Dennis Rader killed 10 people in Sedgwick County, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991, and was finally caught in 2005. He was known as the 'BTK Killer' due to his MO: bind, torture, and kill.
The Ukrainian was known as the butcher of Rostov and committed crimes between 1978 and 1990. He lured children, adolescents, and women whom he met at bus stops and train stations to remote locations where he assaulted them.
Called the "Night Stalker' by the American press, he was convicted of homicides, assaults, and robberies. He died on death row after being convicted of 13 murders and 11 assaults.
Cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono worked in tandem pretending to be Los Angeles police officers. They made young girls get into their 'police car', before taking them home to torture and kill them. They were known as the 'Hillside Stranglers.'
The Scot and his English girlfriend became known as the 'Moors Murderers' in the 1960s. They targeted children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17 years old.
'The Stockwell Strangler' was given a life sentence in 1988 for murdering seven people.
The American serial killer and necrophile was accused of 10 murders, including that of his own mother, Clarnell Strandberg-Kemper. His killing spree began when he murdered his grandparents at the age of 15.
In 1979, the 'Tool Box Killers' pursued teenage girls who they assaulted, tortured, and strangled. They were caught by the police and imprisoned after a five-month killing spree.
Arthur Shawcross assaulted and suffocated his first victim, who was 10 years old, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was released after 12 years and killed a further 12 women before being captured again.
The British serial killer, who was said to be gay, murdered victims. He carried a kit containing rope and cuffs which he used to commit his crimes.
Said to be the first documented American serial killer, he murdered victims in his large home, known as his 'castle'. At least 27 deaths are confirmed to have taken place here, although there are speculations that he killed over 200 people.
John Wayne Gacy, also known as the 'Killer Clown,' killed at least 33 young boys in Chicago between 1972 and 1978. He performed as a clown at events and children's hospitals which helped him lure his victims into his home.
Ted Bundy was a famously charismatic serial killer who used his charm and good looks to gain the trust of his many victims. He's confirmed to have killed at least 35 young women and girls between 1974 and 1978.
Alexander Pichushkin is a convicted Russian murderer known as the 'Chessboard Killer' who killed at least 48 people in Moscow in the 1990s and early 2000s. His victims were mostly elderly homeless men whom he lured with the offer of vodka.
Sources: (Britannica) (History) (All That's Interesting)
See also: History's most celebrated crime fighters
Scottish killer Robert Black kidnapped, assaulted, and killed three girls in the 1980s. Police suspect that he may have had more victims, as there are a series of child murders from the 1970s which remain unresolved to this day.
The English doctor killed his victims by injecting them with lethal doses of heroin. In 2000, he was given a life sentence for the death of 15 people, but his name was linked to a further 250 cases.
Their crimes seem to be taken straight from a horror film but these murderers actually existed in real life, committing atrocities wherever they went. Their horrifying actions were committed for a variety of reasons, and some for no reason at all. Men, women, children, and even family members were slaughtered and tortured at the hands of these killers, who themselves ranged from aristocrats to penniless drifters.
Click on to see the most dangerous serial killers in history. If you dare...
The most dangerous serial killers in history
Get to know the most heinous murderers from all over the world
LIFESTYLE Murderers
Their crimes seem to be taken straight from a horror film but these murderers actually existed in real life, committing atrocities wherever they went. Their horrifying actions were committed for a variety of reasons, and some for no reason at all. Men, women, children, and even family members were slaughtered and tortured at the hands of these killers, who themselves ranged from aristocrats to penniless drifters.
Click on to see the most dangerous serial killers in history. If you dare...