30 Disturbing Interviews with Killers

30 Disturbing Interviews with Killers

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at thirty highly disturbing interviews that were conducted with murderers and serial killers.

Andrei Chikatilo

Considered one of the most depraved serial killers in Russian history, Andrei Chikatilo boasts a macabre history. Known by names like The Rostov Ripper and The Butcher of Rostov, Chikatilo was convicted of murdering 52 people between 1978 and 1990. He was known to lure his victims into secluded areas, and his murders were often sexually motivated and extremely brutal. Hes a monster, and seemed to harbor a chilling detachment to his crimes. A number of interviews were conducted with Chikatilo while he was on death row awaiting execution, and he recounts his horrific crimes with a calm voice and a creepy, dispassionate method. Theyre the key hallmarks of a true psychopath.

David Parker Ray

While he was never officially convicted of murder, authorities believe that David Parker Ray may have killed up to sixty women between the late 50s and the late 90s. Ray lived for decades as a free and unassuming man, working maintenance with the New Mexico Parks Department. But in secret, Ray was abducting, assaulting, and likely killing dozens of women. He later became known as The Toy Box Killer, named for the soundproofed semi-trailer in which he kept his victims. Just one week after he was convicted of kidnapping, KOB 4 landed a short interview with Ray, his friendly, almost grandpa-ly demeanor clashing heavily with the disgusting things that he says. That smile is enough to chill your blood.

Ward Weaver

Back in 2003, Portlands KATU were granted an interview with Ward Weaver. Weaver followed in the depraved footsteps of his father, who was convicted of a double murder back in 1984. In January 2002, Weaver kidnapped Ashley Pond as she was walking to her school bus stop. Two months later, Ponds classmate, Miranda Gaddis, also disappeared. The remains of both girls were found on Weavers property the following August, resulting in a life sentence. During the interview with KATU, Weaver is constantly spitting out lies, maintaining his innocence throughout and even callously laughing as if he didnt have a care in the world. He even seems to show disdain towards his victims, a bizarre trait which many viewers have noticed - much to their annoyance.

Kenneth Bianchi

The Hillside Strangler terrorized the Los Angeles area between October 1977 and February 1978, killing ten people and often leaving their bodies in public. Following an investigation, it was discovered that The Hillside Strangler was actually two people - cousins Angelo Buono Jr. and Kenneth Bianchi. Aside from the ten Hillside Strangler victims, Bianchi also murdered at least two more people by himself in the state of Washington. Bianchi later became one of the subjects of the documentary Death Diploma, and whats most scary is just how normal he appears. He doesnt look frightening, he is friendly and well-spoken, and he constantly denies his many atrocious crimes. This is the work of a master manipulator.

Bernard Giles

In 2018 and 2019, Piers Morgan sat down with a number of serial killers, delving into their crimes, motives, and psychologies. The creepiest interview was with Bernard Giles, a man who murdered four teenage girls and one woman throughout 1973. Giles would pick up his young victims as they were hitchhiking, murder them, and ditch their bodies in the wooded areas around Brevard County, Florida. He was finally caught when two potential victims escaped and called the police, and he was given life in prison. Unlike the others so far, Giless interview is surprisingly candid and open, with the killer outwardly admitting his crimes and recounting them in extensive, albeit highly disturbing, detail. We dont know whats creepier - the lying and manipulation, or the truth.

Arthur Shawcross

Known as the Genesee River Killer, Arthur Shawcross killed two people in Watertown, New York in 1972, but under the terms of a controversial plea bargain, he only served fourteen years in prison. He was considered no longer dangerous and released in 1987. Unfortunately, Shawcross almost immediately began killing again, and throughout 88 and 89 he murdered at least eleven more victims. He served his life sentence in New Yorks Sullivan Correctional Facility, which is where this interview was conducted. Shawcross looks like a lovable grandfather, but his appearance betrays his nightmarish speech, in which he recounts his crimes in a clinical manner, without a single ounce of passion or remorse. He appears normal, but there is nothing behind those eyes.

Gary Hilton

Court TV has a great series on YouTube called Interview with a Killer, in which a journalist sits down with various murderers and, well, interviews them. In one notable episode, David Scott sits down with Gary Hilton, one of the oldest serial killers in America. Hilton murdered at least four people between 2007 and 2008, when he was in his early 60s. Hilton comes across as annoyingly boastful, showing a huge degree of pride and amusement in his murders. Its truly sickening watching his eyes glint every time he recounts taking a life. However, Scott proves a commendable interviewer and often pushes back on Hiltons warped stories, resulting in a fantastic and highly entertaining game of mental cat and mouse.

