Serial killer trivia questions are a great way to test your knowledge of the world's most notorious criminals.
From the infamous Jeffery Dahmer to the mysterious Zodiac Killer, these questions will put your sleuthing skills to the test!
Here's a warm-up question to get you started:
Question: Patrick Bateman is narrator and a serial killer in what novel by Bret Easton Ellis? The book was later translated to film by Mary Harron in 2000.
Answer: American Psycho
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87 Serial Killer Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated For 2024)
- Robert Ressler coined the term "serial killer" while a member of the Criminal Apprehension Program in what organization during the 1970s?
Answer: FBI
- Technically classified as a domestic terrorist rather than a serial killer, Timothy James McVeigh was an American who killed 168 people in what city?
Answer: Oklahoma City
- Thomas Harris's 1981 novel "Red Dragon" marks the first appearance of what dubious serial killer who was famously portrayed by Anthony Hopkins a decade later?
Answer: Hannibal Lecter
- Bruce Springsteen's landmark 1982 song "Nebraska," from the album of the same name, tells the first-person story of what serial killer who terrorized the state in 1958?
Answer: Charles Starkweather
- Serial Killer Ted Bundy is referenced in the song "Stay Wide Awake" by what famous Detroit rapper?
Answer: Eminem
- Nike's famous "Just Do It" slogan was inspired by the final words of a convicted serial killer, Gary Gilmore. Which of the three words in Nike's slogan does not appear in the quote from the death row inmate?
Answer: Just
- Michael C. Hall is probably best known for playing the titular serial killer on what Showtime drama that ran from 2006 to 2013?
Answer: Dexter
- What governmental agency released a 2008 handbook titled "Serial Murder"? The publication was the result of a 2005 symposium that brought together leading experts on the tactics and history of the grisly crime.
Answer: FBI
- What serial killer was never caught after a string of California murders in the 20th century? This killer self-identified with a "cross circle" symbol.
Answer: Zodiac Killer
- World Series of Poker professional player Phil Laak has been granted what serial killer nickname because of his hood and sunglasses worn while playing poker?
Answer: The Unabomber
- "The Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron" are two alternative monikers used to refer to what famous London serial killer?
Answer: Jack the Ripper
- Luis Garavito murdered over a hundred victims in Colombia and neighboring areas in the 1990s. He was given what “B” nickname due to his animal-like viciousness, a name otherwise often associated with beauty?
Answer: The Beast
- What serial killer, who killed at least 30 young women in the 1970s, grew up in Tacoma, Washington and went to college at the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington?
Answer: Ted Bundy
- What numerically named 1995 film about two detectives tracking down a serial killer was the second feature film directed by David Fincher?
Answer: Seven
- What American serial killer, nicknamed the Milwaukee Cannibal, killed and dismembered 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991?
Answer: Jeffrey Dahmer
- Mikhail Popkov, a Russian rapist and serial killer who tallied over 70 victims in the 1990s and 2000s, is known by what lycanthropic nickname, associating him indirectly with Team Jacob and Lon Chaney, Jr.?
Answer: The Werewolf
- Pedro Filho killed 100 victims from 1967 to 2003, 47 of those while incarcerated. Sentenced to 128 years in prison, he was released after 30 years due to the maximum sentence allowed by what South American country?
Answer: Brazil
- In 1972, which active but yet-to-be-identified serial killer was appointed to Seattle’s Crime Prevention Advisory Committee?
Answer: Ted Bundy
- Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey all featured in what dark 1995 film surrounding a serial killer's numeric obsession?
Answer: Se7en
- Sharon Marie Tate Polanski was one of the most famous victims of what cult serial killer's followers?
Answer: Charles Manson
- Cannibalistic serial killer was just a sideline for Hannibal Lecter, who was what kind of doctor prior to his incarceration?
Answer: Psychiatrist
- "Helter Skelter" is a 1974 book by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry about what serial killer? Bugliosi had in fact served as prosecutor during the killer's 1970 trial.
Answer: Charles Manson
- Now serving life in prison, Russian serial killer Alexander Pichushkin had no defense for wanting to kill 64 people to match the number of spaces on the board for what game?
