There is something about crime shows that grab at viewers’ attention. It’s the prime reason, probably; that Law & Order: SVU was renewed for a 21st season. Another crime show that has contended with SVU is Criminal Minds. Lasting fifteen seasons, the show consists of brutal murders every episode. Heinous crimes that need to be solved by the Behavioral Analysis Unit. While most episodes consist of the “killer of the week”, there have been some that have stood out.
Below is a list of who I believe are the most chilling and memorable “unsubs” of Criminal Minds.
Tobias Hankel
Dr. Spencer Reid was a drug addict once upon a time in Criminal Minds. This is traced back to him being kidnapped by Tobias Hankel. Nicknamed the Angel of Death, he had three different personalities due to an abusive upbringing with his father. The three personalities were his own, his father Charles, and Raphael, who ruthlessly killed people. He would call 911 before killing people who he deemed were committing “sins”. He then held Spencer Reid hostage, often drugging him, and torturing him. For a good while, it almost seemed like the good doctor was going to become a casualty of this ruthless killer.
Henry Grace
When you think of Jason Alexander, you think of the hilarity of George Costanza on the hit series Seinfeld. But, Jason gave one hell of a performance in season four of Criminal Minds. The brother of another criminal, Henry Grace worked a plan that took five years in order to get back at Detective Rossi. Brilliant and obsessed with the Fibonacci sequence and phi, he took women in who fit his idea of “perfection” and killed them. Highly narcissistic, Henry poses as a professor to enact his plot against Rossi. It’s almost a perfect plan, but as we’ve seen, the BAU is better. Still, Jason gave us a great performance in the episode Masterpiece and needed to be on this list.
Cat Adams
Oh, Aubrey Plaza. Who else can play a psychotic femme fatale better than she? Don’t answer that question, because it’s no one. No one can be better than Aubrey Plaza. This was clearly the case when she walked into Criminal Minds. Giving Spencer Reid one of the best storylines he’s ever had, Plaza played Cat Adams. And Cat could go toe to toe with the genius former boy wonder. Essentially a black widow, she challenges both Reid and the BAU every step of the way. Even from prison, Cat is able to get under the skin of everyone at the BAU. Simply put, she is one of the most memorable characters in the series and every scene she was in was a thrill to watch.
Frank Breitkopf
Agent Gideon was one of the best in Criminal Minds and it took Frank Breitkopf to take him down. Portrayed by Oscar winner Keith Carradine, Frank is a chilling and cold-blooded psychopath. Described as one of the most prolific killers, he would drug his victims so that they were paralyzed and conscious when he would kill them. Even more disturbing, he had mirrors on the ceiling so that his victims could see him “operating” on them. Not only was he highly intelligent and planned things to be three steps ahead at all times, but his second appearance was what really messed with Gideon. After losing the woman he claims to love, he takes it upon himself to start killing survivors of other killers that Gideon had logged into a book. In a final, unhinged move, he takes said woman and jumps in front of a train, so to never be able to pay for his crimes.
George Foyet
AKA The Reaper. In my mind, no one can top George Foyet. Played by C. Thomas Howell, Foyet was psychotic, narcissistic, and a hebephile. Foyet thrived on power and control. Which, was why he stopped killing for ten years; because he had made a deal with a cop if they stopped pursuing him. When that cop died, he started back up. Not only did he kill a bus full of people, but he also posed as The Reaper’s only surviving killer to get the scent off of him. Foyet’s goal was to become bigger than any serial killer known. He wanted to be written about and on the news. He escaped prison, took Hotch’s wife hostage, and killed her while the whole team, including Hotch; listened. To give us one chilling scene after another, Foyet was it.
Who do you consider the most terrifying killer on Criminal Minds?