How To Write A Believable Serial Killer

This one stems from an issue I was struggling with recently. I recently introduced a slightly psychotic, slightly disturbed serial killer, and I was having trouble describing their thoughts, actions, motives, speech patterns, etc. Usually I can fix this problem by imagining myself in that kind of situation and drawing parallels between myself and the character, and this helps me feel what they would be feeling. For example: character is running for their life. I draw a parallel between that and when I am running as hard as I can. This helps to feel the pounding of their feet on the ground, their breath coming in gasps, their heart thumping in their ears, their windpipe burning as the push themselves to keep going. Usually this works very well for me, but for obvious reasons I find it rather hard to parallel a serial killer's thoughts with any of my own experiences. So I did some research and found some excellent tips on how to write a believable serial killer. As always, I've included a link to the source under each section.

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5 Tips for Writing a Believable (and Creepy) Serial Killer

 Let's start with a story: 

So one day a man--we'll call him John--goes to a funeral. He happens to see a pretty girl that catches his eye. That night, after leaving the funeral, John murders someone who was at that funeral, and shows up at his victim's funeral a few days later. Eventually, the police catch John. They determine that he didn't murder the person at the first funeral he attended, but he did murder the person being buried at the second. So why did John do it? Any guesses?

Criminal justice students would probably guess things similar to the following:

1. John had a grievance with the second man. Perhaps he went to the first funeral specifically to stalk him? Nope. Actually he never met or knew anything about his victim until he attended the first funeral. 

2. So maybe something happened after the funeral that made him zero in on the man? Not really. Nothing about that man in particular stood out to him. 

3. Maybe he's just a psycho and needed to kill someone? Well, John is, in fact, a serial killer. So, by nature, he's a bit of a psycho, but that's not why he killed this particular victim. He did have a reason.

The motive behind John's crime is one that pretty much any normal, sane person would never guess. The answer is that he wanted to see that pretty girl again.

Confused? Understandable. That makes absolutely no logical sense. But then, serial killers are far from logical. If they were, they wouldn't being killing people. 

You see, for John, killing is the norm. It's what makes him feel better, what gives him emotional release, how he gets things done. So, when he wanted to see that pretty girl again, it was only natural for him to pick someone in her circle of acquaintances and kill them because he knew she'd show up at the funeral. 

Chilling, isn't it?

If you are a crime writer who needs to write a great killer, check out these tips. (Of course, they can be adapted to write just about any villain in any genre.)

1. Give them a system of logic. Like magic systems, anti-heroes, and just about any other character you write, they have to have a code they live by. The less sense it makes to the reader, the better, but make sure your killer believes in his own lifestyle. Have him state it and live it. 

Example: One type of serial killer is the type that goes after prostitutes, drug addicts, etc. because they believe they are bettering society by getting these kinds of people off the streets. Is that logical? Can you make society better by murdering people? Obviously not. But these killers truly believe that. Give them a back story that illustrates why they believe it and/or what brought that belief about.

2. Give them contradictions. Many people have the misconception that serial killers are weird and will stand out in a crowd. In reality, most seem terribly normal. But to have them be psychotic in one situation and normal in another is exactly what will make your readers feel the creep factor.

Example: This was well done on The Walking Dead this past season. Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead season 4 ahead. If you don't want to know, skip this example. There was a mentally disturbed little girl named Lizzie. (Fans will remember quite vividly.) The thing that made her so disturbing is that one moment she would do something psychotic--like stab her little sister to death and contemplate killing a baby--and the next moment she would break down and cry because she feared one of the adults was angry with her, over something relatively mundane. She was suddenly the innocent, vulnerable little girl again. It was downright freaky. Do this with your killers. It will make your readers shiver.

3. Make them relentless. The truth is, contrary to popular belief, most serial killers, especially if not caught, will stop killing at some point in their lives, for any number of reasons. But, in service of your story, give the killer an objective and make sure that they will go after it, no matter what, even if it's obvious they've been beaten. Keep in mind, their objective doesn't necessarily need to be murder. Maybe it's to beat a cop at the cat and mouse game, reach a particular number or goal with their victims, feel something specific that they haven't achieved yet. The possibilities are endless. And the more specific you are with these objectives, the more memorable your killer will be.

