A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

or a

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

. Killer may also refer to:

Arts, entertainment, and media

Fictional characters

* Killer, the secondary antagonist of the 1989 animated film ''

All Dogs Go to Heaven ''All Dogs Go to Heaven'' is a 1989 animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and co-directed by Gary Goldman (his directorial debut) and Dan Kuenster. Set in New Orleans in 1939, it tells the story of Charlie B. Barkin ...

'' * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' *

Killer Kane Killer Kane is a fictional character in the '' Buck Rogers'' comic strip and its subsequent 1939 '' Buck Rogers'' serial film produced by Universal Studios.M. Keith Brooker, ''Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels''.Santa Barbara, Cal ...

, the villain of the 1939 serial film ''Buck Rogers''

Films

* ''Killer!'' (1969 film), an alternative title for ''This Man Must Die'' * ''Killer'', a 1972 French crime drama directed by

Denys de La Patellière Denys de La Patellière (8 March 1921 in Nantes, France – 21 July 2013) was a French film director and scriptwriter. He also directed Television series. He died in 2013 at the age of 92. Biography The son of an officer, Denys de La Patell ...

* ''Killer'' (1991 film), a Telugu film starring Akkineni Nagarjuna * ''Killer'' (1994 film) (a.k.a. ''Bulletproof Heart''), a film starring Anthony LaPaglia and Mimi Rogers, and featuring Peter Boyle * ''Killer: A Journal of Murder'' (film), a 1996 film about serial killer Carl Panzram * ''Killer'' (1998 film), a French/Kazakhstani crime drama

Games

Killer (game) Wink murder is a party game or parlour game in which a secretly selected player is able to "kill" others by winking at them, while the surviving players try to identify the killer. The game is also variously known as murder wink, killer, murder i ...

, a parlor game played with cards and candles *

Killer (pool) Killer or killers is a multi-player folk variant of straight pool Straight pool, which is also called 14.1 continuous and 14.1 rack, is a Cue sports, cue sport in which two competing players attempt to as many s as possible without playing a ...

, a multi-player pocket billiards (pool) game * Killer, a climbing card game related to

tiến lên ''Tiến lên'' (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: '':wikt:tiến lên, tiến lên'', '':wikt:tiến, tiến'': advance; '':wikt:lên, lên'': to go up, up; ; also romanized Tien Len) is a Card games#Shedding games, shedding-type card game origin ...

* Killer, a variant of the game of

darts Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, projectiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dartboard. Point ...

Assassin (game) Assassin (also Killer) is a live-action game in which players try to eliminate one another using mock weapons, in an effort to become the last surviving player. Assassin is particularly popular on college campuses; several universities have a ...

, or Killer, a live-action role-playing game *

Killer sudoku Killer sudoku (also killer su doku, sumdoku, sum doku, sumoku, addoku, or samunanpure サムナンプレ ''sum-num(ber) pla(ce)'') is a puzzle that combines elements of sudoku and kakuro. Despite the name, the simpler killer sudokus can be e ...

, or ''samunamupure'', a variant of sudoku * '' Killer: The Game of Assassination'', a live action role-playing game set of rules first published by Steve Jackson Games in 1982

Literature

* ''Killer'', a 1952 novel by

Hank Janson Hank Janson is both a fictional character and a pseudonym created by the English author Stephen Daniel Frances who died in 1989. Frances wrote a series of thrillers by, and often featuring, Hank Janson, beginning with ''When Dames Get Tough'' (19 ...

* ''Killer'', a 1962 novel by Wade Everett * ''Killer: A Journal of Murder'' (novel), a 1970 biographical novel upon which the 1996 film is based * ''Killer'', a novelization of the 1983 TV serial by

Glenn Chandler Glenn Chandler (born 12 March 1949) is a Scottish playwright, novelist, producer and theatre director. He has written plays for theatre and radio, original screenplays for television and films, television series, and also novels. His best known ...

* ''Killer'', a 1985 novel by

David Drake David A. Drake (September 24, 1945 – December 10, 2023) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran, he worked as a lawyer before becoming a writer in the military science fiction genre. Biography ...

with Karl Edward Wagner * ''Killer'', a 1989 novel by

James Pattinson James Lee Pattinson (born 3 May 1990) is an Australian cricketer. Pattinson is considered an aggressive fast bowler. After making his Test cricket debut in late 2011, he played Test and limited overs cricket for the Australia national cricket t ...

* ''Killer'', a 2000 novel by Francine Pascal, the twelfth installment in the ''Fearless'' novel series * '' Jimmy Coates: Killer'', a 2005 novel by Joe Craig, the first installment in the Jimmy Coates series * ''Killer'' (novel) a 2009 novel by Sara Shepard, the sixth installment of the ''Pretty Little Liars'' series * ''Killer'', a 2014 novel by

Jonathan Kellerman Jonathan Seth Kellerman (born August 9, 1949) is an American novelist and psychologist known for his mystery novels featuring the character Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police Department. Born on the Low ...

, the 29th installment in the

Alex Delaware Alex Delaware is a literary character created by American writer Jonathan Kellerman. The Alex Delaware detective series begins with ''When the Bough Breaks'', published in 1985. Delaware appears in 39 of Kellerman's popular murder mysteries. Kell ...

series

Music

Groups

Killer (Finnish band) Killer was a rock band founded in 1999 in Helsinki, Finland. Although Killer was a quartet, vocalist Siiri Nordin was by far the most visible member. History The group's debut single ''Hurricane'' was released in February 2001. In August 2001 ...