Christopher Porco

On November 15, 2004, Christopher Porco entered the home of his parents, Peter and Joan, in Delmar, New York. He then attacked his parents with a firemans axe as they slept. Joan suffered extensive injuries to her head but somehow managed to survive. Peter was also bludgeoned, but he got up in the morning and went about his daily routine before collapsing and dying in the foyer. While Porco was found guilty, some ambiguity still surrounds the case, and Porco pounces on it in this interview with Piers Morgan. In fact, Porco is so manipulative and believable that Morgan himself seems to fall for it. Its scenes like this that remind us of how persuasive and likable the average psychopath can be.

Ian Huntley

On August 4, 2002, two school children, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, disappeared from Soham, Cambridge­shire. An extensive search effort was undertaken to find the missing girls, and news crews came out to Soham to interview locals and follow the search. Jeremy Thompson of Sky News found the school caretaker, Ian Huntley. Huntley reports that the girls walked by his house and that they briefly shared words about his girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was the girls teaching assistant. On August 17, their bodies were found in a ditch in nearby Suffolk. Following an investigation, it was discovered that the perpetrator was Ian Huntley, who lured the girls into his house - the same house hes standing in front of throughout the interview.

Mark David Chapman

When someone kills a major celebrity, they themselves become something of a celebrity. Such is the case with Mark David Chapman, one of the most famous killers in American history. On the night of December 8, 1980, Chapman shot John Lennon as he was entering his apartment complex, then calmly sat and waited for the police to arrive. It must have been a very surreal sight. Perhaps even more surreal was seeing Chapman on primetime TV, interviewed by none other than Larry King. Chapman comes across as both calm and articulate, a killer hiding in plain sight. He almost sounds bored recalling one of the most pivotal moments in modern history.

Richard Kuklinski

Richard Kuklinski, a.k.a. The Iceman, has been the subject of multiple documentaries over the years, and even a feature film. The validity of his claims has been questioned, specifically the large number of contract killings in which Kuklinski had reportedly taken part. Still, this doesnt change the fact that Kuklinski was a startling interview, one that gave credence to his chilling namesake. Kuklinski does indeed come across as icy and detached within both The Iceman Tapes and The Iceman Confesses, describing his double life as a devoted family man and cold-hearted killer. Although the Iceman passed away in 2006, his reputation lives on within this disturbing footage.

Stephen McDaniel

Like the interview with Ian Huntley, this one depicts a killer feigning ignorance and giving an interview to a local news station while posing as an innocent bystander. McDaniels demeanor seems busy and energetic, as the wheels appear set in motion within his head. He attempts to set up an alibi for himself, although hes soon caught off guard when he learns, on camera, that part of his victims remains have been recovered. [1] At this point, McDaniel stops dead in his tracks, his eyes glaze over, and his reactions say it all: he knows hes been caught. Its surreal to see it all play out in real time.

Dennis Rader

Its the brazen and nonchalant attitude emanating from Dennis Rader that makes this interview with the BTK Killer so disturbing. The piece was conducted by Massachusetts psychologist Robert Mendoza, and it took place almost immediately after Rader plead guilty to ten counts of first-degree murder. To hear Rader describe his methodology in such laissez-faire terms is chilling, as BTK details how he would stalk and learn about his potential victims before striking. He even describes a kit of tools that he would use during the proceedings. Rader also tells Mendoza that he couldnt help but commit these crimes, and he muses as to whether or not being dropped on his head as a child resulted in some form of demonic possession.

David Berkowitz

Full disclosure: the purpose behind this interview with the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, is a vehicle to showcase the killers born-again beliefs. Still, the source details are there. Berkowitz is interviewed with soft, acoustic guitar music in the background and flattering lighting, the exact opposite of what we normally expect from these sorts of interviews. Its still a bit unsettling, this humanizing of the .44 Caliber Killer who held New York City in the grip of fear back in the 1970s. Around the time of this interview, Berkowitz also tried to insinuate that a Satanic cult had used him as a pawn in these killings, but a new investigation could not corroborate these claims.

