Last Updated on October 31, 2025 by Matt Staff
Some of these faces already look like a plot. These mugshots aren’t just records; they’re cold openings, the kind that make you lean in, then think twice.
This scroll lists criminals whose stories seem tailor-made for horror. A stare, a smirk, a thousand-yard look, and the real-life cases that still haunt headlines and archives.
1. Richard Kuklinski
He was a contract killer known as “The Iceman” who murdered dozens and sometimes froze bodies to hinder investigations. His calculated methods and double life make the case especially disturbing.
2. Joachim Kroll
Kroll was a German serial killer who murdered and committed acts of cannibalism. The targeting of women and children and the mutilation involved make the crimes horrific.
3. Charles Manson
Manson was a cult leader who directed followers to carry out multiple murders in 1969. The manipulation of his group and the brutality inside victims’ homes shocked the public.
4. Marc Dutroux
He was a Belgian offender who abducted, abused, and killed girls, holding some in hidden cells. The cruelty and systemic failures around the case horrified the nation.
5. Anatoly Moskvin
This Russian academic exhumed bodies of girls and turned them into lifelike “dolls”. The desecration of graves and fixation on the deceased make the case chilling.
6. Gary Ridgway
Ridgay was known as the “Green River Killer”. responsible for dozens of murders of women over many years. The high victim count and methodical disposal of bodies define the case’s severity.
7. Aileen Wuornos
She was a Florida highway killer. She shot seven men between 1989 and 1990. The repeated roadside attacks and the debate over motive made the case notorious.
8. Peter Sutcliffe
Sutcliffe was the “Yorkshire Ripper” who murdered women in the UK with hammers and knives. The prolonged series of attacks created fear and grief across multiple communities.
9. H. H. Holmes
Holmes was a 19th-century swindler and murderer linked to a building with trap-like rooms. The deception, disappearances, and alleged use of the “murder castle” made the case infamous.
10. Albert Fish
Fish was a murderer who committed sadistic acts and cannibalism. His letters and confessions documented extreme cruelty.
11. Ed Kemper
Kemper was a killer who murdered his grandparents, his mother, and several young women, with post-mortem mutilation. His calm demeanor and detailed admissions underline the brutality.
12. Richard Speck
He killed eight student nurses in one night in Chicago in 1966. The single-event mass killing in a residence made the case especially terrifying.
13. Andrei Chikatilo
Chikatilo was a Soviet serial killer who murdered women and children with severe mutilation. The long duration of the crimes and the number of victims shocked the public.
14. Rodney Alcala
Alcala was the “Dating Game Killer” who killed multiple women and girls and kept photographs. The combination of media appearances and the hidden violence added to the horror.
15. Richard Ramirez
Ramirez was the “Night Stalker” who committed home-invasion murders and sexual assaults, sometimes with satanic references. The randomness and nighttime attacks terrorized Los Angeles.
16. Dennis Rader
Better known as the BTK killer, Rader murdered over the decades and taunted police with letters. His outwardly normal community life contrasted with the crimes.
17. Henry Desire Landru
Landru was a French killer who lured women through personal ads and made them disappear. The calculated targeting of victims and financial exploitation defined the case.
18. Peter Kürten
Also known as the “Vampire of Düsseldorf”, he raped and murdered with sadistic violence and sometimes drank blood. He sought public panic and attention.
19. Jeffrey Dahmer
Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys and committed acts including dismemberment and cannibalism. The discovery of remains in his apartment revealed extreme depravity.
20. John Wayne Gacy
He murdered 33 teenage boys and young men, burying many under his house while maintaining a public persona as a community volunteer. The hidden graves and double life made the case infamous.
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These mugshots read like posters for films you’d only watch with the lights on. The difference is that these weren’t scripts; they really happened. If you’re into this kind of dark history, keep scrolling through these 20 Trippy Stories About the 1960s’ Worst Criminals, or these 20 Yearbook Photos of History’s Most Infamous Male Criminals. You can also take a look at these 13 Notorious Female Outlaws from the Victorian Era.