Answer: Chess
- Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star as detectives on the hunt for a serial killer who's obsessed with the Deadly Sins, in what 1995 crime thriller film?
Answer: Seven
- Infamous serial killer and body-snatcher Ed Gein was the inspiration for horror character Bubba "Leatherface" Sawyer. Which movie franchise made Leatherface a household name among horror movie buffs?
Answer: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Serial killer Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez was an enormous fan of the song “Night Prowler.” Somehow that helped fuel some ‘80s Satanic panic that there might be hidden messages in what “Hell’s Bells” band’s tapes?
Answer: AC/DC
- In the 2012 movie "The Raven," a serial killer is inspired by the works of what real-life author?
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
- The "Lake Herman Road attack" and the "Blue Rock Springs attack" are two of the most famous incidents involving which (still uncaptured) serial killer? Three of this killer's four cryptograms remain unsolved as well.
Answer: The Zodiac Killer
- "Buffalo Bill" was the actor Ted Levine's serial killer name in what 1991 film?
Answer: Silence of the Lambs
- "Son of Sam" and ".44 Caliber Killer" were aliases of an American serial killer who pleaded guilty to eight separate shooting attacks in what U.S. city?
Answer: New York City
- Robert Ressler, former FBI Director, coined the term "serial killer" during what decade?
Answer: 1970s
- What famous serial killer's first murder was Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski?
Answer: Charles Manson
- During Ted Bundy's earliest killings, he was spotted with what distinctive type of coleopteran vehicle?
Answer: Volkswagen Beetle
- What Chicago-based book was released in 2003 and simultaneously follows dual plot lines of the architecture of the 1893 World's Fair and the murderous rampage of serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes?
Answer: The Devil in the White City
- Ted Bundy is an American serial killer who rose to infamy during a string of 1970s atrocities. Bundy was eventually caught and legally killed via what method?
Answer: Electric chair
- Shot partly in Pennsylvania and partly in New Zealand, what "skeletal" 2009 Peter Jackson film got Stanley Tucci a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for playing a serial killer?
Answer: The Lovely Bones
- There are three unsolved murders of women in Scotland believed to have been committed by a "Bible John" killer. In which Scottish city did these crimes occur?
Answer: Glasgow
- Reflecting the mask he wears, fictional serial killer Thomas Hewitt of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is better known by what nickname?
Answer: Leatherface
- Serial killer Jack the Ripper was the titular subject of a 1992 song by what English rock band with an umlaut in its name?
Answer: Motörhead
- The prosecutor in Charles Manson's trial later wrote a book about the Manson murders and the book titled shared a name with what Beatles song?
Answer: Helter Skelter
- Harold Shipman (1946-2004) is often considered one of history's most prolific serial killers, with over 250 murders. However, these went unnoticed for many years because he served in what profession?
Answer: Doctor
- What 2002 prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs" features Hannibal Lecter helping an FBI agent to catch another serial killer, the latter played by Ralph Fiennes?
Answer: Red Dragon
- Proclaiming to have killed 37 victims, the infamous Zodiac Killer signed his many letters with a symbol that combined a cross with what shape?
Answer: Circle
- The antihero-led serial killer drama "Dexter" aired for seven years in the U.S. on what premium television channel?
Answer: Showtime
- Which 2008 CBS crime drama starred Simon Baker as a “mind reader” working with the California Bureau of Investigation to avenge a serial killer (“Red John”) who murdered his family?
Answer: The Mentalist
- Patrick Bateman is narrator and a serial killer in what novel by Bret Easton Ellis? The book was later translated to film by Mary Harron in 2000.
Answer: American Psycho
- The serial killer David Berkowitz called himself the "Son of Sam" and claimed a demon spoke to him through a neighbor's dog. Before being caught and convicted in 1977, he killed six people and wounded seven others in what American city?
Answer: New York City
- Though the term's origins are debated, the most likely source of "serial killer" comes from Ernst Gennat's usage of "serienmorder" — a term from what language?