Peter Sutcliffe

Jack wasnt the only Ripper in England. Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, terrorized the areas of Manchester and West Yorkshire between 1975 and 1980. Sutcliffe targeted sex workers or women that he perceived as being involved in such business, although his criteria for such assumptions could be something as innocuous as a woman being out in the early morning. Sutcliffes various phone interviews with officials and the media lean into the Rippers violent and misogynist views, to the point where he callously labels one of his victims as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sutcliffe even went as far as referring to his victims as filth during his confession to police.

Peter Kürten

Peter Kürten was dubbed The Vampire of Düsseldorf, due to the killers reputation for savagery, as well as his fixation on blood. Although this interview report dates all the way back to Kürtens execution on July 1st, 1931, and has admittedly fallen into the realm of nebulous urban legend, the legacy is no less chilling. Kürten was speaking with a prison psychologist while awaiting the guillotine when he asked whether or not would he shortly afterwards be able to hear the sound of his own blood. His head currently resides at Ripleys Believe It or Not! museum in Wisconsin as an exhibit attraction.

Samuel Little

Its infuriating to think that a serial killer can go on killing for so long that they can eventually just slow down due to old age. Samuel Little possessed the largest confirmed victims list in U.S. history, beginning way back in 1970, if not sooner. Little continued his murderous ways for over thirty years until he was finally apprehended, thanks to advances in modern forensic pathology. This career criminal never showed remorse for his behavior, either. The official FBI YouTube account has a wealth of confessions from Little, all of which possess the killers relaxed, almost self-satisfied attitude.

Sammy Gravano

So many true crime aficionados study the interviews of serial killers, but the stories from the underworld of organized crime can be equally chilling. Take, for example, the story of Sammy The Bull Gravano. The Bull was a notorious Gambino Family underboss who broke the organizations code of silence in speaking to officials and testifying as a government witness against mob boss John Gotti. Gravanos own demeanor during this 1997 interview with Diane Sawyer is a mixture of frankness and arrogance as he describes a life of contract killing. The Bulls story feels just as cinematic as The Godfather, a stranger-than-fiction story of true, organized crime.

Diane Downs

The case of Diane Downs is one steeped in trauma and violence, a situation of loss for everyone involved. Downs was convicted for killing one of her children and making an attempt on the other two on May 19th, 1983. Downs has claimed in interviews, such as this 1984 piece from KEZI Eyewitness News, that she was herself the victim of abuse as a child. However, Downs also attempted to play off her attack as a random crime perpetrated by a carjacker. Additionally, her demeanor in this interview exudes this sense of calm, with plenty of smiles and very specific recollections about the incident. Its chilling stuff.

Westley Allan Dodd

There is a shocking matter-of-factness within almost every interview containing soundbites from Westley Allan Dodd. The convicted killer and predator was known for saying, point-blank, that he would kill again, if set free. Dodd was so intent on underlying his crimes and behavior that he even stressed, on multiple occasions, that he deserved the death penalty. Dodd never shied away from detailing his criminal past, recounting how hed been committing horrible crimes of violence since he was very young. Eventually, Dodd got his wish, as he was executed on January 5th, 1993.

John Wayne Gacy

The recent Netflix documentary, The John Wayne Gacy Tapes, did a lot to point out the notorious serial killers sociopathic tendencies when it came to shifting blame for his accused crimes. This wasnt the first time evidence to that end has come out, however, as documented by this piece from CBS News 2 Chicago, back in 1992. Interviewer Walter Jacobson doesnt need to do much talking in his encounter with Gacy, as it quickly becomes clear that the former Pogo the Clown is trying his best to present alibi after alibi for his innocence. Gacy himself is composed for the most part, although there is a moment where he demonstrates his infamous rope trick with a shoelace that echoes the methodology of his horrible crimes.

Ted Bundy

Time can change many things about a person, including how they behave while being interviewed. The Ted Bundy featured in a 1977 jailhouse interview from KUTV News appears more in line with the suave-yet-cold-blooded reputation Bundy had amongst other notorious serial killers. He smiles a lot during the piece, and possesses body language that appears relaxed and almost happy. Bundy keeps eye contact with his interviewer throughout most of their conversation, and its easy to become lulled into a false sense of security which was exactly Teds intention. Fast forward to the night before his execution, and we see a fearful and pensive Ted Bundy, a man seeking to shift blame for his crimes during his interview with Christian conservative evangelist James Dobson.

