Ragesh DipuA person can be termed as a psychopath or sociopath if he or she is diagnosed with a lack of empathy, remorse or guilt. Technically, it is an anti-social disorder. Unlike psychotics, who often lose their connection to reality, psychopaths know what they are doing. It’s just that they can’t control it or they don’t give a damn about the consequences of their actions. Likewise, not all criminals are psychopaths and all psychopaths are not criminals too. But whenever a criminal mind nurtures a deranged psychopath within it, it manifests into a cold-blooded serial killer. With all that said, here’s the list of really good psychopath movies on Netflix that are available to stream right now:
11. Hot Fuzz (2007)
‘Hot Fuzz’ is an action comedy film set in the backdrop of a sleepy British village, Sandford. The plot follows the London Constable Nicholas Angel (played by Simon Pegg) who is posted in Sandford with a new assignment. He finds it really hard to fit into the rural timelessness of the village. Moreover, he gets the naive PC Danny Butterman, who is a huge fan of buddy cop films, as a partner. The villagers lead a calm and peaceful life while the Neighborhood Watch Alliance (NWA) takes care of the law and order.
While struggling to cope up with the slow-killing boredom, Nicholas’ life turns upside down with a series of unnatural murders and accidents. The tragic events fall as a blow on the lazy villagers while the news spreads like wildfire. Soon, Nicholas finds himself surrounded by rumors, conspiracy theories and ghost stories. But his instincts lead him to the most unlikely suspect in the village. ‘Hot Fuzz’ is directed by Edgar Wright. Apart from Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jim Broadbent play major roles in the movie.
10. Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016)
The Indian psychological thriller ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’ tells the cold-blooded real-life story of the serial killer Raman Raghav, who preyed on his victims in Mumbai during the ’60s. The plot unfolds in the backdrop of Mumbai in 2015. Raghav is a junkie cop in the Mumbai Police. He leads an extremely chaotic life, which includes frequent clashes with his girlfriend Simmy. On the other hand, Raman is a psychopathic serial killer obsessed with the real-life Raman Rhagav and his murders. Soon, both Raghav and Raman find themselves locked in a fierce cat-and-mouse game. The gory path binds both of them and they develop a bizarre equation. As he learns more about Raman and his heinous crimes, Raghav acknowledges the similarities between their personas. He realizes Raman is a mirror which shows the decadent life he is living as a corrupt cop and tainted individual.
The movie features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, ‘Raman Raghav 2.0′ was premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and garnered widespread critical acclaim. Variety hailed the movie as “a grisly episode of Mumbai history told in the luridly absorbing style of Anurag Kashyap.”
9. Hush (2016)
‘Hush’ is an edge-of-your-seat slasher flick which chronicles a nightmarish episode in the life of a deaf writer. The plot follows ‘Madison “Maddie” Young’, a deaf writer and a beautiful young woman who lives in a secluded country house for finishing her latest novel. Her friend Sarah visits the house in the woods to return a book. She returns after their usual chitchats. But on the same night, Sarah, drenched in blood, bangs on Maddie’s door. She is chased by a masked killer who murdered her in front of Sarah who can’t hear or see her screams for help. When the psychopath killer learns that Maddie is deaf, he decides to play a cat-and-mouse game before killing her too. But as the night grows, he realizes that Maddie is not just another helpless woman, as she fights hard to stay alive. The movie is directed by Mike Flanagan. The film features Kate Siegel as the unbelievably resilient Maddie while John Gallagher Jr. portrays the masked killer.
8. Memoir of a Murderer (2017)
Based on a bestselling novel by Kim Young-ha, ‘Memoir of a Murderer’ is a South Korean thriller featuring a former serial killer Byung-su. He battles Alzheimer’s, which is a result of a tragic accident that happened 17 years ago. The same incident turned him into an unstoppable psychopathic killer. He stopped the killing spree after the accident and started a new life as a veterinarian and a caring father to his beloved daughter. When a new serial killer emerges from nowhere and the small town slips into fear, Byung-su doubts himself. Eventually, Byung-su finds crucial tips that lead to the real killer, Tae-ju. But the young killer turns his attention towards Byung-su and his daughter. Now Byung-su has to dive deep into his memories to protect his daughter from the ruthless Tae-ju. ‘Memoir of a Murderer,’ directed by Won Shin-yun, went on to become one of the biggest hits of South Korean cinema.
7. Creep 2 (2017)
The found footage film ‘Creep 2‘ is a sequel to the 2014 flick ‘Creep.’ The movie revolves around an ambitious video artist Sara who wants to make a shocking breakout work. She chases lonely men in search of the perfect “subject” for her work of art but nothing takes off. One day, Sara comes across an advertisement for “video work” on the internet. She decides to try her luck and goes for it. But Sara finds herself in a remote house in the forest with a creepy man who claims that he is a serial killer. Though the man makes her uncomfortable, Sara decides to shoot the video in the belief that it will become her masterpiece. But as the shoot progresses, she realizes that she has made the gravest mistake in her life and there is no turning back. Directed by Patrick Brice, ‘Creep 2’ features Mark Duplass, Desiree Akhavan and Karan Soni in the lead roles.
