There is no animal more evil, more malevolent or more despicably twisted than a serial killer. Strange then, that society always have – and seemingly always will – hold an irrepressible urge to discover more about these creatures. Any individual that repeatedly murders innocent beings is clearly a monster. But rightly or wrongly, it’s difficult not be fascinated about how these malicious men and women – born as babies just like any of us – morph into malevolent demons on the inside, yet appear humanistic on outside, effortlessly blending in with the rest of the human race.
What drives the transformation of an ordinary person to become something inhuman? What compels them to snatch away a life and find solace in doing so? How does one manage to masquerade as a typical member of society for so long when an ugly monster is rumbling loudly underneath the surface of the skin? Criminal psychologists would argue that in some cases, the answer to these questions is clear. At other times, it appears there is no rational explanation at all, which is perhaps one of the most terrifying and unsettling thoughts imaginable.
Listed here are several of the world’s most black-hearted and blood-curdling prolific serial killers that have ever existed on planet earth.
Ian Brady & Myra Hindley
Responsible for the sickening set of child killings that took place on the moors of Greater Manchester in the 1960’s, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are widely regarded as two of the most evil human beings ever to have existed on planet earth. Hindley sadistically lured as many as five children between the ages of 10 and 17 into the clutches of Brady during the period of 1963-65, which led to her boyfriend subsequently molesting and murdering these youngsters before burying them on the moors. Hindley lived out her final days in prison, whereas Brady continues to live to this day.
Dr Harold Shipman
A monster in medical clothing, British general practitioner Harold Shipman murdered over 200 of his own patients from 1970 up until 1998 – the year he was finally arrested. A red flag went up above Shipman’s care record in the mid-nineties when it was revealed that his patients were passing away at an alarmingly high rate. His capability as an administrator of medical care was subsequently brought into question, but the truth turned out to be much more chilling. For nearly thirty years, Shipman had been purposely injecting his patients – most of whom were frail, elderly women with lethal doses of drugs. Some have suggested that “Dr Death’s” kill count may have even surpassed the 300 hundred mark, and many believed that true justice was prevented when Shipman hung himself in his cell at Wakefield prison just four years after being convicted.
Jack The Ripper
Perhaps the most infamous serial killer of all, Jack The Ripper has developed a sort of cartoonish, fictitious aura in the modern day. In a sense, this is hardly surprising, especially given how it is now over 120 years ago since he tore across the desolate streets of Whitechapel in London. During 1888, five women (four of which were working as prostitutes) were brutally murdered by this unknown assailant – a man who has never been identified and remains the source of much speculation even to this day.
Pedro Alonso Lopez
Perhaps the most prolific serial killer that world has ever seen, Pedro Alonso Lopez has only served a bafflingly brief period in jail for murdering up to as many as 350 girls across Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. A South American monster who used to capture his young victims and wait until sunrise to rape and murder them, Lopez has been released from his prison cell for “good behaviour”, and is out in the world again despite having admitted to killing hundreds of innocent young people.
Gilles de Rais
Perhaps a lesser-known name on this list, Gilles de Rais nonetheless fully “deserves” to be in the company of the world’s most evil serial killers. A French nobleman who actually fought alongside Joan of Arc as a military captain in the 1440’s, de Rais was found guilty of raping, torturing and killing as many as 200 hundred young boys, and was subsequently sentenced to death by hanging.
Javed Iqbal
One of the most evil men of the eastern world, Javed Iqbal murdered as many as one hundred runaway orphans during the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s – all of them under the age of sixteen. After murdering his victims, Iqbal dismembered their bodies and dissolved them in acid. Upon being found guilty of these heinous crimes, the judge ordered that Iqbal should suffer a similar fate – being sentenced to death by hanging before his body was burned away in the same manner that the prolific killer used to dispose of his prey.
Joachim Kroll
A serial killer, sexual predator, and cannibal hailing from Germany, Joachim Kroll murdered fourteen different in people in a variety of horrific ways during the period of 1955-1976. His victims took a wide variety of shapes, sizes and ages, and Kroll killed many of them in the same place every single time – before performing atrocious necrophilia-related acts on their bodies before eating them.
Fred & Rose West
For a period of twenty years, Fred and Rose West murdered as many as eleven young girls in their very own home – burying their lifeless bodies under the floorboards. Both man and wife proceeded to murder their victims in an assortment of despicable ways – two of which were their very own biological daughters. This twisted married couple proceeded to bound and gag many of the girls they captured, and on occasion Rose would watch whilst Fred performed sex acts on them. It was when their sixteen-year-old daughter Heather Ann West went missing that the alarm was raised, and the police subsequently stumbled upon “The House of Horrors”, which led to the couple’s’ arrest. Fred hung himself in his jail cell, whilst Rose continues to remain incarcerated to this day.