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TV's Top 10 Serial Killers

Kathy Zerbib |
April 10, 2013 | 6:45 a.m. PDT

Associate Entertainment Editor

Admit it - we're all suckers for vampire characters like Eric Northman (HBO).
Admit it - we're all suckers for vampire characters like Eric Northman (HBO).
We love some of them, but we mostly love to hate them. Serial killers fuel our most intense nightmares long after the weekly episodes are finished. Can they be caught before they hurt someone else? Do we even want them to be, sometimes? The following dangerous do-bads sum up why we love watching horror and crime dramas on TV… As well as why we hate trying to fall asleep after.

1. Eric Northman, “True Blood”

Sure, Eric the vampire has his good boy moments, especially when his love Sookie Stackhouse is involved. But this Louisiana Sheriff is a cold-blooded killer underneath his calm and collected exterior. The moment his fangs drop, the hair on the back of our necks are instantly spazzing.

2. Bill Jarvis/The Hollow Creek Killer, “Criminal Minds”

This show has seen its fair share of twisted psychos, but The Hollow Creek Killer (AKA: Bill Jarvis) is in a serial killing league of his own. In his younger days, Bill had a hobby of abusing teen boys in front of his own son Darrin, who was tasked with luring the boys in and getting rid of the bodies afterwards. Bill Jarvis is every parent’s worst nightmare and possibly one of the most demented killers on “Criminal Minds.”

3. Regina Mills/The Evil Queen, “Once Upon A Time”

This super villain has made it clear that she will stop at nothing for power and revenge, even if it means killing those close to her, like her own father (Seen below). Regina’s lust for revenge on Snow White is so great that the queen has made it her life purpose to hunt her down, as well anyone in her way. Oh, and her sense of style is pretty killer, too.

4. Charlie DiMasa/Dr. Jekyll, “CSI”

Dr. Jekyll was quite a deranged killer, judging by the unique surgical methods he employed. Charlie DiMasa, before he became Dr. Jekyll, was forced to give up his dream of becoming a doctor and work in his father’s restaurant as a chef instead. His elaborate killing tactics are what earned him a spot on this lineup and simultaneously fuels our fears of visiting the doctor’s office.

5. Joe Carroll, “The Following”

Professor Joseph, formerly an English teacher at Winslow University, idolized Edgar Allen Poe. After killing a number of college girls, he was apprehended and thrown in jail. Just as serial killers in real life do, Joe’s legacy boasts a cult of Followers, a group of devout killers who respect his “work” and willingly do his bidding. Ladies, after this weekly episode airs, feel free to call home and reassure your parents that your professors aren’t this diabolical. 

Dexter Morgan is a serial killer... but that's the reason why we love him (Showtime).
Dexter Morgan is a serial killer... but that's the reason why we love him (Showtime).
6. Dexter Morgan, “Dexter”

Rarely can a serial killer be seen as a good guy. Dexter Morgan is one of these rare cases, since he only kills individuals he believes are criminals who were never brought to justice. “An eye for an eye” makes sense, right?

7. Heather Taffet/The Gravedigger, “Bones”

Women are not often serial murderers in crime dramas like “Bones” or “Criminal Minds,” but these shows sure know how to bring out the extras for a lady killer. The Gravedigger made a killing (…Get it?) off of abductions and ransoms. Didn’t pay the ransom? The Gravedigger would bury your loved one alive in a container with a day’s worth of oxygen… and it would run out. She was so good at her trade that, in the beginning, it was assumed only a man could pull off such a scheme.

8. Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell, “Prison Break”

As far as dirty and despicable serial killers go, T-Bag is all that and then some. His resume includes pedophile, rapist, and certified killer (Of course). He proved to be a popular character on “Prison Break” and was kept around for longer than expected. What can we say? We hate to love the bad guy, but we do anyway.

9. Norman Bates, “Bates Motel”

So far, “Bates Motel” has been giving us hints of Norman’s future psychotic nature, without involving any killing on his part. However, anyone who knows the character Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Psycho” knows that “Bates Motel” has a lot more planned for the murderer-to-be. The suspense is simply killing us.

10. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, “Hannibal”

Before he became a cannibalistic murderer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter in “Hannibal” is portrayed as a forensic psychiatrist and partner to FBI special investigator Will Graham. Together, the unlikely duo embarks on a hunt for serial killers, with Will oblivious to the serial killer right by his side. As much as we love Hannibal’s story, is it fair to wonder how many episodes until the irony gets too unbearable?

Reach Associate Entertainment Editor Kathy Zerbib here. Follow her on Twitter here.



 

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