4. Give them creepy quirks. Come up with one or two little, quirky things any character might do. Then turn them on their heads and make them psychotic. It will give your readers something to latch onto. In truth, a killer might be the most difficult character for your readers to identify with, because most readers aren't killers. So give them something to grasp, even if it's grotesque.

Example: A character might cook when they need to unwind, but Hannibal Lector ate his victims. Others might sew, but Ed Gein made dresses of human skin. A character might be meticulous in their appearance and grooming, but Darken Rahl (of the Sword of Truth series) always licked his fingers and smoothed down his eyebrows before doing something particularly evil. Memorable? Definitely.

5. Give them somewhere to go. Like all great characters, killers should be dynamic. They should change as the story progresses. Now, if you aren't writing from the killer's POV, this can be tricky. But in crime dramas, you often hear investigators say that a killer is escalating. This means he/she is moving to a new level of violence. Yup, this counts as a dynamic character. And it ups the tension/drama/terror, because it means the killer is even more fear-inducing than he/she was when the story began.

Hope this helps all you amazing crime fiction writers out there deepen your killers and/or bad guys. After all, the more you can make your readers shiver, the more they'll cheer when the hero succeeds at he final showdown. Happy crime writing!


Information above taken from a blog found here: http://lkhill.blogspot.com/2014/07/5-tips-for-writing-believable-and.html

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10 Most Common Traits of Potential Serial Killers


This list aims to look at the common traits of serial killers. What makes them tick? Why are they compelled to do what they do? Are they made by what surrounds them in their infancy, or are they born with certain traits that predispose them to violence? The ten characteristics below may not be present in every serial murderer – but they’ll give you an idea of some of the warning signs.

10 - Alcohol and substance abuse

Children who are exposed to alcohol and substance abuse in the womb may suffer from serious birth defects. Small eye openings, retardation, a small head and brain and central nervous system issues are just some of the problems they could face, if they survive.

Growing up in a home where substances are abused can be even worse. ADHD, attachment disorders, doubt and feelings of inadequacy, depression and behavioral problems will be evident from a very young age. According to the FBI’s statistics, the childhood homes of more than 70% of serial killers experienced problems related to substance abuse. Be that as it may, there have actually been very few serial killers (relatively speaking) addicted to alcohol and substances – but many of them are known to have encountered such things in their youth. 

9 - Psychological abuse during childhood

It almost goes without saying that most serial killers were abused as children. According to the interviews and discussions that have been held with known serial killers, emotional abuse and neglect has been the form of abuse most of them (50%) suffered.

They were humiliated often – and when parents meted out discipline, it was unfair, unpredictable, destructive and wicked. Even when a child is merely neglected, huge developmental failures can occur. The child will become desensitized; he will begin to believe that this emotionally barren world that surrounds it is something normal – and so he will grow up devoid of empathy for others.

Emotional abuse impairs a child’s self-esteem, and interferes with his ability to function adequately in society, succeed academically, and form healthy, intimate relationships. This is why we see that serial killers often fail to keep their jobs for any period of time and only rarely have successful relationships. 

8 - Sexually stressful events during childhood

Accessible research material tells us violent sexual events during childhood have serious adverse affects on an individual’s development. More than one known serial killer was forced to dress up as a girl as a form of punishment. The witnessing of violent sexual acts between family members and/or parents had some of the most damaging effects.

Furthermore, some contracted venereal diseases as teenagers; were punished for masturbating as children; or were sexually abused, most often by parents or family members. Such experiences in childhood will often create violent fantasies that continue into adulthood.

Childhood abuse leads to social isolation, learning difficulties (46% of serial killers never finish high-school), self-control issues and seizures. This research into child abuse serves as compelling confirmation that serial killers are made – not born. 

