Greatest TV Fictional Serial Killers

We all have guilty pleasures, but one is hardest to admit: our affection for serial killers. We don't "like" people who murder for pleasure, but we're fascinated by their cunning, their secrecy and their icy genius. We yearn to unlock their private traumas and tortured pasts. We are mesmerized by their elaborate cruelty. Like car accidents, serial killers are horrifying and awful, but we rubberneck all the same. Here's a list of greatest TV serial killers.

Hannibal Lecter - "Hannibal"

Dr. Lecter is a brilliant forensic psychiatrist. He is also a serial killer and a cannibal, preparing the meat of his victims into tasty dishes for himself and serving them to unsuspecting guests. Although he is a killer, Lecter is still a very refined gentleman. He is meticulous in appearance, speaks very precisely, has an impeccable wit, astonishing intellect, and a gourmet palate.

Dexter Morgan – “Dexter”

Surely everyone knows this forensic blood spatter analyst slash vigilante…hero? While not solving crimes, Dexter dispatches those who have eluded the justice system, in an effort to keep his dark passenger at bay. Known to the public as “the Bay Harbor Butcher,” Dexter takes top honors because of his strict code of ethics: he only takes action once he has irrefutable evidence. Most of the time.

Earl Bulford – “Criminal Minds”

This guy's a taxidermist-turned-murderer with a serious eyeball fetish. Earl uses his hunting skills to set traps for his prey, then slashes his victims’ throats before disposing of them. As a pseudo calling card, this killer cuts out his targets’ eyes after each kill, and places these mementos in a stuffed animal.

Danny Jennings – “House M.D.”

A homeless man is hospitalized with burns, and his condition rapidly deteriorates. We realize something is seriously wrong when he says his seared flesh smells like licorice. By the time House’s team discovers it’s the high-vegetable hospital diet making him sick, Danny is gone and the FBI is on his trail. Turns out, this bum has been surviving on a steady diet of soylent green.

The Miniature Killer – “CSI”

This meticulous murderer makes tiny and ultra-realistic models of her crimes. Natalie Davis first killed when she pushed her younger sister out of a tree, and this left her with an obsession with miniatures and bleach. The Miniature Killer is the main villain of CSI’s seventh season, and she caps things off by kidnapping Grissom’s girlfriend to get back at him.

The Carver – “Nip/Tuck”

This masked, Prada-wearing serial rapist follows the mantra that “beauty is a curse on the world.” He is always sure to disfigure his victims by carving a smile on their faces, and he comes to pursue the surgeons that try to fix his work. The Carver turns out to be a brother and sister team that shares a serious hate-on for unnecessary plastic surgery.

Red John – “The Mentalist”

As the series’ main bad guy, this murderer thinks of himself as an artist and a performer. Red John killed Patrick Jane’s wife and daughter, and set the Mentalist on a course for revenge. He likes to see his victims begging for mercy, and always paints his signature smiley face on the wall in his victims’ blood. And, like all good serial killers, Red John seems to have nine lives.

The Trinity Killer – “Dexter”

For decades, this innocent-looking family man has traveled the country building houses for charity. However, Arthur Mitchell satisfies his own dark passenger by murdering people in the same ways his sister, mother and father died. Despite being called the Trinity Killer, there is always a fourth victim: a little boy who is buried alive. Trinity earned his spot by murdering the person our protagonist holds most dear.

The Gormogon – “Bones”

As is being a cannibal isn't unsettling enough, this killer wears a set of false teeth made from the canines of his victims. Unlike the others on this list, the Gormogon is a series of apprentices who take on the work of their master, while also gathering souvenirs. Their collection of bones is over 100 years old.

Floyd Feylinn Ferell – “Criminal Minds”

This cannibal takes things one step further by force-feeding the fingers of his previous victims to his newest prey. Floyd thinks he is possessed by a flesh-eating demon, but what really gives him a spot on our list is the tenacity he shows when he feeds the good guys some chili, laced with the body parts of a corpse. Yum.