When it comes to fear, no blend is as potent as the deadly combination of crime and horror. When the two genres collide, the result is a deeply unsettling yet gripping experience. Crime horror sits at the intersection of realism and nightmare, bringing to life chilling stories of human depravity and true evil, and wrapping them in visceral suspense. These films don’t just rely on jump scares and gore, but they build tension through psychological manipulation, an atmosphere of pure dread, and twisted motivations.
From tales where the monster wears a human face to detectives unraveling a case entangled with supernatural forces, the best entries in this subgenre push boundaries and redefine what horror can be. They leave you shaken by what they reveal — about the killer, and sometimes about us as viewers.
The 10 entries on this list are such examples, each one earning a spot among the best crime horror movies of all time.
‘Peeping Tom’ (1960)
Not only is Peeping Tom the first ever slasher, but it served as a precursor for both the found footage and meta horror subgenres. Karlheinz Böhm stars as Mark Lewis, an introverted cameraman and aspiring filmmaker with a dark secret: He’s a serial killer obsessed with murdering women and using his camera to capture their fear and final moments. As the police close in on him, Mark’s life begins to unravel.
A Controversial Film Ahead of Its Time
Peeping Tom is remarkable in its portrayal of fear, fetish, and obsession. With its themes of voyeurism and the relationship between the filmmaker and the subject, the movie still remains relevant today. By forcing the viewer into the killer’s point of view, we’re forced to confront our own pleasure in watching violence unfold on the screen, as well as how society consumes violence as a spectacle. Despite its smart ideas and being ahead of its time, the picture was highly controversial upon release. The backlash was so great it destroyed Michael Powell’s career as a director in the United Kingdom.
‘Angst’ (1983)
Rare is the movie that boasts a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Angst is such a work. The Austrian horror film is loosely based on real-life mass murderer Werner Kniesek. It follows an unnamed killer, known only as The Psychopath (Erwin Leder), who, after being released from prison, immediately succumbs to his murderous urges. After a couple of failed attempts, he breaks into a house where a disabled man lives with his mother and sister, putting them through a torturous hell and, ultimately, taking their lives.
The Most Visceral Serial Killer Movie Ever Created
This movie isn’t for the faint of heart, as it gives a horrifyingly realistic depiction of the depraved atrocities Kniesek inflicted on his victims. What makes the movie so terrifying is that it unfolds from The Psychopath’s perspective through both narration and camerawork, immersing the audience in a dark, disturbing psyche. Viewers aren’t simply voyeurs, but active participants in the crimes committed by the protagonist. Although it has become a cult classic over the years, Angst might be a one-and-done. For many, this isn’t a movie you can re-watch.
‘Henry: The Portrait of a Serial Killer’ (1986)
Co-written and directed by John McNaughton, Henry: The Portrait of a Serial Killer stars Michael Rooker in a chilling performance as the titular murderer. He plays a nomadic psychopath who kills people — men, women, and children — without rhyme or reason, without pleasure or anger, only emptiness and a hatred for humanity. Making it to Chicago, he moves in with his former prison buddy, Otis (Tom Towles), and Otis’ sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold). Otis develops a taste for murder, becoming an accomplice in Henry’s crimes, and soon things spiral out of control.
A Harrowing Crime Horror Film With Zero Catharsis
The movie is a fictionalized account of real-life killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole. Despite its shoestring budget, Henry: The Portrait of a Serial Killer is a cinematic feat, offering an unflinching, unsettling, look into the psyche of a murderer, with its unpolished aesthetic only elevating the film with a realistic feel. Watching this crime horror is like gazing into the abyss. When it’s over, one is left feeling as vacant as Henry.
‘The Crow’ (1994)
Based on James O’ Barr’s 1989 comic series of the same name, The Crow is a unique and powerful revenge film directed by Alex Proyas and starring the late Brandon Lee, who tragically died on set during production due to the malfunction of a prop gun. One year after goth musician Eric Draven (Lee) and his fianceé, Shelley Webster (Sofia Shinas) are brutally killed in their home by a gang of ruthless criminals, he rises from the grave on Devil’s Night to avenge their deaths. His quest for vengeance leads him all the way to a ruthless crime lord, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott).
A Rare Supernatural Crime Movie
With a one-of-a-kind atmosphere, stylish visuals, and impressive action sequences, The Crow is one of the greatest films of the ’90s. The film combines the best of crime, horror, and fantasy to bring to life not only one of the most memorable revenge films of all time, but one of the most tragic love stories. For this reason, it’s a cult classic that will forever stand the test of time.
‘Cure’ (1997)
Cure is a Japanese crime horror film written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse). It tells the story of Takabe (Kōji Yakusho), a detective investigating an abnormal series of murders committed by ordinary people with no criminal history. The only link is a large X carved into the chest or neck of the deceased. Each perpetrator is found in a dazed, trance-like state at the scene of the crime, can remember that they did it, but can offer no explanation. Takabe soon finds a common link in a mysterious drifter named Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara).