7 - Bed-wetting

 Even though bed-wetting in itself has been discredited as a predictor of later violent tendencies, it is speculated that it might be related to arson and animal cruelty in some way. Researches argue that persistent bed-wetting past the age of five is demeaning for a child, especially if parents or other figures of authority tease or belittle them about it. The child may then act out against animals or use arson to channel their anger and frustration. Over 57% of serial killers were bed-wetters until an unusually advanced age.

6 - Growing up lonely and isolated

Family members of future serial killers are usually out of step and at odds with each other. Their relationships are malfunctional and debilitating. These families also have a tendency to move around a lot, and the children are normally removed into shelters before they can turn 18.

It all boils down to the idea that such children have no meaningful relationship as they grow up, and therefore end up lacking the capacity to forge such relationship; they end up as “loners”. Serial killers are rarely remembered by classmates, as they rarely had any close friends. As they are frequently bullied by other kids, anti-social tendencies will also develop at an early age. A careful observer will see that this child starts dabbling in arson and theft, the use of dangerous weapons, hostility and aggression, and a complete disregard for others’ rights.

5 - Fantasies

Serial killers’ fantasies are often about control and violation. In fact, during research, it became evident that serial killers could remember NO positive fantasies they had as children. Some would fantasize about mutilating themselves or their genitals. They will even fantasize about their own traumas, over and over again – the difference being that in these fantasies they are the assailant.

Serial killers in the making will never discuss these horrid fantasies with anyone, but thoughts of fulfilling them will recur more and more frequently. Before the serial killer kills for the first time, the fantasies normally focus on committing the murder. Afterwards, the fantasies will focus on committing each murder more successfully, and with greater efficiency. 

4 - Preferring auto-erotic activities

Most serial killers admitted that during their teenage years they avoided parties and other social events. They definitely never experimented as normal teenagers do with sexual activities among their peers, rather preferring masturbation and other auto-erotic activities such as pornography. In some cases there would be obsessive masturbation – as in the case of Andrei Chikatilo, who had awful scarring on his penis due to the aggression that accompanied his masturbation.

Without any substantial social structure in his life, the killer is unable to embark on a normal sexual relationship, and thus is forced into solo sexual activities. Certain forms of media, such as detective magazines, often have lurid tales of sex and murder that can also serve as an extra form of arousal – linking sex and murder together. 

3 - Developing voyeurism and fetishism in adulthood

From an early age, many serial killers are intensely interested in voyeurism and fetishism as well as other paraphilias. Many will start their deviancy as relatively harmless peeping-toms, before moving on to house-breaking, rape, and murder. Given that elements of bondage and dominance feature so strongly in most paraphilias, it is no surprise that this is often the route followed after adolescence. 

2 - Acting out fantasies on animals

Almost all serial killers – in fact, 99% of them – admitted that they started by acting out their violent fantasies on animals before graduating to human beings. Due to the dysfunctional families most serial killers come from, such pathological and abnormal behavior may be ignored or completely missed – as in the case of Jeffrey Dahmer, whose father was unperturbed by the fact that his son was dissecting animals. These acts of animal cruelty are a great source of pleasure to young killers, and they manage to perfect the art completely – later performing the same acts on their human victims.

1 - Physical injuries

Head injuries received during accidents, repeated head trauma suffered during physical abuse or injuries during birth have been suggested as a very important link to aggressive and violent behaviour. Damage to the limbic brain, hypothalamus or temporal lobe may cause bouts of spontaneous aggression. These areas are involved with hormones, aggression, emotion and motivation; injuries to them may also result in seizures and forms of amnesia.

70% of serial killers received extensive head injuries as children or adolescents, clearly showing the link between these types of injuries and serial murder. Some researchers believe that the pre-frontal cortex (the area involved in planning and judgement) does not function properly in psychopaths.

Information above found at: listverse.com/2013/01/02/10-most-common-traits-of-potential-serial-killers/

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How To Create A Good Killer While Writing

Anyone can write in a boring killer into their story or novel, but not everyone can create a well-written killer who is smart and capable of not being caught in their story or novel.

