Celluloid Serial Killers

Paul B. Kidd's Top 15 Serial Killer Movies Continued...

4. Prime Suspect: Episodes 1 (1991) C-208m & Episode 6 (1994) C-100m

Seeing as both of these episodes of this magnificent detective series were made for television and put onto video in 1996 and that number six is a sequel to number one (though many years later) I've lumped them both in together.

Episode one sees District Chief Inspector Jane Tennyson (Helen Mirren) in a brand new job in charge of a bunch of blokes and investigating a brand new case involving the brutal murder of a young woman. It becomes increasingly obvious that if Jane doesn't persist in her line of inquiries which leads her (and her alone) to believe that the bloke that did this murder has done a few others in different parts of England, that the killer will not only get away with one but lots of other murders as well.

Come with Jane as she battles the blokes who want her replaced with another bloke, the bureaucrats who want to replace her to please the blokes and the booze she quaffs by the vase full that seems to be the only thing that can console her after her lover leaves because she's spending too much time tracking down the serial killer.

During almost three and a half hours of superb film-making you find yourself almost jumping out of the chair to cheer Jane on through all of her adversities and watch as she triumphantly brings the case to its riveting finale, spits in the eye of bureaucracy, and all the blokes who started out hating her become her best buddies.

This is much, much more than just another serial killer movie. This is about life, adversity and winning against all odds. That is why it is must-see viewing. In episode six the bloke who has been locked away for the serial murders in episode one has had a book written about him claiming that he is innocent which seems highly likely when the bodies of young women start turning up with similarities that only the jailed killer and the police (Tennyson in particular) would know about.

Did Jane lock up the wrong villain? If not, is there a copycat killer on the loose and if so how did he/she find out the secrets of the previous killings? It's riveting stuff with Jane's love life still in turmoil only this time with a different bloke and the bureaucrats are still trying to cut down the tall poppy.

A serial killer movie for all the family and not to be missed by any serious serial killer movie fan. Both of these episodes could be a bit hard to find but the search will be worth it.