The scariest serial killers, with info about their methods, victims, and more. Serial killers are among the most terrifying people imaginable, partially because of how unfathomable their crimes can be. Most serial killers kill randomly, looking for a specific type of victim in the dead of night, whether they’re tall, blonde women or short, elderly black men. Any type of person can be prey to a certain type of serial killer. Many of these heinous evildoers have been known to rape and torture their victims. Some have even made meals out of their victim’s dead bodies.
One of the things that make serial killers so scary is that anybody can be a victim, and anybody can be the culprit. Many of the worst serial killers were friendly neighbors or easy-going coworkers that one would never suspect of secretly having human heads in the fridge. The serial killers on this list are among the scariest villains in history due to their methods, their motives, and their personalities.
Who are the scariest serial killers in history? What did these serial killers do to make them so terrorizing? What were their motives, if they had any? And what became of the serial killers that haunt many people’s nightmares? Vote for the scariest famous real serial killers.
The Scariest Serial Killers in History,
Albert Fish
In the 1900s, Albert Fish kidnapped, raped, killed, and cannibalized young children. While only three victims were ever proven, he claimed to have killed many, many more. Fish was often known as The Gray Man, along with a few other nicknames. He was caught in 1934 and sentenced to death by electrocution.
Andrei Chikatilo
Over the span of 12 years in Russia, Andrei Chikatilo killed at least 52 women and children by stabbing. He was often called the Rostov Ripper and had been suspected of the crimes over the decade of terror, but he wasn't apprehended until 1990. Chikatilo was executed via firing squad in 1994.
Ed Gein
Ed Gein famously inspired a plethora of the most horrifying Hollywood serial killers of all time, including Norman Bates, Jame Gumb ("Buffalo Bill"), and Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Although Gein only allegedly killed his brother and two local women, he was also known to dig up the dead bodies of women similar to his mother and use their skin to make a suit. He also used the body parts to make masks, bowls, lamps, and more. He was caught in 1957 but died in a mental hospital of respiratory failure in 1984.
Henry Lee Lucas
Over a period of 20 years, Henry Lee Lucas killed at least 350 people, although his number could be closer to 600. Among Lucas's victims was his own mother, a drifter, and an unidentified women. Once Lucas was caught, he confessed to hundreds of murders but recanted on most confessions. He ultimately was convicted of 11 murders in 1983 and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted to life, but he died of heart failure in 2001.
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper earned the title as the world's scariest and most notorious serial killer for his mysterious and unforgiving nature. During the 1800s, he killed many English prostitutes by slitting their throats and opening their abdomens. He sometimes took body parts, including the uterus, as trophies. Nobody knows his true identity or what became of him.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer became one of the most famous serial killers in the U.S. when he was caught for the murders of 17 young men who he raped, dismembered, and ate. Dahmer had been attempting to create a mindless sex slave by drilling a hole in the heads of his live victims. He was caught in 1994 and beaten to death in prison.
John Wayne Gacy
When having a children's birthday party, you never imagine that the party clown could be anything more than an entertainer. But in John Wayne Gacy's case, he was a professional clown with a murderous streak. Gacy killed 33 young men and buried the bodies around his home, after torturing and raping his victims. He was discovered and executed in 1994.
Pedro López
Pedro Lopez raped and killed more than 300 girls throughout South America, receiving the name the Monster of the Andes. He originally killed 100 tribal women in Peru, but the police let him go to continue his murderous steak. He was arrested and convicted in 1980 but let go in 1998.
Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez, aka The Night Stalker, terrorized the people of Los Angeles when he went on a year-long crime spree in which he broke into people's homes to rape and murder. He killed 13 people and injured more. He was sentenced to death but died of cancer in June 2013.
Ted Bundy
Between 1974 and 1978, Ted Bundy kidnapped and killed 30 women, although the actual number of victims is likely much higher. He tortured and raped his victims, sometimes even keeping their dismembered heads as keepsakes. He was caught in 1979 and sentenced to death by electric chair.