If you've ever wanted to write a horror or thriller short story or novel, it probably involves some sort of killer in some way. I, for one, love to write about people murdering other people, which sounds really bad but its true. I love the gore and blood that comes with having a killer in one's story. The only hard part, though, is writing a good killer into your story. Anyone can write just anyone killing someone else, but not everyone can write it well.

First thing is first, pick how your killer will look and what they are going to use to successfully accomplish their many murders to come. Try to make it different and try to make your killer smart rather than the average horror movie cliche of having a stupid serial killer who doesn't even cover their steps from killing someone and easily gets caught. As for their weapon or way of killing people, you can choose something nice and simple like a gun or perhaps have them like to suffocate people, or you can go the more extreme route like me and choose the most bloody and horrifying way to kill someone and go off of that.

Next, try to give the killer something unusual that he or she keeps from their victims or something they like to find in their victims so they all have something in common and the killer can have a trophy of remembrance of the kill. Try to find something like that because it helps the reader understand the psychological psychopathic tendencies of your killer.

Then, you're going to want to then create a weakness for your killer. Every single killer has at least one weakness, no one is fully impenetrable. Pick something different though, something emotional helps tug at the readers heart strings and mind. If you choose something like "my killer's weakness is knives because they can kill them" then your killer is very boring and obvious. Obviously a knife will kill anyone! Choose something unique to your killer.

Finally, choose how you want the killer to end or prevail at the conclusion of your story or novel. Do they die? Do they live? What happens in the end? Jail? Freedom? There has to be something that happens to the killer whether they live or they die or else the story is boring and there are so many loose ends the readers won't enjoy the story anymore.

Now you have the basics for making a killer in your story and hopefully the killer you create isn't boring or typical like a lot of killers we see in books and movies today. Make your killer pop and be different so people read about him or her and they are shocked and intrigued with your story.

Information found at: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-to-write-good-killer-in-story

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I hope this helped you bring to life your villain, serial killer, psychopath, or any combination of the above!

Deadliest Poisons, Toxins, and Their Effects

First off, toxins and poisons are not always the same thing. There are a few key differences that are important to note,  described very well by the author of this next paragraph.

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Difference between Toxic and Poisonous

Key difference: A poison is any substance that is harmful or deadly to someone, essentially to living cells. It may be natural or manufactured. A toxin, on the other hand, is a poison that is produced naturally or biologically by living things. Hence, it can be said that toxins are a sub-category of poisons.

Sometimes a substance is considered toxic, someone else might say that no, it is poisonous, while another will say that it is both toxic and poisonous. So, which is it, toxic or poisonous? And, if the words are synonyms, then how can it be toxic and poisonous, wouldn’t that just be redundant? Actually, they are synonyms in the lay man’s terms. However, there is a slight difference in each one’s connotation.

According to Dictionary.com, a poison is “a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.” This is a vast definition and can include numerous substances.

Dictionary.com defines a toxin as, “any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of tetanus, diphtheria, etc., and such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.”

Effectively, a poison is any substance that is harmful or deadly to someone, essentially to living cells. It may be natural or manufactured. A toxin, on the other hand, is a poison that is produced naturally or biologically by living things. Hence, it can be said that toxins are a sub-category of poisons.

I didn't include the whole article, simply because that would have made this post extremely long. But there is some very interesting information in there, and I recommend reading it. Link provided here: www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-toxic-and-poisonous

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10 Deadliest Poisons Used By Man

Since time began humans have looked for more and more effective ways of killing and maiming each other. For this end poison has always been a popular, if not a little sophisticated, choice. Even back in ancient times the rich, powerful and unpopular would employ a food taster to check whether their goat’s head soup had been dosed.

Poisoning has long been a popular way to murder those around you and the choice of assassins. It is subtle – hard to detect, effective and the culprit doesn’t even have to be on the scene of the crime. There is also the advantage that you don’t need strength or skill plus it’s great if you are a little squeamish about killing people. This may be why there have been so many documented women poisoners throughout history.

