Letters to a Serialkiller

Obituary of a Beast

January 1985 •German

Between 1962 and 1966, sex murderer Jurgen Bartsch cruelly tortured and killed four children in an old air raid bunker in Germany. This documentary examines the personality of the killer who died in 1976 during voluntary castration surgery at the age of 30. Vilified by the press for his heinous crime, Bartsch also became a case study for famous found criminal psychologists like Alice Miller (who maintains that no one abuses without being abused as a child, and murderers tend to have their own childhood abuse denied by the adults around them). Bartsch never met his birth parents, he was raised in a clinic and later adopted by a cold, unaffectionate couple. By the age of 15, he tortured and killed his first child victim. This informative, fact-filled documentary provides enough details for viewers to come away with a broader understanding of the nature of the criminally insane and society's role in their formation.

Hunting the Zodiac

July 2003 •German

A film by John Mikulenka documenting various people's investigation into the mystery of the Zodiac.

Confessions of a Psycho Killer

February 2023 •English

When the body of 63-year-old vicar, Anthony Crean, was discovered in the quiet village of Shorne, Kent in March 1975, the community were shocked. Father Crean hadn’t died of natural causes; he had been hacked to death with an axe and left in a bath of blood. One detective was certain the killer was 22-year-old career criminal named Patrick Mackay, but he had no proof.

Murder: No Apparent Motive

April 1984 •English

This documentary about serial killers and FBI Behavioral Sciences profilers features interviews with Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy as well as crime victims and law enforcement officials. The film includes some dramatic recreations.

The Real Des: The Dennis Nilsen Story

September 2020 •English

Known as a “kindly killer”, this documentary details Nilsen’s moves between 1978 and 1983, after which he admitted to killing as many as 15 young men.

The Russian Cracker

August 1999 •English

Russia is grappling with a critical issue: they have become the country with the most at large serial killers in the world particularly concentrated in Rostov, the same city that witnessed Andrei Chikatilo's infamous killing spree. In response, law enforcement has turned to Dr. Alexander Bukhanovsky, a prominent psychiatrist and criminal profiler, who is implementing radical measures to understand the root causes of this phenomenon and develop effective solutions. Within Dr. Bukhanovsky's clinic, we encounter three of his young patients: Edward and Igor, whose families express deep concerns about their disturbing fantasies, and 'Mischa', who has perpetrated acts of torture and sexual assault. Dr. Bukhanovsky's approach is groundbreaking, offering treatment to potential serial offenders. However, critics argue that by keeping individuals like 'Mischa' anonymous, he may inadvertently shield them from public awareness and accountability, prompting debate over the ethics of his methods.

Encounter with a Killer

Invalid date •Spanish

In 1980, the capture of the infamous serial killer Pedro Alonso López, also known as the Monster or the Strangler of the Andes, seemed to end his nearly decade-long reign of terror. However, Ecuadorian laws benefited the murderer by giving him a shorter sentence and even the option of leaving in less time. When the Monster's release draws near, a group of family members struggle to find ways to keep him in jail, while he, from the inside, searches through a series of letters to clear his name and unmask the real killer: Jorge Patiño. The problem is that Jorge Patiño exists only in his mind.

Room Zero

February 2009 •English

Wayne Adam Ford is a convicted serial killer on Death Row. Victoria Redstall is a model who trained to be a cop. Together, and against all odds, Ford and Redstall take us on a roadtrip into the mind of a serial killer and attempt to find the identity of his first victim. All that remained of her was a dismembered torso.

Confluence

January 2011 •English

The Lewiston / Clarkston valley has a rich history. It is here, at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers, where Lewis and Clark camped on their westward journey over two hundred years ago. Residents boast that the valley is the gateway to Hells Canyon, that Lewiston was Idaho's first capital. However, the valley also has a much darker past, one that many know about, but few publicly acknowledge. From 1979 to 1982, five people disappeared. Only three of the bodies have ever been found. All share one suspect.

Claremont: Catching a Killer

September 2020 •English

The untold story of the Claremont serial killings. For the first time, those touched by the disappearance of three young women in Perth's affluent nightlife district break their silence. Hear from those who lived through the reign of terror.

Deadly Legacy

December 2018 •English

In 2011, Detective Sergeant Jason Moran from the Sheriff’s Department of Cook County Illinois, reopened the case of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, ‘The Killer Clown’ John Wayne Gacy. Although Gacy was convicted of 33 murders and killed by lethal injection in 1994, unbelievably, EIGHT of his victims remain unidentified. Today, 40 years after the discovery of the crawlspace under Gacy’s Chicago home, where he buried most of his victims, Detective Moran knows time is running out to identify the remaining unnamed victims of this sadistic killer.

Murder in a Teacup

February 2024 •English

When members of a workforce began falling violently ill, locals believed a virus was sweeping the area, but after the death of two men it became clear that the only impurity was a serial poisoner with a toxic past.

Faces of Death III

March 1985 •English

The third installment of the infamous "is it real or fake?" mondo series sets its sights primarily on serial killers, with lengthy reenactments of police investigations of bodies being found in dumpsters, and a staged courtroom sequence.

Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation

August 2007 •English

Albert Fish, the horrific true story of elderly cannibal, sadomasochist, and serial killer, who lured children to their deaths in Depression-era New York City. Distorting biblical tales, Albert Fish takes the themes of pain, torture, atonement and suffering literally as he preys on victims to torture and sacrifice.

BTK: Chasing a Serial Killer

September 2020 •English

A three-part documentary series that recounts the notorious killer's crimes, the decades long investigation that captured him, and the effect his brutal murders had on everyone in his orbit, especially his daughter who speaks openly about what it is like to be the daughter of a serial killer.

The Nilsen Files

January 2022 •English

Film-maker Michael Ogden re-examines the case of Dennis Nilsen, asking why his victims are all but forgotten today and speaking to police officers who reveal regret over the premature closure of the investigation.

Interview with a Serial Killer

April 2008 •English

In this jailhouse interview, Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, shares candid details of his crimes and his surprising family bonds.

Serial killer, autopsie d'une fascination

June 2023 •French

Serial Killer Culture

February 2014 •English

Serial Killer Culture examines the reasons why artists and collectors are fascinated by serial killers.

How Police Missed the Grindr Killer

February 2017 •English

The story of how police repeatedly allowed a serial murderer to slip through their fingers. Stephen Port date-raped and murdered four young gay men in East London within fifteen months and dumped all four bodies within a few hundred metres of each other. The film tells the story through eyes of the families of Port's victims, unpicking how the police failed to properly investigate each of the deaths in turn. The police's assumptions that these young gay men had died from self-inflicted overdoses of chem-sex drugs allowed Port to continue raping and killing innocent young men.