters, the investigation, and the fact that he was never captured. Even the exact number of victims still remains unknown. It was 1943 when the concept of serial killers began to appear in Hollywood movies. According to Paul B. Kidd,
"Research indicates that the first serial killer movie ever made was in 1943 and it only seems right that it was made by the original master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. It was called Shadow of a Doubt and is about an outwardly respectable relative known as Uncle Charlie, played by Joseph Cotton, who was in fact the Merry Widow Murderer" (Kidd, TrueTv.com).
Another movie was Arsenic and Old Lace, which was also released in 1943 and depicted the story about two elderly people who murder wanderers and bury their bodies in a cellar. Back then though, the murderers weren’t actually considered serial killers, they were actually referred to as psychopaths, maniacs, but they weren’t considered “serial killers” until the 80’s. The first ever modern killer, Norman Bates, was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960, which for many years was the scariest film for its time.
Even though people always say “Oh it’s just a movie!” some of the famous on screen killers where in fact modeled, you could even say inspired by the true monsters in society. For example, Leatherface, Norman Bates, and Buffalo Bill were inspired by Ed Gein. Although Ed Gein cannot be named a serial killer since there was proof he only murdered two women, he was deeply devoted to his mother and would rob graves after her death. He kept human pieces as trophies and wanted to create a woman suit for himself; obviously out of the skin of women (biography.com). When police came they found things such as heads, a belt made out of nipples, noses, and other human prizes he kept for himself. If you have seen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, or Silence of the Lambs then you can see the resemblance to each other. Along the way, there have been other very deadly serial killers, such as the Hillside Strangler, which turned out to be two cousins, Richard Ramirez, who was really just a one of a kind man who’s murderous rampage and killing characteristics didn’t match anything they had, stumped everyone in charge of the case during its time, Charles Manson and his “family”, and many others that have risen to “fame” yet we aren’t able to completely protect ourselves from them.
"Research indicates that the first serial killer movie ever made was in 1943 and it only seems right that it was made by the original master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. It was called Shadow of a Doubt and is about an outwardly respectable relative known as Uncle Charlie, played by Joseph Cotton, who was in fact the Merry Widow Murderer" (Kidd, TrueTv.com).
Another movie was Arsenic and Old Lace, which was also released in 1943 and depicted the story about two elderly people who murder wanderers and bury their bodies in a cellar. Back then though, the murderers weren’t actually considered serial killers, they were actually referred to as psychopaths, maniacs, but they weren’t considered “serial killers” until the 80’s. The first ever modern killer, Norman Bates, was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960, which for many years was the scariest film for its time.
Even though people always say “Oh it’s just a movie!” some of the famous on screen killers where in fact modeled, you could even say inspired by the true monsters in society. For example, Leatherface, Norman Bates, and Buffalo Bill were inspired by Ed Gein. Although Ed Gein cannot be named a serial killer since there was proof he only murdered two women, he was deeply devoted to his mother and would rob graves after her death. He kept human pieces as trophies and wanted to create a woman suit for himself; obviously out of the skin of women (biography.com). When police came they found things such as heads, a belt made out of nipples, noses, and other human prizes he kept for himself. If you have seen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, or Silence of the Lambs then you can see the resemblance to each other. Along the way, there have been other very deadly serial killers, such as the Hillside Strangler, which turned out to be two cousins, Richard Ramirez, who was really just a one of a kind man who’s murderous rampage and killing characteristics didn’t match anything they had, stumped everyone in charge of the case during its time, Charles Manson and his “family”, and many others that have risen to “fame” yet we aren’t able to completely protect ourselves from them.