The list I have compiled here is not just a list of the top 10 most toxic substances known to man. That would be too easy and not really relevant to anyone. This list is all those deadly poisons that have, over the years, been used by humans to kill each other; either individually or en masse.

10: Arsenic

Arsenic is one of the classics. Hugely popular up to Victorian times, it was both easy to acquire and effective. It seems they couldn’t get enough of it, being a common ingredient in any number of household products from wallpaper to paints. Arsenic poisoning occurred accidentally from all these and natural sources with notable cases such as the loopy King George III of Britain.

The superficial effects of arsenic poisoning are jaundice and a skin rash, but this tends to be after a long build up. Acute poisoning from a high dose results in intense gastric distress – basically everything goes wrong with your gut causing vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, along with pain.

Death follows convulsions and coma with circulatory failure being the ultimate cause. This may happen within a few hours of ingestion.

9: Mustard Gas

Mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, shot to popularity in World War I. It was obviously decided that being pounded by heavy artillery in the trenches wasn’t sufficiently unpleasant so German scientists invented the chemical weapon. The name comes from the yellow-brown colour of the gas and the garlic like smell. However, no cooking ingredients were used in its manufacture – the active ingredient is highly reactive chlorine.

Despite only being fatal in around 1% of cases I’m including mustard gas because of its horrific nature. Its mode of action is basically to burn any part of the body it comes into contact with, whether that be skin, eyes or lungs. It forms large blisters on the skin and lungs and can even damage DNA leading to cancer. The gas is also capable of penetrating clothes and remaining active in the soil for prolonged periods.

In fatal cases the cause of death is usually the result of burns or damage to the lungs causing suffocation. There is also a great risk of secondary infections from bacteria as with other serious burns.

8: Cyanide

Cyanide is one of the best known of all poisons. Perhaps best known as the suicide pills reputedly carried by secret agents it was also the active ingredient in the gas (Zyklon B) used by the Nazis in extermination camps such as Auschwitz. There is little doubt as to the effectiveness of this poison with death occurring almost immediately. Cyanide works by preventing cellular respiration; i.e. the body stops producing energy at the very lowest level causing what is termed “internal asphyxia”. This manifests itself in rapid breathing, dizziness, nausea, headache and ultimately convulsions.

Cyanide comes in two main forms hydrogen cyanide which is a gas and potassium cyanide which is a white powder. It occurs naturally in the stones of apricots, several plants and even apple pips. Whatever the source it is recognisable by a bitter-almond smell.

7: Strychnine

Another of the old favourites, Strychnine is infamous for its dramatic and painful effects. It works by attacking the central nervous system causing all the muscles in the body to violently contract at the same time. Such is the intensity of these convulsions that the victim will appear to “jackknife” back and forth in the latter stages of the poisoning.
Death occurs within 2 to 3 hours of ingestion and whilst usually the result of asphyxiation due to paralysis of the respiratory pathways it can also be caused by exhaustion from the convulsions.

Strychnine is derived from the seed of the dog button plant (Strychnos nux-vomica) which grows in tropical areas. In the past it was used to treat a wide range of medical conditions. These days though its primary use is as a pesticide and rat poison, however, some drug dealers apparently add it to heroine to smooth the effects!

6: Ricin

Whilst castor oil may be touted for its health giving properties the other product of this plant (Ricinus communis) is the polar opposite. A dose of less than a sprinkling of salt will kill an adult. It is derived from the castor bean and it is the part that is left behind after the oil is extracted that is poisonous. Ingestion of ricin is actually not often fatal as it is difficult to digest; it is much more dangerous if inhaled or injected. That said the most common form of poisoning occurs from eating castor beans – why anyone would do this I have no idea but as few as 5 beans could prove fatal.

Ricin acts by preventing protein synthesis. This means cells slowly grind to a halt and essential operations cease as enzymes aren’t produced. It may take up to a day for symptoms to show and these will vary depending on the method of exposure.

