Tim Curry's TV Serial Killer Still Hasn't Been Beaten After 17 Years

Published Sep 1, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering everything from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi epics. Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the TV and movies team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time. Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check. Every fan of crime TV shows likely has a favorite fictional serial killer or two. Whether they prefer episodic procedurals or serialized thrillers, dozens of shows have built their appeal around chilling characters who live to ensure others do not. However, while there are many iconic television serial killers, one stands out thanks to both how utterly, utterly terrifying he is and the fact that he was played by a Hollywood legend. The late Tim Curry is fondly remembered for dozens of roles, but his 2010 appearance in Criminal Minds deserves much more attention from fans of both the actor and TV serial killers. Curry’s Billy Flynn, also known as the Prince of Darkness, first appeared in the Criminal Minds season 5 finale, “Our Darkest Hour,” before returning for the story's conclusion in the season 6 premiere, “The Longest Night.” A family annihilator, cop-killer, and child abductor, Flynn was a caliber of murderous psychopath the likes of which TV audiences had never seen. Both within the extensive range of UnSubs in Criminal Minds and the wider entertainment landscape of shows like Dexter, Hannibal, and You, no fictional TV serial killer is as terrifying as Tim Curry's Billy Flynn. Seventeen years after he appeared in Criminal Minds, Curry's performance still hasn’t been matched when it comes to being pure nightmare fuel. With serial killer-based crime dramas and thrillers more popular than ever, Tim Curry's Prince of Darkness should be considered the blueprint for making them genuinely terrifying. Tim Curry Played Television's Most Terrifying Serial Killer In Criminal Minds Among the dozens, if not hundreds, of fictional TV serial killers, none have been more utterly terrifying than Tim Curry’s Billy Flynn in Criminal Minds. The Prince of Darkness had been operating across the country for decades prior to “Our Darkest Hour”, which sees a series of rolling blackouts in Los Angeles creating the perfect conditions for him to engage on a spree-killing rampage. The two-part storyline quickly establishes that the BAU is dealing with one of its most dangerous killers, and this is evident from the moment Curry appears on screen. What makes Billy Flynn so disturbing compared to other TV serial killers is that Criminal Minds does not need to rely on elaborate gimmicks to make him memorable. He’s not a suave or sophisticated cannibal or a skilled social manipulator. His crimes are brutal, but the psychological cruelty surrounding them is arguably worse. Billy deliberately leaves survivors behind, creating witnesses who must live with what they experienced. His attacks also involve forcing kids to confront horrors no child should ever witness. Literally every aspect of Flynn, from his backstory to his modus operandi, is harrowing. However, it’s Tim Curry's performance that elevates Billy Flynn from an already disturbing character into genuine nightmare fuel. Despite his appearance being grotesque and a snarling, almost bestial rage emerging when his temper flares, Curry manages to make Flynn conversational, and almost ordinary, when he taunts his victims. The actor's distinctive voice, which had previously brought such charisma to countless larger-than-life characters, becomes almost as unsettling as the crimes Billy commits. Many television serial killers are fascinating, intelligent, or even strangely charismatic, but Billy Flynn is simply terrifying. He’s a character whose monstrous nature is unfiltered and on full display in every moment, a rare TV murderer that’s impossible to humanize despite his own childhood being full of horrors inflicted upon him. Over a decade later, Criminal Minds' Prince of Darkness remains inarguably the scariest fictional serial killer to ever appear in a TV show. Billy Flynn Is Tim Curry's Most Underrated Role Tim Curry's career contained no shortage of legendary performances, yet his work in Criminal Minds is rarely mentioned alongside his most iconic roles. That feels like a major oversight. Billy Flynn may have appeared in only two episodes, but Curry created a villain who remains unmatched not only on Criminal Minds, but in the wider world of serial killer-based crime dramas and thrillers. The role demonstrates just how versatile Tim Curry truly was. His Pennywise in the IT miniseries is theatrical and gleefully sinister, while Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island combines menace with enormous comic charm. Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, meanwhile, became one of cinema's most recognizable cult characters. Billy Flynn is almost the opposite of those performances, but is just as impossible to forget. When he appeared in Criminal Minds, Tim Curry stripped away much of the flamboyance he built his career on and created something colder, darker, and infinitely more chilling. There is still personality in Billy, but it wasn’t the kind of larger-than-life taunting terror that defined, for example, Pennywise. Billy was sadistic, had a God-complex, and deliberately talked and moved in ways that triggered responses like disgust and revulsion. It was a truly, truly masterful piece of acting from Curry, and one just as deserving of celebration as any of the late actor’s other roles. That is why Billy Flynn warrants recognition as one of Tim Curry's best performances. He may only have appeared in two episodes of Criminal Minds, yet he made the Prince of Darkness feel as unforgettable as characters he played for far longer. In a career filled with legendary roles, Tim Curry's most frightening creation was a simple man stripped of everything human to leave only ugliness and hatred. Birthdate April 19, 1946 Birthplace Grappenhall, Cheshire, England Notable Projects Congo, Clue Height 5 feet 9 inches