6. The Girl in the Photographs (2015)
‘The Girl in the Photographs’ unfolds in the backdrop of a creepy and sleepy town of Spearfish, South Dakota. The plot follows Colleen, a beautiful young woman from the neighborhood, who is bored of the mundane life and her brooding boyfriend. But her monotonous life turns on its head when she starts getting photographs of mutilated corpses of young women. Soon, she learns with a shudder that the senders are a pair of deranged psychopaths preying on young women and they have chosen her as their muse in the murder spree. The pictures lure a celebrity photographer who believes the psychopaths are trying to invent a “Dead Model” photography with the corpses. He contacts Colleen and plans a photo campaign in Los Angeles with her. But the killers can’t leave their muse empty handed and they brace up for the most elaborate killing in their history for her farewell.
‘The Girl in the Photographs’ is written and directed by Nick Simon. Kal Penn, Claudia Lee and Kenny Wormald play the lead roles in the movie. In a review, Variety called the movie an unsavoury mix of gruesomely bloody mayhem that breaks genre conventions.
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
The 2006 slasher movie ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning’ is a prequel to the 2003 film ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.’ Set in 1969, the movie tells the story of 18-year-old Dean Hills who is recently drafted to Vietnam. Dean’s brother Eric, who is also a soldier, has his own plans for Dean. But they set aside the plans and embark on the last fling with their girlfriends Chrissie and Bailey into the woods. A female biker named Alex follows them on the way and the chase ends up in a terrible accident.
While Chrissie is thrown out of the vehicle in the crash, Alex tried to rob the other three. Sheriff Hoyt arrives before Alex flees the scene and kills her. He takes the three youngsters to the Hewitt family home in his patrol car. Dean, Eric and Bailey soon realize that they are under the same roof with a family of psychopaths, which is led by a disfigured, chainsaw-wielding human monster named Leatherface. The movie, which is the sixth installment in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ franchise, is directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Jordana Brewster, Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, and Matt Bomer play the lead roles in the slasher flick.
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4. Scream (1996)
‘Scream’ launched the successful horror franchise of the same name which consists of four movies. The plot centers on the fictional sleepy town of Woodsboro. When a horror movie fanatic and serial killer threaten to cause havoc in town, the town dwellers realize that nobody is safe anymore. The psychopath killer may appear at any time asking trivia questions before tearing his victims into pieces. Sydney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell), who lost her mother a year before, receives an anonymous call asking for her favorite scary movie. Soon, she learns that the caller is the deranged serial killer who spreads shock waves of terror across the town with a white mask and a long black robe. Sydney, her boyfriend Billy and their friends start tracking down the phone calls unbeknownst that the killer is one among them.
‘Scream’ is directed by Wes Craven from a script by Kevin Williamson. The movie stars David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. The franchise is praised by critics for subverting the cliches and tropes of the horror genre to generate a unique meaning for horror.
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3. The Devil’s Candy (2015)
‘The Devil’s Candy’ is a standalone piece of horror among the haunted house flicks. When a struggling painter Jesse Hellman (played by Ethan Embry) finds an old grandeur home in Rural Texas, he jumps on it. The man, along with his wife and daughter, moves to the new home. Jesse converts the old barn into his working studio and starts painting new works. Everything looks normal and hopeful until Jesse learns the radical change in his style. His works have become darker and convey an innate fear that makes everyone uncomfortable. The uneasiness in the house increases when the creepy son of former owners comes in search of the new occupants. Jesse and his family realize that they are living under the same roof along with none other than the Devil himself. ‘The Devil’s Candy’ is written and directed by Sean Byrne. The movie stars Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby, Craig Nigh and Marco Perella in major roles.
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2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Academy award-winning thriller ‘The Silence of the Lambs‘ manipulates our fears like never before. Based on Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel of the same name, the movie follows Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) who is a brilliant trainee at FBI. She lands a special assignment to investigate the serial killer Buffalo Bill (played by Ted Levine) who is notorious for brutally killing young women and skinning their corpses. Her mentor at the Behavioral Science Unit, Jack Crawford (played by Scott Glenn) asked Clarice to meet Dr. Hannibal Lecter (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins), a psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer who is convicted for cannibalizing his victims. But Lecter offers Clarice a deal of shifting him to a cleaner facility in return for some valuable leads about Buffalo Bill. During the interrogation, Dr. Lecter infiltrates Clarice’s psyche to unleash unimaginable psychological horror.
The horror classic is directed by Jonathan Demme from a screenplay by Ted Tally. The film won five Academy Awards in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also triggered numerous psychological interpretations and rave reviews from critics.
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1. Zodiac (2007)
Directed by David Fincher, ‘Zodiac‘ is a cult classic among serial killer movies. Based on the real-life story of the notorious serial killer who called himself the “Zodiac,” the movie chronicles one of the most elaborate manhunts in history. Zodiac became notorious with his letters and cryptic messages that he sent to San Francisco police. The plot closely follows the slightly fictionalized version of the brilliant manhunt executed by a cartoonist-turned-detective Robert Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a keen journalist named Paul Avery (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and two San Francisco police detectives, Dave Toschi (played by Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (played by Anthony Edwards).
The two pursue their findings, rather independently, to identify the mysterious murderer but gradually become obsessed with the case. They cross paths during their dogged efforts. The case soon takes its toll on the professional and personal lives of the four men. Directed by David Fincher, ‘Zodiac’ is based on the book of the same name by Robert Graysmith.
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