Ricin is so good at killing people that both the USA and Russia stockpiled it as a chemical weapon. It is thought to have been used by Sadam Hussein on his own people and is linked to the KGB murder of  a Bulgarian writer in London.

5: Sarin

Sarin was made famous by the attacks on the Tokyo subway by the lunatic religious cult Aum Shinrikyo in the mid 1990s. The fact that fatalities were relatively low does not reflect the toxicity of this nerve agent. Developed as a chemical weapon in WWII sarin is a deadly organophosphate also known as GB and is reputedly 26 times more deadly than cyanide.

The mode of action for all nerve agents is to prevent nerve endings from switching off. Death results from loss of control of the muscles required for breathing and asphyxiation. The immediate effects of the toxin are a loss of control of bodily functions. Convulsions follow along with coma and death within an hour.

Sarin is one of the “Killer B’s”, the symptoms of exposure to which are described in the mnemonic “SLUDGE” – Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination, Defecation, Gastrointestinal distress, and Emesis. Nice!

4: VX

The United Kingdom can be proud to have developed what is the most potent nerve agent on Earth. So deadly was this toxin that they codenamed it “Purple Possum”! Unlike virtually every other poison on this list VX does not occur naturally, it is completely man-made and was developed to kill as effectively as possible. The good news is it was banned in 1993 meaning the USA have had to dump its stockpiles. Russia are meanwhile in the process.

Symptoms are as with sarin but VX is more potent. These may begin within seconds of exposure and death is likely to result from respiratory failure.

VX is the chemical that features in the 1996 film “The Rock” in which San Francisco is threatened with attack. It is also believed that VX was responsible for the deaths of 6,000 sheep in an incident known as the Skull Valley sheep kill in Utah near a US Army testing base.

3: Arrow Poison Frog

Primarily the batrachotoxin poisons from the skin of certain frog species has been used to coat the tips of hunting darts by certain Amazonian Indians. Given human nature, I imagine a few of these darts have ended up finding a human target with lethal effect. Batrachotoxin is collected from the toxic secretions of  frogs from the Dendrobatidae family although it can also be found in some beetles and birds. The golden poison dart frog is around the size of the end of your thumb yet contains enough venom to kill 10 men! For this reason poison dart frogs can afford to be outrageously brightly coloured.

Batrachotoxin is the most powerful naturally occurring neurotoxin with a dose equivalent to just 2 grains of table salt being enough to kill an adult human. It works in tow ways; both as a neurotoxin, causing paralysis and as a cardiotoxin, directly effecting the heart muscles. This makes death almost inevitable and within a matter of minutes.

2: Polonium

The element polonium is the ultimate 21st century poison and has been linked to the deaths of Russian dissidents and even Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. It is intensely toxic to living things and as such has no known biological role. In its commonest form, Polonium 210 it is reportedly 250,000 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide. This toxicity is radioactive in nature and caused by the release of alpha particles which damage organic tissue. Alpha particles cannot penetrate the skin but if the polonium is ingested, inhaled or injected it is lethal in the tiniest of doses. In theory a single gram of polonium 210 could kill 10 million people. If the acute effects of radiation poisoning don’t kill you then some form of cancer probably will.

Being a radioactive element, polonium is fortunately both difficult to acquire and handle. This means it is largely reserved for use by governments.

1: Botulinum Toxin

Whilst it is impractical to kill using isolated botulinum toxin I’m including it here due to the staggering toxicity of this naturally occurring poison. It is the most poisonous substance known to man. It is estimated that a single teaspoon of botulinum toxin would be sufficient to kill over 1 billion people.
Obviously these figures made the toxin irresistible to weapons developers and it is believed that Sadam era Iraq may have concentrated enough botulinum toxin to wipe out everyone on Earth, 3 times over.

The toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum which can be found worldwide. In its lethal form it is most commonly encountered as botulism occurring when food contaminated with the bacteria is consumed. This form of food poisoning has killed countless people over the ages but is easily avoided by heating the food to over 100 degrees C for a minute. Botulism has been used as a method to murder people on a number of occasions through purposely contaminating food. Botulism can also occur from infected wounds. These days botulism is rarely fatal. In serious cases the neurotoxin  causes a wide range of symptoms from paralysis to breakdown of internal organs and death.

Ironically botulinum toxin has found a role in the medical and cosmetic world. It is used to treat excessive sweating, migraine headaches and unsightly wrinkles on lady’s foreheads in the from of Botox. It was estimated that one gram of the toxin was enough to satisfy the worlds annual requirement of Botox.

This article was also a very interesting read, or maybe I'm just a very morbid person...

Either way, check it out at: https://www.planetdeadly.com/human/deadliest-poisons-man

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The next list I found had some of the toxins and poisons mentioned above, but the descriptions included some interesting info that the previous list didn't mention, so I included the duplicates.

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The 10 Deadliest Poisons in the World 

Poison of any kind, be it chemical, food borne or naturally occurring, has been the subject of everything from the news to chemical warfare and even been the antagonist for plenty of mystery writers in their works of fiction. There are hundreds of deadly poisons known to man; many of which have been used nefariously to commit murder, genocide and acts of terrorism. Some of those poisons are on this list; shockingly others, used to such devastating effect, are not. Whether these poisons were produced synthetically for purposes other than causing death, whether they occur naturally in the plants and animals of the world, or whether they are a by product of some other lab experiment, one thing is certain; they will all kill you, and they will all kill you in painful, horrific ways. Here’s a list of the 10 deadliest poisons in the world.

10: CYANIDE

A well-known toxin, Cyanide is a deadly poison that affects the central nervous system (CNS) as well as the heart. Even if a small dose of cyanide enters the body, the poison will attack the blood stream and bind to the iron in the blood, thus prohibiting oxygen to flow through the body, resulting in death in minutes. Though there are different forms of Cyanide, Hydrogen Cyanide, is by far the deadliest of them. Considered a chemical weapon as a gas, Hydrogen Cyanide is incredibly deadly, killing a human in less than ten minutes. In fact, the poison was used as such to devastating effect during the First World War, before chemical weapons were banned under the Geneva Convention. Today, Cyanide is predominantly used as a method of murder, suicide, or as a plot device in fiction.

9: ANTHRAX

Perhaps the most famous post 9/11 poison, Anthrax was seemingly in the media every day in the early years of the new millennium due to a series of Anthrax-infected letters that were mailed to unsuspecting victims across the United States in the weeks after 9/11. All told five people died and 17 more were injured in the Anthrax attacks, while millions more were affected by the paranoia it sparked. A new Anthrax scare arose everywhere, from major cities to small towns across the United States. The fear the poison elicited was widespread, and for good reason. Essentially a disease caused by bacteria, Anthrax must be inhaled to infect someone as it spreads by spores released into the air. After becoming infected, a minor cold will quickly turn into massive respiratory failure as the Anthrax shuts down a person's breathing. The mortality rate from Anthrax is nearly 90% within a week of infection.

8: SARIN

Considered a weapon of mass destruction, and rightfully so, the nerve gas Sarin will kill you in an agonizing way. From a tight chest to complete suffocation before your body shuts down, Sarin does its handiwork on the human body in an interminably long 60 seconds. That is all it can take; a meagre minute, a single, torturous minute to die. Though Sarin production as a weapon has been outlawed since 1993, there have been many instances since where the poison has been used in terrorist attacks or chemical warfare, particularly during the Tokyo Subway attack in 1995, and the insurgencies in Iraq and Syria, the latter where the chemical agent was employed on civilians killing anywhere from 330 and 1,800 people.

7: AMATOXIN

Amatoxin is a type of poison found in the world’s deadliest mushrooms. You know, the one’s they tell you not to eat when camping. The poison is extremely volatile; if ingested the Amatoxin enters the blood stream and makes a beeline for the liver or the kidney, resulting in extreme illness as the poison attacks the cells of the organ, shutting them down over a matter of days. Amatoxins can attack the heart as well; a sure bet that without proper treatment, usually consisting of high amounts of Penicillin, those who have ingested the poison will fall into a coma within days, and ultimately die of heart or liver failure.

