The Element of Crime (Lars von Trier, 1984) – Two investigators search for a serial killer in a strange, post-Apocalyptic Europe. The early film by Danish controversial genius Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Antichrist) was a strong influence on the serial killer genre, including Se7en and other dark and decadent films. One of the first films based on the idea that “to catch the monster you have to become a monster himself.”
