The most notorious serial killers of Hungarian history

We all love horror films, especially around the Halloween season. They are great because when we get too scared, we can just turn them off. Unfortunately, this is not the case with real-life crime. Some people turn into cold-blooded killers and we can only be grateful that we did not meet them. Here is a list of Hungary’s most notorious serial killers.

Elizabeth Báthory

Many people are familiar with the story of Elizabeth Báthory. She was a noblewoman, and her family owned a significant amount of land in the Kingdom of Hungary (which is now Slovakian territory). Allegedly, she killed hundreds of innocent girls with some help from her servants. Later, she was imprisoned for her horrible deeds.

Historians still argue whether she was a real killer or she was just accused as part of a witch-hunt. However, the evidence found in her castle and the testimonies support the hypothesis that Elizabeth was a killer. There were several stories about Countess Báthory bathing in virgin girls’ blood to stay young. She is part of the Hungarian folklore now, being described as a vampire. Nevertheless, some believe that accusations were completely false and made up by György Thurzó, a Palatine of Hungary, who wanted Báthory’s fortune and land. You can read more about Báthory HERE.

The Martfű Monster

Péter Kovács worked as a lorry driver in Martfű. He had a pretty normal life, a family and a job where he was liked by others. There are only speculations about what made him do horrible things. Some say that he saw a violent film in the cinema and he got excited about the idea of hurting women.

One night, he went to the Tisza Cipő factory where a young girl had just finished her shift and was walking home alone. He hit her in the head, raped her, suffocated her, and then disposed of the body. The number one suspect in the case was the girl’s ex-boyfriend, who – for whatever reason – pledged guilty. Later, there were similar cases that revealed to the police that the real killer was still on the loose. He was executed by hanging for his cruel cold-blooded killings in 1968. The Hungarian thriller, Strangled (2016), tells the story of this murderer.