Killing is my business - and business is good!

If this is all a bit too close to real life for you then you'd best hand yourself in. But if you like a murderous mind on the big screen, and there's been plenty of them, then read on.

Hannibal Lecter

Probably the greatest mastermind murderer of them all. The psychotic Dr Lecter first came to public attention in 1981 with the publication of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon, followed by the Silence of the Lambs and then the romantically gothic Hannibal.
Incarcerated for an unknown number of cannibalistic killings, Lecter first appeared on the big screen in a film adaptation of Red Dragon called Manhunter with Lecter being played by Dundee born actor Brian Cox.
But it wasn't until five years later that the character became the killer we all know and love today when Anthony Hopkins took up the role as the blood thirsty mega intelligent Doctor in Silence of the Lambs.
Although Harris has never confirmed exactly who Hannibal is based on, it's possible that Amiercan cannibal killer Albert Fish may have been a source of inspiration while Hopkins said he based Lecter's sinister whisper on murderous computer Hal 9000 from Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey.
With a further remake of Red Dragon followed by Hannibal rising, charting Lecter's formative years, it remains to be seen if we'll ever see what happened to the Dr following his escape at the end of Ridley Scott's Hannibal.
It's just possible he's still got a few friends out there he wants over for dinner.

John Doe (unnamed)

Evil to the core, Kevin Spacey delivered an outstandingly chilling performance as the elusive serial killer in Se7en.
Detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) are on the hunt for a psychopath who's motivation is to make the world stop and admire his work as he carries out his killings in the name of the seven deadly sins.
While Mills and Somerset continue to be outfoxed by Doe, the victims of Greed, Gluttony, Wrath etc continue to pile up.
Eventually, Doe walks into the police station to hand himself in, leading to one of the bleakest movie endings ever.
In a film where it's almost constantly raining, the dark atmosphere throughout was created through a unique chemical process called bleach bypass, whereby the silver in the film stock was re-bonded which in turn deepened the dark, shadowy images in the film and increased its overall tonal quality.

Thomas Hewitt (Leatherface)

Poor Thomas, he never really stood a chance. Born on August 7, 1939 in a rat infested meat factory and subsequently abandoned in a dumpster, Hewitt grew up into a completely out of control torturer and killer, attacking virtually anything than moved with his weapon of choice - the chainsaw.
Film creator Tobe Hooper first came up with the idea of using a chainsaw after visiting an overcrowded DIY store in the early 70s, as he imagined it would give him quick and easy access to the exit.
Played by Icelandic actor Gunnar Hansen, Hewitt's crudely made mask of human skin was based around the ghoulish practices of 1950s Wisconsin killer Ed Gein, who, after having his house searched, was found to have made lampshades and upholstered furniture with human body parts and dried out flesh.
Hansen went back to graduate from school after the film, wrongly marketed as being a true story, was released and went on to become a well respected author.
Hewitt made a memorable comeback in 2006 with Texas Chainsaw Massacre: In The Beginning with the role of Leatherface being taken by former body builder Andrew Bryniarski.

Patrick Bateman

It's not often that a killer's musical taste is called into question. But when Genesis, Huey Lewis and the News and Whitney Houston are registered as 'must haves' in the collection, there's obviously something deeply wrong.
The ani-hero of Brett Easton Ellis' 1991 novel American Psycho, Bateman is a successful investment banker, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, or 'murders and executions' as he later confesses to an unwitting colleague.
And it was the most trivial of occurances which would bring Bateman's blood to the boil - being unable to secure a table at an exclusive restaurant or simply feeling inferior to those around him.
A number of high profile names were attached to the film before it went into production.
Ed Norton turned down the role of Bateman, Johnny Depp was also rumoured to be involved while Leonardo Di Capro had been offered a staggering $20m to take the lead, causing director Mary Harron to walk away from the film having already offered the part to Bale.
Di Caprio decided to end his involvement, allowing Harron and Bale to return to the fold.
Although his record collection may have been seriously flawed, there can't have been a better dressed killer on the big screen than Bateman.

Michael Myers

Like Hewitt, physical strength was the key to killing for Myers, who also offered little more in the way of vocabulary than the occasional grunt.
With his trademark kitchen knife, Myers was nothing more than a random killing machine showing remorse for no one.
Having butchered his sister at the age of six, Myers is taken away to Smith Grove Sanitarium where he spends the next 15 years of his life without uttering a single word.
Following his escape the killings begin as one after the other, a procession of free loving teens meet their maker via the knife.
Played primarily by Nick Castle in the original film, Myers was credited as 'The Shape' with his unmistakable mask, originally a Star Trek Captain Kirk mask which had its hair removed, eyes widened and was sprayed white.
Director John Carpenter used the name Michael Myers as a tribute to his friend of the same name after the pair had worked together on Assault on Presinct 13.
Interestingly, Castle (who's father was a choreographer for Fred Astaire) was paid just $25 a day for his work, after begging Carpenter 'if it would be okay if a hang around the set for a while.'
He was replaced by Tony Moran for the 'unmasking' scene as Carpenter wanted Myers to be seen as having a more angelic face than Castle's.
It seems highly the plausible that Myers' boiler suit and mask provided the inspiration for Jason Vorhees in the Friday the 13th films.