Serial Killer Trivia

100+ Serial Killer Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: September 19th, 2024

Enter the dark world of Serial Killer Trivia! Test your knowledge of some of history's most infamous criminals, their chilling crimes, and the investigations that brought them to justice. From notorious names to lesser-known cases, this trivia dives into the psychology, motives, and mysteries surrounding serial killers. Whether you're a true crime enthusiast or just curious, this trivia will keep you on edge!

Serial Killer Profiles

Question: What is the minimum number of victims for someone to be classified as a serial killer?

Answer: Three victims

Question: Who coined the term "serial homicide" in 1974?

Answer: Robert Ressler

Question: What year did the term "serial killing" first gain popularity in the U.S.?

Answer: 1981

Question: Which U.S. agency uses the definition of serial murder as two or more victims killed in separate events?

Answer: FBI

Question: Which infamous serial killer was known as the "Monster of the Andes"?

Answer: Pedro Lopez

Question: How many people did H.H. Holmes confess to murdering in his Chicago "Murder Castle"?

Answer: More than 30

Question: What is the primary motivation for lust killers in the world of serial murder?

Answer: Sexual gratification

Question: What kind of killer sees themselves as "cleansing" society of certain types of people?

Answer: Mission-oriented killers

Question: What notorious serial killer claimed a demon in his neighbor's dog told him to murder?

Answer: David Berkowitz

Question: How did Jeffrey Dahmer attempt to dispose of some victims' bodies?

Answer: Using a vat of acid

Question: Who was convicted of killing 33 young men and buried their bodies under his house?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: What infamous killer known as "Dr. Death" killed over 250 victims under his care?

Answer: Harold Shipman

Question: Who was responsible for creating the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP)?

Answer: Pierce Brooks

Question: Which serial killer claimed he could turn into a werewolf granted by the devil?

Answer: Peter Stumpp

Question: What notorious killer terrorized London’s Whitechapel district in 1888?

Answer: Jack the Ripper

Question: What famous serial killer tried to create a will naming himself as the sole heir of his victim?

Answer: Harold Shipman

Question: Who confessed to murdering 110 young girls in Ecuador?

Answer: Pedro Lopez

Question: What method did Ted Bundy use to kill his victims?

Answer: Strangulation

Question: Who killed people in his infamous "Murder Castle" filled with trapdoors and secret passages?

Answer: H.H. Holmes

Question: What infamous killer mocked police by sending them letters describing his acts?

Answer: Jack the Ripper

Question: Which notorious serial killer buried victims in his crawl space beneath his home?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: Who was convicted of killing 17 people, mostly young men of color, in Milwaukee?

Answer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Question: What serial killer is featured in many true crime stories for killing women in the western U.S.?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: Who was known as “The French Ripper,” killing 11 women and children in France?

Answer: Joseph Vacher

Question: What killer was notorious for turning human flesh into souvenirs after his murders?

Answer: Ed Gein

Historical and International Serial Killers

Question: Which female serial killer is believed to have tortured and killed over 600 young women?

Answer: Elizabeth Báthory

Question: What German farmer, believing he was a werewolf, killed 14 children, including his own son?

Answer: Peter Stumpp

Question: Who was Finland’s most prolific serial killer, known as "Kerpeikkari"?

Answer: Juhani Aataminpoika

Question: What Chinese prince killed at least 100 people during his reign for sport?

Answer: Liu Pengli

Question: Which French serial killer was active during World War I, known as "The Bluebeard"?

Answer: Henri Landru

Question: Who was the Thuggee cult member believed to have killed as many as 931 victims?

Answer: Thug Behram

Question: What infamous serial killer operated a hotel designed for murder during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair?

Answer: H.H. Holmes

Question: What notorious Hungarian countess was known for killing young girls for their blood?

Answer: Elizabeth Báthory

Question: Which infamous serial killer from Colombia killed around 140 young boys?

Answer: Luis Garavito

Question: Which notorious South American serial killer was convicted of murdering 110 girls?

Answer: Pedro Lopez

Question: Who is considered one of history’s most infamous serial killers, killing peasants in the 15th century?

Answer: Gilles de Rais

Question: Which serial killer, known for wearing a wolf-like mask, killed people in medieval Germany?

Answer: Peter Stumpp

Question: What French serial killer confessed to killing and mutilating 11 women and children?

Answer: Joseph Vacher

Question: What South American serial killer targeted pre-teen victims, mostly from indigenous tribes?

Answer: Pedro Lopez

Question: What infamous Hungarian aristocrat was accused of killing hundreds of young girls in her castle?

Answer: Elizabeth Báthory

Question: Who was the first known serial killer in medieval China, believed to have killed 100 people?

Answer: Liu Pengli

Question: What 19th-century Finnish serial killer killed up to 12 people in just five weeks?

Answer: Juhani Aataminpoika

Question: Which infamous serial killer from Iran was known for targeting sex workers, claiming it was for "moral cleansing"?

Answer: Saeed Hanaei

Question: What South American killer is linked to over 300 murders, and his whereabouts remain unknown?

Answer: Pedro Lopez

Question: Who was the German serial killer known for his brutality and murder spree in the 1920s?

Answer: Fritz Haarmann

Question: Which serial killer's actions inspired vampire and werewolf legends in medieval Europe?

Answer: Peter Stumpp

Question: Which French serial killer killed children in the 15th century and is known as one of history's first notorious serial killers?