A Crime Horror Film That Pulls You Into Its Dark Depths
The film brings to life one of the most deranged serial killers of all time, delving deep into true evil, identity, and free will. With a chilling atmosphere, bleak cinematography, creepy sound design, and unsettling narrative, Cure is horror filmmaking at its finest. The movie serves as a haunting exploration of the human psyche and human nature — a meditative one that will stay with you long after its ending.
‘Frailty’ (2001)
This psychological crime horror is one of the most underrated horror movies to date, despite being of the rare kind from the 2000s to stand the test of time. Directed by Bill Paxton, it stars Matthew McConaughey as Fenton Meiks, a man haunted by his past, having grown up with a serial killer father (Paxton) driven by religious fanaticism. When a series of eerily similar murders takes place over 20 years later, he’s certain his brother is the perpetrator, and contacts FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) to recount their story.
A Grim Serial Killer Movie
McConaughey gives one of the most powerful performances of his career, playing the psychologically complex Fenton with a simmering intensity. Paxton takes a restrained, slow-burn approach to direction, masterfully building tension and creating a gradually increasing sense of unease. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, in Frailty, nothing is as it seems. Its ending is one that lingers with viewers.
‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ (2017)
Tigers Are Not Afraid is a Mexican film written and directed by the talented Issa López (True Detective: Night Country). The supernatural crime horror film follows a young girl named Estrella (Paola Lara) growing up in a cartel-ridden town, who comes home one day to find her mother missing, having become a human trafficking victim. After days of no return, Estrella is forced to take to the streets, where she seeks refuge with a group of unhoused orphan boys who become her family. As the kids try to survive in a gang-war-torn world, they become the targets of a cartel, while seeing visions of the dead.
A Crime Horror Movie That Will Devastate You
Also incorporating elements of magical realism, there’s a recurring motif involving three pieces of chalk that grant wishes to Estrella. The film is a beautiful blend of crime, horror, and fantasy. Guillermo del Toro recommended the movie, turning his attention to López and her work on the film during his acceptance speech on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mike Flanagan also sang his praises for the film, saying it is “rendered with skill, heart, and talent that cements López as an auteur to watch.”
‘Saloum’ (2021)
Saloum is a Sengalese-French crime horror film directed by Congolese filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot. Set amid the 2003 Guinea-Bissau coup d’état, the film follows a group of elite mercenaries known as the Hyenas of Bangui as they extract a Mexican druglord from Guinea to take him to Dakar, Senegal. Along the way, their plane crashes, and they’re forced to take refuge at a resort near the Saloum River Delta, but upon reaching what they believe to be a safe haven, they’re attacked by dark supernatural forces.
Where Crime Meets Folk Horror
Steeped in folk horror, Saloum is inspired by the legend of Gana Sira Bana, a tyrant Bainuk king who cursed his people and lands after they rebelled and conspired against him. The movie explores the evils of colonialism, environmental decline, cultural identity, capitalist exploitation, and the real-life horrors of child soldiers in West Africa.
‘Red Rooms’ (2024)
Red Rooms is a French-language Canadian film written and directed by Pascal Plante. It follows Montreal-based model Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), a young woman obsessed with the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), a notorious serial killer accused of live-streaming his gruesome murders on the dark web. However, one video was never recovered by the police. As Kelly-Anne searches for the missing snuff film, her obsession blurs between the lines of curiosity and complicity, spiraling into a psychological nightmare.
A Haunting Look at True Crime
The film is equal parts psychological horror and courtroom thriller. Plante crafts a chilling, cerebral experience that is disturbingly relevant in an age of widespread fascination with real-life horrors, offering a meditative, scathing look at the exploitative nature of true crime obsession. A slow-burn tension and icy visuals build to a deeply unsettling finale, leaving viewers with a lingering sense of dread and unease.
‘Longlegs’ (2024)
Written and directed by risk-taking filmmaker Oz Perkins, Longlegs was one of 2024’s biggest horror films. Maika Monroe stars as Lee Harker, an FBI agent with seemingly clairvoyant abilities. She’s put on a baffling serial killer case involving a series of family murder-suicides, where someone who has dubbed himself “Longlegs” leaves a ciphered letter at the scene of each crime. What begins as a manhunt morphs into something more sinister.
A Seriously Disturbing Crime Horror Movie
The film is a masterclass in atmospheric horror, wrapped inside a chilling FBI procedural. Perkins leans into dread and existential evil, creating a movie that feels like a nightmare unfolding in slow motion. Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable as one of horror’s most terrifying villains, giving a career-redefining performance as the elusive killer. Unnerving, surreal, and deeply psychological, this crime horror film has a unique tone that’s all its own.