One of the grittiest, darkest, and most popular horror and thriller movies is about serial killers. While the antagonists draw in the audience for their complexities and terrifying screen presence, credit should be given to the protagonists and their incessant pursuit of the killers.
A phenomenal part of the chase between good and evil is the perseverance of good. Faced with a seemingly impossible task, they never give up: a few characters, in particular, are incredibly forthright in their chases. After all, with a killer on the loose, what else is better than a character going to the ends of the earth to catch them?
Lana Winters — 'American Horror Story: Asylum' (2012-2013)
In 1964 when the serial killer, Bloody Face, is supposedly caught and admitted to Briarcliff Asylum, Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), under false pretenses, infiltrates the asylum to hopefully interview the murderer herself. However, when the ambitious journalist's plan gets foiled by the dastardly Sister Jude, she is committed to the asylum due to her homosexuality.
During her barbaric stay at the asylum, the doctor in charge of her conversion therapy, Oliver Thredson, wins her trust, leading her to ask him to deliver a message to her wife, Wendy. However, Thredson kidnaps Lana and reveals that he is Bloody Face and has murdered her beloved Wendy. Lana inflicts her revenge on him, risking her life to get a confession out of him and bring him to justice.
Joe "Deke" Deacon — 'The Little Things' (2021)
Joe "Deke" Deacon (Denzel Washington), a deputy sheriff from Kern County, is dispatched to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office to gather information on a recent homicide. Deacon goes to the scene of a new homicide in Los Angeles with newly assigned lead detective Jimmy Baxter. Deacon detects similarities between the killing's method of execution and the method of a previous serial killing case that he could not crack.
Pushing the limits of legal regulations, Deke pursues a suspect named Albert Sparma, who is the clear number one. Even though his investigation is meticulous and Sparma is almost certainly the killer, audiences never get to know if Deke was correct.
Naia Thulin — 'The Chestnut Man' (2021-)
Along with her new reluctant partner, Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) is a detective with the Copenhagen police who is faced with a killer targeting women. Not only that, but the killer, after murdering them, mutilates the women's bodies in ways reminiscent of that of small children's chestnut figurines left at the crime scenes.
As a single mother struggling to be an excellent mother to her daughter due to the hours spent at work, Naia is shocked to learn that the killer targets women who have had complaints of child abuse lodged against them. With her daughter's safety in question and the case's connection to a high-profile kidnapping case, Naia longs to find the Chestnut Man.
Dale Cooper — 'Twin Peaks' (1990-1991, 2017)
FBI agent, Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), is dispatched to the sleepy town of Twin Peaks to look into the killing of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), a well-liked high school student. Though it started as just another case, he fell in love with the community and integrated himself into the town. His unconventional approach perplexes the locals because he typically pays little attention to facts and instead relies heavily on intuition and dreams.
Cooper is plagued by his past and nightmares, unlike other detectives who only have to cope with the facts. After making a fatal mistake in the final episode of the run of the original series, Cooper devises a plan that stretches across time and space to apprehend the killer and save Laura Palmer. There aren't many detectives quite like Coop.
Robert Graysmith — 'Zodiac' (2007)
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Based on the books about the investigation into the Zodiac Killer, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a political cartoonist not taken seriously by any of his colleagues at the San Francisco Chronicle. He gets swept up into obsession when the paper gets letters from the Zodiac Killer, claiming responsibility for an attempted double homicide that left one survivor.
At first, he flies under the radar as the head reporters and police investigate the crimes, but as time goes on and people lose faith and uncover no evidence, he does not let his obsession go. While he does acquire evidence pointing to the potential Zodiac killer, it's all circumstantial, and none of it is psychical. However, his undying persistence to find the culprit is indeed admirable.
Lincoln Rhyme — 'The Bone Collector' (1989)
When Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) was investigating a murder scene, he was in a tragic accident that immobilized him from the neck down, leaving him dependent on equipment and care. He receives a visit from homicide detectives who need his assistance with a case involving the kidnapping of two people, one of whom is still alive but missing.
Despite initially seeming uninterested, Lincoln becomes intrigued as he peruses the case files. He begins working with Detective Amelia Donaghy, who discovers a crime scene partial to the case and takes action on it. Lincoln proves he can catch a notorious killer with a sharp mind and nothing else. Pretty impressive.
Clarice Starling — 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)
Jodie Foster, who won an Academy Award for her role in The Silence of the Lambs, plays Clarice Starling. As a student at the FBI Academy, hoping to one day work in the Behavioral Science Unit, which locates and captures serial killers. She is assigned to interview cannibalistic serial killer and psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
With an ulterior motive of trying to get Hannibal's help in uncovering a mass murderer that the FBI calls "Buffalo Bill," Clarice begins an increasingly discomforting friendship of sorts with the cannibalistic psychiatrist. However, Hannibal does indeed help Clarice find the killer but ultimately escapes imprisonment. Clarice became friends with a cannibal who got into her head to find a serial killer, but nothing quite as badass as that.
Illeana Scott — 'Taking Lives' (2004)
Successful and albeit creepy FBI profiler Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is called upon to assist Canadian law enforcement in Montreal in catching a sneaky murderer who has been killing people for years. The killer then travels around North America with his victim's identities.
Illeana must get used to working with a police force in a foreign city with which she does not quite fit. She begins a relationship with a witness to one of the killer's attacks, James Costa, and her intuition starts to slip as he begins sleeping with the enemy. After realizing that the man she fell for is the killer, Illeana, after letting him slip through her fingers, hatches a convincing plot to lure him back. The twists she weaves through her scheme has fans shocked to this day.
Will Graham — 'Hannibal' (2013-2015)
Originally teaching forensic classes for the FBI but brought into the field to hunt serial killers, Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) possesses a special talent he calls 'interpreting the evidence' that he utilizes to recognize and understand the killers he hunts as a criminal profiler and serial killer tracker.
After beginning therapy sessions with Dr. Hannibal Lector, Will is manipulated and coerced into Hannibal's world of cannibalistic tendencies and murder. However, Will eventually begins to play his mind games against one of the most renowned serial killers in history. Going toe-to-toe with him, Will and Hannibal present the best portrayal of a cat-and-mouse game on TV.
William Somerset — 'Se7en' (1995)
Arguably the best serial killer movie out there to date follows the investigation into the horrific murders that follows the seven deadly sins. An extremely experienced and qualified homicide detective, William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), is set to retire after 37 years of a successful career in a deeply troubled city. However, when a new murder piques his interest, his department knows they need his help solving it.
Along with newcomer Detective Mills, Somerset almost uses their investigation to get Mills ready to take his mantle. Fully cerebral and methodical in his thorough investigation, Somerset plays a key part in bringing John Doe to justice... even if things don't go according to plan.