Infamous Serial Killers

Halloween reminds us of everything scary. From ghosts to zombies, this holiday makes us confront some of our most outrageous fears.

But not all fears are as ridiculous as fearing a vampire attack. Serial Killers are an unfortunate reality of today's world. Every generation has its serial killer, and every serial killer has a story.

One of the most infamous serial killers is known as Jack the Ripper; an identity which has never been revealed. Jack the Ripper terrorized London in 1888, killing a disputed number of five women who worked the streets as prostitutes. The victims were found mutilated. At one crime scene, police found a bloody apron, and labeled the killer as "Leather Apron".

Letters were sent to newspapers and police, written by the alleged killer. Scholars have proven that at least two letters were written by the same person. In the first letter, the killer laughs at the police. As published by The Crime Library website. The letters reads as follows: "I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they won't fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits."

The letter continues, with the killer explaining how much he "loves his work." The author then signs the letter as Jack the Ripper, coining the name.

Although the Ripper was never revealed, other serial killers have not been as lucky.

Henry Lee Lucas was born in the 1930's, to a prostitute mother and a wheelchair-ridden father. The family all slept in one bedroom, and according to CrimeLibrary.com, Lucas and his brother were often forced to watch their mother perform sexual acts with her clients. The mother would beat Lucas if he disobeyed her, and would curl his hair and send him to school wearing dresses.

Years later, as a young adult Lucas killed his mother. He stabbed her, and left her in his half-sister's apartment. Although she survived for two days, his mother suffered from a heart attack due to her injuries, and passed away. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 2-40 years in prison.

In prison, Lucas tried to kill himself twice, and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for four years. He was then released back to the prison, and warned that if released he would kill again. Despite the warning though, Lucas was released, only to kill more. According to CrimeLibrary.com, Lucas would have sex with his victims after killing them. He was finally tracked down and arrested, and he confessed to murdering hundreds of people.

Many horror movies had antagonists that mimic real life serial killers, but perhaps no serial killer has been imitated as much as Ed Gein has.

As a necrophilia, Gein used the body parts of his victims as household decoration. According to the website, he hung a headless torso from the ceiling, used skull caps as bowls, human skin was made into waste baskets and lampshades, and he actually had an entire suit made of skin. His condition was mimicked by Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs.

During his trial, it was revealed that Gein was a "Sexual psychopath" due to the odd relationship he had with his mother, which inspired Norman Bates' character in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

Gein was only convicted of two murders, and had dug up graves to decorate his house with other body parts. He eventually died at a hospital for the criminally insane.

Although it may appear that serial killing belongs to men, women have been guilty of the same as well. Born to a father imprisoned for child molestation and a dead beat mother, Aileen Wuornos began life as poorly as she lived it. As a hitch-hiking prostitute, she shot and killed seven men, and later confessed to her actions. She and girlfriend Tyria Moore lived together during her killing spree, and Wuornos confessed to protect her lover.

(by Ashley Studley)