THE LITTLE THINGS:
REVENGE OF THE SERIAL KILLER THRILLER
By Kirsten Howard
Serial killer movies might not be big business outside of the horror genre anymore, but the last decade has still delivered some terrific ones.
With the success of The Little Things on HBO Max, serial killer thriller fans are wondering if the genre will experience an uptick in popularity.
Back in the ‘90s, serial killer thrillers were huge.
Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers (1994).
Audiences loved to scoff their popcorn while they waited to see if the latest fiendish killer responsible for a string of grisly deaths would get caught.
Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman in Seven (1995).
The decade truly started out on the right foot by giving The Silence of the Lambs a clutch of Oscar statues.
Everyone wanted to be in the next Silence of the Lambs. The genre attracted big name directors and stars, but by the end of the '00s the genre had faded from the spotlight.
Though not many serial killer thrillers are hitting box office gold these days, you don’t have to look far to find some excellent offerings.
Mark Duplass in Creep
Many modern serial killer thrillers strive to deliver a fresh angle to the genre, like Patrick Brice’s Craigslist-inspired Creep and its surprisingly good sequel.
2016’s I Am Not a Serial Killer put a supernatural slant on things, featuring a standout performance from Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd.
Dylan McDermott in The Clovehitch Killer
Some of the more traditional serial killer thrillers of the last decade have opted for a period setting.
The Clovehitch Killer drums up dread by creating a serial killer who has to face justice at home after he’s discovered by his own son.
While My Friend Dahmer amps up the tension between a young Jeffrey Dahmer and his wary high school friends.
Cult classic Summer of 84 takes the recent glut of ‘80s Stranger Things nostalgia and smothers it with cruel twists.
Netflix also got in on the action by adding a science fiction element. In the Shadow of the Moon pits a detective against a time-traveling killer.
But will The Little Things bring “cop vs. serial killer” stories back to the mainstream and away from procedural TV shows? Only time will tell.