Answer: German
- Which novel by Robert Bloch includes allusions to serial killer Ed Gein? This novel was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1960 that was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Answer: Psycho
- Bret Easton Ellis wrote what 2-word titled novel in 1991 about a serial killer and Manhattan businessman?
Answer: American Psycho
- The case of "Bible John" was an unsolved triple murder in Scotland. In which city did these crimes occur?
Answer: Glasgow
- John Wayne Gacy Jr., aka "The Killer Clown," was incarcerated and held on death row for 14 years in what U.S. state?
Answer: Illinois
- Which serial killer of boys and young men performed as Pogo the Clown at charitable events and children's parties?
Answer: John Wayne Gacy
- Known occasionally as the "Angel of Death," Harold Shipman was the subject of the British investigation known as The Shipman Inquiry which determined there were at least 200 victims from this serial killer. During working hours, what profession was Harold Shipman?
Answer: Doctor
- What 20th century American serial killer was known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster?
Answer: Jeffey Dahmer
- John Wayne Gacy was a serial killer who dressed as what type of children's performer?
Answer: Pogo the Clown
- During what decade did Robert Ressler, former director of the FBI Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, coin the term "serial killer"?
Answer: 1970s
- Played by C.S. Lee, Vince Masuka is the Miami Metro Police's lead forensic science investigator and works alongside the titular serial killer in what Showtime TV series?
Answer: Dexter
- "Serial thrilla, serious killa" is a line from a 1997 song by what precocious-sounding British EDM band?
Answer: The Prodigy
- Pedro Lopez killed a large number of young girls across South America during the 1970s. His crimes gave him the nickname “The Monster Of” what large mountain range, running across South America’s western side?
Answer: The Monster Of The Andes
- 1970s-1980s South American serial killer Daniel Camargo Barbosa escaped from prison in which country, and subsequently relocated to Ecuador, continuing his crimes? The country of his original capture has capital at Bogota.
Answer: Colombia
- Kampatimar Shankariya, an Indian serial killer of the 1970s, was known for hitting his victims with what construction tool? The tool is more commonly used to hit nails into place.
Answer: Hammer
- What is the name for the genre of nonfiction podcasts that examine criminal activities, especially murder and serial killers?
Answer: True Crime
- In Illinois and Indiana in the late 1880s, a female serial killer murdered at least 14 people she’d lured by placing marriage ads in local papers. Dubbed “Hell’s Belle,” she only stopped killing when she died in a fire in 1908—or did she? What was the name of the murderous mistress who some historians believe faked her death?
Answer: Belle Gunness
- "Psycho Killer" was a 1977 alternative rock song by what American band fronted by David Byrne? The song was considered "eerily timely" and marked by a "macabre synchronicity" because it was released during the "Son of Sam" serial killings.
Answer: Talking Heads
- On January 24, 1989, what famous serial killer was put to death in the Florida State Prison in an electric chair known as "Old Sparky"?
Answer: Ted Bundy
- Despite poor reviews and even poorer performance at the box office, what 1999 movie set in Boston (though mostly filmed in Toronto) that followed fraternal twins turned vigilante killers became a cult favorite in part due to an exclusive partnership with Blockbuster?
Answer: The Boondock Saints
- The "Servant Girl Annihilator" is the gory nickname given by writer O. Henry to the unknown Austin serial killer who murdered eight people from 1884-1885 with what common arboreal tool?
Answer: Axe
- In a two-part story during the show "Seinfeld", Kramer is mistakenly arrested and accused of being the serial killer known by what monicker?
Answer: The Smog Strangler
- Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who has a superhuman sense of smell, becomes a serial killer who murders women to create the titular substance of what 1985 novel by German author Patrick Süskind?
Answer: Perfume
- Played by Jamie Dornan, Paul Spector is a seemingly mild-mannered husband, father, and bereavement counselor who is also a serial killer on what BBC series?
Answer: The Fall
- Convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala was often known by a nickname derived from his appearance on what popular game show?