6: STRYCHNINE

Used as a pesticide meant to kill small animals, Strychnine is one of the deadliest poisons on earth. Though found naturally in certain trees in Asia, Strychnine is also created synthetically in labs (ironically winning a Nobel Prize for the first successful attempt). The poison can infect a person in a myriad of ways, whether through ingestion, inhalation, or absorption. Upon entering the body, within a few minutes the muscles begin contracting, while nausea and vomiting overwhelm the victim. As more and more muscles in the body begin to convulse and spasm, they lead to asphyxiation. The entire lethal process from ingestion to death takes roughly a half an hour.

5: MERCURY

Remember in science class when the teacher implored you not to break the thermometer? Well, for good reason. A heavy metal, Mercury is incredibly toxic to the human body when touched or inhaled. Had you or any of your classmates broken that thermometer and gotten some of the Mercury on your body, your skin would have started itching, burning and even peeling off within minutes. If ingested or inhaled, Mercury is altogether even more unpleasant, causing memory loss, loss of vision, kidney failure and brain damage. Eventually Mercury poisoning will shut down the CNS and result in death.

4: TETRODOTOXIN

The infamous poison that dwells deep within the puffer fish, that many sushi connoisseurs pay a premium to eat in hopes it is prepared correctly, and the poison that almost killed Homer Simpson, Tetrodotoxin is lethal. Symptoms, of which there are a multitude, usually occur 30 minutes after consuming the poison. First, your mouth will become paralyzed; next swallowing will become a chore. Soon, your coordination and speech will become disabled. Following that, seizures and convulsions may set in, eventually leading to coma and death. Death most commonly occurs after about 6 hours, but Tetrodotoxin has been known to kill within 17 minutes, clearly making it one of the deadliest poisons on earth.

3: RICIN

Ricin has become the new poison of choice when mailing toxic letters, supplanting Anthrax with that dubious distinction. Even a former Walking Dead actress was charged and convicted of mailing Ricin-laced letters recently. While the fervour surrounding such events may venture into the land of paranoia in the general public sometimes, the serious precautions taken by law enforcement with Ricin are wholly justified. Found in the bean of the Castor Oil Plant, Ricin is incredibly lethal, as it attacks protein production in the body, ultimately shutting it down completely. Most deadly when inhaled, hence the powdered form mail in letters, a quantity no larger than a sprinkle of table salt can kill. Knowing all this, it is no wonder Ricin has been studied as an option for chemical warfare by everyone from the United States military to Al-Qaeda.

2: VX

The most dangerous nerve gas on the planet, this former pesticide became a prime target for militaries across the globe to stockpile, despite its label as a banned weapon of mass destruction. There truly is no use for VX other than as a chemical agent in war. So toxic is VX that one drop of the poison coming into contact with exposed skin will kill a human. Inhalation being the most common form of exposure, symptoms from VX poisoning will range from flu-like symptoms with mild exposure to paralysis and full respiratory failure leading to death when exposed to a lethal dose.

1: BOTULINUM TOXIN

The deadliest poison on earth, a single cap full of Botulinum Toxin could potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people if let loose on the world by causing botulism, a disease that can shut down the CNS. Ironically enough however, Botulinum Toxin has many practical applications in everything from Botox treatment, to the treatment of migraines. That said, even some Botox patients have died as a result of their procedures involving Botulinum Toxin. Mortality rates in poisoning from Botulinum Toxin hover around 50% in untreated patients, while the remainder of those treated may suffer debilitating complications from their illness for years after treatment. Due to its volatile and readily available nature, Botulinum Toxin is the deadliest poison in the world.

As you can see, VX and Botulinum Toxin take the top two spots on both boards, making them the deadliest poisons and/or toxins in the world. More information here: https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/the-10-deadliest-poisons-in-the-world/

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