Directed by Fritz Lang; Peter Lorre as Hans Beckert. When a serial child killer proves bad for their business, the Berlin underworld determine to capture the creep and try him themselves. Lorre is alternately repellant and touching in his film debut as Hans Beckert. The classic cinema blueprint for the serial killer film.

Film Club: Murderers (Great Actors Kill People)
At last, a series for people who get off on watching people get offed! This winter we bring you six murderers, played by some of the cinema’s biggest stars, many in award-winning performances. Starting with Fritz Lang’s far-ahead-of-its time M, the classic blueprint for the serial killer film, each month you’ll cozy up to a different monster whose shoes some outstanding actor wanted to walk around in. Five of our six homicidal anti-heroes are inspired by real people; with veteran acting teacher Kent Stephens as host, we’ll learn how Peter Lorre, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irons, Charlize Theron, Martin Sheen, and Kathleen Turner prepped to play these perps. If things get too scary, remember: we serve drinks…

Hosted by Kent Stephens
Director/playwright/performer Kent Stephens is a professional theatre artist and movie aficionado who has staged over 200 productions in the American regional theatre and off-Broadway. He has run theatre programs, taught acting, or been guest artist at University of Minnesota, Emerson, Cornell, Carleton, and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Kent has previously hosted series for the Film Club on Orson Welles, great comics, and Westerns, and for Telluride by the Sea, a series of film noir.