Answer: The Dating Game
- In September 2018, Juan David Ortiz was indicted for 4 separate murders after a potential 5th victim escaped. Ortiz was quickly labeled a "serial killer" by the media, which was especially problematic as he lived in southern Texas and worked for what federal law enforcement agency?
Answer: U.S. Border Patrol
- In 1985, a 38-year-old Sacramento man named Hugh Scrutton was killed by what nicknamed serial killer in the U.S.?
Answer: The Unabomber
- Author Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy traced the arc of what serial killer-tracking computer hacker? We're looking for the name of the famous woman with the "Dragon Tattoo."
Answer: Lisbeth Salander
- Which serial killer claimed 11 female victims between 1962 and 1964 before he was eventually identified as Albert DeSalvo?
Answer: The Boston Strangler
- Truman Capote's famous non-fiction work "In Cold Blood" describes a burglary and grisly quadruple murder by Richard Hickock and Perry Smith in what state?
Answer: Kansas
- An unidentified serial killer in San Francisco, who committed a series of murders and assaults in 1974-1975, was given what nickname due to his habit of sketching his victims beforehand?
Answer: Doodler
- Professor Joe Carroll was not only responsible for the Virginia Campus Murders, but also created a cult of serial killers, on what thriller TV series that aired for 3 seasons on Fox starting in 2013?
Answer: The Following
- What singer-songwriter wrote and sang a song about infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy on his 2005 double-album titled "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" The biggest hit from the album was simply titled "Chicago."
Answer: Sufjan Stevens
- What is the weapon of choice of the serial killer antagonist in the movie No Country for Old Men?
Answer: Bolt Stunner
- Fictional white supremacist and serial killer Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell was a member of the infamous Fox River Eight group of inmates in what long-running TV drama?
Answer: Prison Break
- In which decade did serial killers in the United States peak if each serial killer is bucketed by the year of their first victim.
Answer: 1980s
- Richard Kuklinski, the contract killer known as "The Iceman" (he is the basis of the movie with the same name), was convicted of killing 6 people and claimed to have killed over 100. In what state did he primarily operate?
Answer: New Jersey
- There's a famous French folktale written by Charles Perrault and first published in Paris in 1697 describing a serial killer in the habit of murdering his wives. This man was known by his hair color and his name has distinct similarities with a few well-known pirates. Who is this French folktale character?
Answer: Bluebeard
- The Baseline Killer, The Maryvale serial shooter, and the Serial Shooter are all locally-famous killers from what 48th U.S. state?
Answer: Arizona
- "The owl defense" or "owl theory" was used in a famous murder trial by attorney Larry Pollard to explain the head wound of the female victim. This is highlighted in the true crime series "The Staircase," but who was the alleged HUMAN murderer in the case?
Answer: Michael Peterson
Serial Killer Trivia Quizzes (Frequently Asked Questions)
What makes serial killer trivia so engaging?
Serial killer trivia quizzes immerse you in a world of mystery and crime, allowing you to explore some of the most infamous cases that have ever occurred.
With questions ranging from basic facts to detailed analysis, these quizzes give fans the opportunity to test their knowledge and discover interesting new information about these notorious criminals.
What kind of questions should I expect in serial killer trivia?
Questions range from basic facts about a specific criminal or case to more detailed questions that require you to delve deeper into the crime.
You might be asked about the methods used by serial killers, the victims they chose and why, or even what clues were left at the scene of the crime.
No matter your level of knowledge on these infamous cases, you’re sure to find interesting and challenging questions that spark your curiosity.
Are there any extra tips I should know?
A quick visit to YouTube will unearth many informative and entertaining videos about notorious serial killers.
These can give you an extra insight into the case and help you answer any tricky questions that might arise in a trivia quiz.
Beyond this, all you need to do is use your detective skills and stay focused throughout the quiz!
Where can you find serial killer trivia questions?
The best place to find serial killer trivia questions is the internet.
Try searching for sites or forums dedicated to true crime and you’re sure to find some interesting and engaging puzzles that will put your knowledge of these infamous cases to the test.
Get started with a free four-week trial today!
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer of Water Cooler Trivia. He can't wait for the next year with three 2's in it.
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