, an early 2000s Finnish alternative and experimental rock band *

Killer (Swiss band) Killer is a Swiss heavy metal group founded in 1979 by guitarist Edgar "Crown" Kocher after a 3-year stint with the band Kaktus. Kocher's trademark is wearing striped prison garb on stage. Between 1981 and 1986, Killer released 4 studio albums ...

, a hard rock band *

Killer (Belgian band) Killer is a Belgian heavy metal band founded in 1980. The lead guitarist is Paul Shorty Van Camp. Initially, they played hard rock, but later began to weigh down their sound in favor of traditional heavy metal, speed metal and power metal. His ...

, a heavy metal band

Albums

* ''Killer'' (Alice Cooper album), 1971 * ''Killer'' (video), by Die Ärzte, 1999 * ''Killer'' (Tech N9ne album), 2008

Songs

* "Killer" (Adamski song), 1990, featuring Seal as a vocalist * "Killer" (Baby K and Tiziano Ferro song), 2013 * "Killer" (Eminem song), 2020 * "Killer" (Fazer song), 2012 * "Killer" (Kiss song), 1982 * "Killer", by Boy Kill Boy from ''

Civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

'', 2006 * "Killer", by Dev from ''

The Night The Sun Came Up ''The Night the Sun Came Up'' is the debut studio album by American recording artist Dev, released on August 31, 2011 by Universal Republic Records. Dev worked exclusively with American Electropop production duo The Cataracs and Alan De la Rosa ...

'', 2011 * "Killer", by The Hoosiers from '' The Trick to Life'', 2007 * "Killer", by Kali Uchis from '' Isolation'', 2018 * "Killer", by Krokus from ''

Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

'', 1978 * "Killer/キラー", by MORE MORE JUMP '' Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!'', 2024 * "Killer", by The Ready Set from ''

Feel Good Now ''Feel Good Now'' is the second live album by the New York City no wave band Swans. It was recorded on a Sony Professional Walkman on their 1987 Children of God tour in Europe. A remaster of the album, along with the studio album '' Children o ...

'', 2011 * "Killer", by Van Der Graaf Generator from ''

H to He, Who Am the Only One ''H to He, Who Am the Only One'' is the third album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on 20 December 1970 on Charisma Records. The band recorded the album in several stages throughout mid-1970 in Tr ...

'', 1970

Television

* "Killer" (''CSI''), an episode from the sixth season of the American television series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2006) * "Killer" (''Taggart''), the 1983 pilot episode and title of the later renamed Scottish detective TV series ''Taggart'' * ''Killer'' (TV series), a 1984 British thriller series which aired on ITV

People

* Killer (nickname), a list of people known as "Killer" or "The Killer" *

Killer Brooks Timothy Paul Brooks (December 4, 1946 – June 30, 2020), better known by his ring name "Killer" Tim Brooks, was an American professional wrestler. He competed in North American regional promotions, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA ...

(1946–2020), ring name of American professional wrestler Tim Brooks *

Killer Khan was a Japanese professional wrestler. Popularly known as Killer Khan, he was billed from Mongolia and had numerous high-profile matches with André the Giant in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1980s, including a high profile "M ...

(born 1947), ring name of Japanese professional wrestler Masashi Ozawa *

Daniel Killer Daniel Pedro Killer (born 31 December 1949) is an Argentine former professional football defender who was part of the Argentina squad that won the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Daniel and his brother Mario were part of the Rosario Central team that won t ...

(born 1949), former Argentine footballer * Tobias Killer (born 1993), German footballer *

Bob Konovsky Bob Konovsky (August 19, 1934 – March 6, 1982) was an American professional football guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the seventh round of the 1956 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals and played three seasons wit ...

(1934–1982), American National Football League player and professional wrestler known as "Killer Konovsky" *

Killer Kowalski Wladek Kowalski (born Edward Władysław Spulnik; October 13, 1926 – August 30, 2008) was a Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ring name Killer Kowalski. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the ...

(1926–2008), ring name of Polish-Canadian professional wrestler Władek Kowalski

Science and technology

Killer (computer) Operation Sundevil was a 1990 nationwide United States Secret Service crackdown on "illegal computer hacking activities." It involved raids in approximately fifteen different cities and resulted in three arrests and the confiscation of computers, ...

, an AT&T public-access UNIX machine involved in Operation Sundevil *

Death receptor 5 Death receptor 5 (DR5), also known as TRAIL receptor 2 (TRAILR2) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10B (TNFRSF10B), is a cell surface receptor of the TNF-receptor superfamily that binds TRAIL and mediates apoptosis. Functio ...

, a tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 10b, a human gene, alias KILLER *

Killer application A killer application (often shortened to killer app) is any software that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as its host computer hardware, video game console, software platform, or operatin ...

or killer app, a computer program that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology * Killer NIC, a network interface card manufactured by Bigfoot Networks *

Killer yeast A killer yeast is a yeast, such as ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'', which is able to secrete one of a number of toxic proteins which are lethal to susceptible cells. These "killer toxins" are polypeptides that kill sensitive cells of the same or relat ...

, a yeast, such as ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'', which is able to secrete one of a number of toxic proteins which are lethal to receptive cells

Other uses

* Killer (philately), a term for a heavy stamp cancellation mark * Killer, Germany, a village in the town of Burladingen, in the Killertal valley