Richard Ramirez

The Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez, may be one of the most frightening serial killers of all time, not only due to the brutality of his crimes, but also the projected aura of what many perceive to be pure evil. Its easy to see why during some of Ramirezs more notable interviews over the years, including one conducted with author Mike Watkiss. Richards somewhat tense responses to Watkisss questioning imply a coiled rage, an anger thats also exemplified by the Night Stalkers breathing as he seems to become annoyed with Watkiss. Ramirez is comparatively more relaxed during a piece with Inside Edition, although that interview also hammers home the Night Stalkers obsession with Satanism, evil and the occult.

Edmund Kemper

Theres something truly bone-chilling about the matter-of-fact way in which the Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper, describes his past in the 1981 documentary, The Killing of America. Kempers impressive intellect and well-spoken nature belie the brutality of a life that committed its first murder at the age of fifteen. The killer even makes a self-referential joke to his modus operandi of picking up hitchhikers by putting on a pair of glasses, and asking the camera whether they would get into a car with him. Kempers mental state comes across as perpetually active, like a bubbling pot of water about to boil over, while the documentary's exploitative narration pushes the creep factor of this one over the top.

Jeffrey Dahmer

Theres no barely-repressed rage within the demeanor of Jeffrey Dahmer as he discusses his history with interviewer Stone Phillips. Nor are there arent any wild, headline-grabbing theatrics. Instead, Dahmers quiet and soft-spoken recounting of his horrible crimes lends the piece that much more power. Theres the power of shock as he discusses the failed attempts at creating living zombies with the remains of his victims. Theres also the power of how Dahmers moments of shocking violence are undercut by the killers regret for the decisions he made, and the futility of what seemed to be a date with infamy and destiny.

Gary Ridgway

Gary Ridgway, a.k.a. the Green River Killer, was one of the most prolific of all American serial murderers. Ridgway was also perhaps one of the most unrepentant, a sentiment thats placed front and center during any of his interviews. Take, for example, one he did with FBI psychopathy profiler Mary Ellen OToole, where he very calmly describes how he would gain the trust of his victims. OToole manages to get Ridgway talking in-depth about his past, his upbringing, and the dozens of victims attributed to the Green River Killers rampage.

Charles Manson

Theres been a wealth of interview footage of Charles Manson released over the years, much of which can be used as evidence for the mans often-unhinged persona. And theres a lot of that here from this 1987 interview with Today correspondent Heidi Schulman. However, theres also this intent to shatter the myth of Manson as a leader, and this is aided by the visual of Mansons scattershot presence during the interview. Although the occasionally violent outbursts by Manson have been well-documented in this piece, its the more soft-spoken soundbites that reveal more about the mans own admitted failures and shortcomings.

Ottis Toole

This interview with Ottis Toole is the stuff of nightmares. There are a lot of reasons for this, too, not the least of which is Tooles explosive bursts of laughter, and absolutely chilling smile. Additionally, theres the explicit nature of how Toole describes his past crimes, and how the former associate of fellow killer Henry Lee Lucas seems to easily disassociate the value of human life. The grainy and blown-out A/V quality of this interview footage only seems to add to the feeling of grime and filth left over by Tooles gleeful accounts and delivery.

Issei Sagawa

Its not often that a known cannibal is allowed to walk the streets, but that was the case with Issei Sagawa. Sagawas history of murder is detailed in a VICE documentary, while Issei himself describes the premeditated shooting of his classmate while living and studying in France. Sagawas obsessions are also detailed in the piece, as well as the legal loopholes that allowed the killer to escape prison time for his actions. Sagawas quiet and fragile demeanor undercuts his words, all spoken in equally hushed and inoffensive tones. Its a frankly horrifying and unbelievable story.

Aileen Wuornos

This interview with Aileen Wuornos on the eve of her execution is disturbing for a number of reasons. For starters, there are the crimes for which Wuornos was convicted, but there are also the stories Aileen tells about her treatment in prison. Her accusations of sonic torment and food tampering speak to her paranoia and mental state during this time, a state that gradually reaches a fever pitch during the interview. Wuornoss face as she directly addresses the camera is chilling, and the audience can only stare back into her eyes as the condemned killer accuses society of railroading and sabotage.

Which of these creeped you out the most? Let us know in the comments below!