10 Best Serial Killers In Movies

Chalking up with one of the shortest ever performances to win an Oscar, Anthony Hopkins' turn as Hannibal Lecter in Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" is about as frightening a serial killer as they come.

Playing the deranged Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a killer and cannibal who is being held in maximum security, there is nothing out of the way of the deranged psychopath, who wants to kill and eat anyone he can find.

However, the good doctor's information of the world of serial killin', proves to be of use to the FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who is hunting down another serial killer Buffalo Bill.

While Lecter proves very useful in the search for Bill, they really should have kept a more watchful eye on him too, as he escapes from custody, leaving a trail of bloodied corpses in his wake, the doctor begins to plan his own murder spree, but that's saved for the sequels, that don't quite live up to the original's mastery.

Hannibal Lecter has inspired a number of different turns in multiple mediums, whether it be Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight or even Eminem's bizarre section in the "You Don't Know" music video, this serial killer's legacy will likely live on in cinema history in an almost unrivalled performance by an actor who was thinking of chucking it all in before he got the call.