Answer: Gilles de Rais

Question: What French serial killer became known as "The French Ripper" during the late 19th century?

Answer: Joseph Vacher

Question: Who was an aristocrat accused of killing hundreds of girls for their blood in Transylvania?

Answer: Elizabeth Báthory

Question: What serial killer from Iran murdered sex workers, claiming to be on a religious mission?

Answer: Saeed Hanaei

U.S. Serial Killers

Question: Which notorious serial killer killed 17 young men and stored their body parts in his apartment?

Answer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Question: Who was the killer clown responsible for murdering 33 boys and young men in the U.S.?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: What was the primary method Ted Bundy used to lure his victims?

Answer: Pretending to be injured

Question: Which infamous serial killer was active in California and killed young women?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: What famous serial killer was known for keeping body parts of his victims, including human flesh?

Answer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Question: Which infamous serial killer enjoyed the media attention his trial garnered?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: Which serial killer known as "The BTK" killer tortured and killed 10 people in Kansas?

Answer: Dennis Rader

Question: Who was the famous serial killer known for turning human skin into furniture?

Answer: Ed Gein

Question: What infamous killer clown murdered 33 victims and hid them in his crawl space?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: Who was convicted of killing 33 boys and young men in the 1970s in Illinois?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: What serial killer featured in the ultimate serial killer trivia book lured young men to his home as a contractor offering jobs?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: What serial killer, featured in many ultimate collections of true crime stories, stored human flesh and skulls in his apartment?

Answer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Question: Which famous serial killer lured young women into his car by pretending to have a broken arm?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: What method did Jeffrey Dahmer use to try and create "living zombies" from his victims?

Answer: Drilling holes into their skulls

Question: What infamous U.S. serial killer was convicted of murdering 10 people in Kansas?

Answer: Dennis Rader

Question: Which notorious serial killer killed victims and dumped their bodies in mass graves in Colombia?

Answer: Pedro Lopez

Question: What serial killer from Milwaukee kept human flesh as trophies in his apartment?

Answer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Question: Which famous serial killer, active in the 1980s, claimed to be possessed by demons?

Answer: David Berkowitz

Question: What infamous California serial killer hunted his victims by pretending to need help?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: Who was the killer clown that terrorized suburban Illinois in the 1970s?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Question: What notorious U.S. serial killer was executed in 1989 for multiple murders?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: What notorious serial killer used human flesh to create keepsakes and souvenirs?

Answer: Ed Gein

Question: What type of trophies did Jeffrey Dahmer collect from his victims, including human flesh?

Answer: Body parts and skulls

Question: What infamous U.S. serial killer terrorized Kansas for nearly two decades under the name BTK?

Answer: Dennis Rader

Question: Who was the notorious serial killer that inspired the killer clown horror trope in movies?

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Serial Killer Psychology and Behavior

Question: What term describes killers who take pleasure from the pain and terror of their victims?

Answer: Thrill killers

Question: What infamous serial killer claimed to be instructed by demons to murder?

Answer: David Berkowitz

Question: What is the most common method used by female killers to murder their victims?

Answer: Poison

Question: Who was known as a disorganized serial killer, attacking impulsively and violently?

Answer: Richard Ramirez

Question: Which serial killer's murders were motivated by a desire for control over his victims?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: What psychological disorder involves an obsession with body parts and human flesh?

Answer: Paraphilia

Question: What childhood behavior is often a predictor of future violent tendencies, including serial murder?

Answer: Torturing animals

Question: What psychological term is used to describe a serial killer’s act of reliving their murders through souvenirs?

Answer: Totem collection

Question: Which female serial killer confessed to killing patients for sexual satisfaction?

Answer: Jane Toppan

Question: What is a common childhood trauma observed in many serial killers?

Answer: Parental neglect

Question: Which serial killer had a history of collecting body parts, including human flesh, from his victims?

Answer: Ed Gein

Question: What serial killer, known for chilling details in his true crime case, claimed to be fulfilling a religious mission?

Answer: Saeed Hanaei

Question: What psychological profile describes a serial killer who meticulously plans their murders?

Answer: Organized serial killer

Question: Which serial killer believed he was commanded by God to prevent earthquakes through human sacrifices?

Answer: Herbert Mullin

Question: What infamous U.S. serial killer was known for killing women in California during the 1970s?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: What historical term is used to describe a serial killer who kills victims over a period of time with no "cooling-off" period?

Answer: Spree-serial killer

Question: Which notorious serial killer was known for targeting women and killing them in a well-planned manner?

Answer: Ted Bundy

Question: Which serial killer is remembered for chilling details in his letters to police, taunting them with clues?

Answer: Zodiac Killer

Question: What type of serial killer gains satisfaction from controlling and dominating their victims?

Answer: Power/control killers

Question: What infamous "BTK" serial killer kept detailed records of his victims' deaths?

Answer: Dennis Rader

Question: Who was a medical professional known as an "angel of death" for killing over 250 patients?

Answer: Harold Shipman

Question: What type of killers are motivated by psychological breaks, believing they are commanded by divine forces?

Answer: Visionary serial killers

Question: Which serial killer is featured in many true crime stories for his obsession with human flesh?

Answer: Ed Gein

Question: What psychological model explains how early childhood trauma can lead to homicidal behavior later in life?

Answer: Trauma Control Model

Question: What notorious serial killer killed for the thrill and power, often revisiting his crimes in chilling detail?

Answer: Ted Bundy